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A seamless blend of cinema and gameplay.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: December 31, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I got this game for Christmas and started playing with decidedly low expectations as games based on movies are usually, in my experience, rather bland and limited in interactivity and immersiveness.

King Kong is truly an exception. I was pulled in from the very beginning, where as Jack Driscoll you and the other main characters row from the Venture to Skull island in the midst of a violent rainstorm. The boat rolls with the waves as rocks precariously tumble into the water around you, and the game does a wonderful job of making you feel like you're really there. I usually prefer third-person games, but this is a situation in which a first-person perspective truly enhances the feel of being part of the game.

A simple but very effective aspect that makes the game stand out is that there are few "cut-scenes" where you just sit and watch the action. In the scene above, for example, while you don't really have any mobility as you're sitting in a boat rowed by some oarsmen, you can freely look around, seeing the Venture out across the turbulent waves in one direction, the island in another and, as you get closer, up at the tall imposing cliffs above you. Again, this makes for some beautifully immersive gameplay.

It should also be mentioned that the whole game takes place in a widescreen "letterbox" view, like most movies. It also has no GUI by default (although I think there's an option to have it show how much ammo you have for a given weapon and possibly what other objects you're carrying). This could be seen as a drawback, but I personally prefer it, as it makes it easier to forget it's just a game and lose yourself in the adventure. You don't have "health" in the traditional sense (thus eliminating the need for a GUI that would contain a health bar); when something hurts you, your vision takes on a red cast and goes a bit blurry, and the sound becomes less distinct and blearier (this effect might require an EAX-capable sound card), and the music is replaced by a haunting, very "cinematic" vocal melody. The effects increase as you take more damage and you will die fairly quickly if you continue to be hit, but you will recover within a few seconds if you can avoid being further wounded. Some may call this unrealistic, but in my opinion it beats arbitarily-placed first-aid kits that magically heal your wounds the second you touch them.

Most of the "Jack" portions of the game are largely about survival. There are guns that you can pick up in crates dropped by the rescue plane as it searches for a safe place to land, but you can only carry one gun at a time and ammunition is scarce, which means you can't go around with guns blazing as you would in a traditional first-person shooter. You have to utilize your environment--often resorting to spears or sharp bones as weapons to fight your enemies, ducking into small crevices or ruins to escape some of your larger foes, or using fire either as an impromptu weapon or to clear an overgrown path.

Your companions also play a pivotal role at times; some can get to places you can't in order to complete a task, and you need to occasionally protect them and make sure they stay alive (although they will grab weapons for themselves and use them when given the opportunity). Likewise, they'll cover you when you're in a situation in which you can't use your weapons (such as when swimming across a river) or give you a hand up when you're below them and unable to climb up on your own.

Playing as Kong, it takes a bit of practice to master the controls, but once you manage that it becomes a tremendous amount of fun. In contrast to the Jack levels, in which you are a tiny human in a land of giants with little more than his wits to survive, as Kong you are a powerful wall-smashing, dinosaur-wrestling, native-stomping giant, perfectly at home on Skull Island. Even with the feeling of power you get as Kong, the game still manages to be challenging as you not only fight for your own life, but also protect Ann from the legion of dangers of the island.

The game does have some of the drawbacks I've learned to associate with those based on movies; mainly that it is, of course, a linear plot and perhaps a little on the short side, but this is vastly overshadowed by its immersiveness. In part due to the amazing graphics and animation, in part due to the excellent voice acting, and in part due to the unfolding plot and the simple art of cinematic storytelling (even if we DO all know how it ends), the world the game creates feels very dynamic, dramatic, and real.

Somehow, the makers of King Kong: the Game succeeded in creating a game that feels like a movie in and of itself while, at the same time, fully including the player in the experience.

Kong Fun Immersion, for High End Computers

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: January 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

***NOT FOR BUDGET COMPUTERS***

System Requirements:
128 MB Video Card
1 Gig of RAM
2 GHz Processor
4.1 Sound Card

I have listed the system requirements for this game based on experience, even though they are different from the requirements listed on the retail box. Before I could play, I had to upgrade my video card and RAM so that they exceeded the recommended requirements. I do not recomend this product for people with low budget hardware; it's more in line for advanced "gaming" type computers.

As far as the gameplay, King Kong immerses the player into a world of jungles. Both the look and the sound of the game help to draw the player into the feel of what it would be like to journey through Skull Island. It has a fascinating music score, that changes when dinosaurs and other predators attack. The music change adds to the suspense of the game, keeping the player on edge.

Distracting a Tyranosaurus can be pretty tricky, and you need to be alert for places to hide from Raptors. For those who like battling extinct species, this game is for them.

King Kong Game-Excellent

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: January 31, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I am a new computer owner and have never played a computer video game before. I must say I'm very happy with the King Kong game.

If you are a fan of dinosaurs or King Kong you will love this game.

It is very well done and the graphics are great.

I watch my husband play his many computer video games so I know how to judge a good game.

I'm very happy I purchased the game. It is giving me lots of hours of fun.

Love Sunrises

Great achievement, deeply flawed

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: October 17, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I am here to blow off a little steam. I should say that during most of this game I really enjoyed it, even though it's very linear/scripted, and the limited difficulty is almost entirely artificial. This game doesn't excel as an action title - it doesn't have the physics, speed or responsive controls for that. And as an adventure game it really just presents the same easy puzzles over and over again. However, it is really is groundbreaking as an interactive, cinematic experience. The game is rich with atmosphere and free of conventional video game HUD elements, and the little vignettes that comprise the story are enough to keep you engaged. Hence the generous overall rating. If you'd asked me yesterday, I might have rated the game 4 stars of "fun" rather than 2.

So today I come to the bad news - some dramatic battle between Kong and... well I won't spoil it... big enemies. Which do you hate more, your mouse, or the tendons in your wrists? Either way you're in store for a treat. Controlling Kong in battle essentially amounts to the worst button mash I've ever seen in PC gaming - and maybe the least fun I've ever had. This scheme might work with an XBox or PS2 controller, but with a mouse button - and especially the mouse WHEEL button, it's weird, ineffective, and no fun. Also, for whatever reason (for me, did I miss something huge in the instruction manual?) impossible.

So I'll be uninstalling this game, trying not to think about any additional pretty content I've missed, and putting ice on my wrist. I've already ordered a new mouse.

cool, but annoying

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

for some reason the creators of the game decided to follow a completely differant storyline than the movie, so i dont know why its called the official game.
this game is highly addictive but one downside is, kong suck. i know, i know how could i say kong sucks, its not him its the way the gamemakers made his controls and graphics, thats why he sucks.
all in all, great game, but dread becoming kong.

So far So Good-It pays to keep an old CD-R Drive

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Just got this at Wal Mart for 20 bucks, i'm guessing the price drop from 40 to 20 was because of lack of sales and all the "issues" people have had, which i totally do believe. In buying the game i finally though hmm i'll just hook up the old external CD-R drive to my laptop(which has a DVD-Burner) so that i won't take any risks of @%#ing it up. Well happily i was right the old external CD-burner worked fine, installed the game with no problem. Once the game is installed its pretty awesome, even though i just started AND just rented the movie i kinda get the jist of where the game is going. I have a Qosmio Toshiba Laptop with a Geforce Go 6600FX and even on high resolution plays smooth as silk, and so far looks good. I'll keep updating if i run into any problems, but as it stand now this looks to be quite a good adventure game. Note-Go to walmart to get your games, i got 3 for 65 bucks, this one, Serious Sam 2, and Stubbs the Zombie(which i don't like), great deal. Also as long as it "looks" sealed they will take it right back. hehe I really think they should be WAY more leanient on PC games anyways. So get ya an old external burner from someone to play KK on, if not i wouldnt risk it on your DVD-R-RW.

pretty good but watch out

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

hey everyone this i a good game but watch out and make sure you have the right video card. i dont so the graphics arent as good.
pro:everytime you die the level gets easier
con:no cheats for Pc version for all you cheaters like me
anyway the levels get boring if you play them agian but it is a really fun game.
the voices are pretty good but the guns run out of amo fast
i would buy it just make sure you have the right card

Game is unique and fun.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: May 17, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First of all, please disregard any review that complains about Starforce. It has no bearing on the game. If you even halfway maintain your computer Starforce will not be an issue. I have 6 Ubisoft games installed that have Starforce and I have never had one crash, or any problems using my DVD-RW. Now on to the game.

This game takes some getting used to at first due to some of the controls-mainly using space to arm your weapon. I like this feature though because I feel like I'm not playing your average run of the mill FPS. The graphics are good, the sound is well done, and the story sticks pretty close to the movie. I haven't reached the part where I get to play as Kong, but the game so far has been fun. If you are looking for something fun that is somewhat different then try this game.

The game is OK...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

When I first bought the game, it was defective... On the very first level, you get up, and walk up some weird rock stairs..except for me. You would just fall through them and die... I got a new one, and it worked. I got a pistol and shot some of the mini-crabs, and after, you can get a shotgun to kill a giant crab... I got all the way to the part where you climb out of the end of a river, and your at a weird grassy area. Right their there is way to many enemies surrounding you.. I'm stuck their, and don't really plan on plying it again for a while, unless I get it for Xbox 360. That version looks better.

Beautiful-Linear-Short

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

There's actually not much of a game in this one. It's basically a play-through-story in a lot of cases, and the entire game feels like it's on a rail. This is especially true of the kong levels..which are pretty much just narrow lanes to jump through with a small boss arena at the end.

This almost gives the game an arcade feeling--with the camera scripted to react differently almost every single second of a kong level.

The Jack levels are a lot better, and in most cases are actually fun. The game is still linear, but the game does fall back on open-spaces-then-chokepoint-then-another-openspace design principles, which can get old.

Still, there's a real nice beauty about kong. If you've seen the movie, you know how 'moody' Jackson strove to make Skull island--the gray wall, the dense jungle, the thick swarms of insects--it all translates VERY well. Constant rainstorms, the roll of thunder, the maze of corridors atop the wall, the alley of dinosaurs to dodge and run through, the bleak, dense, and dangerous swamps...though it's a linear ride, it's a very very pretty one--worth the budget price even in my opinion.

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