Seven years! The time it took for Super Mario 64 to witness a mind-boggling change that saved 14 hours of gaming and killed one of the most infamous memes in Mario speedrunning universe! Super Mario 64 is no stranger to quirks and quirks, and neither is the world that enjoys them.
Consider this, a speedrunning video from 2016, parody-worthy, "SM64 - Watch for Rolling Rocks - 0.5x A Presses (Commentated)", left gamers, skeptics, and Mario lovers in awe, believing a star could be won without hitting the A button... or perhaps, just a teeny half press of the infamous A. But the mad genius behind the video, pannenkoek2012, wasn't just done wowing us.
He puts the mojo back into gaming with a method that systematically erases the need for that half pressed A. Yes, you heard it right! The button can finally retire and sip fruit punch on a Caribbean island. This method is a testament to pannenkoek's unflagging determination to make Mario leap out of this universe - literally and metaphorically.
Earlier method, revolutionary in its own right, shifted the bug (along with our sanity) into a particular location while Mario was forced into a marathon, accumulating speed for a night-long 12 hours. Mario then hopped onto a magical journey through a series of parallel universes, only to return to his base and grab the star.
This crazy technique brought in about five million views and sparked an online multi-universe debate about the very nature and purpose of the A button. Let's leave out the hilarious saga of pannenkoek's showdown with a user named TJ "Henry" Yoshi for now, as there's a lot more to talk about!
Jumping onto 2017, our hero finds a shortcut, reducing the time from a jaw-dropping 14.8 hours to a less painful 5.4 hours. The idea remained the same: tinker with the bug, charge up Mario, and navigate through other dimensions.
Now, for the big news of 2023. With the help of other speedrun enthusiasts, a game-changer glitch was introduced. This Alice in wonderland-style trick lets you manipulate an elevator to escape the boundaries of reality and levitate to heights that would have otherwise necessitated a journey through those controversial parallel universes. The time has now been cut down to the time it takes to order and deliver pizza - approximately six minutes.
In a tell-all twist, the original mechanism involved half pressing A, which means this earth-shattering change doesn't save any actual A presses for 120-star runs. It's going to be 13 A-presses. But, knowing this never-give-up Mario speedrunning fraternity, I am sure that number will soon be history! Brace yourselves, because if there's one thing they have shown us, it's that the possibilities are infinite.
Even TJ "Henry" Yoshi knows about these spectacular changes! And he's had his share of notification flooding, so you can stop tipping him off! So, gamers, the legend of Mario 64 speedrunning has turned a new page. Here's hoping it's just as full of madcap surprises as the last.
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