You know, it occurred to me that Donkey Kong Junior has had way more competition this decade than many top level games.
Just look at the top 13 scores listed. They all happened this decade.
So go ahead, and look at other top level games besides Donkey Kong, Galaga, and Robotron. Almost none of them have the same competition.
Pac Man, Frogger, Centipede, Ms Pac Man, Missile Command, and Galaxian don't even come close to the competition DKJr has brought.
And if you think about it, that's pretty impressive given there has never been a Donkey Kong Junior tournament, and it gets way more than it's fair share of criticism.
So despite all that, it's become a very competitive game, even for 10th place.