Lee: Two older player want to beat each other on a score on an old arcade game? Doesn't sound like entertaining viewing does it? In fact, The King of Kong is one the best documentary's you can ever see on such a mind numbing subject such as video games (PeeknPoke thinks watching video games is NEVER as entertaining as playing one). The reason behind this is the passion of the two guys comparing there battle to something akin to World War III - it seems that serious at times to them. Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell are your typical hero vs. villain. Steve is the family man, normal bloke who plays video games in his spare time and manages to play a very good game on Donkey Kong on his own machine in his garage. Billy is the villain - loves himself and he wants you all to know it. Steve gets his world beating score (Beating Billy's 1982 record) and thus sets Billy up to take back his record.

This is the basis of the film. Steve submits his video of his high score feat and gets it thrown out of gaming history as it seems that his arcade machine board was tampered in some way - a no no for any record to be submitted to the high score twin Galaxies website and head honcho hero Walter Day - the referee of this piece. Steve turns up in person to the Twin Galaxies site and plays Donkey Kong in front of a crowd and then bests the score he submitted. Happy days - until Billy's submits a dodgy looking video of his game and another score to beat..it goes on "

HOW HIGH CAN YOU TRY?

The two players are chalk and cheese. Billy is shown (and edited) as a feisty big headed man (along with his own branded steak sauce he now markets and promotes at any given time) - who doesn't give Steve the time of a day or even say hello back to friendly Steve at the big meet but he is very entertaining with it - "Maybe they would like it if I loose? I've got to try loosing sometime" oh right.
The film does however make you shout for Steve to win. In fact I wonder why Steve did not punch the living lights out of the two blokes who entered his house to check his machine was not altered in any way while he was out - Sort it out Steve!

It is very entertaining at seeing what happens and makes heroes (and villains) out of Billy, Steve and the classic Walter Day. A must for fans of old games like us. Although some of the geeks on show scared me senseless. "I don't drink, I don't smoke - I play video games" enough said.

Reviewed out of 10 kongs..

note of some unknown reason, THE KING OF KONG was not given a UK release on either cinema release or DVD - the good thing is you can now obtain KING OF KONG from some UK DVD companies to buy (at a not to be sniffed at £12.99 on region 1 DVD) get it!

DVD REGION 1 RELEASE

NOT Available on emulators