Absolute beginner here. What is the best way to start even attempting to speedrun SM64? I would be using PAL. I don't want to stream or anything right now - maybe if I actually get the hang of it.

There's a guide for 16/70/120 stars by GothicLogic > https://www.speedrun.com/sm64/guide/cxkjo also use NTSC instead PAL is way slower.

But my N64 is PAL, any way to use NTSC? Would PAL be okay to even begin on and move to NTSC later?

if you get this game on Wii U, it will be the NTSC version by default. PAL is slower but its not that much slower. it runs at 5/6 the speed that NTSC does (i.e it is about 17% slower). but on the plus side, it makes the game slightly easier :)

as a PAL player myself, i had to deal with that for a while too. its probably cheaper to buy a Wii U than buy a NTSC N64 + a NTSC copy of the game + a CRT TV (if you dont have one already)

Thanks for the reply man. That's some good information that eases my mind about it. I won't be breaking any WRs, just want to do it for enjoyment and to hopefully improve along the way. And the fact that it makes it slightly easier to play is a big plus to me. Sweet, I will just start to practice this weekend.

you can buy cheap japanese n64 on ebay for (£30-40) and sm64 japanese is about £7

you should join the discord of SM64 BirdLaw. you will get a much faster reply from way more experienced players for questions you have

Thanks, I will check it out. For now I will just try practicing to see if I even enjoy trying to speedrun. I might hate it, or not have the time to properly commit to it. The missus will be annoyed if I cancel plans to play SM64 :P