Just ask Walter Day, head referee of Twin Galaxies: "I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to be the center of attention. I wanted the glory, I wanted the fame. I wanted the pretty girls to come up and say, 'Hi, I see that you're good at Centipede.'" In other words vintage gamers get more ladies than David Hasselhoff...in the Night Rider Days
Over the weekend Courtney and i watched "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters." Although it will never be described as a work of complete, devastating brilliance, and it is unlikely that many review will read: "what's so remarkable about this film is not its time frame but the wealth of its detail, the eloquence of its images, and the sweep of its ambition." However, some reviews have said "A stupendously entertaining nonfiction film concerning the cutthroat battle for world records on coin-operated arcade games." and "A hilarious story about an unbelievable collection of arrested-teenage morons and, yes, an inspiring fable of persistence and redemption." and perhaps most telling
..."Nerds Rule!"
And in my opinion the move was great! It had everything.
A compelling hero - Steve Weibe (say it with me weebee) - a lovable loser on par with the Boston Red Sox (Pre 2004) Chicago Cubs, Utah Jazz, and Roy Munson. Weibe has spent his whole life on the verge of greatness only to fall desperately short, and now, after being laid off, is trying to redeem himself by claiming the world record for Donkey Kong (which has gone untouched since the 80's). Just as a matter of clarification this is the original Donkey Kong, not Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Konga or any of the other more advanced affiliates.
A dastardly villain - Billy Mitchell - A villain comparable to Nasty Man, and the legendary Snidely Whiplash. Mitchell is the current World Record holder for Donkey Kong (800,000+ points). Equipped with a well trimmed beard, long flowing locks, and unrivaled hand-eye-coordination, Billy has owned the vintage gaming world since he was a teenager, and he is determined to stay on top. "...but competitive gaming, when you wanna attach your name to a world-record, when you want your name written into history, you have to pay the price!" - Billy Mitchell
And of course a damsel in distress - Princess peach!
Not to mention that it is utterly hillarious to listen to people who are excessivly passionate and serious about video games. Take Billy Mitchells protoge, Brian Kuh, for example: "You know, he's gonna have to play it perfectly, he's at the hardest part of Donkey Kong, and it's not gonna get any easier. So we may have an exciting moment here, or you know, the pressure may get to him, one of those random elements might happen. Sounds like he just cleared another board, but we could have a wild barrel, or some aggressive fireballs. I thought I was gonna be the first FunSpot kill screen, and then I had three fireballs trap me, I had the hammer in my hand, they still got me. So anything can happen in Donkey Kong. So for someone else to beat me to the kill screen would be a letdown, but lets see what happens, maybe he'll crack under the pressure and maybe I'll get my chance to do it."
Perhaps right now you are thinking...there is no way i am wasting an hour and a half (actual run time: 79 minutes) on a movie about Donkey Kong. However, The guy from Men's Warehouse and i have teamed up to tell you "You are gonna like [The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters]I guarantee it!" (George Zimmer may or may not have actually endorsed the previous quotes).
After watching the movie i waxed nostalgic and tried out Donkey Kong on my computer. I would like to say that i absolutely crushed it and took over the new world record...but in all reality, it took me numerous tries to get past the first level, and at the moment my high score is 15,240 and i have passed 7 levels. So only 20 levels to go, and a mere 800,000 points! Steve and Billy had better watch out! Feel free to try it out yourself (http://donkey-kong.freeonlinegames.com/) and let me know how you do.
You may need to check this book out at your local library!
Just a closing thought for all those who may have a little video gaming addict in their blood. Consider this quote from competitive gamer Adam Wood "I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs. I play video games, which I think is a far superior addiction to any of those other ones."
