King Kong Review
Any production involving Peter Jackson is going to be something special; Meet the Feebles, The Frighteners, The Lord of the Rings. This game is no different. You've found the legendary Skull Island, tried to make a movie, and before you know it, you're being chased by dinosaurs, hostile tribal villagers and the biggest gorilla the 1930's has ever seen.
The game feels like a movie, a very different atmosphere to other first-person shooters I’ve played. You play in various roles as the story unfolds: hunter, prey... uber-monkey. Play can become a little linear at times, but you are following an established story, so this is somewhat forgivable. There are two intertwined storylines. You play as both Jack, trying to rescue Ann, and Kong, trying to protect her. When playing as Jack this game is an adventure-based first-person shooter with the odd puzzle and plenty of things to kill (or hide from). When you are Kong, gameplay changes to a third-person platformer. You find yourself swinging from trees, leaping over cliffs, and bashing dinosaurs, smackdown-style (complete with a kickass pindown into jaw-break manoever).
The story cutscenes blend well with ingame character animation and gameplay. There is a high level of detail in facial expressions, especially when talking. One is able to believe the characters on the screen are human actors from the movie. The in-game score is multilayered between orchestra and sound effects, changing depending on the action and environment - very convincing. This game is visually stunning, and once again the level of detail will draw you into this adventure, which is at times Middle-Earthian. The grasses and bushes, trees, lighting effects, smoke and steam are all of high quality, but the fire and water are truly spectacular - the best that I have seen to date. The fire has depth, and the waves in the ocean peak with foam and spray. The frame rate is smooth through most of the game, but it is a little slow in a couple of parts. Given the amount of detail this game manages to tease out of the ageing Xbox, I think that this is forgivable.
Movement feels good most of the time, but the turnspeed is frustratingly slow when playing as Jack. It’s not a problem until you get into close combat. Playing as Kong is great, you feel 50 feet tall (and just wait ‘til Kong breaks loose onto the streets of New York). The button layout is a little different, but easy to master in a half an hour. There are a few types of guns, pistol, shottie, and the use of spears (or the ribs from a nearby carcass).
