Come watch the fastest ever speedrun of Doom 2

Come watch the fastest ever speedrun of Doom 2

Doom 2 was the first game that timed players as they finished levels, and the game also allowed you to share your recorded demos. This means that the speedrun community, which arguably began with the game, became very competitive very quickly. It's been years since anyone has improved the best time through the game.

The old record has now been broken, and you can watch the playthrough above.

"This improves the previous record by Looper (30uv2325) set in Dec. 2010. by 22 seconds. Previous record before that was by Radek Pecka (30uv2609) set in Dec. 2003," YouTuber "Zero Master" posted on the video. "So this is the second improvement in the last 10 years, though I don't think we will have to wait that long before we see the 23 minute mark broken."

The site RedDoorBlueKey offers some thoughts on how speedruns in Doom 2 differ from playing the game in the standard manner.

"Certain tactics recommend themselves under the tight demands of the run. Since combat wastes time, it’s always a last resort. You can think of health and armor as resources to be expended. It doesn’t matter if you get hurt, as long as you know you can reach the next Supercharge before you drop," the article stated. "The chainsaw, pistol, and single shotgun are seldom used — and surprisingly, so is the rocket launcher. Its splash damage is simply too dangerous."

The story there also has a list of notable moments from this run, including the use of monsters to open locked doors at 21:20. It's interesting to sit down and watch the whole thing, especially if you're familiar with the game. Some of the tricks on display are remarkable if you're new to the speedrunning scene.

Original Article at www.polygon.com