I’ve never been a guy that gets all that into competitive gaming. Sure, it’s fun to watch some skilled players go at it from time to time, but I’d rather just sit down and play the thing myself. Up until the recent bouts of watching pro StarCraft 2 players, I’ve never understood why someone could sit and watch someone else play a game for hours. I just assumed StarCraft 2 was different because of the level of the players.
All that changed over Christmas break, when I discovered Siglemic on Twitch TV. You see, Siglemic is a Super Mario 64 player. And not just any Super Mario 64 player – he’s the recent world record holder for a 120-star speed run. I watched in awe over most of the break to see him capture this record, and sat there for a number of failed attempts as he dodged, dove and ran impressively through the game’s many challenges in just under 2 hours.
I’m not sure if it’s just the joy of seeing Super Mario 64 in motion again that had me so enthralled, the skill of Siglemic, or both. But needless to say, I’m fascinated with watching people stream themselves playing through old games right now. I think part of the fun of this is just experiencing some nostalgia with thousands of people (Siglemic had up to 7000 people at a time watching him try to beat the record) all at the same time. Ever since then, I’ve been checking out people playing through Final Fantasy VII, IX, X and even Metal Gear Solid 2 and 4. And somehow it’s riveting.
Have you guys ever checked out streaming games on Twitch TV? What game would it take to get you hooked on speed runs? Go!
One of my favourite Pokemon youtubers streams on Twitch semi-regularly. I don’t usually get to watch for long but its always interesting watching in real time, rather than later when he puts up the sped up narrations.
Eddy exposed (shudder) me to this over Xmas break. I am trying not to think about it b/c it was highly addictive. But it’s worth a look.
Yo Eddy, I’m really happy for you, imma let you finish, but Tool-Assisted Speedruns are the coolest speedruns of all time!
I love watching regular speedruns, but I find Tool-Assisted Speedruns to be works of art, with competitions inside themselves. I’ve seen people completely destroy games, beating long, strenuous rpgs in mere minutes. I’ve seen people control up to six games at once with incredible timing on the tool’s part. I’ve seen people pull off stunts that I miss just by blinking.