Hello! Nice to be back. This is ikuyo, aspiring fighter, and I'm back for our first 2026
edition of Load State!
... Wait what do you mean I still got 2025 to cover?
By the way, I hope you all enjoyed InputEvelution's guest appearance last month. Every so often, you can expect some other staff member to show up and write this post. Each of us have our own preferences, priorities and feelings about the medium, and I think it's great to see all of those things come thru as they talk about what TAS work resonates with them. I'll keep you on your toes though, so don't expect much announcement beforehand.
Anyway, we got some movies to go thru! December is always a month with a lot of movies, as people find time during the holidays to make stuff.
- [6860] SNES Verne World by AmaizumiUni in 4:15:11.517 is a lenghty and somewhat obscure SNES RPG, and exactly the kind of game I would expect AmaizumiUni to eventually tackle. Their work never fails to introduce me to some hidden gems (this game doesn't even have a speedrun.com page), and the execution is clean and professional.
- Merl_ has become a specialist on indie games for both Flash and PICO8, and I will always have a soft spot for short and sweet nonlinear platformers in the vein of Bobl. As such, [6862] PICO8 Rolly by Merl_ in 02:41.933 was right up my alley. Butter smooth movement and clever death abuse makes for a breezy watch.
- In their second publication to the site, M3 gave us [6864] PSX Mega Man X6 "100%" by M3 in 58:34.695, an almost two minute improvement over the previous publication, thanks to several discoveries both big and small, as well as improved execution. For fans of this classic series, this is a must watch!
- As you well know from me, I see TASing as a form of game preservation. And, following that, TASes of "bad" or "shovelware" games will always hold a special place in my heart. As such, I ought to recommend [6865] DS Emma at the Farm by toca in 11:49.172. I am also a big fan of how seriously toca is committed to all his work, even for games like this. The submission notes for this movie are insightful and carefully crafted, just like the movie itself. Bad games deserve love!
- If you're in the mood for a short platformer with subtle optimizations all the way thru, [6866] Arcade Mr. Goemon by EZGames69 in 06:54.472 is fun and endearing. EZGames69 is an experienced TASer that I've had the pleasure to work with in the past and his output is polished as you would expect from a seasoned TASer.
- [6869] SNES VP of Goof Troop "2 players" by LeHulk in 14:48.553 is a wonderful time. LeHulk is a dedicated SNES TASer with a small but great body of work, and this Goof Troop ROM hack is fertile ground for smart routing seasoned with expressive playaround elements.
- For my RPG enthusiasts, we have a lot of lenghty movies to go thru. Aside from Verne shown above, I can recommend [6873] 3DS Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey by Tegron in 4:15:45.516, a rather infamous remake in the Mario & Luigi saga. Tegron has taken it upon himself to make movies out of every single 3DS Mario RPG, and all of them have been great to watch.
- I admit it, I have a weakness. I love women who can hit OTG. If you do too, please give [6875] Arcade Superior Soldiers "no damage" by CoolHandMike in 05:09.183, as CoolHandMike delivers a quick and painful beating to this game while taking no damage in return.
- Back to RPGs, how about a funny Pokemon clone? Non-Pokemon monster RPGs are weirdly underexplored in TASing, and it feels fitting that CasualPokePlayer, already well versed in Pokemon, would tackle a movie like [6877] DSi Crystal Monsters by CasualPokePlayer in 54:19.464. And, if I say so myself, it was a super effective choice.
- I'm always compelled to mention the Staff's efforts to reevaluate old rejected movies, and I can't let this gem slide. [6878] Genesis A Q Lián Huán Pào "Society" by Aqfaq in 05:08.330 is an obscure unlicensed game that was first submitted 14 years ago! And now it is published and available for your enjoyment. Aqfaq has a long TASing record in older systems and you can absolutely tell, even for a movie as old as this one.
- Double debut movie coming thru! [6880] NES Super Mario Bros. - Two Players Hack by SMBistic & Arbono in 04:54.715 is the first publication for both its authors, fittingly working together on a fun two-player ROM hack of Super Mario Bros. Welcome to TASVideos, SMBistic and Arbono! Excited to see more from you in the future.
- Cephla is a rather unique TASer. Her work always leads me to interesting, unique games I would have not heard of if it wasn't for her. [6884] GBA The Hat Chooses The Wizard by Cephla in 01:09.147 is no exception, and is itself a beautiful movie thanks to a fun mechanic that the author exploits to its fullest. If you crave some fun platforming action, you will be quite happy with this one!
- I've been recently playing thru the SNES port of Another World (RIP, Burger Becky), and as such, this game has been fresh on my mind. As such, I must bring up [6893] 3DO Out of This World by eien86 in 09:29.217, crafted by the always dedicated eien86, who has had a quite prolific year.
- In another wonderful debut, say hello to GTFoxN6Y0899 and his first movie, [6894] GBA Little Einsteins by GTFoxN6Y0899 in 23:57.428. While the movie appears simple, there's a lot of small optimizations, and it narrowly beats the RTA WR... despite playing on a much harder difficulty. Nice work, and welcome!
- Look, you don't get to talk about the TI83 calculator TASing scene often. So, for those craving calculator action, look no further than [6897] TI83 Mega Man 83-ASM by Twisted_Eye in 07:39.667, with all the superhuman goodness Twisted_Eye can add. Even these systems give a lot of room for fun and creative movement! Look at those boss fights!
- [6900] N64 Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine "all story levels" by Bovice in 45:23.500 is an extremely impressive debut TAS that had me cackling with glee less than a minute in. Bovice finds new ways to break every level, each more impressive than the last. Do yourself a favor and go watch it!
- I wasn''t sure what to expect when I started watching [6904] Genesis Micro Machines: Turbo Tournament '96 "Pro Head To Head" by TheRandomPie_IV in 11:17.224. But the moment I saw some aggressive offroad driving to "eliminate" the opponent, I knew I was in for a fun ride. TheRandomPie_IV has no problem playing dirty, and neither does the game, making for a deadly combination as the author abuses every loophole to win as fast as possible.
- Uroboros, the resident Resident Evil TASer, returns after 8 years with [6909] GC Resident Evil 2 "Claire B" by Uroboros in 49:51.208. With razor sharp movement and precise shooting whenever needed, this classic survival horror game is defeated with the superhuman precision we are all about here.
- [6918] NES Spacegulls by Induviel & DrD2k9 in 04:44.897 is a short and fun action platformer for the NES, and Induviel's work gets a push from DrD2k9 (the first judge of the movie), as their efforts combined improve the existing movie by over 4 seconds.
- Need some beat em up action? Vatchern got you covered! [6926] SNES Battletoads in Battlemaniacs "Pimple" by Vatchern in 19:18.359 is speedy, aggressive, fun, and has both great movement and fun hitbox shenanigans as Pimple kicks and headbutts his way through the game.
- In his first movie on the site, deogenerate delivers a significant improvement in [6927] GBA Castlevania: Circle of the Moon "warp glitch" by deogenerate in 04:59.326, with a combination of better execution and a brand new glitch to kill Dracula once again. Thank you!
Alright, so that was a wrap! There's a lot of other movies I didn't have a lot of time to mention. The last week of this month was incredibly stacked. As usual, go and watch as many movies as you can, whether or not I name them here.
And with this, I get to say goodbye to the first year of Load State. Thank you a lot for letting me yap about TASes of all shapes and sizes. It's been an honor to have this space to share my voice, my preferences on TASing and the kind of work and games I love.
If I may, I would like to ask one thing:
let me hear yours.
The 2025 edition of the TASVideos Awards is already open for nominations! Go share your love for your favorite movies and your fellow TAS makers. No matter how small you think your opinion is, I assure you, nothing makes the effort, dedication and time that tool assisted movies take than knowing someone else out there appreciates the work the authors have put on them. Go talk about it! Nominate your favorite movies, from the big hits to your personal deep cuts. Name your favorite creators! Talk about them. Talk with them, even!
Keep making things. And keep sharing the things you love. Your love for this hobby is what keeps this site going.
Thank you, and see you next month.
