Peter Jackson's King Kong Review
04 December 2005 | By Ronal Shrestha
If you want to be completely surprised by the movie, don't buy the game first until seeing it
Sorry, but there are some things that have to be left out about the games story line here because the movie hasn’t hit theaters yet. Wouldn’t want to spoil the movie for you or anything like that. The games story line begins with the filmmaker, Carl Denham (voice over done by Jack Balck, always a riot), having a fit. His next project is about to be axed, so he’s got to figure out a way to get back on the right track. Working with actress Ann Darrow (played by Naomi Watts) and screen writer Jack they put together a ship to travel to Skull Island, which is supposedly once the home to a lost civilization. The game doesn’t really go into detail on explaining why he does all of this just to film a movie. You’ll get the feeling that something is missing and that there is some information you are not privy to, but when the movie comes out everything is understandable. If you want to be completely surprised by the movie, don’t buy the game first until seeing it.
The actual gameplay begins right after reaching the island. You will be seeing everything from Jack’s perspective. Storms come and waters rage, and the next thing you know, you’re waking up on the beach extremely confused and wondering what in the hell those screams are coming from the island’s wilderness. The first five to ten minutes of the game you won’t want to move, you’ll just sit there and look around, trying to figure out what’s what.
There will be a lot of adventuring and sightseeing in King Kong, mainly because there is nothing to grab your attention from the environment and monsters you face. There are no gauges of any kind; you will track your health with the screen effect red flash when you get hurt. In cases like this, you’ll have to get away from fights and actions to heal up if possible. Another hit while you’re flashing and you’re a goner, kind of like the old school arcade games. Ammo can be kept up with verbal cues and hints from Jack. When reloading he will let you know if there’s enough ammo or not.
While you can keep weapons you like, you will only be able to hold one gun at a time and you have a limited weapon carrying ability. Unlike many other games, the ammo pick up in King Kong is pretty sensible and really could happen. You only have a set supply of ammo, and if you run out, too bad. You’ll just have to improvise.
No matter who or what you’re fighting, the combat in King Kong is extremely satisfying. Weapons are lethal and deadly and it’s relatively easy to hit your targets dead on. There aren’t any scopes to use on weapons, but they really aren’t even necessary or needed. Not that the game is made to be easy, but there just isn’t the clutter of things like that around, which is great.
Monsters and creatures on are massive and ferocious. Everything on the island is huge, a bigger version of anything you’ve ever encountered before and you can’t make them mad, they’re mad to begin with. Some of the animals you’ll encounter include dinosaurs, packs of huge scorpions, and giant millipedes. These creatures won’t be happy you’re on their ground and they’ll attack you in packs. Some of them can’t even be killed; you just have to hope you can distract them enough to get away.
The puzzles in the game are very thought provoking and challenging. For example you’ll have to find certain things in order to open doors or clear a pathway. Okay, so maybe their not all that challenging and thoughtful, but they do add a level of interest. The game is laid out so that it is easy to figure out where you’re going and the AI leaders are smart enough to know the right path to take. Even though it’s simple, its pretty cool stuff.
Visuals in King Kong are exactly what you’d expect to find if you’re deserted on a jungle island. Everything is dark and gloomy. The creatures move realistically and are designed very well. There is fog everywhere and this jungle is made to look like the most dangerous thing you will ever see. The graphics in New York aren’t near that of the jungle, but luckily you don’t have to spend much time there.
Voice over from the actors may well be the best thing about King Kong. It is absolutely excellent. Jack Black, Naomi Watts, and Adrien Brody do an excellent job of portraying their respective characters. The sounds of the monsters and beasts are superb as well. When King Kong roars it will put shivers up your spine.
You get to play as King Kong. Jack is talked about so much because he takes up about 80% of the game, but the parts where you play as King Kong kick ass. There are two things to do when playing as King Kong: go on a jungle rampage by swinging around and killing monsters and taking care of Ann. Kong doesn’t have a wide variety of ways to attack, but he’s so big and gigantic that it doesn’t matter. There are basic punches and things like that, but that’s all you need to snap a dinosaur’s neck. It’s too bad the time spent as King Kong is so small.
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| The actual gameplay begins right after reaching the island | The first five to ten minutes of the game you won’t want to move, you’ll just sit there and look around, trying to figure out what’s what |
The actual gameplay begins right after reaching the island. You will be seeing everything from Jack’s perspective. Storms come and waters rage, and the next thing you know, you’re waking up on the beach extremely confused and wondering what in the hell those screams are coming from the island’s wilderness. The first five to ten minutes of the game you won’t want to move, you’ll just sit there and look around, trying to figure out what’s what.
There will be a lot of adventuring and sightseeing in King Kong, mainly because there is nothing to grab your attention from the environment and monsters you face. There are no gauges of any kind; you will track your health with the screen effect red flash when you get hurt. In cases like this, you’ll have to get away from fights and actions to heal up if possible. Another hit while you’re flashing and you’re a goner, kind of like the old school arcade games. Ammo can be kept up with verbal cues and hints from Jack. When reloading he will let you know if there’s enough ammo or not.
While you can keep weapons you like, you will only be able to hold one gun at a time and you have a limited weapon carrying ability. Unlike many other games, the ammo pick up in King Kong is pretty sensible and really could happen. You only have a set supply of ammo, and if you run out, too bad. You’ll just have to improvise.
No matter who or what you’re fighting, the combat in King Kong is extremely satisfying. Weapons are lethal and deadly and it’s relatively easy to hit your targets dead on. There aren’t any scopes to use on weapons, but they really aren’t even necessary or needed. Not that the game is made to be easy, but there just isn’t the clutter of things like that around, which is great.
 |
 |
|
| No matter who or what you’re fighting, the combat in King Kong is extremely satisfying | Monsters and creatures on are massive and ferocious |
Monsters and creatures on are massive and ferocious. Everything on the island is huge, a bigger version of anything you’ve ever encountered before and you can’t make them mad, they’re mad to begin with. Some of the animals you’ll encounter include dinosaurs, packs of huge scorpions, and giant millipedes. These creatures won’t be happy you’re on their ground and they’ll attack you in packs. Some of them can’t even be killed; you just have to hope you can distract them enough to get away.
The puzzles in the game are very thought provoking and challenging. For example you’ll have to find certain things in order to open doors or clear a pathway. Okay, so maybe their not all that challenging and thoughtful, but they do add a level of interest. The game is laid out so that it is easy to figure out where you’re going and the AI leaders are smart enough to know the right path to take. Even though it’s simple, its pretty cool stuff.
Visuals in King Kong are exactly what you’d expect to find if you’re deserted on a jungle island. Everything is dark and gloomy. The creatures move realistically and are designed very well. There is fog everywhere and this jungle is made to look like the most dangerous thing you will ever see. The graphics in New York aren’t near that of the jungle, but luckily you don’t have to spend much time there.
Voice over from the actors may well be the best thing about King Kong. It is absolutely excellent. Jack Black, Naomi Watts, and Adrien Brody do an excellent job of portraying their respective characters. The sounds of the monsters and beasts are superb as well. When King Kong roars it will put shivers up your spine.
 |
 |
|
| Voice over from the actors may well be the best thing about King Kong | The pace of the game is very fast and is over pretty quickly |
You get to play as King Kong. Jack is talked about so much because he takes up about 80% of the game, but the parts where you play as King Kong kick ass. There are two things to do when playing as King Kong: go on a jungle rampage by swinging around and killing monsters and taking care of Ann. Kong doesn’t have a wide variety of ways to attack, but he’s so big and gigantic that it doesn’t matter. There are basic punches and things like that, but that’s all you need to snap a dinosaur’s neck. It’s too bad the time spent as King Kong is so small.
PETER JACKSON'S KING KONG VERDICT
The pace of the game is very fast and is over pretty quickly. It should take six, seven hours at most to complete. It should also be known that the end of the game, the final conclusion, isn’t the best thing about the game. The ending really could have used some additional excitement. Nearly the entire game is on Skull Island, but when King Kong is taken to New York City at the end, you’d expect some action going on there. There is some destruction Kong is able to inflict on the city, but not nearly what you’d think.
TOP GAME MOMENT
You get to play as King Kong. Jack is talked about so much because he takes up about 80% of the game, but the parts where you play as King Kong kick ass. There are two things to do when playing as King Kong: go on a jungle rampage by swinging around and killing monsters and taking care of Ann. Kong doesn’t have a wide variety of ways to attack, but he’s so big and gigantic that it doesn’t matter. There are basic punches and things like that, but that’s all you need to snap a dinosaur’s neck. It’s too bad the time spent as King Kong is so small.
