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The Best Speedruns at SGDQ2018

Save the frames, go fast, and donate money for a good cause!

Summer Games Done Quick brings together the best of the speedrunning world, where gamers try to break games, go fast, and save as many frames as possible, all in an effort to raise money for a charitable cause. SGDQ2018 had hundreds of phenomenal runs, but most importantly, managed to raise a staggering $2.1 million dollars for Doctors Without Borders. With so many runs to watch, it can be hard to catch them all, so we rounded up a few of our favorites from SGDQ2018.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D by gymnast86

Everyone remembers their first time running through the world of Termina in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. There were so many secrets to uncover and a lot of trial and error, and for a lot of gamers, it wouldn’t be surprising for this game to take dozens of hours to complete, but not for gymnast86. Using a variety of glitches, skips, and some mesmerizing skill, he managed to clear one of the creepiest Zelda titles in a speedy 1:32:35.

Resident Evil HD Remaster by Pessimism

What better way to prepare for the Resident Evil 2 HD Remake than by checking out an old classic, the Resident Evil HD Remaster. The run is performed by Pessimism, on a challenging difficulty that completely changes the experience players might be used to in the easier runs. With limited aim assist, different enemy placements, and reduced items, the run is hard enough without taking into account the toughness of the zombies – but Pessimism makes it look incredibly easy.

The Simpsons: Hit & Run by Sadlybadlyy

Some of the best weekends back in the early 2000s involved sitting in front of a TV on Saturday morning, bowl of cereal resting beside us, while we played The Simpsons: Hit & Run on our PlayStation 2. So many hours were spent like this, which makes it kind of odd seeing Sadlybadlyy complete the entire game in a little under 2 hours!

Cuphead by TheMexicanRunner

Cuphead was a game that deserved to win game of the year back in 2017, not just because of its sheer difficulty, but because of the artstyle, audio, and gameplay. Since its release, nearly every gamer has experienced the old-school level of challenge that comes with Cuphead, spending dozens of hours trying to complete even a single level, but not TheMexicanRunner. At this year’s SGDQ, TheMexicanRunner performs a full completion run which requires him to defeat all the bosses, collect all the coins, and purchase all the items from the shop. What’s truly miraculous is that he manages to do all this in under an hour. Talk about making us feel terrible about how long it took us to finish some boss fights.

Halo 2 by Ranabundana

Halo 2 is an old favorite for a lot of gamers these days, it’s where Xbox players cut their teeth with online play, it’s where glitching out of maps grew from an interest into a passion, and it’s where we all raged at the impossibly accurate sniper Jackals on Legendary difficulty. Ranabundana makes all of this look effortless as he navigates some of the most challenging levels in Halo 2 with ease. There are a lot tricks on display here, from a new ghosting technique allowing Master Chief to literally walk through walls to some long-range sword flying moments that are truly jaw-dropping.

DOOM (2016) by jeromegood

DOOM is one of the best games we’ve ever played; everything about it screams adrenaline-pumping goodness (and let’s take a moment to imagine what it would be like if DOOMGUY and BJ Blazkowicz teamed-up). While taking your time killing demons and blasting things back to hell is fun, sometimes players just want to go fast, and that’s exactly what jeromegood does in his run. Using a mixture of clipping through walls and some massive boosting exploits, he’s able to literally fly through the levels and complete the game astonishingly quickly.

Super Metroid by oatsngoats

This Super Metroid speedrun by Allegiance’s own oatsngoats isn’t your usual any% or 100% run, this is what’s known as a 100% map completion. This category requires that every available map square gets filled in and turned pink by the end of the run. However, the Super Metroid run is most often recognized by the “save the animals or kill the animals” donations that flood in throughout the entire event. Killing the animals saves precious seconds while saving the animals kills time.

Summer Games Done Quick was a tremendous success in 2018, with an unprecedented amount of money raised for Doctors Without Borders. Congratulations to all the runners who showed up to help raise money, and to all those who donated. We can’t wait to see what lies ahead at the next event, Awesome Games Done Quick!