Peter Jackson's King Kong review

Everyone is aware of the iconic image of King Kong, based on the classic 1933 film that shocked audiences. For gamers, Kong has remained untouched until now (with only a dubious cameo in a Nintendo series) as Ubisoft attempt to bring us the official videogame of the motion picture. Normally a film licence is only a licence to print money, but the development team has somehow managed to deliver a great game as well. Coming from the creator of Beyond Good & Evil (Michel Ancel) and his talented team, we are beginning to expect such a standard as the norm.The events and key moments in King Kong are common knowledge, and to its credit Ubisoft has decided against tampering with these. As expected, we land on the undiscovered island, before embarking on the trail of prehistoric monsters, ancient civilisations and the big guy himself - it's what the developer has done in-between the key moments that really impresses. What could have been a shortsighted Turok clone instead manages to entertain greatly during its short lifespan.Your trek across Skull Island is a fantastic representation of what a videogame can achieve today, and truly an inexorable experience. It really entices you to go see the film: from the opening moments of bravado and folly to the realisation of what you've gotten yourself into and how pitiful you are in comparison to the native wildlife. The curtain-raiser (attempting to land on the island itself) is an epic moment - bringing back memories of beachhead landings, but just as powerful without the gunfire.The game has been crafted with real attention and skill, as less talented developers would have kept you in the role of one character and levelled out the rollercoaster ride. Nowadays most releases follow a progressively deteriorating course of interest, and most give their all in the opening moments. Kong (as you've no doubt heard elsewhere) is short - but never short of adrenaline as the interest factor remains high throughout. Gamestyle certainly knows which type is best.The use of a first-person mode not only increases the immersion, but also focuses your attention on the excellent character models (faithful representations of the Hollywood cast), and gives a real sense of scale. Yet this isn't a first person shooter or RPG-focused experience such as Deus Ex; instead, King Kong is clutter-free from menu icons and things to remember. You have only one life as such, but retreating or seeking cover will allow you to regain health. Death can be overcome through the consistent use of checkpoints throughout the levels.There are taxing moments now and again within Kong, but these are very much in the minority. The difficulty level is not fixed against "easy", but more accomplished players will be disheartened by the ease of the game. However, there are plenty of fantastic moments which overcome such issues; the first V-Rex encounter, for example, where the roar almost freezes you in fear.When controlling one of the human cast, the combat is refreshingly different. Guns do exist but, like Monolith's Condemned, you cannot rely on these greatly because of the lack of ammunition. Instead, tribal spears and other hand-held weapons can be used to ward off or fell opponents. The luscious prehistoric foliage not only acts as a source of cover, but also provides an opportunity to trap unwary foes - thanks to the availability of fire. This well-balanced system is thrown out the window when in charge of Kong, but such a beast has no need for weapons or the subtleties of combat.As expected, the foliage on the Playstation 2 version isn't as believable as that seen on other formats. The resolution and textures also let the overall package down, but not by much, as the levels are strongly designed. By making progress across the island, you never know what is just around the corner; the pacing, level design and atmosphere all merge to deliver a captivating adventure.The use of film sources is handled deftly by Ubisoft, and exemplified by the aforementioned cast appearances (and voices), sound effects and environment. The unlockable extras confirm the amount of work and dedication that Ubisoft has put into King Kong, and these are well worth discovering. Still, once these have been digested there is little reason to return to the completed title (although you'll be guaranteed fond memories of the experience). After the disappointing Matrix: Path of Neo, Peter Jackson's King Kong shows us how it should be done: it's one of the best videogame-to-movie adaptations ever.