User:Ben Allen

UNDER COSTRUCTION, PLEASE SEE THIS POST IN RESERVE COPY

Ben Allen, born January 30th 1989, is one of the most successful F-Zero players of his generation, and is a budding MKSC player as well.

Born into a gaming family, Ben played many different videogames as a youngster, and was an avid reader of game magazines too; it was in 1998 that he first learned of F-Zero X, and in the much-beloved N64 Magazine (now NGC Magazine) he discovered the name of David van Moer, holder of every record at F-Zero X in the magazine at the time. Ben's appetite for X competition had started.

Fast forward to 2003, and Ben gets internet for the first time. He typed van Moer's name into Google, and he found the now-defunct F-Zero ranking site, FZeroCentral (which was run by Dave Crawford). Ben immediately entered his times into the X ladder, and debuted in a strong 54th, out of over 100 players. Ben also discovered the DT technique himself without the site's help, and after months of competing climbed to 25th position. Ben also made his MV debut at this time, debuting inside the top 200 of over 400 players, and in one particular week made an AF cut of over 60 points, but did not take the game seriously at the time (hehe).

After the tragic demise of FZC, Ben quit F-Zero competition for nearly 5 months, focussing partly on MKSC. It was after a curious email sent to old rival Wille Karhunen that Ben re-entered competition, and began his total wipeout of his X times. Ben climbed from outside the top 30 to inside the top 10 within a few months, coming oh-so-close to beating the time total of British champion Michael Hougthon. Ben then switched to F-Zero MV, and in an amazing climb rose from the outer edges of the top 200 to inside the top 40 in again just a few months. Ben then switched to F-Zero GPL and cemented his position at hovering around the top 10, before returning to MV and stunning by climbing up to 6th in the world, setting his first ever WR at Bishop 1 flap, and being voted the 2004 Most Improved Player of the year. All in all, 2004 was a ruddy good year for Ben :)

2005 saw Ben cement that 6th place in MV, before returning to GPL and climbing to 5th and then 4th in the world, being one of the few players to focus on flaps in this game, holding several WRs. After GPL Ben returned briefly to X, solidifying his position in the top 15 as a new wave of X players emerged. Ben also played GX in this time, a game he hates most horribly, but still managed to set a national record in GX spaceflying. Ben also returned to MV, set some excellent times and moved up to 5th. At this point Ben also received the Japan-only game F-Zero ClimaX- Ben was effectively playing ClimaX, MV, X and GX at the same time, and Ben was also about to make his return to SFC too, a game he barely touched earlier in the year.

Ben's mass playing at ClimaX allowed him to become world champion, with an unprecedented 60+ WRs (out of just over 100, mind). Ben also shot through the SFC rankings, rising from outside the top 70 to inside the top 10 by December, and also set a WR at White Land 2 flap. Ben also made a brief return to GPL, setting WRs and closing in on the British Championship title which ultimately he never did capture.

2006 saw Ben once more return to MV, breaking every one of his old times and setting many impressive WRs along the way. He rose from 5th to 3rd in the world overall, becoming world flap champion as well, the first player to ever sub 6'39 for a flap total. Ben is now currently taking a break from F-Zero competition, and is playing MKSC, where he is setting some reasonable times.

Ben is the only player aside from Yazzo to achieve top ten time totals in 4 different F-Zero games, though admittedly ClimaX is very limited in the number of competiters able to play it. Ben is also the only player aside from Yazzo and Faust to have held WRs in 4 different F-Zero games also, and is the only British player to have held British records at every F-Zero in some form or another. Ben is also the world number 2 in the combined F-Zeros chart, and British combined F-Zeros champion.

Ben is also a staff member at MFO. Outside of competition he enjoys listening to metal music, hanging with friends, and watching motorsport.