A few weeks ago I said I would be discussing RE4 speed runs. However, for this week’s Yay or Nay, I’ve decided to cover speed runs as a whole, not just the RE4 versions. So what are speed runs, anyway? Well, as their name implies, speed runs are simple playthroughs of a certain game with the shortest final time possible. The games I’ve recently seen speed run’d are RE4, XCOM 1 (will discuss this awesome game sometime next week), and Fallout 1. The latter two are tactical squad-based PC games from way back, and Fallout was completed in 9 minutes (freaking amazing). So, what are the pros and cons to such a run? Read on to find out.

The main advantage to the speed run is the fame. Well, not really fame, per se, but being able to say “I beat Fallout in 9 minutes!” will really get you some compliments in the gaming circle. Also, some games actually reward you for finishing the game quickly. The first ones that come to mind are the older Resident Evil games, and the Metal Gear games. There are also a number of smaller advantages, including the ability to beat your favorite game quickly and frequently (if you like to replay); possibly quickly gaining key items in games with a New Game+; and greatly increasing your skill in a certain game.

However, there are also a number of disadvantages that come with a speed run game. First and foremost is that you don’t the full experience. You can’t possibly get all the items/weapons/characters, etc when you’re trying to speed through the game. Also, you miss out on the story, the sidequests, the optional and secret areas, etc. The other main disadvantage is that once you can beat a game in record time, why would you want to beat it again, speed run or not? I can’t see you really wanting to redo a speed run on Fallout once you get it in 9 minutes. What would be the point?

I think I have to give speed runs a big fat Nay. This is because (in my opinion) he cons outweigh the pros, and unless there’s a specific advantage to repeating the game many times, it’s not really worth it. However, this also might be, in part, due to the fact that I normally suck at speed runs Well, that’s it for today, tune in next week for a slightly more serious topic.