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The Eighth Wonder of the World

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Most of the time, movies do not translate into games very well. This is an exception to that rule. Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong (Widescreen Edition) comes to life in spectacular fashion with this game. Beautifully rendered graphics and fun gameplay make for a wonderful gaming experience.

The game takes place almost exclusively on Skull Island. You play as Jack Driscoll, and for those of you that have not seen the new film, he is now an educated and well respected playwright, not the he man hero first mate of the previous film.

As Jack, you are sometimes alone and sometimes with other characters from the film as you make your way through this hellish island to save Anne from Kong. The left and right shoulder buttons control your weaponry and this can take some time getting use to. But after a while, it becomes second nature.

There is no HUD on this game, so you can't tell by looking at the screen how much life you have left or how many bullets you have. The only ways to tell is by your breathing and heartbeat, which gets faster as you become injured. When the screen goes red and silent, you're dead.

There are a host of weapons to use, but it is realistic in the fact that you have a certain number of bullets and once you're out, you're out until you find another box of weapons that has been air dropped at various points around the island. For the most part, you will be using spears and the bones of dead animals as your weapons. It is important to master using these, because if you don't, you don't stand a chance.

Every few levels, you actually get to play as Kong. This is quite jarring (in a good way), as you now have the power that you lack as Jack. You can attack full force and kill your enemies. Repeatedly pressing X revs you up and gives you a temporary power boost. You must battle dinosaurs (lots of them) all while keeping Anne safe. This is the most fun part of the game and these are the levels that you will most likely go back to replay as each level is available to replay after you finish it.

After the island levels, you are Kong in New York. This is particularly fun as you get to rampage through the city on your way to the Empire State Building. Of course you die at the end, but that's really not the end of the game.

After you beat the game, you then go back through levels that have points available to score. You unlock various extras along the way including the "old movie" mode, where your screen resembles the 1933 film, King Kong (Two-Disc Special Edition). Of particular note is a Peter Jackson interview regarding the making of the new film.

The ultimate unlockable is the alternate ending, which you can unlock after achieving 25000 points. This is fun as you get to save Kong and give him a happy ending.

All in all, this is a great game. I would have liked more levels as Kong, or maybe an option of one or the other, as well as playing as other characters. The game is also rather short for an adventure game. But it has a great replay factor. These are minor quibbles though.

King Kong lives up to its name

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

What is King Kong?
It is a great action game based on the movie.

What do you do in King Kong?
You can play in as Jack and as King Kong. Jack can use weapons in the environment like spears, sticks, and fire, but he can also use guns brought from Hayes and crates you find around. You solve puzzles and defeat enemies in multiple ways. The first person makes things look realistic. You can swim and use various guns. It's a survival combat game. It has no health meter. If you get hurt after you already got hurt, you will lose. Sort of like Halo. You spend most of the time as Jack. As King Kong, you play in a third person veiw. You can fight enemies with plenty of moves, jump, lift, smash, and much more with Kong. It's a fun treat after all of that first person combat with Jack. Though, you won't spend most of the game playing as him. It's fun. You paid to play as Kong.

How are the graphics?
Best graphics out of all PS2, Xbox, and GC games. Xbox 360 version has the best graphics though.

How is the sound?
The sound is great. We have Dolby Pro Logic II. It sounds as atmospheric and realistic as ever, but the breathing noises the character can make can get really annoying.

How much lasting value does this game have?
It doesn't take much to beat it. But, there are extras and the game is fun which will keep you going. Kong fans will want to keep this forever.

I enjoyed King Kong the movie... Will I enjoy this?
Yes. It's one of the best licensed ever and it's worth checking out, Kong fan or not.

What are the cons about this game?
There are some programming bugs. Some so small you can laugh at and some so big you have to restart the level. A short game. Kong parts are short. Other than that, it's amazing.

Terrific

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game has got to be one of my best for gamecube. There is plenty of amazing levels and adventerous gameplay.I was a little hesitant on buying this game since I bought the ds version and found it to be way to difficult if not impossible to get passed the 2nd level. But once I started playing there was no stopping.Take my word of advice and go treat yourself to one of the best games of the year for gamecube

Not Bad

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Its a great attempt, my faults towards the game are as follows: it looks terrible on game cube, try looking at it on the computer, it's like two different games. But game wise, the spears you throw become annoying and you spend most of your time praying for a tommy gun so you can blast the Velociraptor gnawing at your leg. Also, playing as Kong, to me, was the damn funnest part of the whole game. Playing as Jack was annoying because you feel weak and helpless against the ancient dinosaurs chewing your head off. So the welcome feeling of immense strength is very satisfying.

Kong's control issue: I think kong has enough moves and is as responsive has he needs to be. I mean come on how fast do you think a 100 foot tall, 1000 lb gorilla is gonna be. I think the controls fit the giant ape perfectly and, i had no problem snapping T-rexes jaws left and right. Plus you can beat your chest and go into matrix style mod, which is so much fun.

However, I have no idea why people rush out like idiots and pay 50 bucks for the game when all you had to do is wait till that idiot decided it wasn't a good enough game for 50 dollars and traded it in so you could buy it for 10 dollars. F@#$%ING MORONs.

The lighting, sound, are as everyone has said, amazing it's just that it seems a little rushed in the game play department. I feel like they could have made more monsters, made the levels feel more free etc... you know where I'm going with this. All the things most gaming companies fall short on last minute due to budget, time, etc... etc... Even though you can replay the game for extras, it doesn't even come close to adding extra points to the overall game rating....the replay value sucks(just a little)

Bottom Line, Rent it or get it used for 10 bucks

Great Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

King Kong is a great game, full of adventure and excitement. It van be confusing sometimes, but if you're patient, you'll find a solutin to your problem. The screen can be very dark at times: the creatures are a dark gray or black, the rock is dark gray or black, you are usually in a cave so there is little light, the plants are ususlly darki red or green, and your weapons is gray or brown(if your using a spear. So it can be very difficult to see. You'd think that carrying a torch would help, but the flame on;y gets on your way.
King Kong is a reat 1st person sooter, despite the flaws mentioined above. Playing as Kong is fun but it too is complicated. He only has on "hit" button and he caan also grab the enemy, and then use the two in a combo, but thats about it.

REALLY GOOD GAME!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

GREAT GAME , BUT IT GOT CONFUSING SOMETIMES. THE GRAPHICS ARE GREAT AND SO IS THE SOUND AND MUSIC.
overall its a very good game!

A Sweet Game With A Sour Aftertaste

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Movie-to-game translations are often abysmal, unfun, and disgraceful. However, Peter Jackson's remake of the 1933 classic is not only strong gaming material, but Ubi-Soft and Jackson collaberate to make one of the better gaming experiences based on a film. The pride and passion are evident throughout most of this adventure piece, because not only does it attempt to use the movie material faithfully, it also is a unique twist on the first-person-shooter genre.

GRAPHICS
---The GameCube's graphics in this game are a mix of great and underwhelming. The best graphics are in the creature animations. Dinosaurs, flying predators, and the ape beast himself have fluid movements, and never look like stiff robots. The water and fire patricle effects are also very crisp. The human characters don't look bad, but they don't move well. Part of their jerky movements are due to some scripting glitches (think "Medal of Honor), where the computer-controlled characters move to eagerly too their next destination. The level environments aren't jaggy or poorly-drawn, but the coloring of this game made me a little bored. The jungles of Skull Island are so blue and green, and when you're navigating claustrophobic environments very quickly, this can become an uncomfortable experience. As for New York, the climactic sequence of the movie, I wasn't too impressed, because it's so dark you can barely see anything. Overall, a solid graphical presentation, but with some sore spots.

SOUND
---The music is not James Newton Howard's from the film (damn!), but it is actually an originally composed score just for the game. And a very good musical composition it is. I can't say anything really stands out to me, but when the final Credits roll, you'll listen with a smile. The voice actors in the English language setting (one of several) are those from the film. The acting isn't bad, but the written dialogue, which (ironically) was supervised by film co-writer Philippa Boyens, is pretty lame. Listening to the talented Naomi Watts speak so insightfully on the nature of Kong is cringe-inducing. Jack Black...well, that depends if you liked him in the film, but everybody else is fine. The enemies and environment sounds are crisp and very well-done. If you can forgive some bad dialogue, then turn your bass all the way up, because when you fire those guns, your heart is gonna race.

GAMEPLAY
---The first-person gaming of "King Kong" isn't typical. There is no HUD (health bar, ammo count, etc); instead, Jack Driscoll (you) can only survive a few attacks and vocally tells you how much ammo is left in your guns (you'll use 4). You'll mostly be grabbing nearby spears and throwing them at the island's predators, and it's going to be an intense experience most of the time. Crocodiles, bugs, dinosaurs, flying bats (can't remember their names) --- they're all dangerous if you're not careful. The spears are also interact with the environment to break doors and burn areas like torches & fields. There will also be a few protect-segments and chase sequences. This is mostly pretty good stuff, if a little repetitive. The 25% of the game where you play as King Kong, however, is going to polarize gamers. I personally don't care for it. The camera is too awkward, the combat too simple, the button-mashing redundant, and the jumping and chasing feel like they're on automatic pilot. Basically, I didn't enjoy this mode at all. The animations of Skull Island's beasts are fantastic, but the gameplay just isn't fun. The New York levels have shoddy cameras, so the game actually ends on a poor note. These final stages should've been the culmination of everything that "King Kong" is about, but the payoff is weak at best.

MOVIE-TO-GAME TRANSLATION
---You won't see a few characters, and the plot doesn't really follow the film's storyline. But the actual movie is one hour of exposition, and two hours of non-stop action anyway. What I miss about this game is the beautiful moments featured in the film. The quiet tender scenes between Ann Darrow and Kong would've made a stronger impact in this game. Instead, Ubi-Soft (and Peter Jackson, I guess) took the adventure segments, changed the plot to be more gamer-convenient, and extended the two hours of action to 6 hours of gaming. Not a bad idea, but then some of the attempts to portray some of those tender scenes come off as completely corny and obligatory. As I said, "King Kong" is one of the better translations, but that's not saying much.

OVERALL
---"King Kong" is a solid game, but 50 bucks is way too much for a 6-hour game. Even the current $20 price is a jip. There are extra goodies after you beat the game, but the final New York levels aren't that great, and playing as Kong just wasn't very fun for me. I will confess that I thought the 2005 version of "King Kong" was an average movie (6.5 out of 10), but this is a game that you should only rent or borrow, because I can't imagine many revisiting this one after a single play-through.

Best Movie Adaptation

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have to say that this is one of the best movie tie-in games that I have played since the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Let me begin with the good. The graphics for this game are just stellar. The lighting is spectacular and the later temple levels are just breathtaking. I also liked the atmosphere the game created with the music when you are near death, the lack of a targeting reticule, and the lack of a health bar. It helps create that sense that you are stranded on a deserted island with monsters all around you. Which leads me to another point. There are truly moments when you are scared. For example, creatures will creep up on you through tall grasses and get you from behind. The creatures, though, do bring me to only a slight disappointment: the thing where kill something to draw the monster's attention away from doesn't always work. Sometimes there is no point in doing it, especially when there is always spears nearby when you run out of ammo, etc. It's kind of hard to explain but to me, personally, it wasn't that useful. Also the game is short and the controls for Kong can be clunky, but you do get the sense of being a one ton "Prince of Persia." I would also like to see some more open environments as this kind of felt a little claustrophobic. Anyway good game. There should be more like this out there.

Awesome game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

You know the plot, so I'm not going there. for 70% of the game, you play as Jack Driscoll, in which you're job is not to save the day, but leave Skull Island alive with grossly oversized raptors, giant flying rats, and millipedes the size of anacondas running around. For the other 30% of the game, you play as Kong, punching out dinosaurs and the aforementioned giant flying rats, which offers no end of fun. Go pick up a copy of the game ASAP. You won't be sorry.

Kong is still king

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: January 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Peter Jackson's King Kong is an immersive, if somewhat unpolished experience that is way too short. Fans of the film will probably want to check it out, and fans of FPS in general may enjoy it as well.

The has you more or less playing through the events of Peter Jackson's film, with a lot of deviations in order to lengthen the game. You play as Jack Driscoll, the hero, for the majority of the game, as you travel through the atmospheric location of Skull Island, and try your hardest to survive.

No doubt about it, there's a lot of fun to be had there. King Kong's most impressive feat is its ability to immerse you in the world of the game. The fact that there is absolutely no HUD (heads up display; as in Health meters, ammo meters, targeting reticules), greatly adds to this.

The gameplay as Jack Driscoll basically boils down to survival. You are greatly outmatched by the ferocious beasts on the island, and you really have to be on your toes. This leads to some very intense, and often frightening moments, whether your taking cover and shooting your shotgun, sniping from afar, or boldly charging in with your machine gun. There's a good deal of strategy as well, since you'll soon find that you have to conserve your ammo. Spears will become your best friend, and you must learn to use them to your advantage.

When things get tense is when King Kong really takes off. At certain times you simply must run and find cover in a cave while a vicious raptor snaps at you and tries to get inside. But the star moments of the game is when the Tyrannosaurs make there appearance. These are some of the most intense, frightening, and downright impressive scenarios I've seen in a game. Your firepower is not enough to take down a T-rex, and these scenarios usually involve you running for your life, and trying to distract it while your NPC friends open a gate. One good bite, and your gone. Another level has you on a raft, with a T-rex on either side, ready to eat you if you aren't fast enough with your spears. While there are many tense moments, none of them match the sheer rush of avoiding a massive T-rex; they are the crowning achievments of the game.

When the T-rexes finally get their proper beating is when you come in control of King Kong himself. Playing as the big gorilla is somewhat simple and unrefined, but a whole lot of fun. As Kong, you perform some simple platforming by swinging on vines and branches and such, and you battle huge beasts. When you play as Kong, it switches to a third-person view, allowing you to watch the HUD-less action like it's a movie. Combat as Kong unfortunately involves little more than mashing the attack button again and again to bash the T-rexes. You can mix it up a little, such as jumping from a perch and crushing them, but the fact is that the Kong sequences are quite simple. They are a lot of fun though; and it's unfortunate that only 20%-25% of the game is devoted to Kong.

The graphics are very impressive overall. Skull Island is a beatifully designed place, oozing with atmosphere. Lush forests, flowing rivers, ancient stone temples, valleys, swamps, and more await you. The world design is certainly the crown; unfortunately the character models are somewhat unimpressive.

The sound is one of the best aspects of the game. The roar of a T-rex is terrifyingly glorious, and it's only one of the many diverse sounds you'll hear. All of the actors from the film loan there voices to the appropriate characters, and they do an excellent job.

King Kong is definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the film, or even if you aren't. Sadly the adventure only lasts for 6-7 hours, so you might be better off giving it a rent. But that's up to you; either way, you should give it a try.

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