Awesome Games Done Quick 2018 (AGDQ 2018) has just one day left, but don’t worry!  Each day has provided us with more speedruns than humanly possible to watch, so you’ll still have plenty of great runs to watch.  Day six was one of the best days yet, giving us some truly remarkable and inventive runs.  Early morning was a bit of a grab-bag, with everything from Spelunky HD to Cat Quest.  We got to see some huge gaming franchises in the afternoon, with runs like Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Final Mix HD, Pokemon Black and White 2, and more.  The end of the night was filled with a magnificent five(ish) hour run of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but more on that later.  Let’s take a look at my list of the best games from day six of AGDQ 2018!

You can watch the marathon live from now until January 14th, 2018 over on the GDQ Twitch channel.  Also be sure to check out the schedule for what day seven has to offer!  All past runs can be found on the GDQ Youtube channel or Twitch VODs.

The Best Runs of AGDQ 2018: Day Six

Hyper Light Drifter (New Game Alt Any%) by simplyfir

Hyper Light Drifter is as hard as it is beautiful, with awesome top down graphics and flashy combat.  Runner simplyfir provided great commentary, explaining each trick he did and guiding the audience through the run.  There was a healthy amount of chuckles and lighthearted fun as well, thanks to a donation incentive to “pet that dog”.  Between all the dog petting, the snappy movement tech, and quick boss kills, Hyper Light Drifter shined as one of the best speed games to be released in recent years.

Final time: 31:16

TAIKER (any% one-handed) by halfcoordinated

Halfcoordinated is one of my favorite speedrunners, mainly due to his amazing ability to speedrun with one hand.  We’ve seen him run at several GDQ events, and this year he doubled up with two games.  Halfcoordinated ran both Armed With Wings: Rearmed and TAIKER, but I preferred TAIKER due to its cutesy visuals and somewhat relaxed pace.  It was a nice run to ease into the early morning, and halfcoordinated’s performance was once again awe-inspiring.

Final time: 20:35

Super Mario Galaxy (any%) by 360Chrism

There’s been so much hype around Super Mario Odyssey that many forget just how polished Super Mario Galaxy was when it released.  I consider it among the top tier of my favorite 3D Mario titles, and runner 360Chrism showed off exactly why in his any% run.  Great movement mechanics, highly polished areas, and a colorful palette make Super Mario Galaxy a treat to watch and play.  To make the run even better, there was a donation incentive to decide which character 360Chrism would play as.  Thankfully, Luigi won over Mario, so we got to see the entirety of the game with the green brother.

Final time: 2:36:51

Mega Man 1 – 3 (Team Relay Race) by WhiteHat94, fastatcc, dxtr, coolkid, ColonelFatso, EndySWE, prisi, shoka, Streamline, Zaraki, cyghfer, and cassiothird

If you’ve been following along throughout the week, many of the runners names may be familiar.  We saw most of these runners show off their insane skill in other games, so watching them team up to take on Mega Man 1 – 3 was awesome.  Splitting up into four teams of three, the teams beat the first three Mega Man titles in order, switching out runners at the end of each successful run.  Not only was this relay an awesome way to see some classic Mega Man gameplay, but a truly riveting and exciting race.  Team Roll walked away with the victory, but all four teams finished the game within 2 minutes of each other.  Considering this was three different games back to back, that’s a pretty tight margin.

Final time: 1:24:44

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out! and Super Punch-Out! (2 games 1 controller) by zallard1

Punch-out! speedrunning legend zallard1 rarely settles for average speedruns when he appears at GDQ events.  Over the past years, I’ve watched him absolute demolish Punch-out! in a variety of ways.  A few years ago, he did it blindfolded, even calling out his timer down to the millisecond.  This year, he upped the ante even more, by playing two games with one controller.  Over the course of 23 minutes, zallard1 beat both Mike Tyson’s Punch-out! and Super Punch-out! simulatenously.  It was ridiculous.  It shouldn’t even be possible.  Zallard is a legend, and this run only further extends his mythos.

Final time: 23:56

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (100%) by ZFG

Few Ocarina of Time speedrunners are as prolific as ZFG.  While other runners have excelled in the any% category of the game (beat the game as fast as possible), ZFG has always functioned the best in more comprehensive categories.  This year, he showed off a completely new route for the 100% category, and did so in a run that was well over 4 hours.  Despite the long run time, I was completely enamored with ZFG’s well worded commentary and expansive knowledge of the game’s mechanics.  You may have seen a crazy Ocarina of Time speedrun before, but no other run shows off just how broken this game really is.

Final time: 4:33:19

Full Recap & Donation Tally

The runs above are just a small example of the great content on display during day six.  Everyone has different preferences, so there’s a good chance I may have missed a run that you would love.  I highly recommend checking out this full list of the games played, and check out the VODs if any catch your eye!

As always, donations towards the Prevent Cancer Foundation were accepted throughout the run.  At the end of the day, the donation total had risen to above $1,000,000.  It’s heartwarming to see gamers come together for a good cause, and one million dollars in donation is anything if commendable.  With a full day left, it’ll be great to see just how high that total tops out at.

That’s all I have for you today!  Be sure to check back for the final recap as the weekend comes to a close, and check out our social media accounts for live updates!