@@presauced deep bro, but in a space with finite decisions with finite ramifications (like pretty much anything other than real life, especially the first ever platformsr) that’s not a universal law
What I find most impressive about your series of videos Karl, is actually the amount of courage it takes to step into a gaming community around a game that has been played for SO LONG, with minimal knowledge going in, and end up producing a really insightful, respectful and enjoyable video about it. It's a testament to your passion concerning competetive gaming I believe, that you manage to do this again and again. Great show as always.
"Donkey Kong: That Old Game That Weird Guy Cheated On" Yep - the most quoted and most remembered part of the video. That "weird guy" has put so much effort trying to silence the issue that he cemented his name in with the game - but not in the way he wanted.
Love this, like you say at the end, don't let a few bad apples ruin your image of this community. All you ever hear about Donkey Kong is "Billy Mitchell this, Billy Mitchell that.", so it's really nice to actually see a video about everything but Billy about this game.
I find achievements help a lot with giving retro arcade games the kind of goal-oriented play modern games rely on, and especially make the player pay more attention to their mechanics. I recently played DK on Retro Achievements, and it's the first time I ever even played a full level set in the arcade game, let alone worked in barrel control.
@@toadfan64 I prefer in-game achievements. Stuff like the challenge boards of smash bros and Kirby air ride are more interesting than getting a system related pop up for starting the game. Much more tantalizing to complete for me personally.
I must be in the minority as far as game achievements go. An actual reward is one thing but a simple pop up that says achievement unlocked isnt too exciting for me
Imagine being that lady at the top waiting for you to save her and all she gets to see is you jumping relentlessly over barrels like she's no big deal.
Played this game for hours on the Donkey Kong 64 in-game arcade machine. A mate and I challenged ourselves to hit as many pies as possible; with the hammer on the conveyor belt level. We pulled an all nighter just to get the right RNG and ended up decending into madness. There was something really satisfying about smashing 6 pies in a row with that hammer, good times!
This reminds me of the time I also decided to look deeper into Donkey Kong's mechanics. But it wasn't because I wanted to speedrun it or anything like it, but it was for a university project where we had to make a multiplayer Donkey Kong game (an elimination tournament where players competed to reach Pauline three times in 5 minutes; if the time was over and they rescued her the same amount of times, the player that died less times won), and I wanted to make it as close to the original as possible (although with some liberties - like the fireball enemies getting faster the more they lived, or Mario being able to throw the hammer in order to kill all enemies, and potentially the other player, in a straight line). It was a fun experience.
That sounds awesome, if ever possible i would consider posting it online somewhere as a multiplayer battle royal format, if at all possible. but then again nintendo are like seasoned snipers with their lawsuits
Hey Karl, can you make a video about NES Tetris? It's some of the most interesting mechanics of an e-sport ever. Most people would think that the footage you've shown of it in this video would be simple but it's far from it.
Pretty amazing break down and video. Also very respectful that you took the time to understand and learn about something you thought you didn't like. I was born in 1986 as well but something about DK I've always loved. At my peak of DK competing in April 2014 I hit 628,100 points at 1 Up in Denver, CO. I really wish that I recorded that game because it would have broke top 25 at the time. This video's timing is freaking perfect because I recently started talking to sellers to buy an original cabinet because I've wanted to get back into competing but due to COVID I obviously can't go to arcade/barcades. Now I'm even more inspired to break more records, thanks you absolute legend!
i really have to commend you for putting in the work it would be so easy to just make these videos based on available fact, but actually sitting down with the game for dozens of hours to understand it is next level
I really like the decision you made to talk about your hesitance with this game and the running of it, then play the game yourself, talking about the top players and the top strategies then trying them yourself and showing us. That's a really cool thing, man. Love this stuff, never stop!
The more videos I see regarding speedrunning from you, the more I picture speedrunners like the card counting scene from the Hangover with all the numbers flying all over the place. This is fascinating to watch, and terrifying to a point. On an unrelated matter, we're both from '86! That's pretty neat!
i was born in '97 and i actually consider Donkey Kong one of the greatest games ever made. it does fall short when it comes to level variety, but mechanically its incredibly simple yet engaging. the level design is tight and super replayable, particularly the first screen. im still amazed by the game even today, its really impressive. i feel like with older games, an open mind goes a long way. there are tons of NES and early arcade games i still enjoy despite the people around me saying "why are you playing this old ugly clunky game?" since youve had more experience with video games, im surprised you had such a closed mind to early games.
DK it's a masterpiece and it never have been taken by less than it is: an absolute challenge. The Point Pressing category on vintage arcade games makes the things way interesting, not only DK, also other games such as Burgertime, Dig Dug, Defender among others. That category can make the simple things trutly deep and complex, and the primitive factor makes the challenge something that worth the mastering. I would like to see more vintage games on this channel, the people could be amazed.
Such an interesting video. I love the focus being on mechanics, rather than the records themselves, especially for a game that's so deceptively difficult
honestly, we just need more videos just spreading the real high scores and start ignoring that idiot. that's why i like karl listing the real world record.
@@nicklaskowalski yeah, that idiot will just deny, deny, deny, then sue, sue, sue. it's an endless cycle. forgetting him would be the worst punishment since attention is what he seeks.
I can't help it, this is the one of the greatest content creators out there such effort and dedication just for one video thank you karl for such an amazing video.
Funny that... the only time I ever got to play DK 1981 it was from an easter egg from Donkey Kong 64 as you can play one of the arcades there. I wonder if you could get into DK64 or even the Country series as they've evolved quite a bit. Got to say I really liked the presentation on this one, you've continued to improve and maintain a steady pace by the minute. Something I think is very difficult to reach for both educators and entertainers these days. I hope to continue seeing the legends you dive into, you absolute legend.
This is one of the things I love about your videos. I always assumed there had to be some complexity to a game like Donkey Kong to keep people competing all these years, and then you go and explain in laymen's terms exactly what that complexity is for idiots like me to understand.
I fell in love with this game as a kid, not in the arcade, but as an unlock able in Donkey Kong 64. I hated it first, but I had to play it in order to get a collectible. By the time I met the requirement (Think it was either clear the 4 boards or a score) I loved it and would just boot up DK64 to play it. When I go to Barcade, it’s a mandatory play for me.
Karl. I have been enjoying your videos for some time. I am not a speed runner, but I do love video games, and love your dives into the minutiae of different games and explaining the different techniques used in different games. One of my favorite videos was the "Doom: Eternal 100% Runs are Things of Beauty" (or something along those lines...). Anyways, I don't usually even subscribe to channels I watch, but I love your videos so much that I wanted to support you financially, so I just became a 'Hero'. Thank you for your content. Keep it up.
I remember watching Donkey Kong and thinking it was boring, but I tried it out, and it was pretty fun. It had its own charm and the game itself was pretty complex.
Well, he calls you ABSOLUTE legends... and if you think about it, he's saying that he isn't in your tier. You can interpret that as either humility or pandering. I personally go with the former.
Glad you got to enjoy this game. I was born in 86 as well and didn't get to really play Donkey Kong until a few years ago. Its an absolute blast and a real gem of a game. Hopefully more people check it out!
How am I enjoying watching this guys videos of games iv never played and don’t have any intention of playing? I can’t think of any other RUclipsr that lures me into videos I have no business with quite like Karl. His voice, how he puts the video together in a chronological order, the detail in the video and the climax to that perfect gaming moment go down like a very very fine wine. Excellent, I enjoy all of them to the last drop!
What were the two games he said he played for nostalgia. I recognize the last one but can't remember the name for the life of me. Also I appreciate that Karl never talks bad about passions he doesn't understand. And instead strives to learn the appeal.
I've been playing this game since it hit the arcades all those years ago. It's still one of my favorites and I had to comment on the excellent job you did on this video. Especially your touching on the importance of controlling your barrels! This is what separates good players from great players. Well done! I hope this encourages a whole new group of gamers to give a go at this amazing game.
I always saw Donkey Kong as a historical landmark of Gaming really, as it was the first game Mario appeared in, who would eventually save video games in 85 with SMB1, not so much for Billy the cheater
I really enjoy your content Karl. I remember watching some of your speedruns a loooong time ago. I really appreciate how in many cases, you actually try to play the games you talk about to try and understand them better.
Awesome video as usual, very instructive, I never understood the appeal about Donkey Kong but your analysis and even practice of it give some great insights. Something I often wonder about those older games such as DK and Doom for example, is how much of their complexity is deliberated compared to the bugs found in the engine by the players. I'd be curious to know for a recent game like Celeste how the developers approached it. The numbers of unexpected behaviors detected during the creation and what was kept, what was specifically done for speedrunners, did they only added a few tricks knowing players may find an usage later with more comprehensive techniques using them. Anyways thanks for sharing your passion in such a positive way :)
That was fascinating. Almost 30 years after I first played, I've learned loads of new things about what I originally thought was an incredibly simple game
Hey Karl! Love your work and I'm glad you're back to making content! I wondered if you looked at speedruns of Portal and Portal 2? There's a built in challenge mode seeing how fast you can finish the puzzles along with those who simply SR the story mode, and with a gun that bends space there's bound to be glitches that exploit the ability to it's maximum potential.
Without writing a huge wall of text, I’ll keep it short. 1. Great video. I was waiting for something like this. 2. I find DK to be easier than most other arcade games and you explained how it gets difficult perfectly. 3. Someday, maybe, I’d really like to see details on Pac-Man just like this, if you feel strongly enough about it. (That’s the one I struggle with the most.) I’m going to watch this video many times until it all sinks in. Thanks for this.
I don't particularly love speed runs/running and I don't like old games, yet your videos keep me up at night for hours at a time. I just like how you explain everything in depth .
Honestly the whole video includes so much warmth and relaxation which is needed. Fully explained, a nice plug for sponsors and of course great content. I hope to see many more videos in the future. Stay safe
BTW I played this game on my uncle's computer in the early 90's and have been searching for the name of it off and on for literally years without figuring it out. Thank you so much XD
@@CheeseyDan welcome, such old games bring back such good memories. If you like the grid style dungeon crawling action games, check out the legend of grimrock 1 and 2. They're modern 4 party on 1 Square puzzle/combat dungeon exploration (like bard's tale, lands of lore etc...)
@@CheeseyDan welcome. I loved em and they got very good reviews. Reminded me a bit also of ultima underworld on how you cast spells (rune combinations), and you have puzzles too so it's not just hack and slash
I ended up getting really into DK a few years ago because they have a machine at Barcade here in Philadelphia. I still have never reached the kill screen, but I'd like to some day. It truly is an amazing game... until I started going down the rabbit hole, I didnt realize just how amazing. Thanks for making this video to hopefully turn more people onto DK.
Hey Karl, man o man do I appreciate the quality of your videos, thank you brother. You’ve given me endless entertainment, inspiration, and motivation. I was blessed to have this video in my feed today, always looking forward to your new content!
Pac mans skill level is not relatively low, The dedication and mental capacity to control the joystick with pixel-perfect movements and to memorize either preset patterns or to do it based solely off of manipulating the ai of the ghosts requires a deep understanding and mental foreshadowing and predicting and I would say those who speedrun the perfect score are more creative and skilled than some people in many games today. For example in order to break the current records in 3 hours and 28 minutes you would need to experiment and develop new paths and patterns that manipulate the AI and to collect every pellet and power up and fruit and kill all 4 ghosts for every orb to shave time off of the record. Find a new 9th key pattern or something that would save time over the current world record. Crossing the desert is the longest and most difficult portion of the run and finding a new 9th key that would be faster than the general 42.xx time would save a lot of time overall throughout the hundred-plus times you complete the same level.
good comment, cringed when i heard him say that even understanding what he meant re. determinism calling it low skill still massively undersells how difficult the execution side of it is
I think part of the point was that there is a definitive high score that has been reached by multiple players. Yes, he made it sound easier than it is, but the point wasn't that it was easy, but that there was no way to distinguish those players in score-attack mode.
4:50 You can separate those who all achieved the highest possible score by using time as a secondary criteria (so the score table would be sorted by best score first, and best time second.)
So as someone who has been playing the game for a few years and is currently ranked at 101 in the world (I was 82nd when I first killscreened in 2016, tells you how many people have improved!), and as someone who has trained at least four other people who have killscreened (one of them is a 1M+ point player), I'd say this video is surprisingly well done. It would take an hour to describe all the truly finite mechanics of every screen but this is a fantastic brief summary! In fact, 7 of the 120-ish people that have ever killscreened with verifiable evidence have come from the state of Arkansas (Wes Copeland the former world record holder, myself, and 5 others) I have people come to my arcade and say "Yeah, I beat Kong years and years ago" so I ask them "Cool? Do you know how to steer barrels?" They say "Wait, you can steer barrels? I tell them "Yeah, with all the randomness over an hour and a half run, you didn't beat Kong. Simple as that." Karl, I wish you the best on your journey through Kong. The best have all been where you are. I would love to see you join the ranks of those who have definitively beaten this classic :)
*devotes thousands of hours to beating old games quickly* "Why would anyone spend so much time trying to get high scores in old games? Those guys are weird."
Back in school i absolutely loved tetris, their's a beautiful simplicity to tetris that makes it so addictive, i managed around 600k-650k points at my best. I imagine this is part of the reason people enjoyed tetris and donkey kong back then and even now.
Very interesting video, it's really cool to see such old classics still in the spotlight. I had my first experience with this game in Donkey kong 64 (Frantic Factory), where the game's actually mandatory for completing the main game... Back then, it was really frustrating to a young kid...
I just want to say, I've gone back to play some old games I never got the chance to in my childhood... and lots of them are fucking awesome. Probably most surprising to me was Zelda 2... it was so intense! I also loved the abstraction of learning new sword techniques; pretty creative.
@@patrickboner we used technical audio analysis and the suspect has been found to have also other speedrun of “Doom” and “Goldeneye” have also been found fake.
That’s the any% category, I’m in the middle of a 100% attempt, being on pace to match the TAS with a time of 20:51. Edit: I’m now done, the final time did end up being 20:51, while on my fastest pace ever, losing no time to the TAS.
I was 11 when Donkey Kong came out in 1981 and I've been playing it on and off over the years. I've been playing it a lot on my Switch lately. I never noticed you only get 500 points for the 800 point triple barrel jump until now.
Really cool video . i started playing Dk on virtual console on switch recently to try it out and it surprised me with just HOW difficult i can be. Would love a part two going over more of the other stages.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
When I started learning about this game, I heard about barrel steering and that alone instantly painted a picture of how good and complex it can be
Awesome to see you here Kosmic!
Yoooo it's Kosmic!
What are you doing here?! You should be beating the record in smb1 again!
Simple things = complex things.
@@presauced deep bro, but in a space with finite decisions with finite ramifications (like pretty much anything other than real life, especially the first ever platformsr) that’s not a universal law
What I find most impressive about your series of videos Karl, is actually the amount of courage it takes to step into a gaming community around a game that has been played for SO LONG, with minimal knowledge going in, and end up producing a really insightful, respectful and enjoyable video about it. It's a testament to your passion concerning competetive gaming I believe, that you manage to do this again and again. Great show as always.
I never thought I'd watch a 20 minute video on Donkey Kong strategy, let alone enjoy it, yet both just happened.
Ohai Jrose
You need more Summoning Salts in your life mate
I know right. I watch every upload and like every one. He does an amazing job.
Indeed. I never thought I would either, lol.
Karl is the best at making a subject I know nothing about not only interesting, but entertaining
"Donkey Kong: That old game that weird guy cheated on"
👏👏👏👏👏👏
I can hear a lawsuit being fired up
Karl is an absolute savage
@Daily DB not for long
Wears the same clothes everyday like a cartoon character.
"By the end, Donkey Kong won't just be that old game that weird guy cheated on" LOL
He has a name, you know! It's Peter Dinklage.
@@davidlevy706 shhhh don't say his name he might sue you
I’m pretty sure that weird guy lost the law-suet with twin-galaxies
His name is Billy Mitchell
@@connorgillispie7128 unfortunately we know his name
"Donkey Kong: That Old Game That Weird Guy Cheated On"
Yep - the most quoted and most remembered part of the video. That "weird guy" has put so much effort trying to silence the issue that he cemented his name in with the game - but not in the way he wanted.
Streissand Effect
Critical Hit!
Love this, like you say at the end, don't let a few bad apples ruin your image of this community. All you ever hear about Donkey Kong is "Billy Mitchell this, Billy Mitchell that.", so it's really nice to actually see a video about everything but Billy about this game.
I find achievements help a lot with giving retro arcade games the kind of goal-oriented play modern games rely on, and especially make the player pay more attention to their mechanics. I recently played DK on Retro Achievements, and it's the first time I ever even played a full level set in the arcade game, let alone worked in barrel control.
I really wish Nintendo did an achievement system like Xbox and PS. Used to keep me playing gaes and give me more goals even after beating them.
@Sabrina O'Neil Lmao, terrible misspelling there on my part.
@@toadfan64 I prefer in-game achievements. Stuff like the challenge boards of smash bros and Kirby air ride are more interesting than getting a system related pop up for starting the game. Much more tantalizing to complete for me personally.
I must be in the minority as far as game achievements go. An actual reward is one thing but a simple pop up that says achievement unlocked isnt too exciting for me
@@mrmanjumac3454 I don't think it's about the reward of having a small message pop up but more about the clear organization of in-game goals
This is a really cool one, it's always fun learning how a game's speedruns work!
@Juicebox This was exactly my reaction XD
holy shit, it's MDB
Hey, fancy seeing you here!
love how my fav youtubers all watch eachother
I love how we have this kind of variety in gaming content on RUclips. Two completely styles of channel but equally fantastic. Absolutely legendary.
Imagine being that lady at the top waiting for you to save her and all she gets to see is you jumping relentlessly over barrels like she's no big deal.
And then getting dumped for some blonde bimbo
"that lady"
you mean pauline?
@@dappitydingdong1219 her name was ,,Lady" at first
"Sigmario Bros."
Imagine watching him try to show off hurtling two barrels and busting his ass
Played this game for hours on the Donkey Kong 64 in-game arcade machine. A mate and I challenged ourselves to hit as many pies as possible; with the hammer on the conveyor belt level. We pulled an all nighter just to get the right RNG and ended up decending into madness. There was something really satisfying about smashing 6 pies in a row with that hammer, good times!
All my experience with this game is from DK64! My brother's and I just took turns playing that and the spaceship arcade game too lol
the dk64 donkey kong arcade machine actually walled me as a kid, never got the nintendo coin and never beat the game as a result
@@saisyuumaho I had so much fun in the DK64 version when I was younger- is it allowed for competitive highscores?
@@cros108 I wouldn't be surprised if there's a category somewhere, but I've never looked into it
This reminds me of the time I also decided to look deeper into Donkey Kong's mechanics. But it wasn't because I wanted to speedrun it or anything like it, but it was for a university project where we had to make a multiplayer Donkey Kong game (an elimination tournament where players competed to reach Pauline three times in 5 minutes; if the time was over and they rescued her the same amount of times, the player that died less times won), and I wanted to make it as close to the original as possible (although with some liberties - like the fireball enemies getting faster the more they lived, or Mario being able to throw the hammer in order to kill all enemies, and potentially the other player, in a straight line). It was a fun experience.
That sounds awesome, if ever possible i would consider posting it online somewhere as a multiplayer battle royal format, if at all possible. but then again nintendo are like seasoned snipers with their lawsuits
@@wicklash9065 And besides, it was only made for Ubuntu. I still have the source code, though.
So you mean Donkey Kong battle royale?
@@napstaperd8824 It was just 2 players per game, the elimination format is like a cup :P
@@llSuperSnivyll That still sounds sick nonetheless, amazing job man :0
"Donkey Kong won't just be that `Old game that weird guy cheated on`. "
_Cue Regular Show floating head explosion_
I remember that
Wait, what?
The fact that barrel steering exists is a revelation, and it really makes me admire the game all the more. I love hidden depth!
That reminds me of how someone got an AI to play Megaman, and it figured out how to manipulate the RNG for drops by moving in very specific patterns
"but this video would be hours long if i did", implying that i wouldn't be willing to watch karl explain donkey kong for hours
Hey Karl, can you make a video about NES Tetris? It's some of the most interesting mechanics of an e-sport ever. Most people would think that the footage you've shown of it in this video would be simple but it's far from it.
Im interested in branching out to cover more high score stuff so that’s definitely a good idea.
@@karljobst doooo it
There's channels dedicated entirely to NES Tetris like aGameScout, they're fun to watch
Boom Tetris for Jeff
@@karljobst Oh my god, thanks for replying!
Surprised Todd Rogers never claimed a 10 million point pac-man score at any time lol
Maybe he actually got it
@@dankduelzperuvian Todd Rogers' scores are fake.
@@YourAverageSpelunker I'm saying maybe he got it since he didn't make any claims and all the claims tmk were fake
@@dankduelzperuvian uhhhhhhh you can't get a 10 million pac man score
If you start with 2 million points you can actually get to 10 million.
Pretty amazing break down and video. Also very respectful that you took the time to understand and learn about something you thought you didn't like.
I was born in 1986 as well but something about DK I've always loved. At my peak of DK competing in April 2014 I hit 628,100 points at 1 Up in Denver, CO. I really wish that I recorded that game because it would have broke top 25 at the time.
This video's timing is freaking perfect because I recently started talking to sellers to buy an original cabinet because I've wanted to get back into competing but due to COVID I obviously can't go to arcade/barcades.
Now I'm even more inspired to break more records, thanks you absolute legend!
I'm glad that Billy has officially became a meme in this channel.
This is the least amount of likes I've seen on a conment made by you
Ah look who it is
Do you just have an army of clones controlling your account or somthing wtf
I'm glad as well. That guy deserved that.
Ikr
i really have to commend you for putting in the work
it would be so easy to just make these videos based on available fact, but actually sitting down with the game for dozens of hours to understand it is next level
3:11 Loving that arrangement of "Eyes on Me"
I really like the decision you made to talk about your hesitance with this game and the running of it, then play the game yourself, talking about the top players and the top strategies then trying them yourself and showing us. That's a really cool thing, man. Love this stuff, never stop!
The more videos I see regarding speedrunning from you, the more I picture speedrunners like the card counting scene from the Hangover with all the numbers flying all over the place. This is fascinating to watch, and terrifying to a point.
On an unrelated matter, we're both from '86! That's pretty neat!
i was born in '97 and i actually consider Donkey Kong one of the greatest games ever made. it does fall short when it comes to level variety, but mechanically its incredibly simple yet engaging. the level design is tight and super replayable, particularly the first screen. im still amazed by the game even today, its really impressive.
i feel like with older games, an open mind goes a long way. there are tons of NES and early arcade games i still enjoy despite the people around me saying "why are you playing this old ugly clunky game?" since youve had more experience with video games, im surprised you had such a closed mind to early games.
DK it's a masterpiece and it never have been taken by less than it is: an absolute challenge.
The Point Pressing category on vintage arcade games makes the things way interesting, not only DK, also other games such as Burgertime, Dig Dug, Defender among others.
That category can make the simple things trutly deep and complex, and the primitive factor makes the challenge something that worth the mastering.
I would like to see more vintage games on this channel, the people could be amazed.
Such an interesting video. I love the focus being on mechanics, rather than the records themselves, especially for a game that's so deceptively difficult
old and "simple" games are some of the best because they have deeper levels of play just playing casually may not be obvious.
Karl calling me an absolute legend makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside
I thought it was the churro I just ate
@@killingtime4444 i thought it was the shot of whiskey in my coffee
Thought it was the feeling of my father punching me
Boom tetris for jeff
@@Dee-Eddy you ruined the chain, man.
Love that subtle jab at Billy Mitchell in the introductory segment, that was gold.
honestly, we just need more videos just spreading the real high scores and start ignoring that idiot. that's why i like karl listing the real world record.
@@theghostofthomasjenkins9643 yes and not even mentioning his name. As it should be.
@@nicklaskowalski yeah, that idiot will just deny, deny, deny, then sue, sue, sue. it's an endless cycle. forgetting him would be the worst punishment since attention is what he seeks.
Apparently Mitchell is also getting torn up in court according to Karl's twitter
Nothing more subtle than a close up shot of his face.
I love how well you explain all the mechanics. Detailed, yet never in such a way that a complete noob would get confused.
I can't help it, this is the one of the greatest content creators out there such effort and dedication just for one video thank you karl for such an amazing video.
Funny that... the only time I ever got to play DK 1981 it was from an easter egg from Donkey Kong 64 as you can play one of the arcades there. I wonder if you could get into DK64 or even the Country series as they've evolved quite a bit. Got to say I really liked the presentation on this one, you've continued to improve and maintain a steady pace by the minute. Something I think is very difficult to reach for both educators and entertainers these days. I hope to continue seeing the legends you dive into, you absolute legend.
This is one of the things I love about your videos. I always assumed there had to be some complexity to a game like Donkey Kong to keep people competing all these years, and then you go and explain in laymen's terms exactly what that complexity is for idiots like me to understand.
That piano makes me wanna go to space.
That piano comes from one of my favourite games of all time, Celeste. Definitely recommend it.
What is your face thing and why
Thats FF8 - Roses and Wine / Rinoa's theme.
@@TKUltra971 Yes, it's an extremely popular song, and part of why 8 is one of my favorites.
The part at the start is Celeste. Idk where the ff8 ost is I haven't seen the whole vid yet. I'll update when I find the ff8 part
I fell in love with this game as a kid, not in the arcade, but as an unlock able in Donkey Kong 64.
I hated it first, but I had to play it in order to get a collectible. By the time I met the requirement (Think it was either clear the 4 boards or a score) I loved it and would just boot up DK64 to play it.
When I go to Barcade, it’s a mandatory play for me.
This was posted on my birthday! Now I really feel like an absolute legend!
Absolute Legend.
Happy birthday random stranger.
Happy birthday
Happy birthday, mate!
Happy legend you absolute birthday
Karl. I have been enjoying your videos for some time. I am not a speed runner, but I do love video games, and love your dives into the minutiae of different games and explaining the different techniques used in different games. One of my favorite videos was the "Doom: Eternal 100% Runs are Things of Beauty" (or something along those lines...). Anyways, I don't usually even subscribe to channels I watch, but I love your videos so much that I wanted to support you financially, so I just became a 'Hero'. Thank you for your content. Keep it up.
I remember watching Donkey Kong and thinking it was boring, but I tried it out, and it was pretty fun. It had its own charm and the game itself was pretty complex.
Yep, I ended up grinding it a little when I played Donkey Kong 64 as a kid
Born 2004
I still play donkey Kong. it’s just something you get into. however I never had the chance to play it on a old arcade machine.
Love the Prince of Persia clip, I sent many an hour playing that game back in the 90's
"People who play old games are driven by nostalgia"
"Shows nostalgia-bait games as counter-examples"
Another legendary video, made by the legend himself. For all of his legends!
Well, he calls you ABSOLUTE legends... and if you think about it, he's saying that he isn't in your tier.
You can interpret that as either humility or pandering. I personally go with the former.
Glad you got to enjoy this game. I was born in 86 as well and didn't get to really play Donkey Kong until a few years ago. Its an absolute blast and a real gem of a game. Hopefully more people check it out!
Last time I was this early Billy Mitchell didn't fake his high score
Last time I was this early, I didn't know who tf Todd Rogers or Billy Mitchell were.
But no one cares about high scores these days
Nobody has ever been that early....
Rofl 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Great video, super informative, i've always been interested in knowing the mechanics and how scores were accumulated
No Karl, you're the absolute legend.
Fun little cameo by Kari Lake at the very beginning 🤣 I bet she's on Team Mitchell.
Playing Eyes On Me during the skillshare ad was such a god-tier move.
Came to comment this so I'll just agree
How am I enjoying watching this guys videos of games iv never played and don’t have any intention of playing? I can’t think of any other RUclipsr that lures me into videos I have no business with quite like Karl. His voice, how he puts the video together in a chronological order, the detail in the video and the climax to that perfect gaming moment go down like a very very fine wine. Excellent, I enjoy all of them to the last drop!
What were the two games he said he played for nostalgia. I recognize the last one but can't remember the name for the life of me.
Also I appreciate that Karl never talks bad about passions he doesn't understand. And instead strives to learn the appeal.
I've been playing this game since it hit the arcades all those years ago. It's still one of my favorites and I had to comment on the excellent job you did on this video. Especially your touching on the importance of controlling your barrels! This is what separates good players from great players. Well done! I hope this encourages a whole new group of gamers to give a go at this amazing game.
The trick to high scores in Donkey Kong was swapping boards and using an eight-way red joystick.
Love how "Jump-man" became "Mario" for a split second :D
I always saw Donkey Kong as a historical landmark of Gaming really, as it was the first game Mario appeared in, who would eventually save video games in 85 with SMB1, not so much for Billy the cheater
This video was very very helpful. Lots of great tips. I would love to see more strategy explanations for this game in the future.
The music from Mass Effect 1 brings back the memories
I really enjoy your content Karl. I remember watching some of your speedruns a loooong time ago. I really appreciate how in many cases, you actually try to play the games you talk about to try and understand them better.
Awesome video as usual, very instructive, I never understood the appeal about Donkey Kong but your analysis and even practice of it give some great insights.
Something I often wonder about those older games such as DK and Doom for example, is how much of their complexity is deliberated compared to the bugs found in the engine by the players.
I'd be curious to know for a recent game like Celeste how the developers approached it.
The numbers of unexpected behaviors detected during the creation and what was kept, what was specifically done for speedrunners, did they only added a few tricks knowing players may find an usage later with more comprehensive techniques using them.
Anyways thanks for sharing your passion in such a positive way :)
That was fascinating. Almost 30 years after I first played, I've learned loads of new things about what I originally thought was an incredibly simple game
Hey Karl! Love your work and I'm glad you're back to making content! I wondered if you looked at speedruns of Portal and Portal 2? There's a built in challenge mode seeing how fast you can finish the puzzles along with those who simply SR the story mode, and with a gun that bends space there's bound to be glitches that exploit the ability to it's maximum potential.
Definitely hope to cover portal one day
Without writing a huge wall of text, I’ll keep it short.
1. Great video. I was waiting for something like this.
2. I find DK to be easier than most other arcade games and you explained how it gets difficult perfectly.
3. Someday, maybe, I’d really like to see details on Pac-Man just like this, if you feel strongly enough about it. (That’s the one I struggle with the most.)
I’m going to watch this video many times until it all sinks in. Thanks for this.
Near the top! I love being called an absolute legend!
Because you ARE an absolute legend! :)
I wish it was true. I'm not a legend.
Alas. We all fall short of Karl
@@mobyusone yes. We all do.
I don't particularly love speed runs/running and I don't like old games, yet your videos keep me up at night for hours at a time.
I just like how you explain everything in depth .
I really hope that "that weird guy who cheated" gets his comeuppance one day
I’m pretty sure he lost the law-suet with twin galaxies recently
Matter of time...
1:46 - 1:54 EPIC! Lol. *That is an extremely polite & professional way of saying these people are weird AF.* Lmao.
This felt like a journey of self improvements, going from "Old games bad" to proper respect for your elders :P
Honestly the whole video includes so much warmth and relaxation which is needed. Fully explained, a nice plug for sponsors and of course great content. I hope to see many more videos in the future. Stay safe
Love the dedication to play the game for weeks and get into it. Legend material right there
Love the Lands of Lore clip in the beginning.
BTW I played this game on my uncle's computer in the early 90's and have been searching for the name of it off and on for literally years without figuring it out. Thank you so much XD
@@CheeseyDan welcome, such old games bring back such good memories. If you like the grid style dungeon crawling action games, check out the legend of grimrock 1 and 2. They're modern 4 party on 1 Square puzzle/combat dungeon exploration (like bard's tale, lands of lore etc...)
@@tbone9474 sweet! I’ll look’em up! Thanks :)
@@CheeseyDan welcome. I loved em and they got very good reviews. Reminded me a bit also of ultima underworld on how you cast spells (rune combinations), and you have puzzles too so it's not just hack and slash
I ended up getting really into DK a few years ago because they have a machine at Barcade here in Philadelphia. I still have never reached the kill screen, but I'd like to some day. It truly is an amazing game... until I started going down the rabbit hole, I didnt realize just how amazing. Thanks for making this video to hopefully turn more people onto DK.
What's Kari Lake doing there? 0:05
I’ve never seen her not screaming
Hey Karl, man o man do I appreciate the quality of your videos, thank you brother. You’ve given me endless entertainment, inspiration, and motivation. I was blessed to have this video in my feed today, always looking forward to your new content!
Pac mans skill level is not relatively low, The dedication and mental capacity to control the joystick with pixel-perfect movements and to memorize either preset patterns or to do it based solely off of manipulating the ai of the ghosts requires a deep understanding and mental foreshadowing and predicting and I would say those who speedrun the perfect score are more creative and skilled than some people in many games today. For example in order to break the current records in 3 hours and 28 minutes you would need to experiment and develop new paths and patterns that manipulate the AI and to collect every pellet and power up and fruit and kill all 4 ghosts for every orb to shave time off of the record. Find a new 9th key pattern or something that would save time over the current world record. Crossing the desert is the longest and most difficult portion of the run and finding a new 9th key that would be faster than the general 42.xx time would save a lot of time overall throughout the hundred-plus times you complete the same level.
good comment, cringed when i heard him say that
even understanding what he meant re. determinism calling it low skill still massively undersells how difficult the execution side of it is
I think part of the point was that there is a definitive high score that has been reached by multiple players. Yes, he made it sound easier than it is, but the point wasn't that it was easy, but that there was no way to distinguish those players in score-attack mode.
4:50 You can separate those who all achieved the highest possible score by using time as a secondary criteria (so the score table would be sorted by best score first, and best time second.)
(It is called "leeching" and it is used everywhere.)
True, need more people "seeding" though.
Ah yes, the real heroesm
7:47 - "I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite video on the RUclips."
My first experience with Donkey kong was on a handheld foldable unit with 2 lcd screens (4x3 cm) and in black and white. 1979
The orange one? That released in 1982
Great video. DK is clearly more complex than I ever imagined
That's the first I've heard it referred to as "coyote time"
So as someone who has been playing the game for a few years and is currently ranked at 101 in the world (I was 82nd when I first killscreened in 2016, tells you how many people have improved!), and as someone who has trained at least four other people who have killscreened (one of them is a 1M+ point player), I'd say this video is surprisingly well done. It would take an hour to describe all the truly finite mechanics of every screen but this is a fantastic brief summary!
In fact, 7 of the 120-ish people that have ever killscreened with verifiable evidence have come from the state of Arkansas (Wes Copeland the former world record holder, myself, and 5 others)
I have people come to my arcade and say "Yeah, I beat Kong years and years ago" so I ask them "Cool? Do you know how to steer barrels?" They say "Wait, you can steer barrels? I tell them "Yeah, with all the randomness over an hour and a half run, you didn't beat Kong. Simple as that."
Karl, I wish you the best on your journey through Kong. The best have all been where you are. I would love to see you join the ranks of those who have definitively beaten this classic :)
*devotes thousands of hours to beating old games quickly* "Why would anyone spend so much time trying to get high scores in old games? Those guys are weird."
Yeah I thought that part was funny
He was calling Billy Mitchell weird. No one else.
Back in school i absolutely loved tetris, their's a beautiful simplicity to tetris that makes it so addictive, i managed around 600k-650k points at my best. I imagine this is part of the reason people enjoyed tetris and donkey kong back then and even now.
My nickname in college was “Donkey Dong”
Very interesting video, it's really cool to see such old classics still in the spotlight. I had my first experience with this game in Donkey kong 64 (Frantic Factory), where the game's actually mandatory for completing the main game... Back then, it was really frustrating to a young kid...
Do you have to grind jumps in order to rack up a score in DK? That’s always confused me
Karl busted out "Eyes On Me" during the ad read. Caught me a bit off guard, I wasn't ready for that nostalgia bomb.
Wait... Jump man? So you are telling me that it isn't mario??
It’s him, he just wasn’t named til shortly after.
it is, sort of, think of it like this
Mario was born as Jumpman, but after Donkey Kong he decided he'd change it to Mario
I just want to say, I've gone back to play some old games I never got the chance to in my childhood... and lots of them are fucking awesome. Probably most surprising to me was Zelda 2... it was so intense! I also loved the abstraction of learning new sword techniques; pretty creative.
Hey I just speedrunned your video. My time is 7 seconds. Beat that!
You run has been analysed and it has been proven to be spliced
@@patrickboner we used technical audio analysis and the suspect has been found to have also other speedrun of “Doom” and “Goldeneye” have also been found fake.
I spent 2 seconds
**pulls out notebook and writes furiously**
That’s the any% category, I’m in the middle of a 100% attempt, being on pace to match the TAS with a time of 20:51.
Edit: I’m now done, the final time did end up being 20:51, while on my fastest pace ever, losing no time to the TAS.
I was 11 when Donkey Kong came out in 1981 and I've been playing it on and off over the years. I've been playing it a lot on my Switch lately. I never noticed you only get 500 points for the 800 point triple barrel jump until now.
American Dad speed run video when?
Lol
we need this
I will comment this on all his future videos until I get my american dad speed run
I always get an inexplicable urge to play Mass Effect when I watch Karl's videos.
I'm 18 and my favorite generation of video games is the 70's and 80's, I appreciate the history
I've been part of the Donkey Kong community for over 10 years. Thanks for the shout out to the community. :)
"I don't understand people that play old games", says man with dozens of videos about 25 year old games. Hmmm. :P
"that weird guy cheated on" love it. Still a zinger 3 years later
The best speedrun is liking and subbing to Karl
Really cool video . i started playing Dk on virtual console on switch recently to try it out and it surprised me with just HOW difficult i can be. Would love a part two going over more of the other stages.
wtf is that kari lake?!
i said the same thing lmao - and it is
Lol I needed someone else to verify it
Excellent work as always, Karl. Your voice is so soothing and I always come back to your videos when my anxiety acts up.