Summer Games Done Quick 2017: Day 1 Schedule and Games to Watch

The start of summer means it's time for the folks at Games Done Quick to once again begin raising money for Doctors Without Borders. The world's best speedrunners will converge for Summer Games Done Quick, which is kicking off on Sunday morning.

Shacknews is rounding up the Sunday schedule, as well as offering up some noteworthy runs to gather around Twitch to watch. Keep in mind that times are subject to change, depending on the length of the individual runs and their setup times. So without further delay, here's the opening day schedule:

Day 1 Schedule (All times listed are Pacific Time)

• 09:30AM - Pre-Show with SpikeVegeta, feasel, Golden, Protomagicalgirl, and Hobz
• 10:00AM - NieR: Automata (Ending A Normal, 1-handed, 2:00:00)(Halfcoordinated)
• 12:10PM - Halo: Combat Evolved (Legendary, 1:36:00)(Garish)
• 01:56PM - Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 (Any% Gunvolt, 1:05:00)(johncarls)
• 03:11PM - Battle Kid (Any% Normal, 0:50:00)(InfestedRichie)
• 04:11PM - Diddy Kong Racing (Any%, 0:50:00)(MrsGizamaluke)
• 05:11PM - Luigi's Mansion (Any%, No OOB, 1:05:00)(HDlax1)
• 06:26PM - Metroid Prime (100%, 1:45:00)(JustinDM)
• 08:21PM - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Any% Glitchless, 0:36:00)(Dr4gonBlitz)
• 09:02PM - Guacamelee: Gold Edition (100%, 1:22:00)(Grimelios)
• 10:29PM - Okami HD (New Game+ Any %, 1:30:00)(Kinnin11)

Notable Day 1 Runs to Watch

NieR: Automata (Ending A Normal, 1-handed, 2:00:00) - 10:00AM

There's more than enough reason to watch this, given that it's the first run of the week. The festivities will just be getting started, excitement is in the air, and the crowd will be ready to have some fun. This should set the tone for the week ahead.

More than that, however, NieR: Automata came out of the blue in early half of this year and generated a lot of positive buzz from both critics (including Shacknews) and players alike. Platinum Games put together an incredible robot-busting adventure, with vast customization options and a story that makes room for other game genres to seamlessly blend in.

For those that haven't had a chance to jump in on Automata, Summer Games Done Quick should offer a nice taste of what's out there. For speedrunning fans, there's no better way to start the week than with Platinum's penchant for manic action. This is all without even mentioning that Halfcoordinated is going to attempt this run with only one hand.

Diddy Kong Racing (Any%, 0:50:00) - 04:11PM

Any time there's a chance to witness the joy of Diddy Kong Racing, take it and cherish it. This is one of Nintendo and Rare's most underappreciated efforts and also one that's fun to watch on the speedrunning circuit.

Like other kart racers, DKR's tracks are filled with shortcuts and a big part of the fun of these runs are the precision execution involved in finding these detours. MrsGizamaluke will only have a crisp 50 minutes to complete this game, so find out if the Wizpig races will throw her off.

Metroid Prime (100%, 1:45:00) - 06:26PM

Let's remember E3 2017 when Nintendo made fans happy with the confirmation of a Metroid Prime 4.

Oh yeah! There it is!

So now's as good a time as any to remember what an amazing set of games the Metroid Prime series has been. Summer Games Done Quick will offer up an accelerated tour of the game, with JustinDM looking to complete the full 100% adventure in a cool 1 hour and 45 minutes. It'll be a fun reminder of the joy that 3D Metroid can bring and the tough act that the upcoming Switch version will have to follow.

Those looking for a 2D Metroid fix will have to wait until later in the week, when SGDQ delivers its traditional Super Metroid run.

Watch Summer Games Done Quick all week from the official Games Done Quick website or on Twitch.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?