Speedrunner Uses Ocarina of Time Cartridge to Beat Paper Mario in Record Time
Posted on March 04 2021 by David Lasby
JCog, a Paper Mario speedrunner, has successfully beaten the game in under an hour at 54:22, a time that, if accepted, would be a world record in the Any% category. There’s some doubt, however, that the record-breaking run will actually be recognized as such, due to the method used by the speedrunner. JCog’s strategy relies upon the use of a Japanese version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time game cartridge.
While streaming the run, JCog explains, “Ocarina of Time clears the expansion memory…then we can use ACE that exist in that game to put an instruction there that jumps to file names and then execute those file names to warp us to the end of the game.”
As explained by Stephen T. Wright of GameSpot,
“This new strategy belongs to a category that speedrunners call “arbitrary code execution” (or ACE for short). ACE strategies have proven controversial among both some runners and fans, similar to how runs that rely heavily on glitches and exploits can result in ‘glitchless’ categories for runners who prefer what they deem a more ‘pure’ experience.”
It would appear that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time continues to shape the gaming community, even decades after its release.
Tell us what you think! Are you a fan of speedruns? What do you think of runs that rely on ACE methods? Share your reactions in the comments below.
I’m a life-long fan of video games and have been playing since I got my NES in the 1980s. The Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Bros., Aliens, and Halo are some of my favorite game franchises. I write for several sites, including Zelda Dungeon, Boss Rush Network, and The Mighty. Find me on Twitter to check out my other content!
