More Mario Speedrun Madness!

This is almost too much too take…

Having been suitably impressed with Jason Baum’s speedrun, I was pretty certain I would never see anything quite like it.

How wrong I was.

First up is a speedrun of Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES. Unfortunately I can’t find out who this is by, as the websites that are referenced at the end of the movie are both in Japanese (and one of them doesn’t appear to be working). This speedrun clocks in at an astonishing 11 minutes.

I for one had no idea that you could a Warp Whistle in world 1, and the moves he/she so deftly executes in 8-1 are enough to make me melt down my NES and inhale the fumes to render me incapable of ever playing another videogame. Keep an eye on his lives counter as you watch Mario bound around accumulating dozens of 1ups at a time.

If you don’t want to sit through all 11 minutes then Brandon Redell has saved you the trouble by speeding it up so it runs at around two and a half minutes:

I would recommend watching the full thing, not only is it incredibly impressive, but the music on the faster version is pretty damn irritating.

Next is another speed run of Super Mario World. Unlike Jason’s run this is a tool-assisted movie that aims to find the fastest route to the end of the game.

There are many things you should look out for in this run. I’m not sure I believe the re-record counter of twenty four and a half thousand, but I’m tempted to do so after seeing the results. Be sure to keep an eye out for the following:

• The constant dropping, chasing and picking up of the same shell in the first level
• Using the P block to hop the lava in the first castle
• The intentional near demise after defeating Iggy Koopa
• The somewhat cocky, yet impressive, defeat of the boss in the secret ghost house
• The revealing of keys in the 3rd and 4th Star Road levels
• The many tricks on display while fighting Bowser at the end

It’s a lot to look out for, but to be honest you’ll spot it all anyway.

The two people responsible for this speed run are Darren Smith & Tim Offermann, or flagitious & VIPer7 respectively.

Now I’m going to cry into the charred remains of my NES.