Peter Jackson’s King Kong

Posted Dec 9, 2005 by TBO.com

Updated Sep 21, 2007 at 04:01 PM

System: Microsoft Xbox 360

Also available for: Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft Xbox, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, Windows

Publisher: Ubi Soft

Reviewer’s rating: B

ESRB rating: Teen

Game type: Action/adventure

Kind of like: “Tomb Raider” crossed with “Rampage”

Best feature: The part where you play as Kong rules ...

Worst feature: ... but it doesn’t last long enough.

The bottom line: Only five more days until “King Kong” rocks the big screen, but you just can’t wait, can you? If you don’t mind spoilers, you’re in luck: The video game is already out.

After all, every blockbuster movie comes with a video game tie-in and this one is no different — unless you consider the fact that it’s one of the rare movie-based titles that’s actually worth playing.

Without giving away too much of the story, you play mostly first-person as a member of the crew that stumbles into a dangerous adventure on Skull Island. Yes, this adventure includes incidents that involve an oversized ape.

What’s better than a game with monkeys? (Answer: a game with giant monkeys.) The levels in which you play in third-person as Kong are highlights here: swinging, climbing and pounding your chest is more fun than a barrel of ... well, you know.

Elsewhere, the mildly challenging gameplay (a mix of combat and puzzle solving) can get a tad redundant, but top-notch voice acting (Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Naomi Watts) and a moody, cinematic atmosphere keep things interesting.