The Rejected Runs of Awesome Games Done Quick 2018

The schedule for Awesome Games Done Quick 2018 was released earlier this week. The week long schedule was culled down from a record 1688 game submissions, that would otherwise take over 100 days to complete.

Here’s a handful of the game you won’t see at Awesome Games Done Quick 2018 and some alternatives to watch instead.

Super Metroid

A staple of Games Done Quick, Super Metroid has always been towards the end of the week long marathon. We don’t know what GDQ will be like without every other donation making a reference to the infamous bid war to save or kill the animals at the end of Super Metroid but this year, we’re going to find out.

What to watch instead: Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition.

One of the best Metroidvania games released in recent times, Ori and the Blind Forest is a beautiful game with fluid movement and a great sense of exploration. The speedrun – which will be a four-way race in the All Skills, No Out of Bounds category – showcases just how far this masterpiece can be pushed while still staying (mostly) true to the spirit of the game.

The Simpsons: Hit & Run

Australian speedrunner LiquidWifi has been trying to get The Simpsons: Hit & Run accepted into a GDQ for years and has, so far, been unsuccessful. This memetastic Grand Theft Auto clone involves the characters of The Simpsons cracking one liners as they zip around Springfield while the town devolves into further bedlam.

What to watch instead: The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants.

While Hit & Run failed to make the cut, another Simpsons game did manage to make its way into the schedule. The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants is an awful NES platformer, which is fine because it will be a part of the Awful Games Done Quick block. If you need to get your Simpsons video game fix during GDQ this is all that’s on offer.

Pokemon Yellow

The early Pokemon games are completely broken and speedrunners are more than happy to take advantage of that. Pokemon Yellow speedruns take advantage of RNG manipulation – which guarantees the desired outcome of luck-based events through careful planning – to make sure everything goes the runner’s way before they break the game in half and skip to the end before winning the first badge.

What to watch instead: Pokemon Black/White 2.

A far less broken game, Pokemon Black/White 2 still relies on RNG manipulation to ensure a smooth run. The challenge of RNG manipulated runs come from the planning out the route speedrunners will take and further optimising the game without losing the manipulation. However, they’re still a joy to watch as you get to see what ‘perfect’ can look like.

Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight has finally worn out its welcome at Games Done Quick, with multiple appearances since the game’s release in 2014. Part of the reason Shovel Knight has been a part of so many GDQs is that the game’s developers, Yacht Club Games, have been absolutely fantastic with their post-release support of the Mega Man-esque adventures in shovelry.

What to watch instead: Mega Man 1 – 3.

If we can’t watch a charming Mega Man-esque speedrun, then we’ll just have to make do with the original Mega Man. Mega Man is another staple of Games Done Quick and the upcoming marathon packs a twelve person, three game relay through the early entries in the series.

Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2

Under the Knife 2 is a fast-paced, anime-as-hell surgery simulator where ambidextrous speedrunners abuse the Nintendo DS touch screen to save the world from some over the top evil organisation. It’s a hard game that becomes surprisingly easier as players slice and dice patients faster than the diseases can.

I may have been the one to submit this game to GDQ and this article definitely isn’t a flimsy excuse for me to mention that I didn’t make the cut. No, not at all.

What to watch instead: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

Trauma Center may be anime-as-hell but the ridiculous plot has nothing on the works of Hideo Kojima. Jaguar King has run other Metal Gear Solid games at past GDQs and they have been an absolute joy to watch.

What games have caught your interest in the upcoming Games Done Quick schedule and what games are you unhappy didn’t make the cut?


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