Summer Games Done Quick 2015: Day 1 Highlights and Day 2 Runs to Watch

Summer Games Done Quick has begun, bringing together the best speed runners to race for charity. Shacknews is watching this year's streams and has gathered the previous day's highlights, along with the best streams to watch today.

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It's that time of year, once again. Twice a year, the folks at Games Done Quick get together to speed run some of the best (and some of the most curious) video games across gaming history, all in the name of charity. Summer Games Done Quick is raising money for Doctors Without Borders, via direct donations or donations that go towards raffle tickets. All week, Shacknews will take a look back at the best highlights from the previous day, as well as point to some of the most notable runs that will take place later in the day. Without further delay, let's take a look at some runs worth checking out.

Day 1 Highlights

Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2 (Super Nintendo)

The original Yoshi's Island still stands out as one of the most unique and memorable Super Nintendo games ever made. The graphic style remains as astounding as it ever has and no Yoshi game since has been able to replicate it, largely because of licensing issues with the old SuperFX chip. It's also quietly one of the more difficult games in the Super NES library, with Yoshi's first solo outing featuring some amazingly tricky platforming.

Speed runner Trihex was at the helm yesterday and he not only demonstrated some proficient platforming, he also showed a knack for getting himself out of danger, escaping from certain doom several times with masterful applications of Yoshi's flutter jump. He also showed off some novel glitches, such as the one used against the Naval Piranha boss. Newer generations of players that grew up with more recent Yoshi's Island outings may be largely unaware of Yoshi's surprisingly difficult first outing, so consider the stream below an education.

Donkey Kong Country (Super Nintendo) [All Stages Race]

The original Donkey Kong Country, released just months before Yoshi's Island hit the Nintendo stage, had some devious platforming of its own. But not only were streamers NewAgeRetroHippie, Eazinn, and gari able to make all of it look easy, they even brought some interesting tricks to the table.

The trio put on an amazing show by showing off their mastery of DKC's shortcuts, platforming with Diddy, knowledge of when to switch characters, and even some glitches that allowed them to launch themselves across portions of entire levels. Their mastery of the mine cart levels, in particular, where they'd utilize the "jump roll" technique, must be seen to be believed. It was a close race to the finish, but none of the runners were in any danger of overshooting the 40 minute timer and finished with plenty of time to spare. Check out the race below and see who took the crown.

Donkey Kong County 3: Dixie's Double Trouble (Super Nintendo) [Lost World Speed Run]

Donkey Kong Country 3 is a largely unappreciated gem, with Rare introducing a number of new elements and upping the ante on collectibles. However, collectibles are not the name of the game here. Instead, it's finishing the game as fast as possible by using a glitch to help jump into the game's final levels as soon as possible.

Speed runner RaikouRider described each and every one of the Lost World stages for DKC3 a "run killer," in that anything can go wrong at any time. At a couple of points during this particular run, he asked for complete silence, since his success largely depended on listening for certain audio cues. It's a game of intense focus, especially with a target time of only 20 minutes. Check out the video below, putting the spotlight of some of the most difficult levels in the entire DKC series.


Day 2 Runs to Watch

Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers (NES) - 6:55AM PT

Getting through Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers can be a tough task on its own and speed running it is certainly no piece of cake. Now imagine a co-op run, in which both speed runners must work as a tandem to finish as quickly as possible. Speed runners infinite mystery and philosoraptor42 will team up this morning to try and finish the game in under 20 minutes, but it'll take some true ballet-like precision.

Toejam and Earl (Sega Genesis) - 1:25PM PT

Speedrunner peaches will be looking to return to Funkotron in this Genesis classic. Toejam and Earl can be a particularly tough game to speed run, since the stages and item placement are completely randomized. Surviving some of the harrowing foes, like the chicken army and the Bogeymen, won't be easy. But peaches will attempt to find all of the pieces to get the alien duo home in under 30 minutes.

Tetris: The Grand Master series (Arcade) - 4:40PM PT

All of the Tetris: The Grand Master runs will be placed along the same block and for those that have not seen one of these runs, they are the absolute highest level of Tetris. The TGM crew will be ready to show just what they can do, looking to finish the various game modes in under no more than 15 minutes. It's precision unlike anything ever seen, as success not only hinges on correct block placement at all times, it involves actually knowing where the pieces are, since the game continues right through the credits. For anyone that has never witnessed a Tetris Grand Master run, check out an example from earlier this year in the video below.

Summer Games Done Quick will air all week on Twitch. To donate, be sure to visit the Games Done Quick website.

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?

From The Chatty
  • reply
    July 27, 2015 6:00 AM

    Ozzie Mejia posted a new article, Summer Games Done Quick 2015: Day 1 Highlights and Day 2 Runs to Watch

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 6:21 AM

      Excellent, glad you're doing recaps!

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 9:19 AM

        Thanks! Is Zero|DPX out working this morning or did I miss the Chatty thread for today?

        • reply
          July 27, 2015 9:38 AM

          He may be working. This can be today's thread.

        • reply
          July 27, 2015 3:05 PM

          Sorry, I'm not going to be able to be very available for SGDQ the way I was for AGDQ. You guys should assume I'm not going to start/bump threads and keep the hype going.

          • reply
            July 27, 2015 5:31 PM

            That's ok. I'll have front page posts going every morning.

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 9:39 AM

      Now: Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse: HD Next: Ghosts N Goblins Soon: Ghouls N Ghosts

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 9:48 AM

        Crap! How did I forget those in today's streams to watch? Ghosts N Goblins is just plain epic.

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 10:26 AM

      Now: Ghosts N Goblins Next: Ghouls N Ghosts Soon: Maldita Castilla Then: Gauntlet Block

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 10:55 AM

      Now: Ghouls N Ghosts Next: Maldita Castilla Then: Gauntlet (NES) Soon: Gauntlet (PC)

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 11:31 AM

      Now: Maldita Castilla Next:Gauntlet (NES) Then: Gauntlet (PC) Soon: Toejam and Earl

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 12:19 PM

      Now: Gauntlet (NES) Next: Gauntlet (PC) Then: Toejam and Earl Soon: Dungeon Magic

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 12:49 PM

      Now: Gauntlet (PC, 2 players) Next: Toejam and Earl Then: Dungeon Magic Soon: Super Monkey Ball Deluxe

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 12:49 PM

      man the Crash Bandicoot 2 speedrun was cringeworthy..apparently the guy is banned from future sgdq events and his twitch was banned.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVyq5gu0WR4

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 1:09 PM

      FYI, you can watch runs you missed on either of these Youtube channels:

      Games Done Quick https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI3DTtB-a3fJPjKtQ5kYHfA
      SpeedMarathonArchive https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWDU-iokgQTudah5-4kAIQ



      SpeedMarathonArchive seems to have the videos up within a few hours after the run finishes.




      Also, If my count is correct, there have be 4 instance of 'That has never happened before!' said during the various runs so far.

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 1:18 PM

      Gauntlet 2014 is such a boring looking game.

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 1:56 PM

        Which is sad, because Gauntlet Dark Legacy and the like was awesome looking back in the day.

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 1:58 PM

      Now: Toejam and Earl Next: Dungeon Magic Then: Super Monkey Ball Deluxe Soon: BONUS! Octodad Co-op

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 2:26 PM

        Sounds like that was a world record run!

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 5:16 PM

        can't wait for the Toejam and Earl video. I loved that game but I don't think I ever beat it. Not even with an emulator and savestates.

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 2:30 PM

      Now: Dungeon Magic Next: Super Monkey Ball Deluxe Then: BONUS! Octodad Co-op Soon: Ninja Baseball Batman

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 2:57 PM

      Now: Super Monkey Ball Deluxe Next: BONUS! Octodad Co-op Then: Ninja Baseball Batman Soon: Spica Adventure

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 3:50 PM

      Now: OCTODAD Co-op Next: Ninja Baseball Batman Then: Spica Adventure Soon: Tetris: The Grand Master Block *Must Watch*

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 4:00 PM

      oh shit tetris master block is ALWAYS insane

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 4:20 PM

      Now: Ninja Baseball Batman (?) Next: Spica Adventure Then: Tetris: The Grand Master *MUST WATCH*

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 4:59 PM

      Now: Spica Adventure
      *MUST WATCH*:
      Next: Tetris: The Grand Master 2+, TA Death Mode
      Then: Tetris: The Grand Master 3, Master mode
      Soon: Tetris: The Grand Master 3, Shirase mode

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 5:16 PM

      TUNE IN NOW FOR TETRIS BLOCK, MUST-WATCH

      Seriously, this was by far the best part of AGDQ, glad it's returning.

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 5:19 PM

        linkage! http://www.twitch.tv/gamesdonequick

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 5:31 PM

        Itshappening.gif

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 5:40 PM

        TETRIS BLOCK

        Tetris: The Grand Master 2+, TA Death Mode
        Tetris: The Grand Master 3, Master mode
        Tetris: The Grand Master 3, Shirase mode
        Tetris: The Grand Master 3, Sakura mode
        Tetris: The Grand Master series, Exhibition modes

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 5:44 PM

        kevinDDR is the one you need to watch. He is amazing. I'm sure they all are but he was at AGDQ and crushed it

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 5:50 PM

        WOW, SQR came back from almost losing!

        • reply
          July 27, 2015 5:51 PM

          woah, spoke too soon :(

          • reply
            July 27, 2015 5:54 PM

            Yeah, that was repeatedly incredible and then he died :(

            Then I looked away due to a work issue and missed the very end of the other guy's run, which was apparently cool from the audio :(

            • reply
              July 27, 2015 5:55 PM

              He got close to losing as well, but managed to get GM.

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 5:53 PM

        Next is a doubles co-op race!

        • reply
          July 27, 2015 6:00 PM

          2 players on one board vs another two players on another board!

        • reply
          July 27, 2015 6:05 PM

          So great, love this

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 6:06 PM

        Ok, next sounds like a crazy 1 player playing doubles run!

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 6:18 PM

        Sounds like next is master mode with items

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 6:18 PM

        sqr's speed is so crazy. that guy is going 100mph the whole time

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 6:27 PM

        that Death Block is fucked up

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 6:27 PM

        This is absolutely amazing. I can't believe this shit.

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 6:32 PM

        Tetris Grandmaster 3 Terror Instinct is next

        • reply
          July 27, 2015 6:40 PM

          This is sakura mode, where the file is to remove the gem blocks as fast as possible

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 6:45 PM

        Holy crap getting back on route in that mode

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 6:46 PM

        Next TGM3 Master Mode Race!

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 7:01 PM

        Ah, I fuckin love watching masters play this game. It's just insane.

        • reply
          July 27, 2015 7:02 PM

          And the invisible credits sequence. Just crazy.

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 7:04 PM

        Wow, did not fail to impress again. Amazing.

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 7:07 PM

        Tetris: The Grand Master 3, Shirase mode. It goes even faster now!

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 7:11 PM

        FIVE PIECES A SECOND?!?!?!

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 7:13 PM

        Kevin almost pulling out an insane Shirase save.

        Watching this reminds me of watching F-Zero GX. It's an insanely hard game and watching anyone who can complete it at the highest level is nuts, but when you compare "one of the best players in the world" with "the absolute best player in the world" (in F-Zero's case, the guy who ran it at AGDQ '14) the latter is clearly just on another level.

        Although Kevin got further in that Shirase game, Kan's play is just so smooth and fast. It's nuts.

        • reply
          July 27, 2015 7:15 PM

          Yeah, it was almost like watching a computer solve it. Truly Awesomely impressive.

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 7:13 PM

        Tetris: The Grand Master 3 VS mode next

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 7:22 PM

        Haha, that last versus match was fun.

        Good Tetris block again! Yay

    • reply
      July 27, 2015 7:24 PM

      Now: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
      Next: Bioshock Infinite
      Then: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
      Soon: Lovely Planet

      • reply
        July 27, 2015 7:41 PM

        Tomorrow looks like it has some good stuff:

        Metroid Prime Mini-block: Metroid Prime Hunters (DS) and Metroind Prime 2: Echos (NGC)

        Mega Man X block: X8, X2, X3 (low % buster only), and X4

        Castlevania Block: SOTN, Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin (glitched)


        However, I'm looking forward to see Lovely Planet in a few hours. The game is a speedrunning FPS of sorts. It's on Steam ( http://store.steampowered.com/app/298600/ ) for less than $1.25! It has leaderboards built in, and I've played through the first two worlds and have no idea how the times in the leader board are possible, generally taking 2-3 times longer than the best time. Basically, you need to get to the end of each level as fast as possible, while killing all baddies, not killing any goodies, shooting all apples before they hit the ground, avoiding spikes and red goo, and making some tricky jumps! the levels are generally less than 30 seconds, but get longer in the later worlds/



        If you can't get enough tetris, try this free game on steam, which while not exactly tetris, uses tetris pieces:
        http://store.steampowered.com/app/321480/

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