Here we are – a game that has a
Hollywood director’s name above the title. It’s not the first time Hollywood has
invaded the video-game industry but the involvement of a director to this
extreme probably hasn’t been seen before King Kong. Peter Jackson has admitted
to his love of video games in countless interviews and it seems he wasn’t
entirely pleased with his last video game involvement. Instead of just letting a
developer or studio make a game with little-to-no input from Mr. Jackson, we’re
treated to a collaboration with the director and publisher/developer Ubisoft.
This results in a game that is as close to the movie it’s based upon as possible
since the creative visionary is the same for the movie and game.
I will leave you to discover the
story of King Kong on your own but you’ve probably heard enough to know the
basic premise. A huge ape/gorilla falls for a beautiful girl then goes crazy and
destroys a city in search of the girl. The game starts off with you playing the
role of Jack Driscoll as you land on Skull Island. You soon discover that Skull
Island is crawling with strange creatures and prehistoric dinosaurs. You have to
defend yourself and your friends any way possible from becoming dinosaur food.
In order to defend yourself from the
creatures you will need to use whatever weapons you can find on Skull Island.
The game plays similar to a First-person Shooter (FPS) but with a few twists.
The first twist is the weapons in the game. You won’t always use a gun during
certain parts of the game. The game allows you to pick up spears that you can
use to attack with or you can even go old school by attacking with your bare
knuckles. Honestly using your fists in the game isn’t the best way to survive
but for those that are truly brave then have at it. The guns and spears are
usually scattered throughout the levels waiting to be picked up. If you run out
of ammo with a gun then a spear should be somewhere nearby to pick up and use.
The controls are unique when
compared to the traditional FPS. In order to fire a gun or throw a spear you
must first “arm” the weapon by holding down the space bar. Once you’ve armed the
weapon you can then attack with the weapon. This setup was confusing at first,
especially when I tried using a USB controller (the Xbox 360 Controller for
Windows) to play the game. The default settings were way off with the
controller; I was holding a shoulder button down to arm the weapon and then had
to press the start button on the controller to fire. Even when I tried changing
the button layout for the controller nothing worked as well as I thought since
the game didn’t recognize the shoulder triggers of the 360 controller. But
regardless of the controller problems the game will keep you on your toes at
first until you’re comfortable arming the weapon first and then firing.
The next twist with the gameplay is
the lack of the traditional health meter. Yes, you didn’t read that last
sentence wrong, the game doesn’t have a health meter to show you how much damage
you’ve taken. Instead the game offers a few not so subtle clues as to how much
damage you’re taking during combat. The first clue is the game will slow down
temporarily once you’ve taken damage. You can still attack during this segment
but your abilities are drastically reduced for the next few seconds. If you take
no damage then your status returns to normal and the gameplay returns to normal
speed. But if you get damaged again then this usually indicates your dead and
it’s time to play again. It’s very easy to know when you’re dying, the screen
turns red and you’re dead. This creates a not-so-stellar sense of realism for
the game.
During several stages I was swarmed
by creatures and had no chance to recover in order to attack. It was usually two
attacks and I was dead, which gave me only a few seconds to figure out what I
needed to do. Sure that is the standard formula for countless other games but
remember there isn’t a health meter in King Kong. The lack of the health meter
had me playing the game cautiously since I knew I could only take damage once
before I was in immediate danger. This even resulted in having to play certain
stages over and over and over again because it was one, two and done for Jack.
Some of you are probably saying that the health meter isn’t a big issue but its
removal will play a significant role you how you play the game.
Another twist with the gameplay is
the involvement of the other characters from the film. During the game you can
switch weapons with another character by looking at them, pressing the E button
and then pressing the E button again. You can think of it as having a roaming
weapons store at your disposal but knowing that you could either a better or
worse weapon during the trade. The game starts off by forcing you to use this
feature so you’re familiar with it and it can become extremely useful during
certain parts, especially when you’re out of ammo.
The other characters in the game are
non-playable but can be very demanding of your attention. Certain segments of
the game require you to play protector and make sure the other characters remain
alive during the stage. These segments usually involve you standing on one part
of the stage and the NPC at the other side of the stage. There was even a
segment where the NPC I had to protect was underneath me at a lower level of the
stage. It took me a few times to realize just where the NPC was located in order
to protect him. It was strange hearing the NPC begging for help one minute only
to tell you to “I will meet you up ahead, I’ll be fine.” What? – one minute
they are hopeless and useless but the next minute they’re full of courage?
The next twist is the biggest twist,
which is the ability to play as King Kong. Playing as King Kong changes the
gameplay from a FPS to a third-person perspective action game. Kong is simply a
brute full of rage and anger as you play him. The controls are much simpler for
Kong with just a hit, jump, grab and rage button to control. The hit, jump and
grab button are self explanatory but the rage button is unique. If you
repeatedly press the rage button Kong will react with a rage of fury that
temporarily puts the game in slow motion where all of Kong’s damage is
intensified. A couple of notes should be mentioned about controlling Kong.
First is the lack of controlling the camera. The camera will move automatically
as you control Kong, which can occasionally cause a problem when trying to
attack as Kong. The second is the health meter is still missing when playing as
Kong. Why is Kong so powerful yet so sensitive that after getting hit twice he
dies?
Sure I’ve mentioned a few issues
with the gameplay but I need to bring up that Kong is a true cinematic gaming
experience. The game looks amazing with gorgeous details on all of the stages
and the characters. The characters in the game look almost identical to the
actors from the movie and all of the voices were done by the actors. The way
the game plays out reminded me of action scenes from blockbuster movies. You
start out with the actors talking about certain events and then the next huge
event unfolds in the plot. You then play through this huge event to get to the
next plot development.
At the end of the day it’s all about
fun and how much fun you can have with a game. King Kong is a fun game to play
and an experience that no one should miss. The unique gameplay, amazing visuals
and movie tie-in should be enough to keep everyone entertained. However some
gamers will probably find some of the gameplay ideas too innovative, a.k.a. too
radical, for their taste. Or if you’re not a huge fan of the King Kong story
then the game really isn’t going to offer that much that you have to play.
|
Review Scoring Details for Peter Jackson’s King Kong |
Gameplay: 7.5
The lack of the health meter is a unique idea that you will either love or hate.
The missing health meter will probably lead you to playing stages repeatedly.
The control setup for the FPS segments will throw you for a loop at first since
you have to hold a button down before you can fire a weapon. But these changes
really can’t hide the fact that most of the stages can be very repetitive. You
talk to the other characters in the game and then blast your way to the next
plot development. You even start noticing the same creatures popping up at what
seems to be the same exact spots in other stages. Playing as Kong was a great
change of pace but didn’t happen until what felt like an eternity into the game.
Graphics: 9.0
I thought the graphics in King Kong were amazing with striking details and
breathtaking scenery at times. Even with the specs of my machine, getting close
to very low end, the game ran flawlessly with no frame-rate problems or slowdown
issues.
Sound: 8.0
The music in game was incredible with a moving and expressive theme that set an
amazing tone for the game. The music was always fitting to what was happening in
the game and I never noticed any themes being repeated. The voice acting of the
characters in the game was top notch but very repetitive during the most of the
game. You will hear the same phrases being repeated over and over again by the
other characters in the game. Hey, I’m a big Jack Black fan but even I wanted to
tell him to shut up.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Once again the lack of the health meter could be a make or break point of this
game. Be prepared to take not just one or two steps back in how you play but
several steps. The control scheme is another issue that will add a few extra
frustration points since it’s a little unconventional.
Concept: 8.0
The concept of playing not only as Kong but as one of the regular characters
from the movie is a great idea. However, King Kong turns it up to 11 by making
the elements of both characters completely different when you play them. The
regular game is played out via a FPS style while Kong is a third-person action
game. The entire cinematic experience that Peter Jackson has overseen in this
game is a sight to see.
Overall: 8.1
Peter Jackson’s King Kong is a solid and entertaining title that offers a great
cinematic experience. The gameplay is a mixture of a quality FPS and
third-person action game but with some interesting gameplay choices. The lack of
a health meter is an innovative idea that works but not without some issues. But
in the end if you enjoyed the new movie or want a great combination of gaming
and Hollywood cinematic then look no further than Peter Jackson’s King Kong.
