So after digging up my old Nintendo console during quarantine, I was introduced to the insane world of “speed-running”, which is basically when pro-video game players finish a video game as quickly as they can. These “speedrunners” use out-of-the-box tricks and under -the-radar glitches to win the entire game in record speed. Here are my favourites so far:
1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe by AeonFrodo
There is something so incredibly calming about watching someone else play a racing game at top speed. In this speed run, the runner goes through every track, cutting through bushes, jumping over roads and speeding across every finish line like it’s nothing. It’s all about the drift in this one. Check it out!
2. Super Mario World by mystakin
Here’s a speed run of the original Super Mario World which was originally released in 1990. It’is in 2D but what can I say? It’s so much fun to watch Mario jump on toadstools and completely obliterate this game, with the help of some retro-style glitches of course.
3. Banjo Tooie by GarageDoorOpener
This is another old one but arguably one of the best games out there, and who knew it was filled with so many glitches?! The story of Banjo Tooie is already pretty entertaining and the added layer of speed makes it a pretty fun watch.
4. Zelda: Ocarina of Time by Torje
There’s a reason why speedrunners prefer older games, it’s because they’re full of glitches! Ocarina of Time ruled the Nintendo 64 crowd in the 90s and this guy manages to finish the whole game in about 17 minutes by using every glitch he possibly can.
5. Diddy Kong Racing by Toufool31
This game is so odd, but it makes for some pretty entertaining speed running. In this game, you can either drive a car, plane or hovercraft, so it’s actually really fun to watch. If you’re a fan of racing games, this will be right up your alley.
6. Super Mario 64 by cheese05
So it looks like Mario has turned into a ninja? This speedrunner literally runs up the walls to save time and uses some pretty strange tricks to take advantage of the lag and glitches in this game. You won’t believe the strange acrobatics this runner can get Mario to do.
So there you go! The fastest speed runs in the game. I swear watching these is better than meditation. It just puts you in the zone!
