Scully ON THE GAME

Peter Jackson's King Kong

So here we have it. After the Lord Of The Rings snooze-fest, Peter Jackson turns his attention to the 1933 classic and gives it an overhaul. A film so big that the game of the movie wasn't ever in doubt. It was always going to happen. Eagerly awaited and hyped beyond belief, guaranteed to sell without any effort for quality required, a game players' worst nightmare. What have I let myself in for?

I have to say that first impressions were as expected; not good. After the incredibly well done shipwreck intro, you find yourself walking through caves and following instructions from fellow survivors along the preset path laid out in front of you. From A to B with no deviation. As you progress, the realisation that this is not going to change sinks in.

What's needed here is a change of expectation. Exploration is not what this is about, it's about immersing yourself in Kong's world and experiencing the adventure as it unfolds. Once you get used to this, the game draws you in. It's a very simple premise, and a simplistic game, but what this has oodles of, is personality. It also has a big hairy monkey, of course.

You get to play as writer Jack Driscoll, shipwrecked and forced to explore Skull Island, helped along the way by the rock-steady Hayes, WWII vet and dispenser of wisdom and hardware. Also along for the ride are Ann Darrow, part-time damsel in distress, tamer of Kong and medicine woman. Finally is Carl Denham, a filmmaker who is mostly annoying and with a habit of getting in the way a lot.

The game itself is stripped back to the basics. There is no health bar, and no health kits with potions to collect to miraculously heal you. Get hit once and you are weakened for a short while, the screen goes red, the controls become sluggish and the sound muffled. Take a second hit in this state and you're toast. So hunker down and try to fend off any nasties until you recover. Once you're on your way, it never really lets up. Just when you think that you've made progress, something else that thinks you are a meal decides to skip the hors d'oeurves and move straight on to the human course. Here there be monsters. Lots of them.

You won't have much to fight back with either. We're talking about Megapedes and Ventosauruses against you and your pop-guns. There are spears dotted around the place and these are the real secret to completing the game. Keep the bullets for when you really need them and go native with pointy sticks whenever you can. Running away is also a useful tactic. Really, spear versus Ventosaurus-Rex. You'll only annoy him.

One of the real wins for the game is that the concept of levels is all but done away with. The game is split up into different checkpoints and passing from one to the next is done quickly and smoothly to maintain the feeling that you are in one continuing story. This sensation of building momentum is done very well and is what sets the game apart from it's contemporaries.

The other real win, of course, is Kong. Specifically, the fact you get to play as Kong. I can't stress enough how much fun this is. The creatures that were so hard to deal with as Jack can be swatted out of the way with a flick of Kong's giant wrist. Pick up a tree and swing it like a baseball bat. Grab a giant bat and swing it like a tree. It's a tonic to the plod of the earlier parts and well worth the wait. It's here that you really appreciate the sound and visuals. I say 'visuals' as the graphics themselves are good but not spectacular. It's what they've done with the graphics that impresses. When Kong roars, the distortion on the screen exaggerates the sound. It's a rabbit in the headlights thing. You have to take notice.

The criticism that has mostly been thrown at this game is that it is too short and could easily be completed in under a day. Normally I'd agree but in this case, the simple storyline and limited environment are what makes the game special. Adding more gameplay in order to extend the life of the game would ruin it, making it repetitive and bore the audience to death (Mr. Jackson take note. If I can get in a full night's sleep between the beginning and end of the film, then it's too long). Three months after its release and KK can be found at a more reasonable price in most places, which more accurately reflects the length of the game.

Then there's the ending, how do you beat the game and win? Unless you've been living under a rock for the last 50 years, you know how the story goes and how it ultimately ends. Yet you play as Kong. I'll leave it there.

Conclusion

This is a well thought out and well put together game. Perfectly paced with the sound and visuals adding to the tone and atmosphere. The best thing about this game? Swinging through the jungle as Kong. Or maybe it's Kong using his patented 'jawbreaker finale' move on the V-Rexes. No wait - it's picking up the raptors and throwing them at the Skull Islanders. See a pattern emerging? King Kong is well worth a look. A wonderful game that shows that movie tie-ins can work, so long as they are treated like games and designed for that purpose, rather than just seeing a row of dollar signs.

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Peter Jackson's King Kong
Short, but sweet. Clear a day in your diary and spend it on playing with dinosaurs, a damsel in distress and a giant ape. I promise you'll have fun.
Overall Rating:	9 out of 10
ESRB Rating:	Teen (13+) Blood, Violence
Publisher:	Ubisoft
Available for:	GameCube, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox