Speedrunning fascinates me because it’s all about people who are way better at video games than I am. I mean, I love video games and I’ve been playing them for about three decades, but I’m pretty sure I suck at them. I’m also very slow at them.
So watching some of my favorite games get absolutely demolished in no time at all is just really fascinating and magical to me.
Enter Games Done Quick, which happens twice a year and gives donation money to charity! If you’re not watching it yet, well, it just started about an hour and a half ago and it’s happening right here. (Yoshi’s Island is getting destroyed right now, a game which I maintain is the greatest 2D platformer of all time). So if speedruns are your thing, come and check it out. Even if speedruns aren’t your thing, check it out anyway. Here’s the schedule so you can find a game you want to watch and then tune in at the right time– the schedule is super nifty and it should automatically match itself up to your time zone.
Gotta go fast!
Yahtzee had a really weird go at Yoshi’s Island in his column this week. Maybe it was intended as troll bait? But it sort of blew out the back of my head because I didn’t realise anyone didn’t like Yoshi’s Island. It wasn’t just an awesome game, it evolved the genre with a bunch of small stuff like the butt stomp– Yoshi’s Island invented the butt stomp, right? I’m not remembering wrong? And stuff like Yoshi always runs so you don’t need a run button, you have a stock of eggs instead of fireballs until you get hit. Not to mention the actual gimmicks, Yoshi’s Island had loads of those and they were so cool.
The Baby Mario thing was a unique if undertuned recovery mechanic and hopefully taught everyone that a crying baby doesn’t make anything more fun.
When I played this game in my living room as a twelve year old my mum came running in at one point because she heard Baby Mario from outside and thought one of her kids was crying for help. I blame that on Nintendo.