A streamer has set a new world record for speedrunningSuper Mario Galaxy 2.Super Mario Galaxy 2is one of many games being run during Awesome Games Done Quick. Other events include speedruns ofRatchet and Crank: Up Your Arsenal,Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, andThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.Awesome Games Done Quickis an event being run by Games Done Quick (often referred to as GDQ), which is a series of charity video game fundraising events. To date, GDQ has raised over 37 million dollars for charity, such as the Prevent Cancer Foundation. As the name implies, the streams consist of speedruns of popular games. The Wii gameSuper Mario Galaxy 2was released 13 years ago and was met with high critical acclaim at the time of its release.RELATED:Games Done Quick Founder Mike Uyama is Leaving the OrganizationStreamer and speedrunner, Jhay, had previously attained a record of 2h 54m 55s, which already placed him in first place just ahead of a speedrunner named Doopsie. Jhay’s latest run, an “Any% with Bank run”, was completed at 2h 54m 51.33s, which was 4.4 seconds faster than his previous world record. While 4 seconds sounds like a very short time, in the world of speedrunning, even fractions of seconds count, especially consideringSuper Mario Galaxy 2has some of thehardest levels in aMariogame. The “with Bank” part of the title refers to the Bank Toad character that is required to unlock the game’s final galaxy, adding extra challenge.
Luckily, and due to his skill, Jhay’s speedrun went more than smoothly, unlike thespeedrunner whoseMinecraftrun foiled by a fish. Jhay was clearly jubilant in his success, as he posted to Twitter in all caps, saying that he had peaked in life. With 80,000 people watching, it’s understandable that the new world record can be perceived as a massive sporting event. Many commenters posted comments to say that they would never expect to see such an impressive world record live.
With this kind of popularity, it’s easy to see why games likeNeon Whitewith its amazing soundtrackare being built on the concept of speedrunning. While games likeSuper Mario Galaxy 2were not built with speedrunning in mind, it is a sign of the fans’ passion towards these great games that they are still being played decades after release. Players find ways to enjoy these games in new ways and to really dig deep into the mechanics of these games and understand them on a level perhaps even greater than the developers.
