EPT
Classic Awesome: Super Mario 64 120 Star - http://twitch.tv/sda/b/542237216?t=22h29m25s
Super Mario 64. A classic Nintendo 64 title that essentially created the 3D platforming genre. It was the first of the “modern Marios” and its signature style persists into current console Marios such as Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii. For many gamers my age, Super Mario 64 is a beloved favorite, which is probably why so many people love to see it broken to pieces by speedrunners. The game wasn’t even originally scheduled in the marathon, but people shelled out cash like crazy when an SM64 run by the game’s undisputed master, Siglemic, was revealed as an incentive. Donation totals leapt from $250,000 to $500,000 in a single day to attain Siglemic’s 120-star run, and he did not disappoint. The 120 Star SM64 run is of the better known runs to casuals like me, but even having seen it before I wouldn’t miss it. Siglemic’s incredible skill at the game and the new tricks he unveiled proved that it was worth another watch.
Honorable Mention: Super Metroid Low % - http://twitch.tv/sda/b/542806334?t=5m20s
Speaking of donation totals, there’s no higher-earning incentive than the infamous “Save or Kill the Animals” bid war that occurs every year before the GDQ run of Super Metroid. Of course, that also means that a Super Metroid run is part of every GDQ marathon, but there are so many interesting categories and strategies for the game that it’s never boring. SGDQ 2014’s Super Metroid run was a Low % run by the highly-praised zoast, who will keep the game interesting for you even if you’ve seen it before.
Ridiculousness: Metal Wolf Chaos - http://twitch.tv/sda/b/542237216?t=6h32m20s
Some of my favorite parts of the GDQ marathons are the weird and wacky games that are introduced to me by the speedrunning community. This year, Metal Wolf Chaos was easily the most ridiculous and most hilarious of the bunch. A Japan-exclusive Xbox release, Metal Wolf Chaos is the story of the President of the United States as he pilots a giant robot named Metal Wolf to undermine his Vice President’s coup d’etat. If you think that sounds insane, you are absolutely correct. The game is crazy pants from start to finish because of the ridiculous English script and voice-acting for this Japan-only game. The Metal Wolf Chaos “cutscenes included” run was another donation incentive because the inclusion of the cutscenes doesn’t make it a true “speed run.” On the other hand, you aren’t going to hear lines like “Eat my flame of justice!” and “I’ll beat them faster than a Florida recount!” in just any game, so it’s totally worth the watch. Laugh along with the couch crowd through this hilarious run of From Software’s greatest game. #whatever
Honorable Mention: ZZT - http://twitch.tv/sda/b/541674107?t=20h56m
This obscure game was run in the middle of the night by CosmoWright, a prolific streamer best known for his Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker runs. ZZT only lasts for six minutes, but they’re six very silly and very anachronistic minutes. If you want a quick and quirky jaunt through a goofy, old-school game, check this one out. It had most of the room laughing, and I know you’ll get a kick out of it too.
Race to the Finish!: Metroid Fusion 1% - http://twitch.tv/sda/b/542237216?t=13h08m30s
The revitalization of the Metroid series is widely attributed to Metroid Prime. However, Metroid Fusion, which was published the same year for the Game Boy Advance, was a similarly stellar adventure that played similarly as Super Metroid, the series’ crown jewel. This ensured that it would never escape the grasps of speedrunners, who broke the game wide open over the 12 years since it’s release.* One of AGDQ 2014’s best moments was the four-way Super Metroid race, so there was no better way to follow it up at SGDQ 2014 than with a race of Fusion, Super Metroid’s spiritual sequel. Not only is Fusion an awesome game to see speedrun in general, but the 1% category is volatile and demanding and can cause runners can lose tons of time at a moment’s notice. Despite the difficulty, kirbymastah, BioSpark, and JaggerG put on an amazing show that is absolutely one of the highlights of the event.
* Side note: I feel really old.
Honorable Mention: OoT Any % - http://twitch.tv/sda/b/542797760?t=6m40s
Ocarina of Time’s Any % race also appeared as a donation incentive and featured one of the best matches of the whole marathon: the aforementioned CosmoWright against Skater, the runner who discovered many of the newest skips and glitches used in the current OoT Any% run. If the competitors and the matchup weren’t awesome enough, the race stayed incredibly close for most of the run despite the varying paths and insanely tough tricks. I was tempted to put this one first, but it fell a bit short after the runners missed key sound queues due to applause and during the anti-climatic ending. In spite of this, it’s an awesome run to watch.
Marathon the Marathon: Final Fantasy VI - http://twitch.tv/sda/b/542806334?t=2h05m
RPG speedruns are an interesting beast. Unlike platformers, FPSes, or adventure titles, they are rarely about severe glitches, but focus instead upon route optimization, RNG manipulation, and a variety of tricks to avoid level-grinding. As such, they can be very interesting, but only if you’re willing to take the time to watch the whole thing. The marathon’s final game, Final Fantasy VI, is quite the viewing commitment because it clocks in at over seven hours, but it’s a compelling experience that speeds (relatively) through the classic game. It’s worth mentioning that the category for the run is glitch-less and 100% completion, making it all the more impressive.
Honorable Mention: Skyward Sword - http://twitch.tv/sda/b/541674107?t=38h37m45s
The latest console installment in the Legend of Zelda franchise, Skyward Sword, is another epic adventure in the ever-growing Zelda saga, and one that I’d never experienced before.* As such, seeing it during its five and a half hour SGDQ run was quite the treat. It’s a long time to watch Link hop around and yell at his enemies, but it’s a gorgeous game and a great run.
* No Wii for me...
World Record Hype: Tony Hawk’s Pro-Skater 3 - http://twitch.tv/sda/b/541674107?t=24h24m15s
Speedrunning world records are rarely established at marathons. Between the event’s stamina-sapping schedule and the infamous “marathon luck,”* such aspirations are better left to streams and solo runs. On the other hand, that means that when a world record does occur at a marathon, everyone loses their shit. One of the two world records achieved at SGDQ 2014 was George’s awesome run of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3, which was easily my favorite game in the series.** The run is blindingly fast and full of awesome tricks and route optimizations, so it’s an incredibly entertaining eight minutes. Also, the speedrunning community's world record celebrations are always a treat.
Honorable Mention: Duke Nukem 2 - http://twitch.tv/sda/b/541674107?t=20h14m45s
Not long before George’s THPS3 world record run was a Duke Nukem 2 run by the incredibly-entertaining Bonesaw577. It’s a bit longer and less frantic than THPS3, but it was nevertheless awesome to see the game executed so flawlessly. It doesn’t hurt that Bonesaw and his cohorts are highly amusing, even when their banter isn’t about the game.
* “I swear, that’s never happened before.”
** Possibly because it was the only one I owned.
Pure Quality: Halo: Combat Evolved, Legendary Difficulty - http://twitch.tv/sda/b/541674107?t=36h13m45s
As always, the best parts of any GDQ marathon are the truly entertaining runs. No matter how ridiculous and funny the crowd gets, how random and off-beat the games are, or how many records are crushed, nothing beats a solid and challenging run with great commentary and jaw-dropping tricks and glitches. This year, the standout run was Goatrope’s Halo: Combat Evolved Legendary difficulty run. His mastery of the classic Xbox title was positively inspiring, as was his execution of the impressive tricks and hilarious glitches in the game. To top it all off, he (as well as the contributors on the couch) provided stellar commentary, perfectly explaining the history of the run, the reasoning behind his actions, and the difficulty of the tricks he completed. If you love a good speedrun, this is not one to miss.
Honorable Mention: Metroid Prime 2 - http://twitch.tv/sda/b/542237216?t=11h22m30s
Similarly, Miles’ Metroid Prime 2 run displayed a ton of speedrunning skill and a bevy of awesome glitches. Metroid Prime 2 has some slow moments (which is why it’s an Honorable Mention), but it’s also a game prone to crashes and locks, making the successful first-attempt completion of tricks even more essential. The highlight of the run was Miles’ epic execution of the difficult and high-stakes “Grand Abyss” trick that everyone who likes speedrunning should see. Furthermore, the run's commentary was a lot of fun to hear and made Metroid Prime 2 of the standout games of the whole marathon.
These are just a few of the incredible runs in SGDQ 2014’s $631,271.25 charity marathon. To see some of the other great games, check out the compiled list of VoDs over on Reddit. Also, if you liked these as much as I did, get that AGDQ 2015 hype train runnin'.
You can read this unsolicited opinion and quite a few more at the N3rd Dimension.
