The Greatest Moments Of Summer Games Done Quick 2016
The twice-a-year charity marathon known as Games Done Quick has become the highlight of my week. Whenever it occurs, nothing else matters. Watching this nation’s top thumb jockeys make hash of the world’s best video games, live, is endlessly entertaining. And forget the computer browser — I plug in my Roku stick, boot up the Twitch app and watch as much as I can on the BIG SCREEN. It doesn’t disappoint.
For those who weren’t watching and don’t have time to sift through a literal week’s worth of video footage, here are my selected highlights of this year’s SGDQ. (One thing before we begin: If you hear “WAH” noises now and then, be aware that imitating Waluigi was a big fad among SGDQ attendees this year. Just deal with it.)
This is a playthrough of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, done blindfolded. He hits a big snag three-fourths of the way through, but it’s due to a faulty controller button. Otherwise it would have been smooth.
If you think you’ve seen every Ocarina of Time glitch, you haven’t. The things they get Link to do in this 25-minute block of tricks are terrific.
Last January the tradition was started of a block just for playthroughs of bad games. The highlight of this summer’s Bad Games block was The Rapid Angel, an incredibly broken platformer released only in Japan for the PS1. Half of what makes this great is the running commentary from those playing it.
Collecting Pokemon badges in reverse order? What madness is this? It can be done, however, and if you want to find out how quickly, skip to the second half of this video (the first half is all setup. But you will learn more if you’re patient).
The absolute height of Awesome Games Done Quick last January was the Super Mario Maker tournament, where players were plopped down in front of diabolical levels they’d never played before and raced against each other to complete them. The results were just as hilarious this time, only the Summer variant included the twist of making the challenge a relay race (each life would be played by a different team member).
I would ordinarily crown Super Mario Maker the king of SGDQ 2016, but the game they showed immediately afterward topped everything. If you only have time for one video, this is the one. People, let me introduce you to the glory that is Pepsiman:
Because of SGDQ 2016, Doctors Without Borders raised over $1,200,000. The next Games Done Quick marathon is scheduled for January 8, 2017.