The History of Contra World Records 

_* hears Matt Turk is involved *_ Oh so they're bringing back season one characters

"And the runner... ...was Matt Turk." *spits out drink*

All he had to say was Matt Turk and everyone flipped their shit.

Matt Turk is just that one friend that comes over and casually beats all your records when you are just starting the game so you have to slowly beat them all yourself

Me at the beginning : why am I watching this I don’t even play contra Me at the end: HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY GET A 1 CYCLE KILL

Matt Turk when he picks up literally any game: *Why is this game so short...*

I like how Summoning Salt has developed a speedrunner’s character universe of names I just recognize like Matt Turk, Abney317, and AndrewG

“And the runner... was Matt Turk.” *When the final boss kicks your ass during the first chapter.*

“And the runner... was Matt Turk” “Warning - The Slayer has entered the facility”

I feel like Matt Turk isn't even a person, just a construct of speedrunning created to beat world records.

this guy could literally talk about the history of paint drying and i would listen to every second of it

FYI Angrylanks did end up getting his sub 9:50 with the record currently sitting at 9:48 and change. That man is as dedicated to Contra as Summoning Salt is to making quality content.

Salt: "A time less than 10 minutes was simply unrealistic" Me: *sees half a video remaining* 🤨🤨🤨

speedrunning old games: exists matt turk: *i am speed*

I find it hilarious that after getting the records the runners are like "Yes goodbye Contra I can stop playing this god damn game" lol

Holy crap! When I was in the Army one of my NCOs got a nintendo with one game: Contra. We started playing to pass the time at lunch or on slow days. The competition started innocently enough, with who could beat the game first. Well eventually we both did. Then it became who could beat it with the most lives left. And eventually it became who could beat it the fastest. Well long story short, we were both crazy competitive and over the course of a year went from 30 minute speedruns to grinding down to the 11s or so. By the time we had to split up due to new assignments, we ended up both securing speedruns in the top 75 (at the time)! This video brought me right back to that point. Jeeze what a nostalgia trip. Thank you and great video! Btw Hangar killed SO many runs. Those damn random claws wrecked us constantly!

“And the runner... Was Matt Turk” I’d just like you to know that, out loud, I’ve just turned and gasped at my monitor. I didn’t even know who he was until yesterday and now he’s the boogeyman

"Ladies and gentlemen... Matt Turk was back." More horrifying words have never been spoken.

*Hears the word Matt Turk* “Wait why do I hear boss music?”

My favorite summoning salt trope is Runner: "this run is probably going to stand for a while" *date very close to this run appears on screen*

“And that runner, was Matt Turk” Top 10 anime plot twists

When my dad was a teen this game came out. He was really good at this game, probably his favorite, constantly beating the game in one sitting with his best bud at the arcade, including not just the first, but Contra 2 and 3 as well. He sat down and watched this video with me and it brought back so many memories and he was dumbfounded by all the strats and tactics and the amount of mechanical skill and execution required. Thanks for making this video.

"What games do you speedrun?" Matt turk: "yes"

"You only have about a 5% chance to not die, but it saves 1 second vs the record" that's when you know the optimization is getting real

Matt Turk is like the Sasquatch of Speedrunning, he shows up, blows everybody's minds, and disappears back into the ether.

The brilliance of Summoning Salt is making you care about game specific mechanics that you didn't have a clue existed, but 30mins in and you're going "OMG HE ALSO GOT THE MIDDLE FLAME CYCLE"

“The runner was Matt Turk” Excuse me what the-

SS has such a great sense of narrative. He really sets up the rules of the world in the first act well and is constantly raising the stakes and subverting expectations. He clearly communicates what makes each moment special by explaining the mechanisms involved without getting bogged down by the details that alienate casual viewers. This slow methodically paced video nearly an hour-long outlining the history of a videogame has me constantly on the edge of my seat with anticipation about what's going to happen next. Incredible documentary work. This series should really get picked up by a network or stream platform.

"we are finally landing" just sets the stage for me.

Even after 8 years, there are still only two people who've beaten DK28's last run. Angrylanks, who got the sub 9:50 just nine days after this video came out, and K1ngK0opa, who is the current record holder. He got the record on January 4th, 2023, with a 9:47.8. On the run description, he thanked SummoningSalt for this video and cited it as a huge motivation for him. He lowered it again on September 19th, 2023, which is where it sits right now: a 9:47.55.

Every Summoning Salt video: "It was considered the greatest speedrun of all time. It was considered impossible to beat"

When summoning salt uploads, you stop whatever you’re doing.

Me in my mid twenties having never heard of contra and the console being released 15 years before I was born ‘there’s no fucking way that guy bled 4 seconds on the no leap of faith jump, unbelievable’

Never thought I would hear “Matt Turk” again

"I like to play video games." -Matt Turk, probably

SummoningSalt: *releases a 50-minute video on Contra* Me, who has never played a minute of Contra: oh hell yeah put this shit in my veins

Matt Turk has been cemented in my mind as a legend, all because of the videos covering him. I wonder if he know his accomplishments would actually mean so much to so many but years later.

“Ah, a summoning salt vid to fall asleep to, ive never really cared about Contra” Salt: “Matt Turk” Me: “I’m listening”

When I heard Matt Turk I literally shot out of my chair, what hasn't this man done

Summoning Salt is Home, we're finally landing on 2020...

"which made TMR a little angry" *_proceeds to say every swear word in spanish_*

I ain’t even a gamer. I’ve never played a second of contra, but this guy makes it interesting to me. This might be the best channel on RU-vid.

50 minute video and u think I’m going to watch it??? Absolutely right

"And the runner..." "...was Matt Turk." [cue epic anime music with ominous latin chanting]

I think we all collectively said “oh shit no way” the moment Matt Turks name was mentioned

Speedrunner: "No one will ever beat this." Other Speedrunner: *beats it* Every. Freaking. Time.

2:18 "And the runner was Matt Turk" I think every speedrun video should include this line. Lol

Dude.... Matt Turk is like the OG gamer/speedruner that you would believe back on the 2000's was so good, he was able to unlock Luigi on SM64 or beat up the Light Temple on OoT xD

"I wonder what will be the longest standing record in this one" >first WR is Matt Turk "ohno"

*Matt Turk is like the living legend that everyone speaks of, but no one truly knows about. This video started playing randomly and right before I switched, I heard "Matt Turk" and started to actually watch.*

When you see that seven seconds were taken off a near perfect time, but you’re only 15 minutes into the video

26:01 for those who doesn't speak spanish, TMR is saying "nothing is wrong, this is completly ok, i'll do better, that boss was nice"

25:56 As someone who's a Spanish native speaker (Chile), I understood each and every word of his lol So hilarious 😂

Some say Heidrage is still looking for someone to join his Skype call

Narrator: "He was a little angry" The Mexican Runner: [mixed profanity in spanish and english]

Matt Turk's return might have become one of the best moments I've had with your channel

Man, this series is really getting its own lore. Like it feels like some kind of sentai show, like you've got all these waves of pro runners from different eras that form like a power rangers type team but then you've always got Matt Turk, the OG "Hidden 6th Ranger" who's been there in the shadows from the very beginning and always pops back up when the world needs him most, like Tommy always does in random seasons of Power Rangers

"And the runner..." *why do I hear boss fight music* "Was Matt Turk." *sweats nervously*

This man sets multiple Punch Out world records in July. Then, he still manages to get an hour long video out the following month. We do not deserve Summoning Salt.

Matt turk needs a God choir to play every time he's mentioned

its beyond infuriating that the "hardware glitch" hasnt been figured out.

When he says "Matt Turk" 1/5th of the way into the video, you know the rest is mostly going to be people contending for frames.

Matt Turk finding a new game to speedrun: Matt Turk: how do I play Matt Turk: *has drawn first blood!* Matt Turk: *is on a killing spree!* Matt Turk: *is on a rampage!* Matt Turk: *is unstoppable!* Matt Turk: *is dominating!* Matt Turk: *is godlike!* Matt Turk: dont worry guys i figured it out

I was waiting for "unknown to everyone, Hotarubi had actually gotten a 9:42 in 2004"

Episode 32: Contra Tracklist: 1. 0:00 HOME: We’re Finally Landing 2. 2:21 Patricia Taxxon: Retrograde 3. 5:00 TheOfficialLobst: Interdimensional 4. 7:02 HOME: Carrier Wave 5. 8:09 Prism Age: Plural 6. 10:04 HOME: Flood 7. 12:29 Nicholas Webster Simoneaux: Snacker’s Anthem (Remix) 8. 14:32 TheOfficialLobst: Cosmos 9. 15:58 Henrik Jonsson: Intergalactic Voyage 10. 18:49 Mini: Night Cruise 11. 21:24 C418: Beton 12. 23:10 Luminist: Plastic Sea 13. 24:47 Henrik Jonsson - December Daze 14. 26:58 HOME: Receiver 15. 28:39 HOME: 4 16. 31:08 Patricia Taxxon: Wavetable 17. 34:21 Patricia Taxxon: Cicada 2 18. 35:19 TheOfficialLobst: Cosmos 19. 37:39 TheOfficialLobst: Flare 20. 38:48 HOME: Headcase 21. 39:27 Patricia Taxxon: Soaring 22. 40:58 Patricia Taxxon: Cicada 2 23. 42:07 Henrik Jonsson: December Daze 24. 43:25 Henrik Jonsson: Mystical Digital 25. 45:59 HOME: 17 26. 47:49 Patricia Taxxon: Soaring 27. 49:41 HOME: We’re Finally Landing

Matt Turk in this vid is like that one really suspicious character who acts like they’re going to be a hidden boss, but just disappears halfway through the game and isn’t mentioned ever again

It has been a while since this video, but Angrylanks still holds it at the time of writing at 9m 48s 650ms

_sniffs line of Summoning Salt_ Oh yea here we go again.

"But his mashing speed wasn't as good as Heidrage's.... it was even better." C H I L L S

" And that runner was *Matt Turk* " _You've gotta be kidding me_

When he said "and the runner... was Matt Turk." Legit got chills. This dude is like Yoda.

I'd love a documentary on Matt Turk. he's such an enigma, he fascinates me!

Please never stop making these. Also you are a LITERAL GOD for listing the songs you use in your videos. The music selection is absolute chef's kiss.

"And the player was... Matt Turk" Woah, this is starting to feel like an anime. Gotta stay tuned for the next episode!

39:36 - "There was no way this could last. Something HAD to go wrong. But as Energy Zone started, he got the middle flame pattern, the perfect global timer. This was it. This was actually happening. DK was on his way to smash his own world rec-" "NOOOOOO!" I *felt* this moment deep in my soul.

“Which made TMR a little angry” TMR: Screaming*

I watched this when you first posted it. Forgot to leave a like. Yeah, Lanks is a bad ass. Posted his new record, then decided to beat it in less than 24 hours. I was closing in on 10 minutes, and felt like sub 10 was a real possibility. I think the thing only a speed runner would understand is the absolute mental and emotional fatigue involved. It's much more than simple "burn out". When you spent your Saturday, not playing Contra, but tightening up the Base One boss fight. And that's it. For 9 -1/2 hours. Just reset, kill boss, reset, kill boss. Sunday, it's Base Two boss, practicing the glitch kill, for another 10 hours. I don't like to think about how much time I spent on the Waterfall. It seems silly to some people, but these records really are no small feat. It takes dedication.

I love how all of these masterpieces involve the same characters, that's some great lore hahaha

Game developer: “this game takes 3 hours to finish” Matt Turk: “three take it or leave it...” Game developer: “yea that’s what we said three ho-“ Matt Turk: *minutes*

as an update Angrylanks managed to get a sub 9:50 getting a 9:48.650 His 1 cycle kill was insanely fast saving 1 second and his stage 6 boss was the perfect, not jumping at all and immediately focusing on the boss He got the middle timer for energy plant and he was slightly hesitant with hanger No Yolo Jump or Leap of faith his noticeable time loss was in stage 2 base losing 0.1 seconds but made it up by a less hesitant start to snow field it's possible to lower the time if someone risked the yolo jump and/or leap of faith with the skills in his latest run I think i know who could beat it and his name.... is Matt Turk

Eh I’m not a huge Contra fan- “Matt Turk.” **Explodes**

I love how he hasn’t stopped with the HOME and other similar artists soundtrack, we’re finally landing is pretty much this series’s theme

DK is on his way to smash his own world recor- *NO!!* Exactly my reaction

i gotta love angrylanks’ 9:5X time split names, like “jumping joey” and “dont fuck it up”. you genuinely know he has been grinding for that long when reading those.

3 guaranteed for things in life: Death Taxes And Summoning Salt posting great videos when we need them the most

In another reality, where NES wasn't marketed as brilliantly in the US during the 1980s, we would have Mr. Salt talking about the speedrun world record history of Alex Kidd, Zillion, Fantasy Zone, and maybe even Choplifter.

jezus I'm not even into speedrunning and watched an hour long "documentary" about speedrunning... great creator

Loving these mic drop lines. "His mashing speed wasn't as good as Heidrage's... it was better."

At this point we need a video dedicated to Matt Turk and all the WR speedruns hes just left to be beaten.

Matt Turk starting to sound like a literal 90s action hero legend with how early he was at making difficult times to beat well after his time, and to inspire others to pursue his times dispite how crazy those times are

Is no one going to talk about the fact angrylanks beat that time literally the day after this video was released

At the reveal of the 2005 runner’s name, I literally leaned back and said, out loud, “oh, come on!”

Matt Turk - Check Intense competition - Check Regular Summoning Salt Music we all love - Check What’s not to love?

DK28's mashing + Angrylanks's knowledge = Current WR K1ngK0opa 💪

"But his mashing speed wasn't as good as Heidrage, it was better" gave me goosebumps.

26:01 That was the most Mexican cursing I've ever heard during a speed-run.

I like how SS makes me feel like an expert: "better get the middle lazer...".

"And the runner... Was Matt Turk" Hahahaha, good joke, Summoning Salt. You ALMOST got me there again, but I already watched you make that joke before. Cut out that tense music! There is NO WAY Matt Turk would be in this story... ... Why... Why the music haven't stopped? Aren't you elongating the joke a bit too much?... Wait... Why are you explaining who he is? Is this?... Are you?... ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS!?!? I love this guy. And I also love Matt Turk. What a legend... And Matt Turk too ;3

Speedrunners Movie: Matt Turk's unbreakable records Speedrunners Movie 2: Matt Turk Strikes Back

Speedrun record: **exists** Matt Turk: *Flippity floppity, your time is my property.*