Person favorite so far is Mario 70 stars done by 70 different runners.
It is exactly what it sounds like and while it doesn't go perfectly it is also a relentlessly positive and enjoyable set. I especially love how since running out of lives is a real concern some people managed to rout in grabbing an extra as part of their star.
I was a big fan of the Halo run. For anyone curious, it was a run of the mod Cursed Halo. Only the mod dev, Infernoplus, gave the couch the mod source code so they could mess with it for gdq. They made it their personal mission to mess with the runner, Shockwve, as much as possible without getting too in the way. It was a great and silly time
The reveal of the changes to 343 Guilty Spark had me fucking cackling. Somehow they made a shitpost mod into a shitpost speedrun. It's one for the history books
I'm watching it right now and someone's attempting an Austin-Powers-U-Turn in the middle of the highway while the other runner is stuck inside a guardrail, it's incredible.
If anyone wants particular highlights, the Psychonauts 2 run was great just to see someone use Telekinesis/Throw for some shenanigans.
Alternately, Awful Block had gems like "Dizzy Hero", "I'll Invaligate Your Aid" (thats not a typo BTW) and Super Buff HD. Theres some hilarity between all 3 of em that makes the Awful Block worth it.
some great runs this year, the entire event had a really solid vibe All the vods are up on the GDQ youtube already too so you can check out basically anything
Highly recommend American Truck Sim, The DBZ run, Halo Cursed mod, the DK64 Randomizer run, the mario 64 relay, DK Banaza's first run at a GDQ, 12 bananas, and Doom Eternal
I wanna shout out the YouTuber adef who did the Pokemon Emerald speedrun to close out the event; he's got a lot of fun Pokemon content, either breaking down the math behind Pokemon's mechanics, or more recently he's started a series of "Can the trainers on Victory Road/the Elite 4 actually beat the game they're in?" Videos.
I personally didn't enjoy the Pokemon emerald run. I don't think finishing the event with a struggle run was hyped enough for a finale. I just went to bed.
I think the DK Bananza would have been a better finale with the singing at the end.
Also shout-out to the unfortunate call of nature during the FF tactic run, that was funny I wasn't expecting that.
I watch GDQ more for the entertainment value then anything else so I can understand why some people weren't to happy with the finale. I agree that DK Bananza might have been better but eh, I found the commentary, jokes, and vibes of the Pokemon incredibly endearing but I understand why people who were expecting a serious run and not a romhack with built-in safety nets as a finale.
My only complaint about Bananza isn't really the fault of the runners or crowd
I just with we got to see more of the game be played. It's just such a bummer you skip basically all the transformations, all the GBs, etc. Like in Odessey you could parkour around a lot but you still had to collect Moons and engage with basically every level in unique ways, with Bananza in an any% run it's basically just blitz to the end of the area as fast as possible while ignoring 75% of the gameplay loops
That's not a Bananza exclusive problem and just my preferred style of speedrun, ones where you play the game fast, not ones where you just exploit/glitch/skip most of the game. Those are interested the first could times after that i want to see some more high level gameplay and less "Look I used a menu glitch to skip to 75% of the way done"
Yeah, I take off from work every year for this and AGDQ and I still found an abundance of mods and showcases when I was expecting more focus on speedrunning. Also the guy hacking in a supermove and constantly using it made the finale feel toothless.
I was also looking forward to the Bill Nye FMV game only for the runner to seemingly forget half the game.
My two cents on this is on prime donation time they tend to focus on showcases to boost donations and the rest is just regular speed running. But yeah I agree with you.
Pokemon was really weird. It wasn't really a speedrun cause there was more focus on the incentive, it wasn't really a challenge run because they needed to make it winnable within ~3 hours. I think if it wasn't in that last run slot I would've enjoyed it more.
Lots of banger runs that I couldn't catch live. Can recommend the AC6 Arena/Analysis runs, the American Truck Simulator, FEAR 2, Silent Hill F, and Super Buff HD from what I've watched thus far.
Oh and the Richard Burns Rally VR Showcase. Masterclass of kickass rally racing and some hilarity.
Yeah, but I'd assume the spectators in the audience are mostly friends and family. Personally I wouldn't mind paying like a few hundred dollars in a donation to get a reserved seat in the first few rows for certain runs, like it was a boxing match or something
I've attended a GDQ before and I'm not a speedrunner, just someone who finds them fun. They are incredibly welcoming and as long as you aren't a jerk, don't try to interrupt the runners, and don't try to get on the back couch without permission then you'd be fine.
The top of the page literally says:
Games Done Quick event attendance is open to the general public. You don't need to be a speedrunner, and you don't need to volunteer!
These days I can't watch GDQs live anymore as I got tired of the donation reading taking priority over the runs. So good for them, I just hope I can find something in the vods.
Always good to see them suceed.
Person favorite so far is Mario 70 stars done by 70 different runners.
It is exactly what it sounds like and while it doesn't go perfectly it is also a relentlessly positive and enjoyable set. I especially love how since running out of lives is a real concern some people managed to rout in grabbing an extra as part of their star.
Really cute.
The relay was amazing! And the fact that all 5 incentives got met for it was awesome to see!
Oooh that sounds like a fun/enjoyable watch.
Mind linking it to me?
Here you go
https://youtu.be/r-VFPEh59k4?si=d4WQB-OF5bxZmL83
Thank you very much!
I need to watch all of it, but I didn't even know there was a 1-up in the tower on Whomp's Fortress!
Also that guy that said, "I know the skip!" before sliding butt first slowly down Peach's slide.
I was a big fan of the Halo run. For anyone curious, it was a run of the mod Cursed Halo. Only the mod dev, Infernoplus, gave the couch the mod source code so they could mess with it for gdq. They made it their personal mission to mess with the runner, Shockwve, as much as possible without getting too in the way. It was a great and silly time
Probably one of the best run is GDQ history, that was hilarious.
The reveal of the changes to 343 Guilty Spark had me fucking cackling. Somehow they made a shitpost mod into a shitpost speedrun. It's one for the history books
Wait it was Cursed Halo?! Oh fuck yeah I'm watchin that shit right now!
It was, and it was as ridiculous as you think it might be
The Truck simulator one was peak shout out to the etsy witch
CAN WE GET SOME DONIES?!
I'm watching it right now and someone's attempting an Austin-Powers-U-Turn in the middle of the highway while the other runner is stuck inside a guardrail, it's incredible.
INTENSE RAIL RIDING ACTION
I got a lot of good laughs out of that one during a busy workday, a real treat.
If anyone wants particular highlights, the Psychonauts 2 run was great just to see someone use Telekinesis/Throw for some shenanigans.
Alternately, Awful Block had gems like "Dizzy Hero", "I'll Invaligate Your Aid" (thats not a typo BTW) and Super Buff HD. Theres some hilarity between all 3 of em that makes the Awful Block worth it.
some great runs this year, the entire event had a really solid vibe All the vods are up on the GDQ youtube already too so you can check out basically anything
Highly recommend American Truck Sim, The DBZ run, Halo Cursed mod, the DK64 Randomizer run, the mario 64 relay, DK Banaza's first run at a GDQ, 12 bananas, and Doom Eternal
I wanna shout out the YouTuber adef who did the Pokemon Emerald speedrun to close out the event; he's got a lot of fun Pokemon content, either breaking down the math behind Pokemon's mechanics, or more recently he's started a series of "Can the trainers on Victory Road/the Elite 4 actually beat the game they're in?" Videos.
Adef also does some fun Elden Ring Randos or bingo with friends
Watching Bubz do blindfolded Majoras Mask and consistently hit tricks I've seen people miss WITH pause buffering and visual cues was pretty crazy.
While it didn't go as planned, I really enjoyed the vibe of the 12 Bananas run. It was a small silly game, and the runner had an entertaining couch.
RE2R shredded on a CRKD guitar controller was fun. Wish I caught it live to see if chat made Guitar Hero or Rock Band puns.
tbcr was great as always with his ROTT run
Dark Souls by QueueKyoo was a really solid any% run, but insane when you consider he was playing in full platemail
Highly recommend anyone looking for more speedrun marathons to check out ESA next month
I personally didn't enjoy the Pokemon emerald run. I don't think finishing the event with a struggle run was hyped enough for a finale. I just went to bed.
I think the DK Bananza would have been a better finale with the singing at the end.
Also shout-out to the unfortunate call of nature during the FF tactic run, that was funny I wasn't expecting that.
I watch GDQ more for the entertainment value then anything else so I can understand why some people weren't to happy with the finale. I agree that DK Bananza might have been better but eh, I found the commentary, jokes, and vibes of the Pokemon incredibly endearing but I understand why people who were expecting a serious run and not a romhack with built-in safety nets as a finale.
My only complaint about Bananza isn't really the fault of the runners or crowd
I just with we got to see more of the game be played. It's just such a bummer you skip basically all the transformations, all the GBs, etc. Like in Odessey you could parkour around a lot but you still had to collect Moons and engage with basically every level in unique ways, with Bananza in an any% run it's basically just blitz to the end of the area as fast as possible while ignoring 75% of the gameplay loops
That's not a Bananza exclusive problem and just my preferred style of speedrun, ones where you play the game fast, not ones where you just exploit/glitch/skip most of the game. Those are interested the first could times after that i want to see some more high level gameplay and less "Look I used a menu glitch to skip to 75% of the way done"
Yeah, I take off from work every year for this and AGDQ and I still found an abundance of mods and showcases when I was expecting more focus on speedrunning. Also the guy hacking in a supermove and constantly using it made the finale feel toothless.
I was also looking forward to the Bill Nye FMV game only for the runner to seemingly forget half the game.
My two cents on this is on prime donation time they tend to focus on showcases to boost donations and the rest is just regular speed running. But yeah I agree with you.
Pokemon was really weird. It wasn't really a speedrun cause there was more focus on the incentive, it wasn't really a challenge run because they needed to make it winnable within ~3 hours. I think if it wasn't in that last run slot I would've enjoyed it more.
Lots of banger runs that I couldn't catch live. Can recommend the AC6 Arena/Analysis runs, the American Truck Simulator, FEAR 2, Silent Hill F, and Super Buff HD from what I've watched thus far.
Oh and the Richard Burns Rally VR Showcase. Masterclass of kickass rally racing and some hilarity.
I've always wanted to attend one of these purely as a spectator, it's just I don't know how kosher that is to attend as a non-runner.
These events get a ton of attendance lol there'd be no possible way for every attendee to be a runner
Yeah, but I'd assume the spectators in the audience are mostly friends and family. Personally I wouldn't mind paying like a few hundred dollars in a donation to get a reserved seat in the first few rows for certain runs, like it was a boxing match or something
I've attended a GDQ before and I'm not a speedrunner, just someone who finds them fun. They are incredibly welcoming and as long as you aren't a jerk, don't try to interrupt the runners, and don't try to get on the back couch without permission then you'd be fine.
https://gamesdonequick.com/site/rules
The top of the page literally says: Games Done Quick event attendance is open to the general public. You don't need to be a speedrunner, and you don't need to volunteer!
RE2 Remake with a guitar and the Spyro 2 run were two of my favs.
The dissolution of the Sonic Block has kinda made me care less about GDQ over the years.
Also I know she's broke and sick but the lack of Edobean as a host really bums me out. Throw the girl a bone GDQ
These days I can't watch GDQs live anymore as I got tired of the donation reading taking priority over the runs. So good for them, I just hope I can find something in the vods.
[deleted]
It's a charity drive, man.
It’s a charity drive, you drive people to donate to charity, that’s kinda how it goes.