The Super Mario Bros. speedrunner Niftski has achieved a new world record for the classic Nintendo title on a PC emulator, setting a time of 4:54.565 in the "any%" category. You may well be wondering why I'm bothering to include the hundredths of a second: So many talented players attempt to do something with Super Mario Bros. that new records in the game are measured in individual frames (thanks, Time Extension).
Super Mario Bros. has always been one of the most popular games to speedrun, probably because it's so ubiquitous, is arguably the first true classic of 2D platforming, and has a bunch of neat tricks that experienced runners love. Niftski's run is a masterclass in stitching together pixel-perfect hops and glitches and the absolute nerves of steel needed not to screw it up in 8-4, the game's last level.
