Favorite "gimmicky" categories?

2013-07-02 12:02:45 am

A gimmicky category is a category that adds some level of challenge to the game by restricting items, abilities, etc. I guess these could also be "challenge runs" or "restriction runs".

What is your favorite gimmicky/challenge run you have done yourself or seen someone else do?

Thread title:

I have no name

2013-07-02 01:11:04 am

Obscure games ftw

Ape Escape any% no infinite jump (if this refers to a restricted speedrun, and let's be honest, those can be pretty awesome).
Basically, you take away the one thing that lets you go anywhere you want, no exceptions, and make a vertical distance actually mean something. The movement becomes more technical, you have to make some pretty tough jumps (that no one else who's tried running the category do), and you actually play the 2nd half of the last level rather than hit a clipping screen transition.

In terms of non-speedrunning yet still a speedrun, FFIX Level 1 Excalibur II Perfect Game. Gotta collect everything missable, stay at level 1 to set up for maxed stats, and go through the plot of the game...within 12 hours. It's low level game and completionist and speedrun and completely insane and so much fun.

Joka

Edit history:

Joka: 2013-07-02 02:52:08 am

2013-07-02 02:48:35 am

Personal text

Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers for NES: "carry-dale%", also known as "1-player-2-player"
Was really tricky and fun Tongue

Also a "no gas"-run in Darkwing Duck really makes you realize how good the arrow-gas is

Onin

2013-07-02 03:05:41 am

2 players 1 controller, best.

Sir VG

2013-07-02 03:51:24 am

Fucking Weeaboo

Quote from Onin:

2 players 1 controller, best.

1 player 2 controllers is much more fun. Especially for a Contra game. Like Rebirth.

*whistles*

Judgy

2013-07-02 05:38:47 am

Borderlands 2 Glitch Hunter/ router.

Quote:

1 player 2 controllers is much more fun. Especially for a Contra game. Like Rebirth.

Or Ikaruga that impresses the hell outta me

Aside from this borderlands 2 ultimate vault hunter mode is pretty cool created by twitches bl2 community as a fun race where it's battle of character builds rather than a best item run

presjpolk

2013-07-02 06:00:53 am

HELLO!

Pacifist runs impress me in the right games.

Sir VG

2013-07-02 06:59:34 am

Fucking Weeaboo

Quote from Judgy:

Quote:

1 player 2 controllers is much more fun. Especially for a Contra game. Like Rebirth.

Or Ikaruga that impresses the hell outta me

I can't even play Ikaruga 1P1C. I've seen the 1P2C Ikaruga plays. They're impressive as fuck, even with the couple of deaths in there.

BlackCatGaming

2013-07-02 07:19:31 am

Pacifist, 1P2C are both pretty amazing.

I'm a big fan of No Vertical though, their pretty awesome to watch when someone is insane enough to pull it off.

doicm

2013-07-02 08:50:45 am

neskamikaze's DDR pad runs of smb3 are always entertaining.

kirbymastah

Edit history:

kirbymastah: 2013-07-02 09:12:12 am

2013-07-02 09:12:03 am

<(^_^)>

Map completion 100% Metroid Fusion. IDK why, I just get to see rooms that I haven't seen in years, so it's cool.

I should probably get around improving that again, seeing as my 1:16 is terrible and was months ago...

Yagamoth

Edit history:

Yagamoth: 2013-07-02 11:02:44 am

2013-07-02 09:48:52 am

INTJ

Well... Technically not gimmicky categories, but certainly not SDA standard:

I wanna be the Boshy - any% Dark Boshy only
- For anyone who doesn't know the game, check out 'Kalemandu' stream, it's pretty impressive since it's a high precision platformer with only little luck involved. In any case, the classic any% would involve not having any characters unlocked, whereas Dark Boshy requires at least one completion of the game. The character does the same amount of damage like every other character and has a similar sprite. The only difference is the bullet size - if you've ever ran IWBTB, playing Dark Boshy only is such an enjoyable category. It only takes away from the annoying parts of the boss fights while not trivializing them.

Secret of Mana - any% 1 player 2 controller
- Using 2 controllers instead of 1 allows for various glitches that make the game ~1h faster (you can perform the 2 major skips only with 2 controllers) and more enjoyable while adding another challenge. The efficient use of 2 controllers is very tricky and there is basically always something you can improve or implement from the 2 player 2 controller category, although at some point it becomes unreasonable. I'm not sure how it looks watching someone play it, but handling 2 controllers at once is an extremely enjoyable challenge for me personally. For a good part, because that's not intended and I have to find ways and means around the standard controller scheme. (Also, it helps that I'm a steering/handling button-optimization-freak in about every game I play).
It's my ultimate goal that I can handle 2 controllers as good as 2 separate players. Will never happen, but only having one mind can outweigh the gap I'll probably be unable to close mechanically. But that remains to be seen Smiley

Other than that... Various Buster-only Megaman runs. I simply love how the runs are optimized to survive the platforming the 'intended way' and fighting bosses without having a proper weapon

Well... Technically not gimmicky categories, but certainly not SDA standard:

I wanna be the Boshy - any% Dark Boshy only
- For anyone who doesn't know the game, check out 'Kalemandu' stream, it's pretty impressive since it's a high precision platformer with only little luck involved. In any case, the classic any% would involve not having any characters unlocked, whereas Dark Boshy requires at least one completion of the game. The character does the same amount of damage like every other character and has a similar sprite. The only difference is the bullet size - if you've ever ran IWBTB, playing Dark Boshy only is such an enjoyable category. It only takes away from the annoying parts of the boss fights while not trivializing them.

Secret of Mana - any% 1 player 2 controller
- Using 2 controllers instead of 1 allows for various glitches that make the game ~1h faster (you can perform the 2 major skips only with 2 controllers) and more enjoyable while adding another challenge. The efficient use of 2 controllers is very tricky and there is basically always something you can improve or implement from the 2 player 2 controller category, although at some point it becomes unreasonable. I'm not sure how it looks watching someone play it, but handling 2 controllers at once is an extremely enjoyable challenge for me personally. For a good part, because that's not intended and I have to find ways and means around the standard controller scheme. (Also, it helps that I'm a steering/handling button-optimization-freak in about every game I play). 
It's my ultimate goal that I can handle 2 controllers as good as 2 separate players. Will never happen, but only having one mind can outweigh the gap I'll probably be unable to close mechanically. But that remains to be seen :)

Other than that... Various Buster-only Megaman runs. I simply love how the runs are optimized to survive the platforming the 'intended way' and fighting bosses without having a proper weapon

zewing

2013-07-02 10:04:16 am

just( •_•)>⌐■-■ ..... (⌐■_■)wing it

Buster olney are challenging. not much to say there just forces you to grind out a fight against the bosses entire ai insted of infinites or fast fights. interesting in learning boss movement too

presjpolk

2013-07-02 01:07:50 pm

HELLO!

Yeah, buster-only no-damage Mega Man runs are great to watch.

ais523

2013-07-02 03:11:22 pm

I actually dislike buster-only Megaman runs; seeing the interesting use of weapons is what makes Megaman runs interesting to me. With the buster only, everything looks the same Sad

presjpolk

2013-07-02 03:36:15 pm

HELLO!

I like the no-damage variety because it means the player has to learn the patterns, especially with the bosses. When you can use weaknesses you can brute force things.

scaryice

2013-07-02 07:39:17 pm

Beating Amagon without using Megagon. I dare anyone to try and match this:

Naegleria

(user is banned)

2013-07-02 07:42:30 pm

Barney's Hide and Seek Game, Minimum Inputs

You turn the console on, without a controller plugged in, and 11 minutes later you win.

Patashu

2013-07-02 09:31:51 pm

Buster only in any megaman game is interesting because it makes the bosses challenges and requires the runner to know how to dodge everything.

Not really a category you can run or race, but seeing romscout do hard level 1 in Portrait of Ruin and Order of Ecclesia was entertaining, because the bosses took forever to kill AND killed you in one hit, so romscout had to learn every pattern off by heart.

Lag.Com

2013-07-04 02:38:25 pm

sda loyalist

Fire only runs, obviously.

Wild Conjecture

Edit history:

Wild Conjecture: 2013-07-05 02:32:10 am

2013-07-04 07:10:57 pm

Die Hard, low%, bad ending

There may be better, but few make me smile harder.

MAS8705

2013-07-04 08:09:23 pm

SDA Apprentice -- (3-1)

Quote from Lag.Com:

Fire only runs, obviously.

http://speeddemosarchive.com/MegaManPoweredUp.html#SSFireman

I'm sorry lag, but I couldn't resist. I do admit though that was my favorite gimmick run to do.

PJ

2013-07-04 08:11:33 pm

Is PJ

romscout%

Mecha Richter

2013-07-04 09:08:28 pm

Haters gonna hate

Quote from PJ:

romscout%

Dessyreqt

2013-07-04 09:58:12 pm

R e d R O s s O b