On September 3rd, 2009, Mark Kiehl of Enid, OK arrived at 1984 Arcade in Springfield, MO and started playing Donkey Kong Jr. Hours later, well into his third long attempt of the day, Mark had a memorable game going. He was on level nine at 450,000 points, and was still on his first man. A litle less than two hours later, Mark had done the extraordinary.... he had clipped Steve Wiebe's world record score of 1,139,800 by a mere 8,000 points to capture the title. The new world record....
1,147,800!On behalf of Twin Galaxies, I'd like to congratulate Mark on this insanely awesome accomlishment. Well done Mark!
Please read further down the page past the pictures, for an exclusive Twin Galaxies interview with Mark Kiehl.
TG: Congratulations on your WR score of 1,147,800! Since this is your first ever submission to Twin Galaxies, please tell us about your history regarding Donkey Kong Jr.
MARK: I first played when the game was released back in 1982 scoring a personal best of around 270k. Fast forward 26 years, the arcades have long since died out, and I discovered emulation for classic arcade titles and I played a number of games recreationally. In May of this year, I was in Springfield, MO on business and I visited 1984 Arcade and played a game of Donkey Kong Jr. and scored 80k or so. After talking with the arcade owners about what I had scored in the past, they encouraged me to continue playing and try and improve on my scores. I knew that I would be back in town on more business, so I played at home on emulation since I had no arcade cabinets remotely near me. In my quest to improve, I was surprised to find virtually no strategies online to improve my scoring. I formulated my own techniques over time, and the next time I visited the arcade I put up a 530k score. As my scores continued to rapidly improve, I was curious to see what the World Record score was, and that's how I found my way to the Twin Galaxies scoreboard. I had no idea that there was still interest in classic arcade gaming, and certainly didn't think I had a chance to challenge such high scores. Eventually I figured out some effective point-pressing techniques, and was able to reach the killscreen and score over 1 million. At this point, the arcade owners offered me the opportunity to film some record attempts when I was in town. It took about 12 or so attempts, but fortunately the right game came together and I was able to top the record.
TG: Your game was played at 1984 Arcade in Springfield, MO. Can you describe for us in detail the way your WR game unfolded, and what it was like to set a WR score in a public setting?
MARK: It was quite the thrill to say the least. In my opinion, nothing compares with performing in an arcade setting. When I was scoring well enough to potentially take the record, I had an opportunity to buy a machine for home and film attempts, but I decided that doing it in a public venue was the only way to go, just like players had to do back in the day. It did take longer, I suppose, to achieve the score due to limited attempts, but it was worth it in the end. An important part of this run was I had a very good first life, losing my first man on a springboard stage at 460k. My end of level 4 score was 148k, but I like to see scores at that point well above 150k for a good start. I lost my second life on another springboard stage at 526k. While dying on these stages yielded very little points, I still maintained about 15k above WR pace. My third death on a vine stage was really boneheaded, dying at 638k by dropping of off a vine at the top directly onto a snapjaw. Fatigue was setting in as this was the third attempt of the day, but I was still 17k above pace. For the sake of survival, I made the decision to tone down the risky play a little bit. In my mind I had basically written this attempt off, but as I got deeper into the game I found myself still maintaining pace, surpassing 1 million on level "C". I eclipsed the WR score on the level "E" Mario's Hideout stage, and lost my last life on the final chain stage. I had mixed feelings about missing out on the killscreen by one board, but it was satisfying to achieve the score I was shooting for!
TG: Do you think you have the ability to improve your score on Donkey Kong Jr.? What can you improve on regarding your style of gameplay? What new tactics can you employ that would enable a higher score? How high do you think you can take this game?
MARK: I am sure that a higher score is attainable considering that I didn't make it to the killscreen on this attempt. Also the two lives lost on springboard stages yielded few points, and those men could've been used to potentially sacrifice for big points on the final Mario's Hideout stage. I also think there is a more effective way to run the chain stages than I do right now. As far as "how high can I get" on a near-perfect game remains to be seen, I suppose. We'll see.
TG: Is there anything else you'd like to say to the Twin Galaxies Nation?
MARK: Thanks from me to Twin Galaxies and the 1984 Arcade staff for doing their part in keeping interest alive in the classic gaming genre. Also thanks to friends, family, and others in the classic gaming community for their support. This has definitely been a group effort. These games serve as a direct link to our youth for those fortunate enough to grow up during the "Golden Age" of video games, and I would like to encourage ours and future generations of gamers to continue to continue to enjoy and to push the limits of these classic titles wherever they may go.
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For those who are curious, my game took 3hrs 8min to complete.