VGS Christmas Contest 2024 - Win a copy of 8-bit Xmas 2024! [ENDED]

[ZeldaFreak | 3,875]

@PII @Gloves @Bearcat-Doug @mbd39 @Richardhead @Dr. Morbis @NESfiend @docile tapeworm @BlackVega @SuperJimtendo @G-type @RH @Red @8bitdontquit  @wongojack @a3quit4s @Murray @Krunch @TriHart @Abner Stomps @TWarwick07 @Kguillemette @Scrobins @Deadeye @Aguy @spacepup @drxandy @TDIRunner @Mega Tank @Splain @nesmaster14 @RegularGuyGamer @Gaia Gensouki @Jicsan @ZeldaFan042 @darkchylde28 @DefaultGen @Brickman @the_wizard_666 @JVOSS @koifish @acromite53 @KokiriChild @Jeevan @Bonanza125 @Lago @Avgn Gamer @CT @multiboot @ndsnfr @Link @fcgamer @rdrunner @Wasg13 @North @Nugfish @captmorgandrinker @DoctorEncore @Sumez @D~Funk 

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(If any of you would like to be removed from this ping list for future events, please let me know and I'll take your name off the list! Or, likewise, if you'd like to be added to the list, let me know as well! For these events, I ping people who have participated in previous events, and/or people who I think would be generally interested in future events.)

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8-BIT XMAS 2024 CART WINNER

Red

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1ST PLACE WINNER
koifish - 14 Points

2ND PLACE WINNER
Red - 12 Points

3RD PLACE WINNER
nesmaster14 - 6 Points

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Heya there everyone, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all yet again! For this year's Christmas contest, we're going to be playing 8-bit Xmas 2018 on NES!

 

 

...Oh, and also 8-bit Xmas 2021.

 

 

...And did I mention 8-bit Xmas 2022?

That's right, this year, we're doing something a little bit different: We're playing multiple 8-bit Xmas games all at once, a three-for-all!

If you don't already have them, you can download the free ROMs for 8-bit Xmas 2018 here, 2021 here, and 2022 here!

Now, first and foremost, here are the specifics for each individual game, so you all know what you're meant to be doing:

8-bit Xmas 2018

Spoiler

8-bit Xmas 2018 is very similar to SkiFree! The D-pad controls your movement, and the A button jumps. While you're in the air, you can press the A button a few more times to attempt to perform tricks.

Try to get as high of a score as possible, your score will continually increase as you progress down the slopes. However, if you at any point tumble over anything, your score counter will reset back to 500. Your score will progress naturally just via going down the slopes, however jumping, going through the red gates, hitting the ramps, and successfully landing tricks will give you big boosts to your score. Keep going for as long as you can until you eventually tumble, at which point you'll be able to take a photo/screenshot of your score. When you do tumble, careful not to immediately press the jump button again, as that will reset your score!

8-bit Xmas 2021

Spoiler

8-bit Xmas 2021 is essentially Excitebike! The D-pad controls your duck (up and down to turn, left and right to adjust your angle when you're in the air,) the A button accelerates, and the B button turbos. You'll be playing against 3 CPU opponents, but their scores are irrelevant, they're more so just obstacles for you to potentially crash in to. Every track is randomly generated, so every run will be a bit different.

Try to get as high of a score as possible, the goal here isn't necessarily just to get to the finish line, it's to get the highest score you can; think of the finish line as more of a time limit. You can see how far you've progressed through the track via the long green bar near the top of the screen, just below everyone's scores. To increase your score, you want to try and maintain a fairly high speed as often as you can. The faster you go, the quicker your score increases. If you go too slow, stall out, tumble, etc, your score will stop increasing and you'll have to get back up to a good speed again. You want to try and avoid letting the short green bar next to your score fill all the way up however, which you can only do if you turbo for too long: if you let it fill up, you'll stall out and won't be able to move for a few seconds, so be careful when turboing. Once you cross the finish line, you'll be able to take a photo/screenshot of your score.

8-bit Xmas 2022

Spoiler

8-bit Xmas 2022 is the original Super Mario Bros. on NES, except the layout of the world is completely randomized, and it never ends. You only have one life, and coins (which are capped at 12) act as a timer, which slowly ticks down, meaning your coins slowly disappear over time. If you run out of coins, you die (in addition to all the standard ways you can die in Mario Bros.) The game keeps track of both your score, and your distance.

The focus for this particular contest is on your distance, try to get as far as you can before dying! Your score in this game will only be used as a tiebreaker in the unlikely event there happens to be a tie with any distance submissions. So, your main focus should be on your distance, as that is what will determine everyone's places for this game. When you eventually run out of time and game over, you'll be booted back to the main menu, which will now showcase your distance and score. Once you make it back to that screen, you'll be able to take a photo/screenshot of your distance.

Additionally... well... guess who's back. Again. This guy just never learns his lesson, does he? @The Grinch returns yet again, rambling his usual mumbo jumbo about ruining Christmas and whatnot. Here is how the scoring system will work this time around:

Everyone will have their scores/distances for each of the three games tracked independently from one another. For every one of the three games, the person in first place gets 5 points, the person in second place gets 4 points, third place 3 points, fourth place 2 points, and fifth place and below 1 point. Those of you who end up with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd most amount of cumulative points added up across all of the games will win the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place cash prizes, respectively.

Additionally, for every one of the three games you participate in, regardless of your score, you will be granted 1 entry in to a raffle to win a physical copy of 8-bit Xmas 2024, once again very kindly donated by @retroUSB for the contest! This means that if you submit scores of any amount for all three games, you will get 3 entries in to the raffle, regardless of how high your scores are. Additionally, @The Grinch will be competing and posting his own scores throughout the contest. If your final score ends up higher than the Grinch's final score in any of the respective games, you will be granted an additional entry in to the raffle. So, if you play all three games, and all three of your scores are higher than the Grinch's, you can get up to 6 entries in to the raffle! However, @The Grinch himself will gain one entry in to the raffle for every final score he beats by the end of the contest, and that could really add up, so try your best to stay ahead of him as best you can!

This will have no bearing on the standard 1st, 2nd & 3rd place prizes, this is simply a bonus prize in addition to those other prizes, same as previous years.

So, with all that said, here are all the prizes up for grabs:

1st Place:  $25 Amazon gift card or cash equivalent
2nd Place:  $20 Amazon gift card or cash equivalent
3rd Place:  $15 Amazon gift card or cash equivalent
Participation, per game: 8-bit Xmas 2024 cartridge raffle entry x1 (max of x3 entries)
Surpass the Grinch's Final Score, per game: 8-bit Xmas 2024 cartridge raffle entry x1 (max of x6 entries)

The only further stipulations to the contest are as follows:

• As you would expect, no save states, cheat codes, slow motion, turbo controllers, etc. are allowed. Anything that would give you any kind of advantage over playing the base game on real hardware is not allowed. If it feels like cheating, consider it not allowed.
• In-game exploits/glitches which allow you to increase your score in a way that wasn't intended are not allowed. If you're unsure about whether or not something would count as an exploit, feel free to PM me and ask about it.
• When you submit your score/distance, make sure your VGS username is visible somewhere within view of the photo/screenshot of your score. It could be a slip of paper with your VGS username written down on it, or a text document displaying your VGS username. Use whatever method you like, so long as your username is clearly visible alongside your score/distance.
• In the event you roll the score/distance counter over (I believe this would only be possible in 8-bit Xmas 2018 and 2022, don't think it's possible in 2021) just tell me how many times you rolled the counter over whenever you post the photo/screenshot of your score, as there wouldn't really be a good time to stop and take a pic before it rolls over in either game.
• Only scores/distances that have been achieved after this contest has started will be accepted.
• If you've already submitted a score/distance, and you end up getting a better one, you may of course submit the better score/distance, and it will simply replace your previous entry.

This event will last from now until 12/31/2024 at 11:59 PM EST, a little over a week and a half from now. I figured I'd give you all a few extra days for this contest, since I imagine many of you are going to be quite busy over the holiday season, and since we're playing multiple games all at once here, I figure you all might need a bit longer to master them all. Once we make it past that deadline, that'll be the cutoff point for new score submissions. I'll tally everyone's final scores up, and deal out prizes accordingly!

If anyone has any questions about anything, please feel free to ask, as this contest's format is slightly more complicated than usual. Hopefully I explained everything alright, but if you're confused about anything, just let me know and I'll clarify!

Good luck, and I hope you all have fun! Remember that there are real prizes on the line here, so try your best!

[ZeldaFreak | 3,875]

• LEADERBOARD/RAFFLE TICKETS EARNED

1. koifish - 8-bit Xmas 2018: 1,523,131 | 8-bit Xmas 2021: 138,580 | 8-bit Xmas 2022: 103 | 4 Tickets
2. Red - 8-bit Xmas 2018: 595,212 | 8-bit Xmas 2021: 136,260 | 8-bit Xmas 2022: 110 | 4 Tickets
3. nesmater14 - 8-bit Xmas 2018: 275,961 | 8-bit Xmas 2021: 123,890 | 8-bit Xmas 2022: 81 | 3 Tickets
4. bag - 8-bit Xmas 2018: 756,654 | 8-bit Xmas 2021: 123,690 | 8-bit Xmas 2022: 48 | 3 Tickets
5. JamesRobot - 8-bit Xmas 2018: 915,884 | 8-bit Xmas 2021: 120,960 | 8-bit Xmas 2022: 46 | 3 Tickets
6. Splain - 8-bit Xmas 2018: 265,950 | 8-bit Xmas 2021: 126,290 | 8-bit Xmas 2022: 24 | 3 Tickets
7. RH - 8-bit Xmas 2018: 301,175 | 8-bit Xmas 2021: 111,830 | 8-bit Xmas 2022: 27 | 3 Tickets
8. Gloves - 8-bit Xmas 2018: X | 8-bit Xmas 2021: X | 8-bit Xmas 2022: 88 | 1 Ticket
9. CT - 8-bit Xmas 2018: X | 8-bit Xmas 2021: X | 8-bit Xmas 2022: 77 | 1 Ticket
10. a3quit4s - 8-bit Xmas 2018: 100,883 | 8-bit Xmas 2021: X | 8-bit Xmas 2022: X | 1 Ticket

• THE GRINCH'S FINAL SCORES/RAFFLE TICKETS EARNED
• 8-bit Xmas 2018: 1,069,132 | 8-bit Xmas 2021: 143,830 | 8-bit Xmas 2022: 103 | 21 Tickets

[The Grinch | 78]

• THE GRINCH'S SCORES:
• 8-bit Xmas 2018

1,069,132

462,881

80,553

 

 

 

• 8-bit Xmas 2021

143,830

129,740

91,360

 

 

 

• 8-bit Xmas 2022

103

62

19

 

 

Edited December 30, 2024 by The Grinch

[The Grinch | 78]

In the glow of the screens where the Sages sit and play
I, the sly Grinch, plan for a most devious day.

Those games and those gadgets, oh how they enthrall
With my sneaky sneak sneakery, I will steal them all!

I'll creep through the windows as quiet as the night,
Those controllers and consoles, I'll snatch everything in sight.

Those Sages will despair,
Frett, Cry, and scream!
This Christmas, I will steal every Sage's sweet dreams!
 

[RH | 5,413]

2018: 140,000 301,175

2021: 111,830

2022: 16 27

Edited December 25, 2024 by RH

[koifish | 628]

the grinch mario game still gives me PTSD

[Splain | 2,876]

Your days are numbered GRINCH!

[The Grinch | 78]

19 hours ago, Splain said:

Your days are numbered GRINCH!

Well, you're right about one thing, jolly ole SPLAIN...
Only 10 more days for the Grinch to bring the PAIN

And from where I sit now, I'm on top of the heap
That 8bit Xmas is MINE to KEEP!

[SuperJimtendo | 1,241]

I would love to play again this year. Had that grinchs number last year. But personal life is not going to allow for it. Getting off ready grinchypoo! Have fun everyone!

[ZeldaFreak | 3,875]

Hope y'all are prepping some scores! Remember you've got 'til the end of the month this time around, so you all should have plenty of time to practice.

[RH | 5,413]

Is there a score secret to Skiing.

I gave this game a few tries and I was able to figure it out and it seemed to be consistent. However a time or two, I either made just a single jump or made it through a slalom or two and I had my score jump from around 10k to about 45k. I have no clue what happened but when I saw those scores, I know I hadn’t done THAT well.

[ZeldaFreak | 3,875]

8 minutes ago, RH said:

Is there a score secret to Skiing.

I gave this game a few tries and I was able to figure it out and it seemed to be consistent. However a time or two, I either made just a single jump or made it through a slalom or two and I had my score jump from around 10k to about 45k. I have no clue what happened but when I saw those scores, I know I hadn’t done THAT well.

So, for 2018, if you just hit a ramp normally, that'll obviously give you a moderate increase in points as-is. However, if after you hit the ramp and are in the air, you press the A button a few times to attempt a trick, and you land successfully afterwards, that nets you a much bigger bump in points than just hitting a ramp and landing normally without attempting a trick, but obviously it's inherently a bit riskier than just hitting it normally.

[koifish | 628]

So the grinch game is as frustrating as I remember, the skiing game is actually pretty fun and relaxing, but holy hell, where has four-player excitebike been all my life? This game is great fun. I wonder if the 4player works on Famicom.

[Gloves | 12,574]

I'm gonna put up a score on the grinch game since it's the only one I own physically and I don't wanna win any prizes anyway, but it's a fun time so this will be my excuse. 

[nesmaster14 | 479]

275,961 - 2018

123,890 - 2021

81 - 2022 

Improved score a bit, '22 was my go-to but all three were fun.   And in Skiing, carving the slopes to 8-bit Mariah Carey, haha.

Old original post: 54 - 8-bit Xmas '22

I forgot how fun this one is.  Good stuff!

Edited December 30, 2024 by nesmaster14
new scores

[JamesRobot | 6,256]

Aw yeah! 

2018: 915,884

 

2021: 120,960

 

2022: 46

Edited December 29, 2024 by JamesRobot

[JamesRobot | 6,256]

Grinch got nothing on me.  Monster score for 2018!

[ZeldaFreak | 3,875]

19 hours ago, nesmaster14 said:

54 - 8-bit Xmas '22

I forgot how fun this one is.  Good stuff!

That's your username down there, right? Just double checking since it's so tiny in the pic I honestly can't really read it, haha.

[The Grinch | 78]

On 12/21/2024 at 8:47 PM, SuperJimtendo said:

I would love to play again this year. Had that grinchs number last year. But personal life is not going to allow for it. Getting off ready grinchypoo! Have fun everyone!

Grinchy who?
Grinchy POO?!!

Well poo Christmas and poo on you!
Poo on you and the rest of the Who's!  
 

[The Grinch | 78]

4 hours ago, JamesRobot said:

Grinch got nothing on me.  Monster score for 2018!

Nothing on you and your one paltry score?
I've got your number and you'll get nothing more.  
I'll surpass you in these games, all three 
That prize will be mine, just wait and see!

[Splain | 2,876]

2018 - 265,950

 

2021 - 126,290

 

2022 - 024

[Splain | 2,876]

Would be neat to see a table of scores per game, so we can see who is getting the "cumulative" points for each of the games

[ZeldaFreak | 3,875]

37 minutes ago, Splain said:

Would be neat to see a table of scores per game, so we can see who is getting the "cumulative" points for each of the games

Your wish is my command (I'm still keeping track of JR's scores, though since he's a member of the Events team, he's ineligible to win any of the prizes)

[a3quit4s | 4,526]

lol 40,204 60,083 70,081 100,883 on 2018

 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2024 by a3quit4s

[ZeldaFreak | 3,875]

17 minutes ago, a3quit4s said:

lol 40,204 60,083 70,081 100,883 on 2018

Jesus Christ every time I refresh it's a new score