Peter Jackson’s King Kong

Whether you are a fan of the classic movie or if you just love action games, King Kong is the game for you!  Anyone can appreciate the awe inspiring cinematic-like graphics that are seen in this game.  The game play itself is also hard to compare with anything else.

The story begins with you playing as Jack Driscoll from a first person perspective.  You are on the mysterious Skull Island, trying to survive and escape from horrid beasts of unimaginable size.  You later get to play as King Kong himself from a third person perspective.

The game creator, Michael Ancel, teamed up with 3 time academy award winner Peter Jackson to make this gripping game that touches you as much as the film will.  The graphics are gorgeous.  It is very much like watching the movie itself.  In fact, it is probably the best looking game so far. 

Game play is quite realistic.  As Jack, you must navigate your way through a dark and endless jungle.  You have to shoot at humongous beasts that are nearly impossible to kill with your meager weapons.  Ammunition and weapons are scarce.  You will often find yourself having to result to spears and other third world weapons because you didn’t use your ammunition sparingly.  As it is, the beasts just don’t die.  You basically shoot at them while running for your life and trying to take shelter.

Another aspect of the game is the NPCs (non playable characters).  Each NPC has its own unique abilities.  These abilities are necessary for you to proceed to the next area of the game.  There are many puzzles and areas that require the help of the NPCs.  This means that poor Jack (you) has to protect and defend them, as well as yourself.

Once you escape the terror of Skull Island, you change from Jack to the huge brute himself, King Kong.  Here you play from third person perspective.  The huge beast is unstoppable, smashing beasts and gliding effortlessly through the jungle.  It is a welcomed surprise after facing the many toils as the meek human.  You later end up in New York for the climax.  Seeing the world from both Jack’s point of view and from King Kong’s point of view is an added benefit of the game itself.

King Hong features a musical score that is different than that of the film.  However, it is one of the best and most memorable musical scores ever heard in a video game.  It also has the likeness and voices of the actors seen in the film.

King Kong truly captures the theme of man against beast.  The only downfall is that the game is rather short and the ending climax is not the greatest.  However, points leading up to the climax are unforgettable.  The great game play more than makes up for the short and uneventful ending.  There is also a second alternate ending that you can unlock…

Peter Jackson’s King Kong is available for XBOX 360, XBOX, Playstation 2, and Gamecube.  It has an ESRB rating of T for Teen.  This is because the game has blood and violence in it.