Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Prime Day Deals
  • Superman
  • Donkey Kong Bananza
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
Quake
Games FPS legend John Romero says it's a "huge honor" for Quake to join the World Video Game Hall of Fame alongside GoldenEye, the inescapable Tamagotchi, and an iconic '80s arcade classic
Atari 400 Mini on woodgrain desk connected to Dough Spectrum Black OLED monitor and Pac-Man on screen.
Hardware This tiny Atari console is naturally great for Pac-Man, but I use it to play one of the most cursed retro games from the '80s
Digital Dragons 2025 photograph of the large sign outside the Krakow International Conference Center
Events & Conferences With creators of Cyberpunk 2077, Frostpunk 2, and award-winning indies under one roof, Digital Dragons is helping Polish game developers "catch up to the West"
Summer Game Fest logo for Summer Game Fest 2025
Events & Conferences Everything announced at Summer Game Fest 2025
Donkey Kong with prominent buttcheeks sitting on a boardwalk
Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Country's 90s cartoon is now free to watch on YouTube if you fancy seeing the peak of musical cartoons and early motion-captured CGI
Indiana Jones
Adventure Games "9 months to finish the whole game": Years before The Great Circle, Indiana Jones was dropped on the Monkey Island creator when another studio "wasn't actually making the game"
Indiana Jones and Sophia Hapgood in Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, asking about a lost Plato dialogue that may lead to them to the ancient city
Adventure Games Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis was almost "based on an unproduced Indy script," says project lead: "But after reading it, I decided it was unproduced for a reason"
  1. Games

Twin Galaxies videogame festival photo diary

News
By GamesRadar Staff published 13 November 2011

Walter Day and company celebrate 30th birthday in Ottumwa, Iowa

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Page 1 of 17
Page 1 of 17

Page 2 of 17
Page 2 of 17

Page 3 of 17
Page 3 of 17

Page 4 of 17
Page 4 of 17

Page 5 of 17
Page 5 of 17

Page 6 of 17
Page 6 of 17

Page 7 of 17
Page 7 of 17

Page 8 of 17
Page 8 of 17

Page 9 of 17
Page 9 of 17

Page 10 of 17
Page 10 of 17

Page 11 of 17
Page 11 of 17

Page 12 of 17
Page 12 of 17

Page 13 of 17
Page 13 of 17

Page 14 of 17
Page 14 of 17

Page 15 of 17
Page 15 of 17

Page 16 of 17
Page 16 of 17

Page 17 of 17
Page 17 of 17
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Nintendo PlayStation Xbox Platforms
GamesRadar Staff
Social Links Navigation

GamesRadar+ was first founded in 1999, and since then has been dedicated to delivering video game-related news, reviews, previews, features, and more. Since late 2014, the website has been the online home of Total Film, SFX, Edge, and PLAY magazines, with comics site Newsarama joining the fold in 2020. Our aim as the global GamesRadar Staff team is to take you closer to the games, movies, TV shows, and comics that you love. We want to upgrade your downtime, and help you make the most of your time, money, and skills. We always aim to entertain, inform, and inspire through our mix of content - which includes news, reviews, features, tips, buying guides, and videos.

The Kings of Kong, Sultans of Sonic, and Dukes of Duck Hunt descended upon Ottumwa, Iowa this weekend for the Twin Galaxies Video Game Festival in honor of the score keeping organization's 30th anniversary.

Twin Galaxies founder and King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters star Walter Day assumed emcee duties for the three-day festival, which featured classic and modern gaming tournaments, a recreation of the 1983 “That's Incredible” Video Game Gauntlet, film festival, Iron Man marathon event, historic displays, the launch of the Twin Galaxies Trading Card set, and world record challenges.

Catering to the modern crowd, Twin Galaxies World Championship events included competitions in Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer Games's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Twisted Pixel's Gunstringer, Q Entertainment's Child of Eden, Kinect Adventures, and Turn 10 Studios Forza 4, to name a few. Iowa-based Adam Woodson secured one of weekend's top honors by setting a new world wecord for MW3's Stay Sharp Spec Ops mode, cleaning out the area in 20.5 seconds.

You may like
  • Quake FPS legend John Romero says it's a "huge honor" for Quake to join the World Video Game Hall of Fame alongside GoldenEye, the inescapable Tamagotchi, and an iconic '80s arcade classic
  • Atari 400 Mini on woodgrain desk connected to Dough Spectrum Black OLED monitor and Pac-Man on screen. This tiny Atari console is naturally great for Pac-Man, but I use it to play one of the most cursed retro games from the '80s
  • Digital Dragons 2025 photograph of the large sign outside the Krakow International Conference Center With creators of Cyberpunk 2077, Frostpunk 2, and award-winning indies under one roof, Digital Dragons is helping Polish game developers "catch up to the West"

For the classic crowd, Twin Galaxies' party included an Iron Man tournament starring a handful of world record holders including Tim McVey on Nibbler, Kelly Tharp on Mousetrap, Ritchie Knucklez and David Cruz on TRON. Competitors were charged with playing their respective game for as long as possible on one credit, which for many of these seasoned gamers lasted well throughout the event.

The festival also hosted a Twin Galaxies Video Game Gauntlet; a relay-race gaming competition based on the televised 1983 “That's Incredible” video game competition. In it, contestants raced each other in a succession of gaming objectives in in Pitfall (Atari), Duck Hunt (NES), Gran Turismo (PSX), SoulCalibur (Dreamcast), Wii Sports Resort (Wii), and Sonic Generations (360). Nearly a hundred attendees competed in the event. Elsewhere, the video game homages continued with a film festival featuring showings of Dr.Kong, High Score, The Kong-Off, and other shorts. Twin Galaxies nostalgiacs were also treated to Star Worlds Arcades gaming room, and fans were given first dibs on the new Twin Galaxies Trading Card series. And yes, there was Billy Mitchell's hot sauce:

“This festival plants a seed because it has now created and launched an official video game film festival, provided a permanent home for Twin Galaxies' Video Game Festival, and ushered in a Twin Galaxies Trading card set,” said Day, who opened the Twin Galaxies arcade on Main Street in Ottumwa back in November 1981. Reflecting on the festival, he added: “I'm enjoying it immensely. It's a great big fun event, and a lot of people have come from all over the nation. I'm greatly encouraged by the support we're getting. We're going to see this become a huge event as the years go on.”

Full results from the Twin Galaxies World Championship events are scheduled to be posted to Twin Galaxies. In the meantime, check out our pics from the festival floor:

See more Games News
Read more
Quake
FPS legend John Romero says it's a "huge honor" for Quake to join the World Video Game Hall of Fame alongside GoldenEye, the inescapable Tamagotchi, and an iconic '80s arcade classic
Atari 400 Mini on woodgrain desk connected to Dough Spectrum Black OLED monitor and Pac-Man on screen.
This tiny Atari console is naturally great for Pac-Man, but I use it to play one of the most cursed retro games from the '80s
Digital Dragons 2025 photograph of the large sign outside the Krakow International Conference Center
With creators of Cyberpunk 2077, Frostpunk 2, and award-winning indies under one roof, Digital Dragons is helping Polish game developers "catch up to the West"
Summer Game Fest logo for Summer Game Fest 2025
Everything announced at Summer Game Fest 2025
Donkey Kong with prominent buttcheeks sitting on a boardwalk
Donkey Kong Country's 90s cartoon is now free to watch on YouTube if you fancy seeing the peak of musical cartoons and early motion-captured CGI
Indiana Jones
"9 months to finish the whole game": Years before The Great Circle, Indiana Jones was dropped on the Monkey Island creator when another studio "wasn't actually making the game"
Latest in Games
Zelda
Final Fantasy 14's Yoshi-P says his latest game dev crush is The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, one of the most efficient games he's played all year
College Football 26
College Football 26 best playbooks for offense and defense
Inside
While its creators are in a very public legal feud, legendary puzzle platformers Inside and Limbo are being removed from a PC storefront
Kassandra holding a falcon on her arm during Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Ubisoft had a very on-brand problem with Assassin's Creed Odyssey: there weren't many tall buildings in Ancient Greece even though it's a "climbing-frame game"
Overwatch 2 sombra emp animation blizzard image
Overwatch 2 director thinks "competition is healthy" in the hero shooter space, but says the FPS' new features aren't "a response to Marvel Rivals"
College Football 26
College Football 26 best teams list and in-game NCAA rankings
Latest in News
Zelda
Final Fantasy 14's Yoshi-P says his latest game dev crush is The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, one of the most efficient games he's played all year
Inside
While its creators are in a very public legal feud, legendary puzzle platformers Inside and Limbo are being removed from a PC storefront
Kassandra holding a falcon on her arm during Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Ubisoft had a very on-brand problem with Assassin's Creed Odyssey: there weren't many tall buildings in Ancient Greece even though it's a "climbing-frame game"
Overwatch 2 sombra emp animation blizzard image
Overwatch 2 director thinks "competition is healthy" in the hero shooter space, but says the FPS' new features aren't "a response to Marvel Rivals"
Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific in Superman
Mr. Terrific Edi Gathegi sees Superman role as justice served after X-Men: First Class
Julia Garner as Silver Surfer in The Fantastic Four: First Steps
The Fantastic Four: First Steps star Julia Garner chimes in on Silver Surfer casting
  1. Zion Wright grinds along a wooden balustrade in in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4's San Francisco level
    1
    Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 review: "A nostalgic, must-play hit for fans"
  2. 2
    College Football 26 review: “Thanks to rivalries and dynasty, this is the greatest show on turf”
  3. 3
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  4. 4
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  5. 5
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...