Just adding my 2 cents. I don't think we need a lot of categories.

1. Deathless. I am on the fence about this one. The death abuse in this game is so minor that I do not feel it merits a separate category. It is like a 3 second difference for the entire game. I would likely omit it, but am not

2. Kneeless. I think this is a bit too arbitrary. I don't think you can do a true low% run of this game. There are too many moves, and if it had to be, I guess it would be punch only. It would be one thing if it was like DD1 where you actually get upgraded moves, but here you just start with all of them.

3. PAL version. If there are significant version differences then I am ok with this one.

4. 1p2c. Even though I have done this, it is really a gimmick category and I don't think it has any real purpose for speedrunning sake. There is no inherent advantage to it, and it is pretty arbitrary for this game. As a general rule, I prefer not to add categories that are on the fence if they only have one runner. Makes more sense to add if there are at least a few runners.

5. Japanese. Yes. The variations in enemy HP make this qualify.

Glad we can have a good discussion about this. I thought this game was mostly dead :p

RE: Regions- Is the PAL version substantially different than the NTSC version? I've never tried it. I'm on the fence about what I think about different versions being main vs misc categories, so I apologize for having not much to add about it. I'm still kinda new to being a game moderator and haven't thought much about things like this before.

RE: Kneeless- The reason why I was hoping for a kneeless category is because we have a lack of variety with play styles (other games have low%, warpless, glitchless, etc but DD2 doesn't lend itself well to such variation) and because when I shared the idea with others (current non-runners), it piqued some interest in taking a look at a game that many are intimidated by. I guess I have a different philosophy on the matter than others do, because I don't mind arbitrary categories so long as it makes a meaningful difference in how the game progresses and if people will actually play it. However, after considering what's been said by others, I'm happy to concede that we don't need the category to be added to the site. I'm content to run it and share it with others informally. It's clear that it's more a labor of love for me that others just aren't as excited about. No biggie.

RE: Deathless- We have 3 places that deaths are typically abused in a run, and none of them make a substantial difference in how the game progresses. In fact, in my own any% runs, I avoid one of them entirely because I just don't care for it. I'm in favor of nixing this one, although I might also try it informally- especially if I'm just trying to do no-reset playthroughs.

I am sorry to bother, but I would like to suggest a category that is controversial (it needs an emulator), but both fun and challenging:

Name: Two dragons, one player.

How you do it: Make the inputs of both controllers the same, and just play the game A (could game B be done? I think not).

You are allowed, in platform sections, to make both Billy and Jimmy to stay in the same place (walk them towards a wall or something).

At the conveyor belts on stage 4, for instance, this is not possible. You have to go down with both, press left and up and jump a couple of times (and probably lose one or two lifes with Jimmy, but it is doable). When you do jump with him, Billy will probably already be in the door (it is easier than it sounds, really. Really easier).

I started doing this by accident, somewhere around 2008. Loved it to the point of no return. When I am alone, I play the game like that all the time. I do no more single player runs for mostly ten years now, but I am no speedrunner.

I would like to know how a DD god would perform it.

I hope someone likes the idea and takes it to the next level.

Again, sorry to bother.