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Guinness reinstates Billy ‘King of Kong’ Mitchell’s world records
Guinness World Records reinstates Billy "Video Game Player of the Century" Mitchell's 'Donkey Kong' and 'Pac-Man' records.
Billy Mitchell is taking his ‘Donkey Kong’ cheating saga to court
Former Donkey Kong world record holder Billy Mitchell is taking the scorekeeping organization Twin Galaxies to court.
Twin Galaxies partners with Twitch for 24/7 online channel
Twin Galaxies, record keepers of the gaming world, have launched their own 24/7 internet channel, dubbed "Twin Galaxies Live." The channel uses Skype and Twitch to foster interaction between broadcasters and audience members, and also features a schedule guide so viewers can see what's coming up next. Twitch COO Kevin Lin said in a press release that, "since records are constantly being set and broken in real time on Twitch, having Twin Galaxies on our platform is a perfect fit. We look forward to seeing great gaming content from the Twin Galaxies team." Twin Galaxies Live will feature regular programming, showcases, talk shows and playthroughs, as well as tournament and speedrun coverage. [Image: Twin Galaxies]
Twin Galaxies relaunches, drops fee requirement for score submissions
Long-running video game record-keeping site Twin Galaxies has overhauled its score submission guidelines, removing a controversial fee requirement in an effort to make the community more accessible to fans of classic arcade gaming. The decision follows up on the recent appointment of gaming veteran Jace Hall as the organization's Head Custodian and Caretaker. Twin Galaxies previously instituted steep submission fees in the wake of a months-long period of inactivity, demanding that record-seekers pay the organization $25 for a single score application and verification. Refunds will be issued to paying applicants, and the organization will resume normal operation upon the launch of a redesigned website. Twin Galaxies and its previous owner Walter Day played key roles in the 2007 documentary film The King of Kong, verifying submitted scores for the hotly contested Donkey Kong world record. [Image: Twin Galaxies]
Twin Galaxies accepting record score submissions, now at a cost
Legendary arcade scoring organization Twin Galaxies had to take a break from tracking scores for about six months as the company went through a transition last year, but as of last week it's back in business and ready for score submissions.There is one catch, however. The company charge to report your scores: $25 for one submission, $60 for three submissions, or $75 for five submissions. Each score submission requires video proof – you may include more than one score in the video – but each video can only cover one game. If you want to submit both Donkey Kong and Rampage scores, for example, you'll need to pay twice.The new ownership says the old database was "damaged yet not completely irretrievable," and the fees will go towards smoothing out the verification process and evolving the website "beyond its status as the premier competitive scoring service, and into an interactive gaming platform."So, think you can do better than Hank Chien?
Steve Wiebe publicly attempting to best his own Donkey Kong high score
After much back and forth earlier this year, currently, Steve Wiebe is sitting comfortably atop Twin Galaxies' worldwide leaderboard in Donkey Kong. But that's not enough for Chicago's Logan Hardware. The soon to be re-opened hardware store has hired Wiebe to not just teach a Donkey Kong class, but also to spend nearly five hours attempting to best his own high score on January 15. The public is free to attend the attempt, whereas the class costs $12 -- if you're looking to snap a pic with Wiebe or to have him sign your ultra limited edition laserdisc copy of King of Kong, ponying up the $12 is probably your best option. If that weren't enough, Logan's throwing in a free t-shirt and the chance to ask Wiebe what he really thinks of Billy Mitchell's hot sauce brand. And, surely, the answer to that last question is priceless.
Star player earns success in Sin & Punishment contest
Nintendo and "official" game score authority Twin Galaxies have named a winner in their Sin & Punishment: Star Successor contest. "Andrew F." from Milwaukee, Wis. claimed the title with his 68,126,154-point score in Level 3 of Treasure's Wii rail shooter -- on hard mode, of course. And using the Wiimote and Nunchuk, of course. For his feat, Mr. F. wil be awarded two black Wiimotes, two black Classic Controller Pros, two Zappers and a plaque. His achievement will also be submitted for consideration in the Guinness World Records 2011 Edition. In addition, he received a commemorative Joystiq post for his achievement. This has been Joystiq Post About Andrew F.'s High Sin and Punishment 2 Score 2010, In Honor of Andrew F. Seriously, though, that's an awesome score.
Steve Wiebe is the King of Kong again
Billy Mitchell must be pissed. The certified "Video Game Player of the [20th] Century" has lost the Donkey Kong world record -- again -- to longtime rival Steve Wiebe. Wiebe nudged Billy's July 31 record of 1,062,800 points with a masterful 1,064,500-point effort, achieved on August 20 and confirmed today by score authority Twin Galaxies. The two rivals memorably starred in the 2007 documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. Hank Chien, who ever so briefly enjoyed the limelight, falls to third on the all-time leaderboard. [Pictured: Billy Mitchell; photo credit: Joshuah Bearman]
There is a new King of Kong
Sorry, it's not a sequel to King of Kong, the documentary that showed the battle between ruthless Billy Mitchell and nice guy Steve Wiebe to become the world's best Donkey Kong player. This is a new guy on the scene, 35-year-old plastic surgeon Hank Chien, who's just taken the world record in the game according to Twin Galaxies with 1,061,700 points after a two-and-a-half-hour session. Chien says he expects that the honor will keep him "pelvis-deep in cocaine and highly-desirable sexual partners for all of my days." Or at least we bet he was thinking that.
Walter Day retires from Twin Galaxies, gaming hall of fame to be opened
Open up that 40 oz. of Bawls and pour one out for Walter Day, who just this past week announced his intentions to retire as head of the gaming world's official scorekeepers, Twin Galaxies. In an interview conducted by TG's Josh Houslander, the regularly pinstripe-clad referee and musician took the time to not only spell out his future plans (he's focusing on his music), but also detail the upcoming inauguration of the International Video Game Hall of Fame and Museum in Ottumwa, Iowa (a town in Iowa that's vying for the title you see above). "I like to dream big and shoot for the stars, and that's what I'm doing now," Day says in the lengthy video interview (found in full after the break). He says that he'll be on hand for the inaugural ceremonies on August 5 - 8, but in the future, Day will be little more than an attendee at various Twin Galaxies events. Everyone here at Joystiq would like to wish Day the best in his future endeavors. [Via GameSetWatch]
Steve Wiebe reclaims Donkey Kong Jr. world record
Steve Wiebe's done it again. After claiming the Donkey Kong Jr. record back in April, he was usurped from the throne by Oklahoma-based gamer Mark Kiehl the following fall. But, as of yesterday, Twin Galaxies reports Wiebe's back on top with an epic score of 1,190,400 points. What makes the story even more interesting is when Wiebe managed to set the record: Valentine's Day. As any of you who've seen The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (all of you reading this post, we hope) can attest, the man is married, so to spend any amount of time on The Lover's Holiday playing Donkey Kong Jr. is total dedication. As if we couldn't respect Wiebe any more than we already do! [Via National Post]
Man leaps past George Costanza's fictional Frogger score
Seinfeld isn't just the greatest sitcom ever (don't try to argue with us, you're wrong), it's actually relevant in the games landscape. See, the classic coin-op Frogger was featured prominently in one of the last episodes of the show. In said episode, George Costanza scored a whopping 860,630 points -- a score many believed to be laughably high. Sure, it's a comedy show, so why not make the high score ridiculous? Well, through a perfect combination of Mountain Dew and mozzarella -- and just the right amount of grease on the stick -- young Pat Laffaye bested that high score on January 1, 2010, getting his name on the Twin Galaxies high score board with an impressive 896,980 points using an original Frogger arcade cabinet. We take our hat off to Laffaye ... and offer our condolences to the weeping ghost of George Costanza. [Via Eurogamer and Examiner]
Steve Wiebe sets Donkey Kong Jr. world record
Steve Wiebe, the lovable protagonist from the documentary The King of Kong, recently became too impatient to wait until E3 to crush a classic gaming high score. Twin Galaxies, the unofficial scorekeepers of global gaming records recently announced that Wiebe had set a new high score of 1,139,800 for Donkey Kong Jr., surpassing the previous record of 1,033,000 set by Ike Hall. Meanwhile, our high score on Donkey Kong Jr. Math goes untouched, as it has remained for nearly two decades. Bring it on, teacher man.
Guitar Hero National Championships next year, world records on the line
By now, all you virtuoso Guitar Heroes (and from what we hear, there are quite a few of you) will have had a couple of weeks in the company of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. So, if you possess digits like these, and have a certain knack for the plastic axe, you may be interested to know that the first ever Guitar Hero National Championships are "just" six months away, giving you oodles of time to perfect those high kicks.The event is being staged at the sixth TooManyGames conference on May 4th, 2008 in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, and will be presided over by video game world record keepers Twin Galaxies, meaning you'll have a chance to be immortalised in Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records.It's best to weigh up the competition first though, so hit the break to watch the most irritating child of all time casually slaughter "Dead!" by Chemical Romance on Expert (occasionally turning his back to the screen), and then have the audacity to show us the Devil's Horns. The scamp.
Joystiq review: The King of Kong (film)
Truth is stranger than fiction. And while it needs to be threaded by a capable hand, even Donkey Kong can be woven into a compelling canvas that examines the comically-profound idiosyncrasies that drive human competition. The King of Kong, director Seth Gordon's first feature, is a remarkable film that documents the little-seen niche of competitive gaming, as waged on '80s-era, coin-op arcade machines. "That ape is very, very cunning, and he will do what he needs to, to stop you," warns a Funspot regular, squeezed into a t-shirt emblazoned with a geeky kung fu joke. The same could be said of Billy Mitchell, the film's antagonist, a blown-dry Machismo americanus and heir to the Rickey's World Famous [Hot] Sauce empire. Mitchell (above), whose 3-letter high score handle (typically one's initials) is U-S-A (notice the Liberty tie?), is stiff and threatening, at least to the mild-mannered circle he maintains a firm grip on. He regards his "Video Game Player of the [20th] Century" title as a symbol of patriotic heroism. Speaking of symbols, Mitchell's wife's cleavage is paraded on screen like a tangible manifestation of his ballooned ego, which is predictably deflated by Gordon's touching narrative of the first true challenger of the Donkey Kong high score; a score set by Mitchell more than two decades ago.
Video game documentary premiering at Sundance
A documentary detailing the 1982 World Video Game Championships will be hitting the screens at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. It's called Chasing Ghosts or Rulers of the Galaxy depending on which source you read (Variety calls it Chasing Ghosts, but the Sundance site calls it Rulers of the Galaxy. They probably had to change the title since a film called Chasing Ghosts was released last year starring Michael Madsen) and is directed by Lincoln Ruchti ... perfect for an Xbox Live Marketplace download, right?The movie focuses on the championships held at the Twin Galaxies Arcade in Ottumwa, Iowa, which was declared the "Video Game Capital of the World" in 1982 by the mayor of Ottumwa, and then later made official by the governor at a special ceremony in 1983. So, if you've been wondering where the capital is, now you know. Start planning your trip now. It also stars top video gamers like Billy Mitchell and Darren Olsen, and contains plenty of retro-gaming action.Twin Galaxies opened in 1981 after founder Walter Day toured over 100 arcades in four months, recording high scores on all the video games, and then brought them to his arcade as the "Twin Galaxies National Scoreboard." Although the arcade closed down in 1984 (wow, video game capital of the world doesn't hold much staying power, does it?) they still track high scores. Check out their Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records published in 1997. In today's day and age they live on the web, where you can search to your heart's content on their site. For instance, we just found out that Donald Hayes set the current official high score of 589,350 for Frogger in 2005. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.We'll be checking the flick out at Sundance and talking to cast & crew, so look for that in January.
