Wee update:

I've packed 3 USB microphones, a 4-way USB adapter (essentially giving us 5 USB slots on the one console), an Xbox 360 with cables, Rock Band 3 and The Beatles Rock Band. The DLC I've got on the 360 includes songs from Rock Band 1, 2, Lego, Blitz, AC/DC and Green Day, along with literally a tonne of other songs.

EDIT: Oops. I found a Guitar controller that totally fits in the suitcase. Bringing that along.

If anyone needs to, I can also bring along a MIDI adapter for keyboard/drum kits.

While we're at it, we should include the non-Eurasians (Americans, Brazilians, Australians etc.) who regularly attend and I propose the PERFECT name for ESA:

THE EARTHLING SPEEDRUNNER ASSEMBLY!

@BBF The Rock Band 3 drum kit has a port that can connect to a 2nd bass pedal. Not sure if that works for the Guitar Hero games though (I think they all have a Double Bass mode from Guitar Hero Metallica onwards).

I also just realised that because Microsoft are jerks I might not be able to just transfer the DLC to your Xbox 360. If I have enough space in my suitcase I might just bring mine instead to save a lot of trouble (trust me, you want ALL THE DLC)

We're still Europeans for at least 2 years minimum, so there's no real rush to change the name.

Besides, not all European countries are part of the European Union (I'm looking at you, Norway).

I can bring microphones and possibly one of the guitars.

Which Rock Band/Guitar Hero will you be bringing? I've got a crap tonne of DLC for the Rock Band games that are all compatible with Rock Band 3 (over 1000 songs)

Pretty good looking schedule. I'm perfectly fine with running X-men: Mojo World at the time it's set for (and hopefully so is Robosparkle). I'll definitely be making an effort to catch more games than I did last year (curse you, Mafia!)

I'll be there for the entire event, so if a spare hour comes up I can easily run Metal Gear 2, since that got through the 2nd round of cuts but was cut in the third round.

Awesome that I got one game in, but I'm VERY disappointed that Metal Gear 2 got cut. Can someone explain why?

Still, this looks to be an amazing ESA. Looking forward to it.

Some updates on my games:

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake - I've had some work commitments recently, so I've not practiced as much as I'd like to. My runs however have been becoming somewhat more consistent thanks to a couple of new strats I found out about, but my estimate shall stay the same. I should probably also mention I got a new WR of this game a couple weeks ago (52:45 RTA). EDIT: Since making this above comment, I've smashed my PB twice. My 52:33 run should be in speedrun.com shortly since that has the faster IGT time, but my RTA PB is only faster by a single second. Here it is:

X-men: Mojo World - I just got a new WR of 5:08 after a small practice session. I don't know if it's possible/practical to reduce the estimate by mere seconds, but if it is, I'd like it reduced to 5 minutes 30 seconds.

Also, I'm available for the entire event. I'd like Metal Gear 2 to come straight after Pogington's run of Metal Gear if possible for commentary and set-up purposes (we're sharing the same console and game disc for both games).

Matse, you're a bit quick to accuse me considering I was sitting on the other side from Eidgod. And no, Zephyr, I'm not a mason because I'm actually the medic. You must be mafia.

Will it just be the one group playing at a time? Or will there be multiple groups (towns, even) at once?

I'd also like to point out that Eidgod is mafia because I heard him moving last night during the mafia phase.

Updates on my runs

EDIT: Metal Gear 2: I beat my PB/WR by 27.5 seconds! And since I've also beaten my IGT PB/WR on the same run, it should show on the leaderboards (video below anyway). I've been getting a lot of sub55 runs recently, so I feel that at this point I can safely reduce my estimate by 5 minutes to 55 minutes.

EDIT: X-Men Mojo World: I've done a lot of derusting yesterday and already managed to get some decent runs. I've not quite managed to beat my PB, but I'm generally only 10-20 seconds behind, so the estimate will stay the same.

EDIT: World of Illusion: Pogington and I just started de-rusting and already beat our online PB by 12 seconds. I reckon with more practice we'll actually stand a small chance to not come in last during the race. Pogington should be uploading the run to speedrun.com shortly.

I'll be updating this post as necessary, but I don't expect any more estimate changes.

Ooh, this looks like a lot of fun. Count me in.

Woo! 3 out of 4 ain't bad :D

Question: If your leaderboard uses in game timer rather than RTAs, how would you go about updating your progress? Should I just post my best times here or elsewhere at the forums? The in game timer for Metal Gear 2 isn't accurate compared to RTA because it doesn't seem to take failed sections (I died once during the run that's at speedrun.com), menu navigation, loading times and cutscenes into account. I've beaten my RTA PB since that run, but not my IGT PB.

Out of the few runs I watched, I'd have to go for 007 Nightfire as my favourite. The skips were absolutely hilarious and the run as a whole was amazing. The rest of the runs (from what I saw anyway) were amazing and the marathon as a whole was very enjoyable to watch. Would take part in again :D

Game Name: Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (HD) System: PC Category: Any% Gameplay Estimate: 40:00 Ending bonus estimate: None Possible donation incentives: None Sample run video: Description: This was run at last ESA as a four way race. It was VERY close and I had loads of fun commentating with Btrim during the race. This is a remake of the classic Sega Mega Drive game of the same name in which Mickey Mouse attempts to rescue Minnie mouse from the evil Mizrabel. This run has a few skips, but mainly relies on movement and gem collecting (obviously while going fast). I'll be willing to run this solo or as a race against anyone else who submits.

Availability: Like my other post says, I will definitely be available on all days at some point, but I won't find out what my work schedule will be like until the week before the event starts.

Game Name: Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake System: MSX, played on PS2 via Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence Category: Any% Original Gameplay Estimate: 01:00:00 Ending/Bonus Estimate: 00:05:00 (this also shows the in game time and a bunch of stats) Possible Donation Incentives: None Sample run video: Description: This game introduced many of the gameplay and story elements of the Metal Gear series, such as long cutscenes (almost all of them skippable), crawling, strange puzzles, a radar and noisy ground. The run itself consists mainly of movement optimization, a small amount of AI manipulation and hopefully good RNG, with some inventory management as well. Some of the boss battles also involve some VERY wacky tricks, mainly by using explosives.

Game Name: X-Men: Mojo World System: Sega Master System, played on Sega Mega Drive Category: Any% Suicidal Gameplay Estimate: 00:06:00 Ending/Bonus Estimate: None Possible Donation Incentives: None Sample run video: Description: This is a challenging game where you beat up people and perform some difficult jumps. Unless you're playing as Rogue in which case you can just FLY THROUGH THE ENTIRE GAME! The boss battles are incredibly easy, with only the 2nd and 4th boss battles having any strategy at all. The run on the video was played on an emulator, which I might end up using if it doesn't work on the Mega Drive.

EDIT: I will definitely be available on all days at some point, but I won't find out what my work schedule will be like until the week before the event starts, so there's a slight chance of some overlap :/

EDIT EDIT: I've noticed RoboSparkle submitted X-Men: Mojo World too. I'll be happy to race against him if both of our submissions are accepted.

I've got a few donation incentives for Prince of Persia - The Forgotten Sands:

Costume bid war: Unfortunately I only have the regular version of this game, so I've only got two costumes for this game (I believe some versions have other costumes). There's the default costume (Prince) or Ezio's costume (Assassin's Creed II). Costumes are purely cosmetic and don't affect the run at all.

Glitched Cutscene: Just over half way through the run there's a cutscene that plays after I skip a level load trigger. Normally I skip the cutscene, but it's incredibly glitched and only takes 30 seconds or so to watch. I'm thinking a low incentive for this Here it is (Played on PS3, but this glitch is possible on PC):

EDIT: There's also a fantastic glitch I simply like to call leg%. I want to show it off after the run, but I don't know if it should be a donation incentive or if I should just do it anyway. What is this glitch? Well, let's put it this way... the prince ends up "topless".

Although not marked as such, I'm now thinking 1:55:00 might be too safe for Prince of Persia - The Forgotten Sands. 1:50:00 might be a much better estimate.

It's been a while since I last played Magic: The Gathering, and I was fairly bad at it too.

But hell with it, sign me up! It's still a fun game.

That's a cool schedule you've got going. I just have one request though: Would it be possible for Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands to be moved a wee bit? The only reason I ask is because my brother (Pogington) and I were hoping to catch Age of Empires II, which is on at the same time.