Mega Man 2: fastest game over. It only takes 167 frames!
This movie took a lot of time and research to make. Initially, I was playing on difficult mode in the American version, until I realized that the Japanese version actually saves a frame, due to the fact that you don't have to navigate a menu to activate difficult mode in that version. I had to scrap the whole movie.
Regarding choice of stage: I poured countless hours into researching game over strats for Air, Heat, Flash, and Wood Man's stages--the so called "1-framers." But as it turns out, no matter how long you leave the Famicom on, you simply will not game over in those stages! After about 3 days of watching the ice blocks blink in Flash Man's stage, I decided it was time to consider a more counter-intuitive route: the so-called "2-framers."
There are 4 robot masters who take 2 frames to menu to:
- Bubble Man (Up + Left, or Left + Up) - Quick Man (Up + Right, or Right + Up) - Metal Man (Down + Left, or Left + Down) - Clash Man (Down + Right, or Right + Down)
Both of the directional-pad buttons in this table cannot be pressed on the same frame; if you try to, the cursor simply won't move. You have to press the buttons on two consequtive frames, which is why these robot masters are called the 2-framers. Now, this may make those stages seem untenable choices--and under most circumstances, they are--but as I discussed, I was simply out of options, so I had to consider them for my run. And in the end, it actually paid off!
The first stages I tried were Quick Man and Bubble Man. But similarly to the other 4 stages I tried, you simply will not game over in them, no matter how long you wait. After about 3 days of that waterfall texture gouging out my eyeballs, I decided it was time to move onto Clash Man's stage...which ended up working out! As it turns out, the tellies (little cylindrical enemies) in that stage will home in on Mega Man's position, eventually reaching him and causing contact damage. If you allow these tellies to keep damaging Mega Man, he will die over and over--resulting in a game over screen! Which presents itself on the 6,984th frame.
Since this route gave me the outcome I wanted, I recalled the golden rule of TASing: "If it works, it's optimal. Submit it." So I submitted it.
And remember. Timing ends after the last input.
Nach: It's time to freeze this, burn it, electrocute it, lift it up only to throw it, cut it, and just plain blow it up.
Nach: As I was saying this objective isn't one we care off. Rejecting it.