The Drill Down

Steve Wiebe attempting a Donkey Kong world record at E3 2009.

Nothing stirs my geeky heart more than drama involving an underdog who refuses to quit, and good old fashioned retro nostalgia. Those elements combined Tuesday at E3 2009 when Steve Wiebe,  championship Donkey Kong player, and subject of the 2007 documentary, “King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” attempted to break the world record of 1,050,200, currently held by “Kong” co-star and alleged douchebag extraordinaire Billy Mitchell.

Here are the last few moments of his final attempt that day, where his game is ended by the infamous 22nd level “kill screen“, which stops the player dead in his tracks, regardless of score or lives remaining. This was his fourth attempt that day, with the third attempt being cut short due to a FREAKING POWER FAILURE. His final score before kill screen was 989,400. Keep in mind, this is a higher score than champion Billy Mitchell has ever had before live witnesses. You are watching the very definition of championship, irregardless of title.

After the event, I briefly spoke with Walter Day, founder of Twin Galaxies, the worldwide videogame score adjudicating organization, about exactly what types of videogames they rule over and what his favorite games are.