Like any sub-culture, speedrunning is known for creating its own unique vocabulary that, at times, can sound like an entirely different language. Fortunately, we have folks like Abyssoft to act as our Sherpas and guide us up the treacherous speedrunning mountain. His latest video explains New Pokémon Snap’s “Obama skip,” the most recent “what the heck does that mean” term to enter the community lexicon.
Obama skip actually has very little to do with the former United States president apart from his name sounding similar to Abomasnow, the ice- and grass-type Pokémon the technique was invented to bypass. Abomasnow’s antics in Shiver Snowfield have frustrated New Pokémon Snap speedrunners since the game’s release in April, but players recently discovered that they could stop it from impeding their progress through the level with a well-timed apple throw.
Of course, Obama skip is far from the most bizarre speedrunning term. Abyssoft even lists off a few at the beginning of his video, including Super Metroid’s “Soft Poops,” Super Mario Kart’s “Jesus Shroom,” and Metroid Prime’s “Ice Beam Before Flaaghra After Flaaghra.” But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Here are some more I find particularly funny:
- “Buttslapping,” a technique found in several Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games that extends the length and height of an on-foot jump.
- “Elevator sip,” which is just a way to skip an elevator in Super Mario 3D Land whose name was misspelled by the person who discovered it.
- “The turret flippy skippy tricky flingy wingy swingy thingy,” a Portal trick that speaks for itself.
- The “ass chest” is an invisible treasure chest in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time whose contents can be manipulated.
- And of course, who can forget Super Mario Odyssey’s “wet nut jump,” which is a really good description of how the infinite jump glitch is performed while also sounding wonderfully lewd.
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The most humorous thing about Obama skip, at least to me, is that the name far outshines the trick. Not to diminish its importance to New Pokémon Snap speedrunnning, but the reference to one of the most popular, well-known presidents in United States history led me to believe it would be a little, I don’t know, flashier. I guess they can’t all be as great as the wet nut jump.