For the uninitiated, speed runs are not as quick as the name suggests. They take an incredible amount of planning, and depending on the length of the game in question, one would have to devote an entire weekend to it at the very least.

About once every few months I would dust off my copy of Tales of Symphonia and prepare for a run, each time trying things differently (party characters, places to get weapons, etc.) Planning it out would usually take a few hours. If you’re wondering why this planning phase is necessary, allow me to put everything in perspective. Say you’re playing an RPG. Every new town you go to, you are going to explore and visit the shops and whatnot, picking up new items and spells along the way. In a speed run, every second counts, so I dont stop even to catch my breath in new towns, upgrades be damned. Monster encounters are always a nightmare as well. Typical day of speed running:

Load Game. Run run run run run hit a monster, reload. Run run run run run hit a monster, reload. Run run run run run run run run got to next zone save. Run run got stuck on a corner for a split second, reload. Run run run run get to scripted event where I’m missing an item that I need, kill myself.

With all that said, nothing satisfies me quite as much as completing a ToS speed run. On the flip side, every girlfried I’ve ever had… well, lets just say I’ve seen a lot of raised eyebrows.