Plastic surgeon retakes Donkey Kong crown
Hank Chien reclaims world-record title from King of Kong star Steve Wiebe with score of 1,068,000 points.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is a new King of Kong. Yesterday, the retro-arcade record keepers at Twin Galaxies announced that Hank Chien holds the new world record for Donkey Kong, racking up a score of 1,068,000 points. The total was achieved over the course of 2 hours and 45 minutes of playtime, during Chien's second attempt of the day at an arcade machine in the New York plastic surgeon's home.
According to Edge magazine, Chien's score was good enough to unseat former champion Steve Wiebe's high score of 1,064,500. In September, Wiebe beat former champ Billy Mitchell's total of 1,062,800, which had stood since March, when he beat Chien's high score of 1,061,700. Mitchell and Wiebe famously squared off in the 2007 documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, which focused on the battle over who really held the all-time high score for Donkey Kong.
Speaking with Twin Galaxies, Chien said he plans to participate in the forthcoming "Kong Off" competition in March in New Jersey. Organized by Mitchell, the event will see all former Donkey Kong record holders under a single roof, said Chien, engaging in a single competition. Wiebe is also expected to attend.
