Summer Games Done Quick 2015: Day 7 Highlights and final donation total

If you missed them, be sure to check out highlights from Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, and Day 6 of Summer Games Done Quick 2015.

Summer Games Done Quick 2015 is officially over. All week, money has been raised for Doctors Without Borders, with the world's best speed runners putting on a week-long show. For one last time, Shacknews is looking back at the best highlights across the week. Here are the best runs from Saturday.

Day 7 Highlights

Shadow of the Colossus (PlayStation 2)

Two words: boss rush. That's part of what made Shadow of Colossus such a pleasure to play through, but more than that, it was the breathtaking world that was on display. But there's no time to admire the scenario, because streamer Meows went into this run with the goal of completing Shadow of the Colossus in less than an hour. Part of the trick to beating the bosses is simply finding them, so watch as he begins his diligent search.

Dark Souls II two-player run (PC)

You may think you've finally gotten a semi-mastery of Dark Souls II. After a year, it's somewhat expected. But the exploits of runners Oginam and FearfulFerret put any other pitiful efforts to shame, as evidenced by their co-op run. No, not co-op in the sense that there are two players, but rather both of these players are sharing a single controller at the same time. Watching them finish From Software's latest Souls game in under 90 minutes is amazing enough, but there's never been a Dark Souls II run quite like this. Check it out below.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 100% run (Super NES)

What does it take to complete The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (all of A Link to the Past) in under two hours? Only speedrunner Xelna has what it takes, as he shows off all of his tricks and his non-warp glitch arsenal, including some immensely useful tips for anyone that has ever been tortured by the wormy boss Moldorm over the years. This particular run is an incredible learning experience, particularly with Xelna's abilities to get around certain early parts of the game and his skills with the Pegasus Boots. It's amazing to behold, with the man nearly setting a world record, but only bested by his own previous record. Check out the full run below.

Super Mario 64 120-Star three-way race (Nintendo 64)

The highs of triumph and the lows of agonizing defeat are both encapsulated through this Super Mario 64 race, in which puncayshun, cheese06, and Simply show off their best talents. It's amazing to watch them cheat some of the animations and hidden areas to shave minutes off of their time. That's why it's so easy to cringe whenever any of these speed runners miss a jump or even die at an inopportune moment. The race itself is a thrilling back-and-forth affair and is a can't-miss.

Super Metroid four-way race (Super NES)

Speaking of the agony of defeat, nobody experienced it in the final day quite like speed runner Oatsngoats. At the 12:30-minute mark of the run, he had a bad run in with the ghostly Phantoon and wound up dying. With no auto save enabled, it essentially eliminated him entirely. Such is the risk that speed runners undertake with such a bold endeavor.

That left zoasty, DavidClemensn, and Straevaras to try and finish the game in under the 50-minute estimated time. Watch as they sprint, bomb jump, and morph ball their way through Samus' greatest adventure. The precision jumps and shot timing required to finish the game so quickly is an incredible sight, with the three remaining runners desperately trying to keep pace with one another.

The intensity of the race was only matched by the two donor factions desperately funding their cause with minutes to go. Did the runners Save the Animals or Kill the Animals? Watch the run below to find out.

When all was said and done, Summer Games Done Quick 2015 raised over $1.2 million, the most money raised during a GDQ week to date.

The donation total sits at $1,230,852. That will change a bit over the next few days, but it's still awe-inspiring. #SGDQ2015

— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) August 2, 2015

As Games Done Quick becomes an even bigger phenomenon over the coming years, the hope is that this total will only continue to rise, for the benefit of truly worthy charities. This week has, once again, highlighted the generosity of the gaming public and shown what players are capable of accomplishing by coming together in the name of good.

Do you have any favorite moments from Summer Games Done Quick 2015 that you would like to share? Join the conversation and leave a comment in the thread. Join us in early 2016 when Awesome Games Done Quick returns.

Ozzie Mejia

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?