The European Speedrunner Assembly is a speedrun marathon that normally runs in the summer months. Like GamesDoneQuick, the ESA streams week-long speedrun marathons in an effort to raise money for charity. With the ever growing popularity of speedrunning, the ESA has decided to add an additional winter event in 2018. Along with the on-site festivities in Vaxjo, Sweden, gamers will be able to check out the runs live on Twitch throughout the week.
The full schedule is available here, but I’ve compiled a list of my personal picks for what to watch during the event. Unlike AGDQ 2018, which we recently covered last month, ESA Winter 2018 will only be running 5 days. That’s still dozens of hours of speedrunning goodness to watch, so if you don’t know where to begin, check out my selections. During the stream donations will be accepted, with funds going to Save the Children.
What to Watch During ESA Winter
Keep in mind that all of these times are subject to change. Some runs might take more or less time than expected, shifting times around. If you’re checking out this article after the event has started, I recommend double checking the official schedule. These times are all in CET (Central European Time), so convert to your timezone as needed. Once again, this is not the full schedule, only my picks for what to watch. You can see the full schedule here.
Tuesday, February 20th
2:00 PM – Pikmin 3 in 1 hour
3:10 PM – LittleBigPlanet in 1 hour and 10 minutes
4:30 PM – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (100%) in 5 hours
Wednesday, February 21st
2:27 AM – Streets of Rage 2 in 32 minutes
6:20 AM – Braid in 35 minutes
7:22 AM – Bully: Scholarship Edition (All Missions) in 4 hours
11:32 AM – The Simpsons: Hit & Run in 1 hour and 55 minutes
5:47 PM – Dark Souls III in 1 hour
6:57 PM – Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony (100%) in 6 hours
Thursday, February 22nd
1:07 AM – Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in 45 minutes
2:02 AM – Super Smash Bros. Melee (All Events) in 50 minutes
3:02 AM – Super Mario 64 (any%) in 12 minutes
3:24 AM – Paper Mario in 3 hours and 30 minutes
12:32 PM – Pokemon Diamond/Pearl in 1 hour and 15 minutes
1:57 PM – Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards in 1 hour and 30 minutes
6:56 PM – Mega Man X (100%) in 40 minutes
7:46 PM – Cuphead in 30 minutes
8:48 PM – Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Subspace Insane Difficulty) in 4 hours
Friday, February 23rd
3:53 AM – The Getaway: Black Monday in 2 hours and 10 minutes
6:13 AM – Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix HD in 5 hours
2:38 PM – Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain in 2 hours and 50 minutes
5:38 PM – South Park: The Fractured But Whole in 4 hours and 15 minutes
10:03 PM – Postal 2: Paradise Lost in 55 minutes
11:48 PM – Pokemon Red in 2 hours and 10 minutes
Saturday February 24th
5:03 PM – Super Mario Odyssey (any%) in 1 hour and 40 minutes
Remember, there are plenty of other speedruns to check out, so look at the full schedule for more picks not listed here. Check back throughout the week for ESA Winter coverage, and be sure to check us out on Twitter (@official90skid) for live updates during the event!
