The Coolest Retro Games

Speedrunning has become a popular aspect of the retro gaming community, with enthusiasts competing to complete games as fastly as possible using various shortcuts and glitches. With the rise of retro game streaming and the internet, speedrunners have been able to share their expertise, learn from each other, and push the limits of what is possible. In this article, we will explore some of the best retro games for speedrunning.

The Super Mario Bros. series is a staple of the speedrunning community, with games like Super Mario Bros. (NES) and Super Mario World (SNES) offering huge speedrunning potential. The Super Mario Bros. speedrun, in particular, features a variety of routes, including the "glitchless" run, where the player completes the game as quickly as possible using only official mechanics, and the "any%", where the player completes the game as quickly as possible, regardless of how to obtain the best score.

Another classic series that is popular among speedrunners is the Castlevania series. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES) and Castlevania IV (SNES) are particularly well-suited for speedrunning due to their linear design. Castlevania III, in particular, features a unique "castle bypass" technique that allows players to skip an entire section of the game.

The Mega Man series is also a staple of the speedrunning community, with games like Mega Man 2 (NES) and Mega Man X (SNES) offering challenging speedrunning routes. One notable example is the "shuffle save" glitch in Mega Man 2, which allows the player to skip entire levels and cut down the game time.

Other popular retro games for speedrunning include The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Contra. These games offer a range of speedrunning challenges, from the precise platforming in Contra to the complex item management in The Legend of Zelda.

One of the things that sets the speedrunning community apart is its commitment to creativity. Speedrunners continually discover new and creative ways to optimize their games, pushing the limits of what is thought possible. For example, one speedrunner set a new record for Super Mario Bros. by exploiting a long-known but previously unoptimized glitch that was not exploited before.

From a historical perspective, some games stand out as being more conducive to speedrunning due to their intentional design elements by the game developers. Many of the classic games still hold today's best speedrunners to their speedrunning techniques often mirroring the one the original designers had devised – pushing performance up that bit further with each record that is broken.

Overall, the speedrunning community has revitalized the retro gaming scene, and its influence can be seen in the attention that many of these games are receiving anew, such as with preservation efforts for classic games. Whether or not you are a speedrunner yourself, the best retro games for speedrunning offer endless entertainment and fascination, rewarding players with strategic gameplay, strategy, and innovation in equal parts.