====================SUMMER GAMES DONE QUICK 2022===================== ===========Raising $3,017,065 for Doctors Without Borders============ =======================June 26 - July 3, 2022======================== -------------------------------SUNDAY-------------------------------- Shadow of the Colossus (PS4 - Bluepoint 2018; Team Ico 2005) NTA Bossrush RANDOM by RUBIEHART host THEKyleThomas, couch SanchoPanda, FoxyJira, Lizstar 47m29s (est 47m, wr 29m44s in-order) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube oQaGHFdzIAA+1790 Review: A solid start to the marathon. Lots of AI manips, a few cases of physics being weird, intermixed with some fun randomness and a crowd-participation gimmick. Ends with an adorkable musical number, if that's what you're into. Sonic Generations (3DS - Sonic Team 2011) Any% by Allegro [2RH] host THEKyleThomas, couch CriticalCyd, FocusSight, KirbyMastah 54m21s (est 1h00m, wr 52m53s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube DLFS5PaONCs+0 Review: A bit less hype than expected, for the second run of the event, but a pretty good 2D Sonic game, with a wide variety of gimmicks (and unfortunately a lot of autoscroller-y bosses). Warioware: Touched! (DS via Wii U VC - Nintendo SPD 2004) Any% by Mr_Shasta [3RH] host Xenadir, couch 1davidj, chockrit, jaxler 31m31s (est 35m, wr 29m29s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube PnaTJNrEJTM+29 Review: Not a game where it's easy to see the skill, unfortunately, but it's a good game for bringing out the madcap energy. Rolled Out! (PC - Polarbyte 2021) Challenge (Warps) by Helix [WRH] host Xenadir, couch petresinc 20m26s (est 22m, wr 17m29s igt) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube YAPzI7_UH20+17 Review: A Super Monkey Ball clone, but a good one, and surprisingly well-polished (both game and run) for an early access title. Since we've seen pretty much every official Monkey Ball game run, this is a good way to keep things innovative. Mass Effect (PC - Bioware 2007) Any% No Mako Glitch by MikeWave [2RH] host Xenadir, couch DemonicRobots 1h30m02s (est 1h35m, wr 1h26m39s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube EGNE8gwBQ40+17 Review: A run with a lot of OoB and brazen skips, but still plenty of as-intended gameplay. It's a nice variety that keeps things engaging through ninety minutes. Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch - HAL 2022) Any% by Mr_Shasta host Kungfufruitcup, couch Dangers, Akashic 1h51m20s (est 2h00m, wr 1h39m17s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube dAj6dHBxU-k+146 Review: Another new game. The speedrun here is a lot more about routing a certain number of side objectives, which leads to some interesting routing, and there's a lot more movement tech than I expected. And Mr_Shasta brings plenty of charisma to the party. The showcase afterward isn't that impressive but might be cool for players who never knew those secrets were there. Pokemon Snap (N64 - HAL 1999) [BONUS GAME 1] 250k points by quo [2RH] host Kungfufruitcup, couch reizu 30m31s (est 35m, wr 26m43s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 7XZGiLWG7cU+114 Review: An interesting category, adding some elements of high-score strats that make it more interesting. There's not too much speed tech, but needing to hit a certain score more than makes up for that. Spyro the Dragon (PS1 via PS2 - Insomniac 1998) 120% by Dayoman [WRH] host Konception, couch Wed, Nitrofski 1h29m10s (est 1h27m, wr 1h21m03s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 0kyoDF3AD54+0 Review: A run with a lot of commentary, but not much to say. Sure, there's a lot of small optimizations, but there's only so much we can care about that. It's a polished run and has its charms, but nothing too remarkable. -------------------------------MONDAY-------------------------------- Perfect Dark XBLA (Xb360 - 4J 2010) Special Agent by Zero_IF aka endeavorgaming [WRH] host Konception, couch zunikami, marenthyu 51m12s (est 1h06m, wr 38m44s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube AvE0j8286gs+4 Review: It's like Goldeneye, except without everything that makes Goldeneye a bad speedrun. No need for lag mitigation, no reliance on RNG damage boosts or hyper-inconsistent strats, just play the game well, with a quick route. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (PS2 - Naughty Dog 1997) 100% by Potty [2RH] host SquidDilla, couch nitrofski, mohaf 1h14m49s (est 1h20m, wr 1h09m09s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube x5egrXU-lhI+0 Review: Linear collectathons like this don't engage too much of my interest, but this one did better than most. Reasonably difficult tech, plus some variety in execution and good commentary, make it more approachable for outsiders than most Crash runs I've seen. Perspective (PC - DigiPen 2012) Inbounds by AChocolateOrange host SquidDilla, couch lmjacks, tluo5458 11m40s (est 13m, wr 7m18s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube FZ6_TrpKC74+108 Review: One of those mind-bending puzzle games. There's unfortunately not too much tech to show off, but fortunately the run is ten minutes long so it doesn't need it. Super Dream Dasher (PC - Puddleside 2021) Any% by Bullets [WRH][ORH] host Helix, couch metallama, amyrlinn 28m05s (est 31m, wr 26m50s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube XLE-xlQsni4+37 Review: A game with simple but powerful movement. The run is too primitive to offer more than a glimpse of its full potential, but when it does, you see a blazing-fast, precise platformer, perfect for speedrunning. Warden: Melody of the Undergrowth (PC - Cardboard Keep 2016) Any% by Jaxler [WRH] host Helix, couch corundumcore, druncle_titus 10m54s (est 16m, wr 10m28s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube f-W1I6bp9CU+70 Review: Another one of those runs that tries to pack as much tech as an hour-long run into ten minutes. It's not as deep as that implies, but it's a neat run for its size. Super Bonk (SNES - Hudson Soft 1994) Any% by LeadOstrich [WRH] host Helix, no couch 25m22s (est 28m, wr 23m19s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube dqnoNnrYDPY+59 Review: A decently funny runner, held back by a lack of couch, playing a decently interesting speed game, held back by a lot of autoscrollers. Pretty good for late-night filler, but still late-night filler. Bulk Slash (Saturn - CAProduction 1997) Any% NG by Aquas [WRH] host Helix, no couch 17m45s (est 22m, wr 17m32s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube s3SXJKKrM8w+4 Review: A blatant 4AM filler run. No couch, a game that is neither exceptionally difficult nor particularly glitchy, and commentary that seems particularly unenthused even for self-commentary. It was never going to be a great run, given the game, but Aquas didn't even try to achieve mediocrity. Alien Cabal (DOS - QASoft 1997) A Walk in the Park by tbcr [2RH] host Helix, no couch 6m09s (est 15m, wr 3m48s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube gW1DROeQXkg+32 Review: A not-very great Doom clone, mostly defeated by clipping through doors and walls. An unfortunately sloppy run - mainly from misloading a save and redoing about half the game, but the run is so short that it didn't even waste much time. Bubble Bobble Part 2 (NES - ITL 1993) Any% by JaekRock [WRH] host SaberaMesia, couch SpaceCoastGaming [2RH], estacaco 27m24s (est 30m, wr 24m17s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube WB0c7UufBUQ+0 Review: The runner and couch made a crucial mistake here: they never really explained the basic gameplay. Or any of the speed tech beyond "trying to get certain items that let you skip over entire levels". If there is any deeper skill needed to master this run, it was not obvious just from watching. Perhaps, for die-hard Bubble Bobble fans, this was an amazing run, but for outsiders? Easily skippable. Blaster Master (NES - Sunsoft 1988) Glitchless US race, UraniumAnchor [2RH] vs davidtki [WRH] host SaberaMesia, couch skavenger216 45m10s, 45m31s (est 50m, wr 44m04s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube b-xbFM80h2U+63 Review: A fairly polished run, and they were fully synced up even halfway through it, but the race ended up being determined by just a few small mistakes, and there wasn't enough tech to explain. Not the most satisfying race I've ever seen, but a decent run regardless. Ninja Gaiden (NES - Tecmo 1988) Any% by The Retro Runner [WRH] host SaberaMesia, couch 8-bit steve, slackanater, aquas 11m44s (est 15m, wr 11m34s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube pmsByhing3Q+40 Review: An incredibly, incredibly polished run, executed extremely well. It's a simple game to watch but the skill on display is evident. Altered Beast (Genesis - Sega 1988) Co-Op coop JaekRock, Space Coast Gaming [WRHs] host SaberaMesia, couch The Retro Runner, 8-bit steve 6m13s (est 8m, wr 5m57s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube hiHt9XhOcrg+44 Review: A pretty short and straightforward bmup, with only one real trick. But it's a pretty packed couch, good energy, and do you really *need* much tech in a six-minute run? McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure (Genesis - Treasure 1993) Any% Beginner by Lizstar host Bobby Blackwolf, couch rubiehart, node 21m32s (est 25m, wr 20m08s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube NXdWtokIYJc+320 Review: This is something to watch for the sleep-deprivation chaos energy from Lizstar and friends. This game has just enough familiarity to make sense, but it's a very bizarre thing for a McDonald's game. Not the best speed game, typical Genesis platformer, but it's no slouch on that front. NM: Assumed NTSC NiGHTS into dreams... (Saturn - Sonic Team 1996) All Levels Any% by pochilin [2RH] host Bobby Blackwolf, couch Helix13_, m4rshian 23m10s (est 25m, wr 22m04s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube OwR0xkXg1uM+4 Review: NiGHTS is a very weird game, which I think needed more basic explanation than we actually got. It's hard to appreciate speedrun tricks when you don't even know what normal gameplay looks like. This will probably be fun for anyone who actually played it, but it kind of fell flat for me as an outside. The Pathless (PC - Giant Squid 2020) All Bosses by MaeTheDKC [WRH] host Bobby Blackwolf, couch Sanchopanda 1h52m40s (est 1h50m, wr 1h47m10s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube IxHQuYaeeu4+524 Review: A rather long run for what it is, not super tightly routed yet, but very fluid movement mechanics. Like the Journey or Abzu runs I've seen, it's more of a chill, let's-appreciate-the-game run, though the couch could have been better. [[[REMOTE BLOCK]]] Ty The Tasmanian Tiger (PC - Krome 2002; 2016) Any% by KamaCrimson [WRH] host Brutal_Melo, couch SirLaurenceNZ [2RH], Bruh 29m20s (est 32m, wr 28m32s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube SUTQAZHSwAk+0 Review: A neat old 3D platformer, pretty glitchy, lots of OOB and an airswimming-like glitch. Nothing we haven't seen before, but not unwelcome. Ty The Tasmanian Tiger (PC - Krome 2002; 2016) Rainbow Scale% by KamaCrimson [WRH] host Brutal_Melo, couch SirLaurenceNZ, Bruh 5m04s (est 10m, wr 4m34s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube SUTQAZHSwAk+2080 Review: A bonus run, covering an area skipped over in the Any% run, but adding no new tech. If you watched the last half-hour, may as well watch the next five minutes. Super Castlevania IV (SNES - Konami 1991) low% race Crunan [2RH] vs DrunkenDraconian [3RH] host Brutal_Melo, couch EagleEye 40m52s, 41m38s (est 50m, wr 38m25s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube G8TlUI8Qjjw+725 Review: The technical execution of the low% category couldn't make up for the lethargic commentary or the tediousness of the linear Castlevania games. And it just wasn't that interesting as a race - only errors and some minor RNG had much impact. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (PC - Konami 2002; 2021) Juste No-OOB by JupiterClimb [WRH] host Brutal_Melo, no couch 40m50s (est 48m, wr 37m59s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 3lfGCyiDGb4+4 Review: A later Castlevania, not quite completely broken but pretty busted, very fluid movement and some high-quality self-commentary. As far as remote runs go, this was a solid one, but I find they struggle to compete with on-site runs side-by-side. FAITH: Chapter III (PC - Airdorf 2022) Any% Ending II by Vynn host Brutal_Melo, couch Vysetra 9m48s (est 11m, no wr) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube ftBpeZRRZr8+2 Review: This series is just not a good speed game, and I'm honestly kind of baffled we've seen the whole trilogy now. I don't recall a single piece of speed tech being explained - there was barely even any gameplay explanation, it was almost entirely a story explainer. Given what these games are, I'm not sure that's the wrong call, but "listening to someone rush through an undramatic recitation of the events of their favorite story" is something most people consider torturous, not enjoyable. NM: As of this writing, does not appear to be released? and no any% records, only demo% Sly 2: Band of Thieves (PS2 via PS3 - Sucker Punch 2004) Episode 1 Any% by Nave357 host Brutal_Melo, couch ItzBytez, ThisIsNotJake 27m37s (est 30m, wr 26m47s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube IIWi3-vzT3c+110 Review: I appreciate doing just Episode 1 - this run probably would have worn out its welcome were it much longer. As it is, a solid stealth-action-platformer run, not super glitchy but well-commentated. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch - Grezzo 2019; Nintendo EAD 1993) Any% Glitchless race, TGH [WRH] vs Glan [3RH] host LattMackey, couch IceBlue, BirdMan? 1h40m32s, 1h40m51s (est 1h50m, wr 1h38m42s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube r3JJjrQhJCA+328 Review: An incredibly tight race. Glitchless unfortunately isn't the most interesting, but there's still enough tech involved to be well worth watching, and we had some pretty good work from the couch. TODO: recheck couch names [[[/REMOTE BLOCK]]] Ico (PS2 via PS3 - Team Ico 2001) Any% 60Hz by SanchoPanda [WRH] host musical_daredevil, couch Rubiehart, Blinkoom [3RH] 1h37m05s (est 1h42m, wr 1h32m05s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★★ Youtube l2qT_KyxiWg+39 Review: Do you like puns and song parodies? Then this is the run for you. Ico's too RNG- and AI-dependent to be that great a speedgame, but this group has so much charm that it's a blast anyways. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - Definitive Edition (PC - Grove Street 2021; Rockstar North 2002) Any% by KZ_FREW [2RH] host musical_daredevil, couch pmctrilogy 58m13s (est 1h00m, wr 52m56s) Overall ★★★★★ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★★ Youtube KPhzyVPVspY+0 Review: Definitively one of the best runs so far. KZ_FREW might be retiring, but he ended on a high note, putting out his trademark madcap genius for the entire run, seasoned lightly with sincerity. [[[SPOOKY BLOCK]]] Phasmophobia (PC - Kinetic 2020) Any% Small Maps coop Brossentia, NPC, FlannelKat, Peace Egg host Nichole Goodnight, no couch 29m17s (est 40m, wr 21m13s rta) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube _PXz50wMW2g+180 Review: A unique (at least at first) multiplayer game, it lacked the polish of most speedruns, but it does have some fun desperation to it, and they're at least *trying* to go fast. Silent Hill 4: The Room (PC - Team Silent 2004) Any% by AnEternalEnigma host Rhilever, couch Maxylobes, Ecdysis, KZ_FREW 1h03m38s (est 1h10m, wr 45m33s igt) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube _sFUTxKeZ7M+2 Review: In the vein of many horror games, it's basically "dodge every enemy you can while beelining towards objectives", but the all-star couch make this worth watching. -------------------------------TUESDAY------------------------------- Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach (PC - Steel Wool 2021) [BONUS GAME 2] All Endings - Inbounds by Ace Delusional [ORH] host Nichole Goodnight, couch Alexohi 1h05m30s (est 1h20m, wr 1h11m19s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube bWt7kW2Kjzc+16 Review: A not-so-busted category of a famously busted game. Lots of clips and door bypassing, a little bit of collectathoning, and a lot of lore being completely not explained at all. Outlast (PC - Red Barrels 2013) 100% by sharkhat87 host Rhilever, couch sirkyle95, xem 37m15s (est 42m, wr 27m53s loadless) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube aqroaLeIh6o+47 Review: It's a game with only a few real tricks, a few variations on the theme "break out of bounds and skip everything". With inconsistent execution and zero threat beyond runner mistakes, it just didn't do much for me. OMORI (PC - Omocat 2020) Any% Glitched by starsmiley [3RH] host Kungfufruitcup, couch shayy, valerievg 2h44m22s (est 3h10m, wr 2h33m26s) [NV] Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube JnRFpo_oMnA+15 Review: This is just not a great speed game. Looks like a great game, just not a good speedrun. There's very little tech, but what tech there is, trivializes all the battles. Even with some built-in skips, the run feels like it's half cutscenes, if not more. The couch made a good effort to be interesting, but by avoiding spoilers, they were left with very little to talk about, the back half was basically a nonstop donation read. [[[/SPOOKY BLOCK]]] Greak: Memories of Azur (PC - Mavegamte 2021) Any% by SaberaMesia [WRH] host Kungfufruitcup, couch iceblue, emray, mxstephx [2RH] 34m00s (est 40m, wr 32m26s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube rVhlRKbHyyc+10 Review: A bit heavy on the downtime, and not the most technical run, but a fun watch nonetheless. Lots of skips and sequence breaks, of varying types. Infernax (PC - Berzerk 2022) Any% - Defeat Belphegor - Classic by DanTheVP [WRH] host cartridgeblowers, couch saberamesia 51m52s (est 1h05m, wr 48m59s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube zMjAD-zVXco+109 Review: A neat new Castlevania-like - sort of a blend of the original flavor with the metroidvanias. And a shockingly good speedrun, a current-year game has no business having a run this complex and this polished. It's only one real glitch, but it's used in so many different ways, in different places, and even the normal gameplay shown was quite clean. Majuu Ou (SNES - Nihon Soft 1995) Any% Hard by Omnigamer [WRH] host cartridgeblowers, no couch 20m55s (est 21m, wr 17m50s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube lUf1e5PBVyA+152 Review: A curious little game, but not the most interesting. For a twenty-minute run, it had a lot of autoscrollers, and the rest of the gameplay wasn't super engaging either. The story was the best part, but Omnigamer spent so little time on it, just the beginning and end. A good couch would have improved this significantly. NM: Confirm dev, wikipedia spells it "Majyuo", could be different game NM: Used SR.com page for "Majyuuou [King of Demons]", assumed Bad Ending [HARD] Kamiko (PC - Skipmore 2017, 2019) 100% - Uzume [BIDWAR] by cicada [WRH] host cartridgeblowers, couch repentmf 22m46s (est 25m, wr 22m19s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube Vu8d15JV9NI+512 Review: Just a very lethargic run. The IGT was barely half the RTA time - it might not have story cutscenes, but there were incessant panning shots of doors opening or bridges rising, that all dragged on far too long. The runner stayed mostly silent - understandable, given the language barrier - but that slack was resolutely *not* picked up by the couch. It seemed like a return to SGDQ2020, where lag kept the couch commentary well behind the actual action. Nor did we get much in the way of tech explanation. It wasn't an awful run to watch, but it certainly wasn't great. Earnest Evans (Genesis - Wolf Team 1992) Any% by ZELLLOOO [WRH] host Nichole Goodnight, couch Mike Uyama 9m05s (est 12m, wr 8m33s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube Sze08GrrDMo+261 Review: A pretty typical action-platformer, just jank enough to make an interesting speedrun. Ninja Warriors (SNES - Natsume 1994) Ninja (Normal) by Mega RetroMan [WRH] host Nichole Goodnight, couch ducksindisguise 29m47s (est 38m, wr 28m44s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube KXLSK4qUIKs+125 Review: A very clean run of a neat bmup, but that's about all I can say. Simple combat, simple levels, barebones commentary, this was a run that did absolutely nothing wrong but also didn't do much special. Battle Axe (PC - Bitmap Bureau 2021) Arcade Mode Easy, Fae [BIDWAR] by Jimmy_Diamonds [ORH] host Nichole Goodnight, no couch 10m11s (est 15m, wr 7m26s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube zknhbvKllgY+0 Review: An incredibly energetic runner, but not that interesting a speedrun. It's a pretty straightforward route and a bit of mashing, nothing impressive, but performed competently. [[[MEGA MAN BLOCK]]] Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2 (PC - Inti Creates 2022) Normal Mode by Benja [WRH] host PippyInATopHat, couch MikeEnynan, Mega Matt [DEV] 33m19s (est 38m, wr 32m26s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube OEXpDjRyNUY+1054 Review: Fast, fluid movement through stages, and absolutely annihilating bosses. A worthy spiritual successor to the Mega Man franchise, and dev commentary is always a welcome sight. Mega Man Powered Up (PSP via PSTV - Capcom 2006) Any% Mega Man by WhiteHat94 [WRH] host PippyInATopHat, no couch 31m43s (est 36m, wr 18m08s igt) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube kcrr-w3faqQ+0 Review: The theme of Mega Man Block this year is the weird entries, and this PSP game certainly counts. A remake of Mega Man 1, but adding some very cool skateboard-y movement tech that really sets it apart. Mega Man Xtreme 2 (GBC - Capcom 2001) [BIDWAR] 100% Xtreme Mode by FocusSight [WRH] host iggyzig, couch PPotDot1, lemres 37m55s (est 40m, wr 35m36s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube hjxOF6OU--U+78 Review: Closer to a normal Mega Man X game, but the Game Boy Color makes it distinctive, adds its own tech. Mega Man: The Wily Wars (Genesis - Minakuchi 1994) Mega Man 2 [BIDWAR] by The Blacktastic [WRH] host iggyzig, couch Adef 31m49s (est 35m, wr 30m27s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube N_aw4N3bjlQ+89 Review: Perhaps the most normal of this Mega Man block, but a charismatic runner and the improved graphics of this obscure Genesis remake, keep it from being tiresome. But here's where you'll find all that polished 8-bit precision. Mega Man 5 (NES - Capcom 1992) Any% by Ppotdot1 host iggyzig, couch DarkTerrex, pheynixignition 35m59s (est 40m, wr 32m47s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 8TKZjhTIcLA+10 Review: Another very typical Mega Man game, maybe not quite as precise as the more popular ones, but still plenty skillful. Longer enemy iframes and a faster charge made the fights more interesting, and skipping the refights eliminated a lot of tedium. [[[/MEGA MAN BLOCK]]] Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PC - Ryu ga Gotoku 2020) Any% by Froob [WRH] host Bobby Blackwolf, couch MechanalystTom [3RH], ghostkumo 4h09m52s (est 4h25m, wr rta 3h53m34s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube 0ddsOGwEQp8+10 Review: An unexpectedly fun run of an unexpectedly turn-based JRPG. Froob's legendary charisma remains on full display, this time backed up by some skillful menuing and near-infinite game knowledge, alternating seamlessly between lore explainers and combat primers. If you think four hours is just too long for a speedrun, this might not be for you, but if you enjoy long JRPG runs, this is among the best. Star Wars: Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast (PC - Raven Software 2002) Any% by CovertMuffin host musical_daredevil, couch KZ_FREW, Bryonato, FrozenTrually 46m31s (est 56m, wr 35m40s rta) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube 1Bih2t9vrOc+24 Review: Quake engine movement is already busted. Adding Force powers to that, only pushes it over the top again. It's a full-throttle run full of skips and jokes, that just never lets up. Halo Infinite (PC - 343 Industries 2021) [BONUS GAME 3] All Missions No Tank Gun (Easy) by WaifuRuns [WRH] host musical_daredevil, couch Bryonato 1h26m12s (est 1h25m, wr 1h17m42s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Youtube i2Y9BBQZZ6w+9 Review: A run combining the OoB shenanigans and polished arena clears of older Halo runs, with the prop-launching shenanigans and massive underleveling of a BotW run. Plus some frantic improvisation when things don't quite work as expected, like in most runs this new. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch - Nintendo EPD 2017) Darker Side by -ganon- host Nukkuler, couch limcube, dangers, Spikevegeta 3h21m30s (est 3h20m, wr 3h03m43s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube fowA7kQAhL8+0 Review: Three hours of high-octane platforming, using one of the most fluid and powerful movement systems in the genre, executing one of the tightest routes in speedrunning? Yes please. Most runs of this length are full of downtime - this one, you get two seconds for the Moon Get jingle, and then it's back to jumping in ways never thought possible. Combine it with an excellent couch, and a hype live crowd... yeah, GDQ is back, baby. ------------------------------WEDNESDAY------------------------------ Mario Party (N64 - Hudson Soft 1998) Mini-Game Island Any% by duck host SporadicErratic, couch boohead86, bird650 [3RH], 360chrism 39m15s (est 45m, wr 36m10s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube s4btMrMw1m0+0 Review: Far too much RNG to be a skillful speedrun, but then, it would hardly be Mario Party without it. Decent variety, a surprising paucity of autoscrollers, and some excellent couch banter, made this a fun enough run to watch. Final Fantasy VI: Worlds Collide Randomizer (SNES - Square 1994; AtmaTek et al 2022) Any% NMG race, drewlith vs DoctorDT vs seto kiaba vs Jexvrok host SporadicErratic, couch andrew racho, ravlin 1h30m08s, 1h39m17s, 1h44m17s, 1h44m23s (est 1h45m, no wr) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube aoYdI50VUNI+70 Review: This was unfortunately pretty hard to follow - the tracker was just two basic counts, and there was just so much going on, at such high a level, that you could have had in-depth continuous commentary on each individual runner. Trying to keep up with all four is pretty much impossible, unless you're a die-hard FF6 fanatic. It still entertains on a simple "how can they be this good?" level, but you don't get too much sense of *how*. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS2 - Namco 1997) Any% by amoser [3RH] host SporadicErratic, couch ailis 42m43s (est 45m, wr 37m58s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube 5p3GYtv5-kI+160 Review: A niche but well-loved 2.5D platformer, there's a few neat tricks, but they're far between, and the core gameplay isn't super skill-intense. The IL bonus level was fun, but the main run dragged quite a bit. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (GC - EA Redwood 2003) Any% by Maxylobes [WRH] host Bonnie Dimples, couch bittie, decosmic, AnEternalEnigma 1h38m30s (est 1h35m, wr 1h33m39s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube YcrxLVt3ZYQ+23 Review: Normally, I would be complaining about the lengthy cutscenes, but it's Lord of the Rings. I have sat and watched those cutscenes for nine hours straight. Execution wasn't that polished, there's not too much speed tech, but solid commentary and some excellent couch banter. Pac-Man World 2 (GC - Namco Hometek 2002) Any% race, Katie4 [2RH] vs McKiddy [WRH] host Char_bunny, no couch 41m42s, 45m37s (est 48m, wr 39m42s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube R3pNnwL6bBM+941 Review: A pretty rote platformer, movement heavily reliant on a single mechanic, a very lengthy autoscroller, a highly uncompetitive race, and clunky self-commentary from the runners. Maybe worth a watch if this game stymied you as a kid, but otherwise skippable. COGEN: SWORD OF REWIND (PC - Gemdrops 2022) NG Any% by DemonchildElise [WRH] host Char_bunny, couch tempestmask1000 44m52s (est 55m, wr 39m59s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube 8NslALB4vRI+0 Review: Being a VTuber run, I had expected some energized, charismatic, maybe a bit silly or zany, antics while playing. But no, Elise was in full focus mode, barely said anything, and her couch bombarded us with lore dump after lore dump, for a game that, as best I can tell, has pretty thin lore. The speed tech might have been interesting, but it was perhaps too fast to commentate properly. PowerSlave Exhumed (PC - Nightdive 2022; Lobotomy 1996) Any% by Kaos_Wulf [3RH] host happybythree, couch Kaiser [DEV] 28m23s (est 40m, wr 22m59s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube Kf0JcnVfsps+108 Review: A solid boomer-shooter with metroidvania elements? This should have been pretty good. Sadly, the only commentator was watching on too long a delay to actually describe what was on-screen, and what commentary we did get was meandering and stammery. [[[SONIC BLOCK]]] Knuckles' Chaotix (32X - Sega 1995) Beat the Game by Hibnotix [2RH] host happybythree, couch S-Two 58m19s (est 1h05m, wr 43m04s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube aTTx6elFG30+36 Review: A Sonic game heavily based around gimmicks, but unfortunately one of those gimmicks just completely wrecks physics, so it's unfortunately monotonous. Sonic Adventure DX (PC - Sonic Team 1998, 2003) Gamma's Story by Katie4 host LattMackey, couch alphadolphin [2RH], hoogachakka [3RH], justlemres 10m06s (est 14m, wr 9m09s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube UmyApFWyauI+1 Review: The 3D Sonic game of the block, this is short but as glitchy as we've come to expect of 3D Sonic games. Walls? Suggestions. Sequences? Broken. Sonic Advance (GBA via GBP - Dimps 2001) Knuckles [BIDWAR] by Kirbymastah host LattMackey, couch GhostKumo, Nukkuler, EmRay 19m03s (est 20m, wr 14m53s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube Lr_9q0yGeEE+0 Review: The most traditional game of Sonic Block. It had a nice blend of "play game good" with some glitches and skips, all pretty well-executed. [[[/SONIC BLOCK]]] Tunic (PC - Andrew Shouldice 2022) Any% by Sunnymuffin [2RH] host LattMackey, couch Corvimae, Andrew Shouldice [DEV] by phone, Kevin Regamey [DEV] by phone 49m28s (est 35m, wr 20m59s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube kW8enjt8mPo+8 Review: (Skipped, even the dev said not to watch if you want to play it casually) Advance Wars (GBA - Intelligent Systems 2001) Any% No Map Glitch by legrandgrand [2RH] host LattMackey, couch KirbyMastah 54m28s (est 1h05m, wr 44m30s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube rFOazmFVFSc+0 Review: A Nintendo-style strategy game, like a less anime Fire Emblem. The strategy is almost universally "suicide rush to cap the enemy base", but there's a decent spread of ways to do that. Pokemon Emerald Randomizer (GBA via GBP - Game Freak 2004; Artemis251 2013) Evolution Chaos Co-op relay coop by Team S.A.C.K. - Shenanagans, adef, 360Chrism, Keizaron host Nichole Goodnight, no couch 3h14m04s (est 3h00m, no wr) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube kE4ABlGl0Qc+31 Review: Three hours of watching a group of top-tier Pokemon runners battle the RNG, chat, and each other? Yes please. As a randomizer, the skill comes mostly from an encyclopedeic knowledge of the game, which we definitely had. And as a Pokemon game, it was heavy on banter and memes. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Switch - Retro 2014) Any% Original Mode by spikevegeta host Nukkuler, couch GhostKumo, Ghoul02, DerpyDragon15 1h27m30s (est 1h35m, wr 1h22m30s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube JxN_edsSBu8+4 Review: A wonderfully-crafted platformer, getting run at a high level? That's already interesting. Let SpikeVegeta loose to give his top-notch play-by-play commentary? Sign me up. Minecraft: Java Edition (PC - Mojang 2011) [BONUS GAME 4] Any% Random Seed Glitchless (Current Version) by Illumina host Nukkuler, couch nerdi, feinberg 53m32s (est 1h00m, wr 9m23s) [NV] Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube iHkmX3oiK6Y+32 Review: The fun here isn't watching polished execution of a meticulous route, it's watching Illumina deal with some absolutely chaotic RNG. There's a reason the estimate is six times longer than WR, but it's fun to watch even the best struggle against the merciless world seed and trading RNG. Super Mario Sunshine (GC via Wii - Nintendo EAD 2002) 120 Shines by SB_runs [WRH] host Xenadir, couch 1upsforlife, labmemb3r, electricmiles 2h59m24s (est 3h05m, wr 2h53m57s) [NF] Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube mRTs0HvUjvI+34 Review: This was an exceptional run, in a literal way: a few unfortunate deaths led to a game-over, and with no save, that meant a restart, 45 minutes into the run. To keep things going, it was turned into a "finish as much as possible before the estimate", but retreading the early levels really sapped the commentary until it reached new sections of the game. But even with those mistakes, SB's execution was top-notch, and once the couch got back into the swing of things, they did well. But there's no denying that it did hurt the run. ------------------------------THURSDAY------------------------------- Banjo-Tooie (N64 - Rare 2000) Any% by duck host Xenadir, couch connor75, dingoslayer, longster 36m25s (est 34m, wr 27m17s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube VI3J7Kjq1Q4+57 Review: It's a run that relies on two extremely precise tricks, with extremely slow and careful setups. There's some novelty to be found in skipping essentially the entire game, but even the in-between parts aren't interesting. Half an hour is a bit much for a One Weird Trick run. Devil May Cry (PC - Capcom PS 4 2001) Dante Must Die All Collectibles by WaifuRuns [WRH] host AnEternalEnigma, couch maxylobes, decosmic 1h31m13s (est 1h30m, wr 1h22m21s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube tBcGIqmwMrY+22 Review: A run that had all the right ingredients, but never seemed to come together. It's a difficult run, but it doesn't look like it. It has interesting strats, but they were rarely commented on. It had a great couch who seemed too tired to say much. It had way more autoscrollers than I remember. NM: Assumed Dante as character [[[SILLY BLOCK]]] DEEEER Simulator: Your Average Everyday Deer Game (PC - Gibier 2021) Good Ending by Shockwve host Prolix, couch moonblazewolf, Monkeyy_Man, Bullets 21m20s (est 25m, wr 9m18s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube ySF8YXOWWIk+95 Review: I don't even know why this was in silly block, it's just a game about a perfectly average deer doing normal everyday deer things, like piloting mecha and fighting its own soul. Yep, nothing silly here. Mi Scusi (PC - Scusi Boys 2021) Any% No Hover by Bullets host Prolix, couch amyrlinn, shockwve, pmctrilogy 13m43s (est 15m, no wr?) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube IT6_u7wy4lw+120 Review: Another of those "do random tasks for silly reasons with bad controls" games, unfortunately a bit heavy on just walking between locations, but the context is weird enough to be chuckleworthy. NM: no leaderboard I could find? Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (PC - Snoozy Kazoo 2021) 100% by EldritchWolfie host Prolix, couch happybythree, eyerawr [WRH] 34m06s (est 45m, wr 26m11s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 66OKpbnVBTY+36 Review: A surprisingly good speedrun, for something in the Silly Block. It's a pretty ordinary 2D Zelda-like, focused more on trading quests than dungeon crawls, but it has such a charming aesthetic that it's earned its place here. Jimmie Johnson's Anything With an Engine (PS3 - Isopod 2011) Matador Rookie race, Ghoul02 vs GhostKumo host cartridgeblowers, couch nerd_squared ~17m (est 18m, no wr - showcase) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube vloCvTnhqUU+0 Review: A very silly race of a quirky kart racer. It's not a speedrun in any sort of traditional sense, and there's far too much RNG to be a real skill-based race... but it's a barrel of fun anyway. Gourmet Warriors (PC - Winds 2019) Normal Difficulty, Mademoiselle [BIDWAR] by Ritzblues host cartridgeblowers, couch brossentia, iggyzig, peace egg 23m56s (est 25m, no wr?) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube rhEJJfajLec+35 Review: Strip away the art, and this is a competent if uninspired bmup, with an underexplored interlevel buff mechanic. But wow, does this game have a weird aesthetic. Chefs, swimmers, bunnygirls, moai, very peculiar designs overall. NM: Could not find leaderboard Thunder In Paradise (CD-i - Philips POV 1995) Interactive Television by sharif [ORH] host cartridgeblowers, couch npc, peace egg, corndan 34m04s (est 40m, wr 32m43s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube pGa26MYMp38+286 Review: It's a tedious rail shooter, interspersed with an episode of a nonsensical Baywatch spinoff. The only fun to be found is in clowning on the entire thing - which, of course, is what they do. Incredible Crisis (PS1 - Polygon Magic 1999) Any% by bramhallthefifth [WRH] host cartridgeblowers, couch mike uyama, juh0rse [2RH] 55m19s (est 51m, wr 43m14s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube c4Q_Hu3iw3M+107 Review: A minigame collection, sort of like a proto-Warioware. Unfortunately, quite a few of them are autoscrollers, or nearly so. And many of the cutscenes were too long to show, which cut into the comedy aspect. King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! (DOS via PC - Sierra 1990) CD Version by davidtki [3RH] host cartridgeblowers, couch darkarmist 27m46s (est 32m, wr 25m54s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube -q5KPLixaJ4+7 Review: Point-and-click adventure games really have only two elements of skill to them: route memorization, and menuing. So there's plenty of that, but it really relies on charm to carry it. It does have some - some gentle ribbing of the awful puzzle design - but it is a dorky sort of charm, maybe not for everyone. [[[/SILLY BLOCK]]] The Little Mermaid (NES - Capcom 1991) Any% by SteveZero01 [WRH] host cartridgeblowers, no couch 7m08s (est 8m, wr 6m44s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube q_O_li6o4Uo+7 Review: I was surprised how much of this run was tech explanation. There's not much to movement, but there's still tricks everywhere that Steve points out. Metal Gear (MSX2 via PS3 - Konami 1987, 2013) Easy Any% by JosephJoestar316 [3RH] host cartridgeblowers, couch MetalGlennSolid 23m22s (est 25m, wr 21m17s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube FiEHCCQnBNs+65 Review: A solid run of a pre-Solid game. It's an obscure game in the series, so not the most polished, but they take care to point out all the elements you'd recognize in later games. Lumione (PC - Glimmer 2021) 100% [INCENTIVE] race, Breakdown [WRH] vs Elipsis [2RH] host cartridgeblowers, couch klaige 35m49s, 38m00s (est 41m, wr 34m46s rta) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube mLAbn-2IrvU+73 Review: A very clear Celeste clone, but not a bad one. Incredibly chill vibes. The race was a bit uncompetitive after the early chapters, but it was still fun enough as a pair of solo runs. Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble (GBC via GBP - HAL 2000) Any% by swordsmankirby [WRH] host Rhilever, couch AltaBiscuit, Mr_Shasta 42m41s (est 45m, wr 14m28s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube S4ItUH9Tcto+33 Review: A strange game, but unfortunately not that great of a speedrun. The biggest challenge is the motion controls, which is hard to get across on camera - do it well, it just looks like you're playing a normal game at an unremarkable level. There just isn't enough tech to be interesting. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna (Switch - Monolith 2018) Any% Glitchless by Enel [WRH] host Rhilever, couch chuggaaconroy, legrandgrand 2h40m53s (est 2h55m, wr 2h28m46s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube A-aEwU9alzM Review: This run started out quite promising, but seriously dragged throughout the middle hour. Just when it seemed to be picking up steam again, it ran into a brick wall. If you're looking for a long RPG run to keep in the background, this will do nicely, and it definitely has its moments, but there was never those moments of brilliant execution, or that deep game knowledge, to really impress as a speedrun. Slime Rancher (PC - Monomi Park 2017) Any% Glitchless by MaddyInc host CovertMuffin, couch SeriouslySurly 16m36s (est 18m, wr 12m27s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube -vZglzPys7E+0 Review: A very cute game turns out to be a surprisingly good speedrun. Not too long, not too tight on execution or routing, but an enjoyable run nonetheless. Solar Ash (PC - Heart Machine 2021) True Ending (Restricted) by bryonato [2RH] host CovertMuffin, couch DrewBagle, Utsu, Wolfgang [DEV] 1h03m27s (est 1h10m, wr 56m29s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube urNABYUve4I+21 Review: Bryonato described it like a mashup of Celeste, Shadow of the Colossus, and Jet Set Radio. The couch was kinda superfluous, since he was giving motormouth commentary pretty much the entire time, but with platforming this good, I'll not complain. Monster Hunter Rise (PC - Capcom 2022) Magnamalo% w. Add-ons by JalBagel host CovertMuffin, couch DJ_J0nny, Greenspeed 1h09m29s (est 1h15m, wr 1h05m40s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube Hb4jwvJ06vQ+7 Review: I'm just not sure what the point of this run was supposed to be. The execution didn't impress me. The routing was uninteresting. What tech there was, wasn't that cool. There was an absolute wall of jargon, but not much display of depth of knowledge. Perhaps I'm just not in the target audience - I hated the only Monster Hunter game I played - but I was just not entertained in any way. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PC - PlatinumGames 2014) NG+ Hard by ██████████ host CovertMuffin, couch VashTSB, LogicDolphin, Millz 57m45s (est 1h00m, wr 51m12s) Youtube zJMvirLMpEg+40 Review: Removed - see below. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PC - PlatinumGames 2014) Blade Wolf DLC [INCENTIVE] by ██████████ host CovertMuffin, couch VashTSB, LogicDolphin, Millz 6m55s (est 10m, wr 7m20s) [NV] [NV] [NV] Youtube zJMvirLMpEg+4133 Review: Removed - turns out this run was faked, and so the video's been taken down and the runner banned from just about everything. Including this site. StepMania/NotITG (PC - NotI.TG 2018) Couples Exhibition coop by SpootyBiscuit, WinDEU host LMMotoss, couch Taronuke, Daikyi, zelllooo ~45m (est 45m, no wr - exhibition) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube mKfdfNxnrw0+0 Review: Rhythm game showcases have become a staple of GDQ, and now they need to distinguish themselves somehow. This one is about the two-player gameplay - not just having strong rhythm and physical performance, but coordinating with another player's movements. As an ensemble musician, I know how hard that can be. StepMania/NotITG (PC - NotI.TG 2018) Modded Couples Exhibition coop by SpootyBiscuit, WinDEU host LMMotoss, couch Taronuke, Daikyi, zelllooo ~25m (est 20m, no wr - exhibition) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube mKfdfNxnrw0+2751 Review: It's kind of spectacle over substance, but man, what a spectacle. The mod effects make the charts basically unreadable, and some of the last ones would have been impressive even with no mods. SOUND VOLTEX: EXCEED GEAR (arcade via PC - Konami 2021) [BONUS GAME 5] 1 Player by leviern host LMMotoss, couch Azer, kbh, PangaeaPanga ~1h20m (est 1h20m, no wr - exhibition) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube NePZzIFKW_s+0 Review: A ridiculously high-skill rhythm game, but after a while, all the 19-difficulty charts just blur together, and the music just turns into noise. The sight-read was about the only unique one, and it was done very early on. Celeste (PC - Maddy Makes Games 2018) True Ending by GrosHiken [WRH] host frozenflygone, couch profnyan, carrarium, quan 56m18s (est 1h03m, wr 45m42s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube RupuZi3EFVI+18 Review: Maybe not the best Celeste run we've ever seen, but you can rarely go wrong with this game. There's some stream issues for the first few minutes but it gets sorted out by the time the really intense parts happen. After that, it's just seamless high-speed movement, through some of the toughest levels ever designed. -------------------------------FRIDAY-------------------------------- Borderlands 2 (PC - Gearbox 2012) Geared UVHM (Salvador) by Deceptix_ [WRH] host frozenflygone, couch bryonato, amyrlinn, zzrules21 1h02m54s (est 1h15m, wr 1h00m06s rta) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube WzXaLVHpMZ4+62 Review: A very, very clean run, it's hard to overstate just how polished this execution was. It's different from previous BL2 runs - singleplayer and with preset weapons on NG+, making it a run of rocket-jumping and one-shotting bosses, in between a fair bit of OoB and dialogue skips. Somehow, even after an hour, there was still stuff to explain. There were a few wave fights that dragged the tempo down, but even those simply gave the couch time to catch up on some of the smaller details we may have missed. Borderlands 2 (PC - Gearbox 2012) Geared Tiny Tina DLC by Deceptix_ [3RH] host frozenflygone, couch bryonato, amyrlinn, zzrules21 19m25s (est 23m, wr 15m35s loadless) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube WzXaLVHpMZ4+3992 Review: Somehow this didn't quite live up to the main BL2 run, but it's still a lot of nice execution and hilariously one-shotting bosses. Doom Eternal (PC - id 2020) 100% Nightmare Restricted by MuteD6 host Lawrence Sonntag, couch kovaak, drakephose, xiae 2h00m20s (est 2h00m, wr 2h09m41s) [NV] Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★★ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube T_Ui0Sk1DAM+0 Review: The shooter with perhaps the best movement mechanics, being run at the highest difficulty, in the category that also requires the most combat? Yeah, the only problem with this is that it was *only* two hours long. Control (PC - Remedy 2020) All Bosses (Legacy, Standard) by DemonicRobots [3RH] host Brenna12, couch decosmic, mikewave, bryonato 1h36m04s (est 1h35m, wr 1h11m27s rta) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube c4q9Z_7Ond8+28 Review: There's not too much variety to the tech here, but with a decent mix of OoB, regular movement, and combat, it works well enough, and it's an all-star couch keeping things interesting, with some good explanations of the lore. Happy's Humble Burger Farm (PC - Scythe 2021) Any% by teddyras [3RH] host TaintedTali, couch a picture of SpikeVegeta, a picture of Ecdysis, a shaker of Summoning Salt 29m30s (est 30m, wr 20m00s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 64VXwRA5sZU+443 Review: A very chaotic run. Some of the late-night madness seemed a bit forced, but it was still a very entertaining chaos run, and even a decent speed game. Alisa (PC - Casper Cross 2021) Any% NSE by juh0 [WRH] host TaintedTali, couch Snake, Caspar Cross [DEV], Arisa Cross, Ecdycis 52m04s (est 1h00m, wr 47m25s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube fEm8mGamhz8+192 Review: A run that was on the verge of being much better. The runner had plenty of energy, but it came off more as "nervous and overcaffeinated" than "enthusiastic". The dev could have offered great details and anecdotes, but somehow seemed the most bored with his own game, barely able to explain the general concept. It took maybe half an hour for them to find any sort of groove, and even then it had some persistent audio-mix issues. On top of that, the game is a very traditional PS1-era RE clone, with whatever new mechanics were added barely playing any role in the speedrun. If you really like RE Trilogy gameplay, this might be worth a watch, but otherwise... eh. Ato (PC - Tiny Warrior 2020) Any% Assist NMG by Glitchiness [WRH] host Konception, no couch 24m37s (est 33m, wr 23m28s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 2q64V7vYW8A+0 Review: Not a very polished or spectacular run, but Glitchiness's manic commentary more than made up for it. Magic Trick (PC - L8r Sk8rs 2021) All Stickers by Biglaw [ORH] host Konception, couch Bullets, Amyrlinn, AngelicKnight 7m54s (est 9m, wr 7m34s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube _l8QebbZ9os+273 Review: A tweak on the THPS formula, adding magic. It's not a very optimized or polished run, but it's got some good chill vibes, making it a decent run to wake up to. Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon (PC - VINE 2021) Secret Ending Infinite Stock by DanTheVP [2RH] host THEKyleThomas, couch Hank_Sinatra, Monistreams 13m56s (est 24m, wr 11m05s igt) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube klufjXqtWSo+0 Review: A weird dungeon-crawl puzzle game, kind of hard to understand, but the broad gist is easy to get. And it's short enough for the novelty to not wear off. Satisfactory (PC - Coffee Stain 2020) Package% by Epiphane [WRH] host THEKyleThomas, couch Xenadir, Link20046, a lizard-doggo 22m26s (est 23m, wr 21m42s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube _P0nXYY8UHs+0 Review: A survival+automation game, which leads to some interesting gameplay. It's not nearly so exponential as the Factorio run at the last event, but it added some neat movement and Chocobo GP (Switch - Arika 2022) Story (Normal) - Master race Obiyo vs groggydog [2RH] host THEKyleThomas, no couch 32m24s, 32m32s (est 45m, wr 31m15s rta) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube mhwYcjcGUdE+68 Review: A fairly standard kart racer, not as heavily broken as some older games, but not as bad with the rubber-banding or RNG, and the race was close enough to be exciting. Pokemon Shining Pearl (Switch - ILCA 2021; Game Freak 2006) Any% Glitchless by eddaket [3RH] host Char_bunny, couch ThomasPatyrickWX, Corvimae, Keizaron, Keizaron's Rotom 3h40m13s (est 3h45m, wr 3h19m34s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube AI192DER294+26 Review: It's a long, vanilla Pokemon run, so you probably know what to expect. The skill on display here is encyclopedeic knowledge of the game and some quick maths. But even with the detail this route gets into, that's not enough to fill nearly four hours, so a lot of the fun has to come from shenanigans among the runner, couch, host, and crowd. This wasn't quite the riot that the earlier randomizer run was... but it was still pretty good. Donkey Kong Country (SNES - Rare 1994) Reverse Boss Order by Tonkotsu [3RH] host Mr. Game and Shout, couch I_Have_A_Coat, V0oid 29m38s (est 35m, wr 27m24s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube uqIUC1WUcwc+51 Review: In this game, RBO is basically just a flex - they could easily warp straight to the final level, as is done in any%, but instead they repeatedly use the tricks to fight every boss in an impossible order. Commentary is necessarily a bit dry, but it's a pretty technical run, no way around it, and there's a lot of frame-perfect tricks getting hit. F-Zero GX (GC - Amusement Vision 2003) Story Mode, Max Speed, Very Hard by Artful Hobbes [WRH] host Mr. Game and Shout, couch 1DavidJ 29m41s (est 40m, wr 18m51s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube Nykzz1HjQiU+8 Review: A high-speed racing game, and Hobbes doesn't leave himself much margin for error. The nerves messed up his consistency but the tricks were damn impressive when he got them. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64 - Nintendo EAD 1998) Randomizer - Co-Op 5 Dungeonsanity Ice Trap Madness coop by spikevegeta, Nukkuler host Mr. Game and Shout, couch Wyrm 2h24m14s, 2h25m23s (est 2h30m, no wr) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube PiwVUfuYSXU+59 Review: Is this random enough for you? Every dungeon entrance is swapped around, every chest's contents are scrambled, even the music is shuffled. It's a very exploration-heavy run, trying to figure out where the key items are, but it relies on plenty of speedrunning knowledge and tricks. Portal 2 (PC - Valve 2011) Inbounds No Saveload Abuse tas by Can't Even et al host Brutal_Melo, couch mlugg, Baister09 47m13s43ms (est 55m, human wr 56m57s) Overall ★☆★☆★ Skill ☆★☆★☆ Fun ★☆★☆★ Youtube PSux9R2rte0+60 Review: When things happen in this TAS, they happen fast. It's bursts of frame-level execution, sprinkled among quite a bit of waiting for dialogue and triggers to finish. Getting some live human-speedrunner reactions was neat, but technical commentary was limited by the sheer timescale difference between machine and humans. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64 - Nintendo EAD 1998) [BONUS GAME 7] "Beta Showcase" by Savestate, TASbot host Brutal_Melo, couch Sauraen, dwangoAC ~1h (est 1h00m, no wr - showcase) Overall ☆★☆★☆ Skill ★☆★☆★ Fun ☆★☆★☆ Youtube PNbkv_DJ0f0+0 Review: This is probably best watched with minimal spoilers. All I'll say is, they finally managed to top the ludicrous TASblocks of the pre-plague times. Celeste.SMC (SNES - MarkAlarm 2022; Nintendo EAD 1990) Any% by MrMightyMouse_ [2RH] host Brutal_Melo, couch MarkAlarm [DEV], frozenflygone 22m20s (est 25m, wr 18m05s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube 4Za1tPbPxlo+0 Review: Do you like Celeste? Do you like kaizo SMW hacks? Do you like dev commentary? Then you will probably like this run of a Celeste-inspired kaizo SMW hack with the dev on the couch. Super Mario World (SNES - Nintendo EAD 1990; Sio-Kedelic, TheBourgyMan, GBreeze, MiracleWater, BeeKaay, FerpyMcFrosting, Maddy, Idol, Margot, DtotheFourth 2022) Blind Relay Race relay race, Team Double Jump Dinos (CarlSagan42, juzcook, Shoujo) vs Team RNG Dolphins (Barbarian, shovda, ThirdWall) host frozenflygone, couch kezcade, amethyst_rocks, MarkAlarm ~1h23m (est 1h15m, no wr) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube UdMR0uMA_2Q+44 Review: This is another thing that was hard to do in the pandemic era - relay races. Seeing top kaizo runners play through levels they've never seen does dull the skill ceiling a bit, but the race format, and seeing how quickly they perfect each segment, more than makes up for it. Once again, the only really disappointing thing was the specific format - it didn't feel like the "winners" really won, but since it's all for show anyways, I don't mind too much. ------------------------------SATURDAY------------------------------- Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando (PS2 - Insomniac 2003) Wrench Only by Xem [WRH] host AnEternalEnigma, couch marathonman, padges, mantodea 1h15m48s (est 1h30m, wr 1h07m38s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube 7DFPTLH9Unw+62 Review: A run that far exceeded my expectations. There's a surprising amount of tech - I think a lot of it is copied from the Any%, but there's some wrench-specific tricks. But more than that, the couch banter was just top notch. It wasn't quite a full-on sleep-deprived madness run, but it was definitely a reason to be glad of the return to in-person events. Left 4 Dead 2 (PC - Valve 2009) Main Campaigns Co-op coop by WaifuRuns, aciidz, RsKiller, JurasPatryk host AnEternalEnigma, no couch 50m04s (est 48m, wr 37m25s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube k1vZPretxvg+43 Review: Coop speedruns are best when they actually involve lots of multitasking. This one mostly just needs two players, to do launches. Although useful for a few clips, the other two players more often act like a load, spending like half the runtime in idle mode so they can quickly respawn at the lead player to end levels. Combine it with just not much to talk about, leading to a lot of dead time, this was just a much worse run than I expected, given then participants. Left 4 Dead 2 (PC - Valve 2009) The Last Stand Co-op [BONUS] coop by WaifuRuns, aciidz, RsKiller, JurasPatryk [2RHs] host AnEternalEnigma, no couch 7m21s (est 10m, wr 6m35s) Overall ★☆☆☆☆ Skill ★☆☆☆☆ Fun ★☆☆☆☆ Youtube k1vZPretxvg+3235 Review: A DLC campaign, supposedly much more difficult, but the speedrun doesn't do much to show it. If you sat through the main run, you might as well, but it's nothing all that exciting. Final Fantasy X (PC - Square PD 1 2001, 2013, 2016) Any% Cutscene Remover by FoxyJira host LMMotoss, couch zic3 3h53m48s (est 4h08m, wr 3h13m12s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube zydDAg-05B8+142 Review: A better multi-hour JRPG run than most, even if not nearly as polished in fine-scale execution. The use of RNG prediction, and a bit of ad-hoc manipulation, was the only notable speed tech, but it's something I don't think I've seen before, and it's a nice compromise between samey fully-manipped runs, and tedious unmanipulated runs. It's a bit of a small couch for a run this long, but it entered the fun parts of the Sleep Deprivation Madness realm. And though the cutscene skipper doesn't *completely* eliminate downtime, there's still a lot more gameplay than most similar runs. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PC - Konami 2001) PC, European Extreme by dlimes13 [WRH] host SporadicErratic, couch metalglennsolid, josephjoestar316 [3RH], apachesmash 1h11m52s (est 1h18m, wr 1h16m33s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube vUQ60M_zE9A+0 Review: Not too dissimilar to other Metal Gear runs we've seen. Tightly-routed movement to avoid the preset guard patterns, often walking right next to them. Precise hits to take down bosses as quickly as possible. A few small, glitchy skips, but nothing major. A few tedious autoscroller sections. All backed by a tight-knit couch running commentary. dlime's execution was clean as hell but the game in general just doesn't impress much, and even the runners seem annoyed at just how much of the game is rote. Super Meat Boy (Linux - Team Meat 2010) All Dark Levels by shredberg [2RH] host SporadicErratic, couch Jaxler 1h07m14s (est 1h10m, wr 55m30s) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube 08STCtZtUpI+0 Review: The classic precision-platformer gets shredded. Levels are bite-sized and any strats beyond "play game good" take too long to properly explain, but it's still just fun to watch. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC via Wii - Nintendo EAD 2002) All Dungeons by Linkus7 [3RH] host PippyInATopHat, couch EJ125, GobbityBobbity 2h47m57s (est 2h45m, wr 2h20m54s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube fPZ7V-CXPog+126 Review: An incredibly technical run, with lots of incredibly technical commentary, but Linkus makes it pretty easy to grok. And even if you don't, the run is just so far from intended gameplay that it's amazing just to watch. Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World (SNES - Nintendo EAD 1994) All Five Games w/ACE coop by SethBling [ORH], IsoFrieze, DwangoAC, GTAce host iggyzig, no couch 11m54s (est 18m, wr 8m58s) [NV] Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube FlkWSqA4VFU+81 Review: It's all the technical complexity and absurdity of an ACE TAS, except done by humans. It's not easy to explain without a decent grasp of computer science, but it's worth ten minutes just for the spectacle. Metroid Dread (Switch - MercurySteam 2021) Any% NMG Standard by kekumanshoyu host iggyzig, couch Sephy, Oatsngoats 1h20m33s (est 1h21m, wr 1h13m07s rta) Overall ★★★☆☆ Skill ★★★☆☆ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube nTkdt1a88eA+22 Review: This might be the newest Metroid game, but the movement in this is so good that it's already one of the best speedruns. No Major Glitches does let you see most of the game, but far faster than you ever would casually. Metroid Dread (Switch - MercurySteam 2021) Boss Rush [BONUS] by kekumanshoyu host iggyzig, couch Sephy, Oatsngoats 10m59s (est 10m, wr 6m22s igt) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube nTkdt1a88eA+4964 Review: Dread might have some of the best boss fights of any 2D Metroid, but they're still not that great, and this clearly isn't as polished run as the Any%. Kaizo Super Metroid (SNES - Lioran 2019; Nintendo R&D1 1994) Any% by Oatsngoats [2RH] host Char_bunny, couch kekumanshoyu, imyt, smcharles 2h28m19s (est 2h30m, wr 2h19m15s rta) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★★ Fun ★★★★☆ Youtube rjXprx6ulGs+51 Review: The very last in-person run we saw, before The Pandemic hit, was Oatsngoats's run of Super Metroid Impossible. So it's fitting that the return of on-site marathons sees the return of extremely-hard Super Metroid hacks - and this one is downright sadistic. Nothing two and a half hours of Serious Gaming can't solve. Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch - Nintendo EPD 2019; MangMang69, SaucePow, BigRedBoy, Donkeymint, Ray67, nabuz, Kiavik, Caspur189, Trakkan 2022) Relay Race relay race, Team It's A Hat (TanukiDan, Aurateur, juzcook) vs Team It's A Face (Shoujo, CarlSagan42, PangaeaPanga) host Char_bunny, couch realbchin, BigRedBoy ~50m (est 1h15m, no wr) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★☆ Fun ★★★★★ Youtube vi2DgHDAIcU+30 Review: One of the most-missed features in the online events was the relay races, and here's the second of them. Lots of variety, lots of great gameplay, and lots of really close, frantic racing. Super Mario 64 (N64 - Nintendo EAD 1996) [BONUS GAME 8] 120 Star by Simply host Mr. Game and Shout, couch WesDogg, Artemis 1h40m17s (est 1h50m, wr 1h37m50s) Overall ★★★★☆ Skill ★★★★★ Fun ★★★☆☆ Youtube hFZEBrFfoUo+57 Review: An hour in, Simply was still on wr pace, which is just a testament to the consistency needed for this speedrun. The execution is insane and the few mistakes are absolutely trivial. There's a reason this is consistently the top speed game. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl (Switch - ILCA 2021; Game Freak 2006) [BONUS GAME 6] Any% by eddaket host Mr. Game and Shout, couch Corvimae, Shenanagans, a Mareep 17m34s (est 25m, wr 14m31s) Overall ★★☆☆☆ Skill ★★☆☆☆ Fun ★★☆☆☆ Youtube LMUnF4gwD2E+35 Review: It's a neat trick, but the skill was all in the finding and the routing, not in the execution, nor is it all that impressive on its own. This definitely suffers from the delay - as a follow-on to the Any% BD/SP run, it would have been fine, but without that it's just twenty minutes of menuing and walking in a black screen. Elden Ring (PC - From 2022) All Remembrances by catalystz [WRH] host CovertMuffin, couch HYP3RSOMNIAC, hazeblade, spicee 1h53m24s (est 2h00m, wr 1h06m34s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube 4IUT4UOCZzg+150 Review: (Not yet watched, skipping until I actually play it) Elden Ring (PC - From 2022) [BONUS GAME 9] Any% by HYP3RSOMNIAC host CovertMuffin, couch catalystz, hazeblade, spicee 33m58s (est 33m, wr 21m36s) Overall N/R Skill N/R Fun N/R Youtube MsRQstLsf8Y+35 Review: (Not yet watched, skipping until I actually play it)