When we think of good speedrunning games, several Nintendo games come to mind. Is it possible that there is a correlation between Nintendo games and video game speedruns? One theory suggests that it's YouTube's algorithm that is popularizing Nintendo speedruns. It could also be a delayed effect with players tending to play games that are old. In ten years, speedrunning games like Cuphead, God of War, and The Last of Us could be as popular as Super Mario 64. Whether you're an experienced speedrunner or just want to get into it, the following games are well-suited for speedrunners. These are 10 games that are ideal for speedrunning.
10 10. Pokémon Red/Blue (GameBoy)
Years later, people are enjoying the first generation of Pokémon games by inventing new challenges. A Rat% speedrun requires beating the game using only Rattata/Raticate after Brock. Another type of speedrun involves glitches. Using glitches minus save corruption, speedrun.com user Pokeguy beat the Pokémon Red in a mere 11 minutes and 47 seconds.
Playing Pokémon Red/Blue is nostalgia at its best. Pokeguy, the person who is also the world record holder for an any glitchless game, beat the Elite Four with only two Pokémon in his lineup! Changing the text speed to "fast," not using a full Pokémon lineup, and using the technique "Horn Drill" helped to improve his speedrun results.
9 9. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time likely inspired recent games like Dark Souls because of its boss fights that require quick-reactions and combat prowess. Widely considered to be one of the greatest video games ever made, Ocarina of Time is ideal for speedrunning because of its replayability and world records that keep getting broken.
People continually find new glitches to help them in the game, and this is why The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is ideal for achievement-seekers and speedrunners alike.
8 8. Super Metroid
The sheer amount of hidden walls calls for a speedrun of Super Metroid. Behemoth87, the person with the world record for speedrunning Super Metroid with any% completion did so in a mere 40 minutes and 56 seconds. Most impressive is how he beats bosses like Ridley as if they were any other enemy. Just when it seems like he's looking at a dead end Behemoth87 miraculously finds an invisible hole in the wall and drops into the next location. Since it is ingrained in talented speedrunners like Behemoth87, a game like Super Metroid looks easy when it is actually not.
7 7. Super Mario World (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)
8-bit era games were plagued with numerous glitches. Unlike games of today, classic games rarely received substantial updates. Super Mario World wasn't an exception as illustrated in the above photo.
Beating a Super Mario World record meant so much more because of the difficulty of the game. With a reputation for being unforgiving, Super Mario World forces players to restart if they run out of lives. Super Mario games of today like New Super Mario Bros. 2 are cakewalks compared to their 8-bit counterpart. It's not by chance that Super Mario World is one of the most popular speedrun games.
6 6. Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo Switch)
Due to the popularity of speedrunning Super Mario 64, players are shifting their focus to the newly released Super Mario Odyssey, a sequel to Super Mario 64. Super Mario Odyssey exploded on the scene in 2017 becoming one of the Nintendo Switch's most popular games.
According to howlongtobeat.com, the game's main story lasts 12.5 hours, but for completionists, the game can last more than 60 hours. Thankfully, most speedrunners aim for any% completions and rarely do 100% completion runs. Currently, the fastest speedrun for an any% speedrun on Super Mario Odyssey is 59 minutes and 31 seconds. This record was made 11 days ago, so it shouldn't be too long before someone breaks it again.
5 5. Banjo-Kazooie (Nintendo 64)
Adding Banjo-Kazooie to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as DLC is a big deal. Banjo and Kazooie make up a dynamic duo that is one of the most recognizable in video games. We would love nothing more than to see another sequel added to the series.
A plethora of reasons can explain why Banjo-Kazooie is an excellent speedrunning game. As a game with medium-sized maps like Freezeezy Peak and Rusty Bucket Bay, people are continually finding new ways to beat their fastest times. Recently, it was discovered that people could skip Gruntilda's board game at the end of Banjo-Kazooie by incorrectly answering a question while standing in a certain spot. Finding ways to bypass levels is second-nature for the best speedrunners.
4 4. GoldenEye 007 (Nintendo 64)
Widely considered to be a hit of the '90s, GoldenEye 007 might be one of the most overrated games of all time. Face textures look awful, the game is riddled with bugs, aiming is painful, and the draw distance is shorter than enemies' line of sight. This is why invisible enemies in the distance can shoot players.
Despite having an abundance of flaws, it is a speedrunner's paradise because of how you can manipulate the game. Speedrunners such as Marc from Denmark know about the games glitches and exploit them for the sake of getting a record time like 21 minutes and 43 seconds. Because anyone can copy the previous record holder's strategies, this opens up the possibility for most people to shatter the world record.
3 3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy Advance)
With defined movements in the up, down, left, and right directions, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a speedrunner's paradise. The person with the world record for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, without using glitches, beat the game in 1 hour and 23 minutes. He beat the previous world record by only 1 second!
A remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past is set to release on the Nintendo Switch in late 2019. The release of a new version will only encourage players to find new ways to beat their best times.
2 2. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC)
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is FromSoftware's most recent and arguably most difficult game so far. That's saying a lot considering FromSoftware created the Dark Souls series.
World records are frequently beaten. For the average gamer, beating Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a grueling task. This doesn't stop some players from speedrunning one of the most challenging games. Practicing day and night to become a master Shinobi can be fulfilling for the most advanced Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice players.
1 1. Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64)
To this day, Super Mario 64 remains to be the most speedrun game in the world. Its genius level designs are awe-inspiring, and the gameplay mechanics aren't stagnant like many other games today. Speedrun record setters are continually finding new ways to shave off a few seconds to beat the world record. Sure, Super Mario 64 has bugs and glitches, which can cause players to jump through walls and such, but that's just what makes speedrunning so fun. Super Mario 64 is the best game to speedrun thus far.
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