Annual charity speedrunning event Awesome Games Done Quick starts this week, and as always, there are some incredible speedruns on the schedule. The winter version of Summer Games Done Quick is taking place at the Wyndham Grand in Pittsburgh from January 5-12 and raising money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
The full schedule for the event was just released, so let’s take a look at some of the most interesting categories from this year’s AGDQ.
Astro Bot Any% – Sunday, January 5 At 3:30 PM
This will be the first Games Done Quick event since Astro Bot came out, and it’s one of the games I’m most looking forward to seeing. Astro’s Playroom baked time trials and leaderboards into every level to act as a fantastic introduction to speedrunning, so I was surprised to see that Astro Bot only offered five post-launch time trial levels.
My favorite thing about speedrunning is seeing my favorite games played in new ways, and with Astro Bot so fresh on the mind, it will be great to see how the best players find paths I’ve never even considered. Some games make for great speedruns because they’re unexpected, but Astro Bot was a quintessential speedrun game from day one.
Resident Evil Survivor Wednesday, January 8 At 1:22 AM
Another one of my favorite things about Games Done Quick is the way it can highlight unique games with weird gimmicks, and Resident Evil Survivor is one of the weirdest. This PS1 game is the first in the Gun Survivor series of Light Gun games, but unlike House of the Dead and Time Crisis, you have full control of your character… sort of.
By aiming at the screen and using the D-Pad on the back of the light gun, you explore a zombie-infested island as Resident Evil’s forgotten protagonist, Ark Thompson. Survivor takes the awkward tank controls of old Resident Evil to the next level, and I can’t wait to see how a pro handles it in this speedrun.
Elden Ring Saxophone Controlled Boss Showcase – Saturday, Jan 11 At 12:52 PM
Speaking of wacky peripherals, no Games Done Quick is complete without someone playing a Souls game on something that shouldn’t be a controller. This showcase features 20 minutes of Twitch streamer DrDootPhD besting Elden Ring bosses with an electronic saxophone.
Crazy Taxi With Live Backing Band – Saturday, Jan 11 At 1:27 PM
Stick around right after Elden Ring for one of this year’s headline events: a 16-minute Crazy Taxi speed run accompanied by a live band. Crazy Taxi has one of the most iconic soundtracks in video game history, so getting a four-piece band to play some Bad Religion and The Offspring is the perfect way to turn this speedrun into a must-see event.
Metroid Prime Any% Inbounds Race – Monday, Jan 6 At 3:00 PM
The Metroid series is a staple of Games Done Quick, so with Metroid Prime 4 right around the corner (hopefully), this is the perfect time to give the original Metroid Prime the spotlight. Live speedruns at AGDQ are always high-stakes for the runners, but the race format raises them even higher by pitting multiple runners against each other. It’s fun to watch various people run simultaneously because you really get a sense of how much every input and millisecond really matters. Prime races are more rare than Super Metroid races at Games Done Quick, so don’t miss this one.
