Am I the only one that is nonplussed/unimpressed at the speed runs seen on the MOTD lately? I like speed runs yes, but these are of the "tool assisted" variety, meaning that they were run and edited and feel like what a machine might do if it played the game. It doesn't seem like a human was at the controls, as it's almost a certainty no human is going to be able to play to such an exacting degree. I dunno, it just feels "fake" to me.
Impressive? Watching the video of somebody playing Donkey Kong Jr. on Level E in the stages leading up to the kill screen (which I didn't know existed until recently).
Impressive? Beating Star Force for the NES using a regular controller (NOT an NES Advantage with its slow mo and turbo capabilities). I wonder if my reaction time is still good enough for this...
Impressive? Getting an NES to play on both left and right channels of an 8-track stereo player's amplifier by splicing the left input into the right input's PCB terminals. (Yes, that was me that did it - I was ten years old and didn't know of this thing called a Y-splitter for RCA cables...there's a pic below of the 8-track player I used)
Impressive? Entering the final password for Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, turning off the TV and using the stereo (mentioned above) to beat the game
without video. Yes, I did this too, from memory. I dare anyone else to try it.
Not impressive? Seeing an emulator run, stop-edited speed run. I prefer seeing any speed runs be those of humans that are actually playing the game, mistakes and all, not some computerized couldn't-do-it-in-real-life-if-my-life-depended-on-it-totally-perfect-beyond-belief run nobody could possibly physically accomplish.
The 8-track player: