This is definitely an impressive speedrun
Back in Pokémon’s heyday, it was difficult enough to catch ’em all with legitimate friends, additional cartridges, and link cables, let alone do it in record time. One talented 21-year-old speedrunner from Ohio who goes by the name of Shenanagans Smash did just that, without trading, but with the help of several glitches.
Shenanagans Smash collected all of the original 151 Pokémon (including Mew) in a mere 2:20:19, a time that makes me weep and feel inadequate. Of course, it’s important to note that this speedrun makes copious use of a process known as “Dsum manipulation” and other glitches that are used in the run to select what types of Pokémon appear in the wild, enable the player to skip the Pewter City entirely, and manipulate many other facets of the game.
You can find more information on those processes here, and it may be a little less impressive given the fact that this isn’t a “legitimate” run in that the speedrunner didn’t sit down and actually play the game proper (you can’t catch Mew without glitching), but you still have to admit it’s some kind of feat.
A New World Record For Catching The Original 151 Pokémon Quickly [Kotaku]
