People are talking about Dark Souls, saying that it's all hard and stuff. While I don't disagree with that claim, the kind of difficulty that Dark Souls offers isn't the kind I can easily appreciate. Though I'm far from an expert on the title, from what I've played, the game is about staying smart with your combat and level up strategies, while taking the time to grind, and deal with plenty of "gotcha" deaths.
While I respect that, I have to say that watching an expert Super Meat Boy play through does a lot more for me. Observing a master Dark Souls player at work is like watching a brilliant composer write music, while watching a top tier playthrough of Super Meat Boy is like watching an vintage Yngwie Malmsteen solo. As someone who once spent over 8 hours trying to beat this game, seeing it done in less than 20 minutes (minus warp zones) is more than a little mind blowing.
Also, Hamza wants to know, what's up with that muscle meat at the end?
Jonathan Holmes is the most lovable Associate Editor on Destructoid. Catch him on videos, original editorials, and on back episodes of the Destructoid Show and MTV's Road Rules. Jonathan is a retro gamer's gamer.
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I've spent several hours, but only got as far as 4:30 in this video. A lot of my final strategies were almost frame-for-frame what this guy had, but I wouldn't pass a level unless I had what I thought was a perfect score.
I skipped ahead to the later seconds just for a glimpse... wow! A lot of that is so frame-specific that it makes me question if this is a TAS (tool assisted speedrun).
What a beautiful performance! I wish my computer hadn't died on me. I was playing this game and had gotten to that second boss stage... but than issues. :(
First off, on keyboard vs. controller, I will not say 'The jury's still out.' In fact, it will never be in. There is no right or wrong answer, it's all preference.
Second, It doesn't surprise me at all that Mr. Holmes isn't a fan of Dark Souls. Really, I woulda bet on that one if someone asked.
Third and finally, cool speedrun bro. Very well done, and might I add that those are some fantasic load times on Super Meat Boy. Very impressive overall.
@ BenelliM4 - I don't dislike Dark Souls. There was a time when I would have loved it, back when I spent hours grinding and mastering strategies in Tobal 2 on the PS1.
These days though, I can reconcile spending that much time getting through a game that leaks out rewards at such a slow pace. I recognize that it's a great game, its a game in a style that doesn't fit with my life at all.
Not hard to play SMB as if it were a TAS, because everything is so tightly scripted. The levels are designed with a pinpoint timing and precision that I've not found in another game. This is a great run. It makes me happy to see some of my strategies in Hell and Rapture are similar/ :)
This video looks kind of.... Spliced together.... There are quite a few times where blood randomly appears on certain obstacles, like some of the buzz-saws in the start of this. Now, ignore me if I'm wrong here, but doesn't the blood only appear where meatboy has landed? That would mean the clip before the saw was bloody would have to be from a different attempt at the level than the part after, right?
I dont know Holmes, I've beat both (100% SMB, so hardcore, guys) and I'll remember the last battle in Dark Souls years from now while I can't remember any particular stage in SMB. Love them both, but I feel Dark Souls is more rewarding.
I beat all of the regular meat boy levels, A+. I got 100 bandages. I passed the dark world levels. I gave up trying to get A+ on bandage girl's 20th level. But this is just... wow.
Also, as far as comparison between this and dark/ demon's souls:
This is probably one of my favorite games of all time. Spent countless hours trying to 100% and improve old scores. While i doubt i could do it in 22 minuts, im pretty sure i could in about 30(infact i might try it). Would love to see how fast this guy can complete the kid warp zone.
As one who completed the game, ( with the golden god achivement, aka 100 % fucking everything) I have to say that i dont find this as impressive as some of the dudes on youtube who speedruns through the dark worlds without dying - pretty much every level on the light world is more or less a breeze. :/
I enjoy and respect SMB for what it is, but I just don't care for how twitchy it is and how pixel-perfect your muscles and eyes have to be. D. Souls on the other hand requires strategy, thinking, and patience. That's more my bag, that's all.
I just beat the light world and I have only very occasionally booted it up since then and done a few things. Assuming this is legit, very cool to watch. I know I'd never be able to this.
I'm not so sure about Dark Souls, but I beat Demon Souls in around a month. I was stuck on Omega in Super Meat Boy for like half a year and will be stuck on Dr. Fetus for the rest of the year probably. SMB is a fun game, but I don't think I ever want to play it again. It's a difficult experience and I only made the progress I did through luck and lot's of practice.
I'm currently going through the Dark Worlds with Ogmo, it too me 2 hours to beat it (and a fuckload of patience), not to mention the other 4 hours to beat The Kid.
this game might be hard but it's more about timing and precision once you figure out where you have to jump from and when you need to be there you end up with results like this, super meat boy is all about patience and figuring out the layout of each level.
That's part of the reason i had a hard time with it i couldn't remember half the time were i needed to jump from in order to not hit those stupid saws.
I'm also on the opposite side of the spectrum from Holmes. For me, platformers turn into a mush of repetition, where everything is the same each run, and once you figure out the correct path, you're basically down to timing. I prefer something that requires more strategy, has more variability, and engages the imagination to a greater extent. That's why, for me, gaming has never been better than it is now. I actually dropped out of gaming for awhile back in the NES/SNES days, when two out of every three games was a platformer. The incredible variety of the PS2 is what brought me back.
The complete mastery of the game is just overwhelming. If this was indeed a contiguous 20 minute play-through I'm almost appalled that someone could be this good(I hate that I have to be a cynic, but hey...).
Towards the end, the skills are just too much to take in. Oddly enough, what really had me giggling was the stuff going on in the middle, like in Hell; 4-14/adversary (10:33) had me cracking up; that cold-blooded jump in 5-10/grinding mill (14:30); the timing in rapture especially the lamb (15:05)/the kingdom (15:45). All that stuff with a killer speed run on the line is too much.
I can't even talk about 'the end'. That's what it looks like when a master in is the zone.
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Contest:
8:00 PM on 11.13.2011 | 
I think there's a mess in my pants.
For games like thus? Fuck no. For other games tho? Fuck yes.
I skipped ahead to the later seconds just for a glimpse... wow! A lot of that is so frame-specific that it makes me question if this is a TAS (tool assisted speedrun).
Anyways, that speed run... holy shit.
Either way, maaaan this guy rocks.
I love this game and I'm glad it's still relevant.
Second, It doesn't surprise me at all that Mr. Holmes isn't a fan of Dark Souls. Really, I woulda bet on that one if someone asked.
Third and finally, cool speedrun bro. Very well done, and might I add that those are some fantasic load times on Super Meat Boy. Very impressive overall.
These days though, I can reconcile spending that much time getting through a game that leaks out rewards at such a slow pace. I recognize that it's a great game, its a game in a style that doesn't fit with my life at all.
But that video is insane.
Also, as far as comparison between this and dark/ demon's souls:
Leveling in dark souls is very minimal in the Help Dept.
You always need to PERFORM in that game.
I just don't wanna
I loved N+ btw.
I enjoy and respect SMB for what it is, but I just don't care for how twitchy it is and how pixel-perfect your muscles and eyes have to be. D. Souls on the other hand requires strategy, thinking, and patience. That's more my bag, that's all.
Still, badass speedrun.
That's part of the reason i had a hard time with it i couldn't remember half the time were i needed to jump from in order to not hit those stupid saws.
The complete mastery of the game is just overwhelming. If this was indeed a contiguous 20 minute play-through I'm almost appalled that someone could be this good(I hate that I have to be a cynic, but hey...).
Towards the end, the skills are just too much to take in. Oddly enough, what really had me giggling was the stuff going on in the middle, like in Hell; 4-14/adversary (10:33) had me cracking up; that cold-blooded jump in 5-10/grinding mill (14:30); the timing in rapture especially the lamb (15:05)/the kingdom (15:45). All that stuff with a killer speed run on the line is too much.
I can't even talk about 'the end'. That's what it looks like when a master in is the zone.
Incredible.
It's not even apples and oranges... it's more like comparing apples to... post-modern political thought texts.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5McCwFBi36I