Aussie GoldenEye Gamer Goes Berserk After Torching 15-Year-Old Speedrunner Record

Records are meant to be broken, we hear that all the time. And for the most part, it holds true. But every so often, a record is achieved that seems impossible to beat, such as Joe Dimaggio's 56-game hitting streak and the Boston Celtics winning eight straight NBA championships. One that sat right up there was a 53-second speedrun in GoldenEye's first mission, Dam. Or more like, 'Damn!,' because after a decade and a half, that record has finally and almost inconceivably been broken.

Karl Jobst achieved instant Internet fame after rushing through the first mission in 52 seconds. Many have tried to the do the same, and over a hundred people have tied the previous 0:53 record time. Bup until Jobst's miraculous run, nobody has been able to complete the mission any faster, as measured by the game's internal clock. In fact, many wondered if it was even possible to post a faster time.

There are a couple of things that make Jobst's record setting run such an incredible feat. One is that the previous record stood for 15 years. But related to that, this particular type of speedrun eschews fractions of a second and reports whole seconds only. So even though the previous 53-second record was set 15 years ago, others who finished the mission with the same time measurement may have actually done it faster without knowing, because the game does not report fractions of a second.


That being the case, it seemed like 53 seconds represented a fully optimized run that would never be beat. But it was, in glorious fashion. It also took a bit of luck. Jobst's record setting run was aided by picking up three speed boosts. Jobst said that out of the 250 hours he spent trying to break the record, he's only gotten all three speed boosts on three separate occasions. Getting all three is crucial, for the purpose of a speed run.
 
Jobst also benefited from getting shot in the back by the guards, which makes the character go even faster. However, guards have terrible aim on 'Agent' difficulty, the easiest setting. On top of that, Jobst had to navigate the map pretty much perfectly, passing through gates with precision. One misstep and the whole speed run is a wash.

His reaction to beating setting the record? "F**k! F**k! Oh my God! Oh my God!" While the run only took 52 seconds, Jobst spent several minutes in excitement and disbelief what he'd accomplished. He will have plenty of time to process the record run, as it is unlikely that anyone will top it, let alone match it, anytime soon.