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.
Personally, Dr. Chien is a very pleasant and kind person to interact with. We had a chance to sit with him back in August and speak to him about his plans and goals. At that time, we saw the determination in his eyes and made the bold prediction of breaking the 1,000,000 mark and taking the holy grail of all video game records, the number one spot Donkey Kong!
Dr. Hank Chien hails from NYC where he practices plastic surgery in his office in Flushing, NY. He has a computer science/mathematics degree from Harvard, attended medical school at Mt. Sinai Medicine and completed his residency in Vanderbilt University.
Will the record be challenged by Wiebe/Mitchell? Hank is already positioned to increase his high score even further. We at Perezstart.com feel that his record will never be broken since Hank has brought the record to an unreachable level now.
Perezstart.com will be attending Richie’s Classic Arcade Game Tournament in Flemington, NJ taking place on March 18, 2010 – March 21, 2010. We expect to catch up with Hank and congratulate him personally on this gargantuan feat. We also expect to see some new records broken at this exciting annual tournament. If you are free next weekend and live in the tri-state NY/NJ/PA area, don’t miss this star-studded classic arcade event! Make sure to let Richie know that Perezstart.com sent you!
This is fantastic news! I wonder how long it’ll be until Dr. Chien gets his own movie. As good as The King of Kong movie was, Dr. Chien seems like a much more interesting individual than a jerk who bottles BBQ sauce and a school teacher.
I agree that Mitchell came across in the movie as a jerk, a really big jerk, but I though Steve Wiebe was a true star and endured a lot more on his way to the top. He has my full respect.