Arcade News, Arcade Features

1,349,000 points is the new high score

The classic arcade title Donkey Kong Junior has a new world champion after the previous record was beaten by 20,900 points Mike Kasper of Beaverton, Oregon is the man who achieved such a feat. During a live TV broadcast Kasper managed to score 1,349,000 points on an original arcade cabinet, topping the...

Arcade version discovered by hackers

If you're one of the thousands of people that still despairs that the arcade version of F-Zero GX — cunningly titled F-Zero AX — was really hard to find in its heyday, and has since all but died out, we've got some good news for you. The intrepid folks over at The Cutting Room Floor have found that the...

Just one catch - it's the arcade version

Screenshots of the next entry in the popular Mario Kart series have hit the web - but before you get too excited about laying your eyes on the recently-announced Wii U sequel, we should point out that we're talking about Mario Kart: Arcade GP DX, developed by Namco Bandai. It's the third game in the coin-op...

Insert coin

A new documentary exploring Japan's still-thriving arcade scene is about to hit the 'net. 100 Yen: The Japanese Arcade Experience — a reference to the nationwide shortage of 100 Yen coins following the release of the original Space Invaders — investigates what's helped Japanese arcades stay alive, while those in the West have all-but...

With a twist, or shall we say "spin"?

A Mario game from Capcom? That's what Japanese arcade gamers will be playing, although it's not exactly what you would expect. Capcom has announced its medal machine New Super Mario Bros. Wii Coin World has hit arcades in Japan. Based on New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the cabinet supports four players and the object...

The doctor, the teacher and the saucier go head-to-head

1,090,400 points. That's the record to beat, set by the cheerful Dr. Hank Chien just last week. Now the New York plastic surgeon joins the double-decade champion and hot sauce tycoon Billy Mitchell and the mild-mannered schoolteacher who toppled his throne, Steve Wiebe, to duke it out for Donkey Kong dominance. What will happen today at Richie..

The high score just got higher

To be the best you have to beat the best, even if that means beating yourself. On 27th February, current Donkey Kong champion Hank Chien did just that. Nearly a year after he originally broke the record for the highest score on a Donkey Kong arcade machine, the New York surgeon has surpassed his best score, making Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell and others' task of..

Hint: it's not a hatred of gorillas

Plenty has been written about the ongoing action at the top of the global Donkey Kong leaderboards, but what inspired plastic surgeon Dr Hank Chien to take up the challenge? Chien, whose score of 1,068,000 is just 3,500 points above nearest rival Steve Wiebe, is the subject of a new independent documentary called Doctor Kong, which reveals the Doctor's motivation..

The former champ ain't no chump

Not since a certain famous gorilla and plumber-to-be squared off for the coveted Pauline has there been a rivalry like that of the Kings of Kong. The film The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters brought to public attention the fight for dominance between family man Steve Wiebe and Goliath-like hot saucier Billy Mitchell, and since then New York plastic surgeon Dr..

Sega is the first to add an oft-requested feature to a game

Nintendo has a stern policy not to change anything in Virtual Console games unless it is absolutely necessary. As such, only a very small number of Virtual Console titles have been different from the original releases - Notable examples have been the advertisements in Wave Race 64,...

More Capcom classics

Virtual Console is the clear winner this week with two new Capcom arcade games, but that's not to say the rest should be ignored outright. Although WiiWare only gets one new download, DSiWare gets four of them, so hopefully there's something for everyone. WiiWareSpot the Differences! (Sanuk Games, 500pts) – Another difference-spotting game, this one is strangely one letter..

More Capcom arcade classics, plus a bunch of catch-up titles

Capcom is continuing their Virtual Console Arcade support with another two games, both of which were of course announced some time ago. At this rate they'll run out of games before we hit February! They're accompanied by a mixture of completely new games and games North America already got, most of which are fairly low-key. WiiWareGhost..

October begins with Virtual Console and DSiWare

WiiWare's alternating weeks continue, but at least there's the Virtual Console to keep Wii owners happy – even better when the releases include classic arcade games! The DSi has a trio of actual games for a change with nary a lifestyle download in sight. Virtual ConsoleCommando (800pts Arcade, Capcom) – This is the first VCA release from Capcom..

Score was beaten before he started

Last month, Billy Mitchell beat Hank Chien's Donkey Kong score to reclaim his place at the top of the game's scoring girders. On the same day, he also felt like setting a new high score on Donkey Kong Jr., something we reported on last month. Now it transpires the latter record is not really a record at all, Mitchell's score having been beaten before the bearded..

The gang's all here: WiiWare, Virtual Console and DSiWare next week in Japan

WiiWareSurinuke Anatōsu (800pts - Nintendo) -- Though we've gotten the distinct impression that third parties have abandoned WiiWare in Japan, Nintendo certainly hasn't. Keys Factory is credited as the developer – a bit odd since all they seem to make are Wii and DSi accessories like stands and cases. If this is their..

And Donkey Kong Jr for fun, too

You may remember a recent article about former Donkey Kong world champion Steve Wiebe's induction into the International Video Game Hall of Fame, which took place yesterday. The event will likely be remembered for another reason though – the return of Billy Mitchell as the Donkey Kong world record holder. Setting a...

Come on, we like Ghouls 'N Ghosts too...

Capcom announced on Friday that it plans to begin expanding Japan's catalogue of Virtual Console Arcade titles this summer with some of its own. They'll start with SonSon, a 1984 sidescroller loosely based on the Chinese fable Journey to the West. If you enjoy playing classic games on your Wii, it seems that Japan's your ideal location. Publishers have..

New York plastic surgeon Hank Chien bests Billy Mitchell's top score

Twin Galaxies, the website that monitors and rules over gaming's top scores, today announced that a new Donkey Kong champion has been crowned. Plastic surgeon Hank Chien has rocketed into first place, racking up a score of 1,061,700 points in 2 hours 35 minutes, and ending on the legendary kill screen that prevents players from..

"Retro" delights from Capcom, along with plenty of other things.

There's quite a lot to downloads to pick from this week. The Virtual Console makes yet another return after being nowhere in sight the past two weeks, while Capcom has released not one, but two new "retro" games at once. Also finally available in Europe is the third installment in the Bit.Trip series, along with several..