You still don't have friends? Laym.

i added you...but thats cause i have a handlebar mustache. aka creepy mc-ultra cool.

also, i feel like i'm getting sloppy half ass'd seconds. :[ who the f is gamertell? why are you spending so much time together? /cry. /sob. /slit wrists.

lawl welcome...i guess you two timing hussy.

Oh cool. I love blogspam posts.

BTW, here's your article.

Next Tuesday (January 29, 2008) marks the release of The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters on DVD. This week’s Cut/Scenes takes a closer look at what many consider to be one of the best videogame related films ever to see mainstream release.

Here’s a possible contender for understatement of the century: most videogame movies are bad. From lame ‘90s fare like the Street Fighter and Super Mario Bros. flicks to the latest Uwe Boll train wreck, they almost universally suffer from poor writing, bad direction, and a marked lack of fidelity to the property they ape. Terrible marketing cash-ins at worst and cheap popcorn thrills at best, game movies have yet to hit any kind of high ground for either medium.

Steve practicingThankfully, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters strays far from the usual formula. The film is actually a documentary, focused on the trials and tribulations of nice-guy Steve Wiebe as he challenges the ultimate Donkey Kong score (and Ego) of Billy Mitchell, the self proclaimed king of classic arcade games.

The film begins with back story about Billy Mitchell, one of the original arcade wizards of the 1980s,with an uncontested high score in Donkey Kong dating back to 1982. We’re introduced to the culture behind competitive classic gaming and the characters that populate this strange, oddly appealing world, including Twin Galaxies creator Walter Day and a host of wannabe high scorers. Quiet family man (and junior high science teacher) Steve Wiebe breaks onto the scene with a killer Donkey Kong score garnered from thousands of hours of practice on his home coin-op, and a rivalry is born.

Built around this core conflict, with plenty of humorous glimpses into each of the competitors’ lives, the action heats up quickly. Mitchell contends that Wiebe’s score is phony, prompting the shy Wiebe to show up and play for a crowd at renowned arcade Funspot, where he promptly beats Mitchell’s old record and earns the “kill screen” at the end of the game. Never one to take things lying down, Mr. “world record headquarters” Mitchell sends a tape with a million-plus score, ruining Wiebe’s buzz just before he can take the title.

Steve

It’s clear that director Seth Gordon is on Wiebe’s side, showing him practicing the game as his young son watches on intently, interviewing his family and friends, and generally giving the impression that he’s a family man and a good guy, well deserving of the win. The music choices seem to confirm that Wiebe is “our hero” as classic 80’s power tunes punctuate his play sessions.

Conversely, Billy Mitchell comes across as a villain worthy of Donkey Kong himself. Set up as a classic bad guy, Mitchell poses and struts, undermining Wiebe’s achievements at every opportunity. He fails to show up and play face to face, preferring instead to sneak around with blurry tapes, contradicting his own claim that he likes to compete in person. His massive ego puts him on the defensive with Wiebe’s every victory, and his tactics get snottier as time goes on. At one point, he even refuses to enter a restaurant that Wiebe and crew are dining in.

Billy

More drama ensues, right until the very end. While this core rivalry drives the film and is paced perfectly, it’s the little touches that truly make King of Kong shine. The 80’s power pop, the nerdy haircuts, the war cries, and the little shots of Mario’s agonizing deaths all serve to make this wildly competitive world come alive.

King of Kong succeeds where so many other movies based on game properties fail by making smart use of its documentary format and drama-ready subject matter. In doing so, Kong hits a cinematic sweet spot: the film is by turns hilarious and touching. Gordon has a light touch with all the humor - overly serious arcade gurus like Mr. Awesome and eccentric Twin Galaxies creator Walter Day get played for gentle laughs, while the real zingers are aimed at Mitchell’s inflated sense of self (at one point, he even exclaims – without a hint or irony: “when I talk, it brings controversy. It’s like the abortion issue.”).

It’s not perfect. Anyone familiar with sports/competition-based documentaries will read formula trappings all over the film, and surely, the good-guy, bad-guy setup is a bit simplistic. Regardless, the movie is a breakthrough for game-related cinema and a compelling, hilarious portrait of gamers in the heat of battle. Interested gamers (and anyone who likes a little old fashioned competition) can pick up the DVD at the film’s website.

Spam... I know, I know, yucky. I'll do better in the future, I promise. Now all I need to do is figure out how to construct an actual profile.