Peter Jackson's King Kong

Or to give it its full name, Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie. Can Ubisoft kongjure up the same spectacle as Jackson?

	Version All	Developer Ubisoft Montpellier	Publisher Ubisoft	Genre Action

By John Gold

When I finally got to see Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson's latest long-haul flick, King Kong, like a lot of people, I ended up with Ubisoft's adaptation soon afterwards. The cesspool that is the videogame tie-in hardly needs more insult, but this one was supposed to be different. This one was supposed to have been created with care and an understanding of how to join the disparate media.

Things start off well in King Kong. The team at Montpellier have mercifully pared down the film's excruciating preamble, getting you into the action within minutes. It's an idea Jackson could have done well to entertain. After a few key scenes ripped straight from the movie, you're presented with the first novelty of the game: there are no on-screen displays. Well, they're there, but you need to opt in, which is a bold move that helps sink you into the game world almost immediately. You probably won't miss it though. Those dial and doodads draw you out of the experience, which is precisely the opposite of what Ubisoft were going for.

Likewise the obligatory tutorials are handled with finesse, getting you comfortable with the not-terribly-complicated controls quickly. Squashing, shooting, impaling and otherwise maiming the gargantuan population of Skull Island is only minutes away, but unfortunately that's all you're going to be facing for a while. The game may be called King Kong, but don't expect to glimpse the brute for a while; perhaps too much like the film then.

What is unexpected is Ubisoft's decision to split the experience, letting you play as either lovelorn script-smith Jack Driscoll or lovelorn simian Kong. No matter who you're playing as, though, things feel right and you'll find yourself fussing over the lack of distinct enemies to subdue rather than fussing over the too-simple or too-complicated controls so often found in adaptations.

The first-person controls for Jack feel intuitive and even though you'll often find yourself running out of ammo, the makeshift spears you hurl around are a cinch to use properly. Playing as Kong is a drastic change, taking you out of first-person mode and giving you a chance to wrestle prehistoric beasts to the ground. The controls here are perhaps slightly more lumbering, but they still work well and convey the power of these heavyweight warriors.

King Kong does, however, not escape another problem endemic to tie-ins namely that you already know how things end, thereby making giving up when you tire of fighting scorpions that much easier. Ubisoft does have an ace up its sleeve, in the form of an alternate ending you can unlock should you put the required effort in. It's the sort of feel-good climax that will satisfy some and horrify movie fans at the thought that the story could end this way.

A big part of King Kong is the lush scenery draped across every shot and Michel Ancel and his team have done an excellent job in bringing Skull Island to life. Add in the spot-on voice acting by film leads Jack Black, Adrien Brodie and Naomi Watts and you've got an experience that should thrill those looking for more Kong.

Ubisoft set out to do something different with King Kong and for the most part they've succeeded. This is a game for fans of the movie and as such it goes a fair way to getting you involved in the on-screen action. While the game plays well, despite its split personality, and the overall look and feel of the game is just what you would have hoped for, we can't help feeling that there could have been a bit more variety. But given the relatively short playtime, you probably won't have too much time to get bored.