Unfortunate Super Mario Sunshine Summer Games Done Quickly
Summer Games Done Quick is an annual video game charity drive that raises funds while people play very fast video games. It’s not an event that happens in a flash. It takes a lot of effort to make it happen. The speedrunners who raise money are usually experts in their respective games but there is always an element of humanity. Sometimes things go sour. Sometimes, a trick doesn’t work the first time it is tried.
Sometimes, they can get a game-over in the first hour of a three-hour run.
Things were going well for a while when it was time to run. SB was doing well, although he did lose a few lives, but it wasn’t too serious. Things turned sour when he reached Pinna Park’s Secret Level. Secret levels strip Mario off FLUDD, which means there is no safety net for those who miss a jump. Pinna Park’s Secret Level has a multitude of floating platforms. They move on a timer so if you miss a jump, it will result in a time loss.
Fanbyte was told by SB that he was flustered and nervous and forgot to count his life. He explained that the unfamiliar stage and setting were affecting him during the run. “When it happened, my mind was blank and I didn’t know how to react.”
There was no safety safeguard for Super Mario Sunshine speed runs. The GameCube will try to save you every time you get a blue coin or a shine. This takes about three seconds per one. Even if the player says no, constant pestering over 120 shines or 240 coins can add up to twenty minutes to a run. This is a bit counterproductive to playing fast. Most Sunshine runners don’t even have a memory card.
The clip shows SB’s couch, commentators who are often also friends and experts in the game. They seem a little worried. Ironically, 1UpsForLife immediately chimed in with “Do-you-you have no life.” Are you saving?
This was where SB_Runs or simply SB found himself. He had his SGDQ Super Mario Sunshine race. SB holds the current world record for the “120 Shines” category of Super Mario Sunshine speed runs. This means that SB has the fastest time to collect all 120 Shines and finish the final boss. This includes knowing the location of every Shine and finding every Blue Coin that is hidden around Isle Delfino. For one shine, ten Blue Coins can be traded, but SB must have all 240 of them in order to obtain the last 24 Shines.
SB’s 2:53.57 world record was achieved, but the marathon time estimate was slightly over three hours. It is very unlikely that you will reach World Record pace in a marathon setting. Also, it’s not uncommon to end a run a little early. This gives the GDQ producers enough time to prepare the next segment. Most runners add padding. SB’s segment was moved from primetime Minnesota, where the event was being held, to later in the evening because of the late schedule.
