We usually don’t flatter ourselves but in honor of the Donkey Kong hi-score record we will.  Back in August, our retro writer, Gonzalo, predicted that Dr. Hank Chien will surpass the 1 million mark and eventually set the new record for Donkey Kong.  Guess what, he did!

Dr. Chien surpassed the 1,050,200 Donkey Kong mark set by Billy Mitchell, with an unbelievable score of 1,061,700 in 2 hours and 35 minutes according to Twin Galaxies officials, ending the game on the famed kill screen.

The Perezstart.com staff first met Hank early in 2009 at a Richie Knucklez competition in Flemington, NJ. We remember seeing Hank playing on the Donkey Kong arcade machine wearing his medical scrubs. We then saw Hank again at the Richie Knucklez’s Invitational, and noticed something special brewing after he broke the 900k mark. Hank is a cool and calm customer, he has nerves of steel and exudes brilliance with every move that he makes.

Hank began practicing Donkey Kong on the MAME version and then invested in his own Donkey Kong arcade machine. The game of Donkey Kong requires impeccable hand eye- coordination and precision. It is only natural that the steady hands of a Plastic Surgeon could attain this phenomenal feat.

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Fans of the arcade and console classic NBA Jam are in for a treat today as EA Sports announced they’re remaking NBA Jam for the Nintendo Wii later this year.

The new NBA Jam promises to bring the original gameplay elements that we all know and love while some new game modes and characters will be included as well.  NBA Jam will also include “re-defining visuals” with true-to-life body types, updated physics, and visible player emotions.

That’s all well and good.  All I ask is that I still be able to play with Bill Clinton, or at least allow me to customize my player to have a goat head, just like my character in NBA Hangtime on the N64.  I think I named him Chupacabra.  I know.  I’m pretty sick.

I could remember it now, lying on the floor of my parents bedroom watching the suspense as the Mets were 1 strike away from handing the Red Sox the 1986 World Series. I was only 10 years old at the time, but I can remember it like it was yesterday.  This had to be the single most suspenseful and thrilling baseball game every played. This video had been tossed around the web a few times, but I wanted to share it with our loyal Perezstart readers.

The creators of this video had to have some serious patience and a good video editing tool to make this a reality. Enjoy the video everyone…

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Today marks the official first day of CES, but last night, Microsoft’s press conference took place and revealed an upcoming Xbox LIVE update that will bring a tear to most old-school gamers’ eyes.

Microsoft unveiled the ‘Xbox Game Room’ last night.  The purpose of the Game Room is to allow players to relive the glory days of when arcades were the only way to get a decent gaming experience.  The sights and sounds of an old-school arcade are said to be represented in the Game Room.  When Game Room launches, 30 original and console classics will be available such as Centipede and Asteroids, but Microsoft promises a total of 1000 titles will be available in three years.  Each arcade cabinet will retail for 240 to 400 Microsoft Points, with a single-play option costing 40 Microsoft Points (think of it as putting two quarters into an arcade machine to play.)

Players can also create their own virtual arcade space where they can arrange their arcade cabinets as well as decorating each room to have a specific theme.  You can also challenge friends whether they play on the Xbox 360 or PC.  Your friends can even visit your virtual arcade to demo some of the titles that you have available or simply to stand in awe of your awesome Game Room.

The ‘Xbox Game Room’ will support full 1080p, voice chat, as well as online and local multipler for up to two players.  The current release date for it is ‘Spring 2010′.

Growing up in the 80’s, sports and video games would go together like apple pie. My brothers and I were fortunate enough to be pretty good athletes and played the games at home as well. This article will cover the best of the best from the decade. It will cover all systems as well as arcades.   Rankings depend on realism, fun factor, replay value, graphics and sound.

10. Summer Games – Epyx – 1984

Summer Games, this was a classic. It had variety, excellent graphics for its day and was lots of fun to play. I particularly enjoyed the diving event, one would need to make the most moves in the air and try to straighten the diver up for minimal splash.  The judges always favored their home country diver, very realistic feature!

• Pole vault
• Platform diving
• Sprinting
• Gymnastics
• Freestyle swimming
• Skeet shooting
• Rowing

Epyx continued with this genre and created Summer Games II, Winter Games, World Games and California Games. These were all great games  worth playing again any day of the week!

9. Micro League Baseball -1984- Micro League Sports Association

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Done in a Robot Chicken look, check out this YouTube video featuring original sound, visuals plus Master D’s exploding cranium… after the credits of course.  In glorious side-scrolling 2D LEGO!

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Majesco Entertainment dropped a gaming bomb on classic arcade gamers everywhere with today’s announcement of 15 classic Data East Arcade titles hitting the Nintendo Wii in early 2010. Wii players will finally benefit from online multiplayer as well as having your hi-scores linked to your Mii characters.

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In a leaked document discovered on French website Objectif-sega.com that PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility could be coming to the PSN.  In the past, we reported other reports of BC but this “leaked” document listing games is more evidence of it happening.  We already know God of War and God of War 2 will be bundled on thier own Blu-Ray disc instead of PSN.  But it seems like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and a Sonic Game will make it’s way to the PSN.

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X-Arcade Tankstick Joystick $249.95 $199.95

My very first  post on PerezStart.com, was the top 5 arcade style game controllers. It was a very successful article which garnered many hits and comments. I wanted to follow up with a new champion of ASGC’s, the X- Arcade! What an amazing piece of peripheral perfection!  Glad they didn’t go away.

It looks like someone ripped off the panel of a Street Fighter II machine and cleaned out the edges.! The professional joysticks, the soft, med and hard buttons for kick and punch, plus two more extra buttons. It even sports the rolling ball controller in the middle for all of sidepocket arcade fans.

What makes this device a step above the rest is the compatibility option.You can buy a bundle with all the adapters or just get the adapter that you need for the system that you have.

“The X-Arcade™ was built with internal electronics to be compatible with the major past, present and FUTURE game systems. Once you own the X-Arcade™controller, you will never need to buy another arcade joystick again!”

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Growing up in the 80’s , I was always fascinated by driving. Especially since my Dad sported the racing gloves and drove a stick shift Corola throughout the decade.  Therefore,  naturally, I wanted to be just like him.  I knew that wasn’t going to happen until I became an adult, which was a bummer. However, I was part of the 80’s generation, where one was now able to drive a racing car via a video game. How cool was that? The following is a list of my favorite racing old school games of the 80’s!  Even Next-generation gamers will appreciate this list.

10.Ivan “Ironman” Stewart’s Super Off Road -  1989

I can remember the days, late 80’s Bigmouth Pizza on Bergenline Ave in North Bergen, NJ! They featured Ironman’s Stewart’s Super Offroad! This was a souped up version of Championship Sprint. It featured off road madness, water pits, mud pits, nitros and more!
This racing game was loads of fun and included up to 4 players of fun for everyone! For all of our Latino readers, how funny is the name of the track above? Guess you need grandes to get through this obstacle! LOL

A next-gen version of this game is available on WiiWare called Drifter..

Looks pretty good!

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