Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie

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Peter Jackson's King Kong
Developer(s)	Ubisoft Montpellier (PC, GBA and console versions) Ubisoft Casablanca (DS version) Pheonix Studio (PSP version)
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Designer(s)	Michel Ancel
Engine	JADE engine
Release date(s)	November 17, 2005 (NA)
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single Player
Rating(s)	ESRB: T ESRB: E10+ (GBA/DS) OFLC: M OFLC: PG (GBA/DS)
Platform(s)	PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC, Xbox 360, PSP, Nintendo DS, GBA
Media	DVD-ROM, GameCube Optical Disc, Cartridge, UMD, Download
Input	Keyboard, Game controller,

Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie is a multiplatform/first person shooter/action adventure game based on the movie King Kong. It is a collaboration between the film's director Peter Jackson and famed videogame designer Michel Ancel (Rayman, Beyond Good & Evil), remarkable in that such true cross-medium creative partnerships are rare in the realm of game development.

In the United States, the Game Boy Advance version is titled Kong: The 8th Wonder of the World.

King Kong was originally announced for all major game systems. However, out of the current seventh generation, only the Xbox 360 has received the game; no PlayStation 3 or Wii versions have been announced.

[edit] Plot Summary

The game's plot is signficantly different to that of the film it is based upon.

Carl Denham has gotten hold of a mysterious map, which reveals the secret location of a rather large island known as Skull Island, a place located in the far reaches of the Indian Ocean. Carl hires play wrighter Jack Driscoll to write his script, and plucks a starving, out-of-work actress Ann Darrow to play the part of leading lady and a tramp steamer called the S.S.Venture to take them to the island. The ship, captained by Captain Englehorn arrives at the island, but due to the stormy seas and huge rocks, it can't get any closer so, three lifeboats containing the cast & crew plus a few sailors are sent to the island. However, the lifeboat containing Jack, Carl, Ann, Hayes and Briggs gets hit by a chunk of rock which fell from a large stone structure, thus tossing the party out into the sea...

Jack awakes, only to discover one of the sailors, Briggs is dead and the lifeboat completely torn apart. Hayes shoots out a distress signal, informing Ann, Carl and Jack that if Englehorn sees it, he'll come looking for them with his seaplane. The group head upwards to a cave entrance leading into a dark, dank, waterflooded cave. After fighting off several giant enemy crabs, they head towards the exit and move out onto a rocky outcrop, to the left there is a rocky slope leading down to a stoney beach. Carl suggest shooting some test shots for his movie, he asks Ann to scream and her classic damsel-in-distress style wailing is answered by Kongs roar. The director and his men are suddenly attacked by huge crabs that crawl out from the shore, rifles raised, the men shoot the miniture tanks down, but a huge bellow erupts from the water. A 30 foot crab emerges from the murk and knocks over a wooden platform supported by wooden beams which is standing next to the slope. After much man-made commotion the creature is defeated, letting its giant pincers fall to the ground as it takes in its last breath, they move on through a gigantic wooden door. The party progress forward, meeting up with the second lifeboat containing Preston, Jimmy and Lumpy, although it cannot land because of the strong current of the sea. The team continue traversing the island, battling with many vicious creatures, and are eventually forced to split up - Jack crosses a wooden bridge, but after he crosses it, it breaks. Ann insists on going with him and climbs up to the cliff above Jack. After a huge battle with Megapedes and Scorpio-pedes through a seemingly abandoned village, Jack and Ann are captured by island Natives.

When Jack wakes up tied to a stake, he can only watch as Ann is taken by the mighty 25ft gorilla, King Kong, as part of a sacrifice. Carl eventually rescues Jack and the two give chase. During the dangerous journey through the jungle, Jack and Carl reunite with Hayes and soon after, Jimmy, but Preston and Lumpy along with the other sailors are killed. However, when the team are pursued by three V-rexes, Kong comes to the rescue and kills them, thus making this their first encounter with the great ape. Kong interupts the crews log crossing and tips them into a huge ravine. Carl's camera is broken and he gives up, heading downstream towards the Venture. Jack, Jimmy and Hayes continue their pursuit of Ann.

Jack eventually saves Ann and the party continue the adventure to find a long stretch of water of which the seaplane can land on. However, captain Englehorn takes flight as a huge V-rex follows them into a large area cluttered with anciant stone ruins. The monster breaks through the barracade and begins smashing down their shelter, until Kong comes to save Ann. As the rex charges towards the king of the island, it plows through Hayes and kills him. Jack and Jimmy fight many Venatosaurs and eventually find a long stretch of water and find the seaplane. Jimmy climbs in (there is only one passenger seat) and Jack climbs up into the mountains to save Ann.

Jack dicovers Kong's lair and kills the skin-birds which are roosting above the entrance, he rescues Ann while the gorrila fights several Cave Serpents. But following a chain of events, she is captured by the Natives as part of a trap and Kong comes to save her. Kong gets gassed by sailors once he reaches the shore and is taken to New York City. Kong isn't held captive for long however and wanders New York in search of Ann. He eventually finds her and, after destroying many cars, army trucks and generally makes a tip of Manhattan, takes her up to the Empire State Building where he is shot down and killed. Carl stands beside Kongs body and mutters his famous phrase "It was beauty killed the beast."

[edit] Alternative Ending

Once the player retrieves enough points during gameplay, the Alternative Ending appears in the Extras section. First off, players control Kong as he climbs the Empire State Building and fights off airplanes as in the proper ending, but if the player survives long enough and defeats enough planes, the army will set up searchlights around the Empire State Building, and Jack Driscoll will appear, flying in the seaplane, with Captain Englehorn as passenger. Jack must shoot all four searchlights, whilst defending Kong from simultaneous attacks from the army's airplanes. After you shoot a few airplanes down, some of the planes will concentrate their fire on you. The level is lost either if your plane is shot down or if Kong is shot too many times. If Jack successfully shoots all four searchlights, the army will turn them on again, only to discover that Kong is no longer ontop of the Empire State Building and is climbing down.

After the shootout at Empire State Building, a short scene shows Captain Englehorn and Ann Darrow flying around Skull Island on the seaplane, watching Kong roar on top of his mountain lair. We then see them fly back to S.S. Venture as the tale ends.

[edit] Naming differences

The name of the game differs from that of the film, in that it is prefixed with Peter Jackson's, and suffixed with Official Game of the Movie. This title "won" the dubious honor of "Most Long-Winded Game Title of 2005" at GameSpot [1].

[edit] Gameplay

In Peter Jackson's King Kong, the player assumes the roles of both New York playwright Jack Driscoll and the giant ape King Kong as they struggle to survive on Skull Island.

This game is exhibitive of an industry trend to de-emphasize the role of Heads-Up Displays: it lacks a life bar and ammunition readout (the ammo readout could be enabled), which makes the game more realistic. The player must rely on subtle onscreen and vocal cues from Jack instead. During the majority of the game the player is tasked with controlling Jack Driscoll in a first person view, a character given a realistic amount of health and equipped with largely ineffectual weaponry, further adding to the challenge and encouraging the player to find alternate weapons and techniques.

Kong fighting a V-Rex

Interspersed with Driscoll's adventure are levels in which the player controls King Kong himself, battling various giant monsters in defense of Ann. The Kong levels take place in a third person view, as the player directs Kong to punch, grab and use objects and certain dead creatures as weapons, bite, throw objects and creatures, charge, climb, and even pound his chest to go into fury mode, a powerful mode in which the sky becomes a golden hue and Kong becomes more powerful, faster and less vulnerable to attacks. Many of the Kong sequences fulfill the role of boss fights, as the giant ape is able to effectively battle the gigantic V-Rexes that Jack's weapons cannot harm. Upon defeating a V-rex, Queen Terapusmordax or Adult Cave Serpent, Kong is able to deliver a "finisher", similar to the fatalities of Mortal Kombat fame. Kong can kill a V-Rex with two different finisher moves, either by tearing apart its jaws or lifting it over his head like a wrestler and slamming it down, breaking its back. The queen Terrapusmordax and adult Cave Serpent share the same killing move, that of being lifted into the air and slammed onto the ground (the most notable finisher move is a re-enactment from the film of Kong breaking a V-Rex's jaw).

There are two versions of the game for the PC platform. The standard version that can be bought from most game stockists and a special "Gamers' Edition." It features higher resolution textures that make it around the same level of detail as the Xbox 360 version. [2]. At the moment one can only get it by buying and downloading it online at certain e-shops. Also, due to its high detail level it has a quite high minimum specifications: Processor: Pentium 4 3.0 GHz /AMD 3000+ or better RAM: 2 GB. Video Card: 3D 256 MB, supporting Pixel shader 3.0 and Vertex shader 3.0.

[edit] Main characters

• Jack Driscoll: You can play as Jack in the game. His main objective is to save Ann from the hands of Kong. He can use different weapons to kill enemies. He is a screenwriter in New York.
• Ann Darrow: A down-in-her-luck actress who Jack loves. She can climb up walls to complete objectives for Kong and Jack. She uses spears to defend herself and the others. She also has medical knowledge which she uses to heal other members of the group.
• Carl Denham: All Carl cares about is his film. While sometimes he can be useful for killing enemies. He usually stands back from the fighting to film the wonders of Skull Island. His camera is eventually lost in an encounter with Kong on a log bridge, only to catch the great ape itself.
• Hayes: Hayes is the weapon supplier in the game. He sometimes gives Jack useful weapons such as a Sniper Rifle or a Thompson submachine gun and is the most helpful for fighting the creatures of Skull Island. He is mortally wounded when a V-Rex steps on him.
• King Kong: A giant gorilla, 25 feet tall and is the last of his kind. You can play as Kong in the game. He protects Ann and kills different creatures in her defense. He can climb walls, swing on branches, and unblock paths. He is killed when he falls from the Empire State building, although he can be saved and returned to his lair on Skull Island in the alternate ending.
• Captain Englehorn: He is the captain of the Venture, flying around the island in the seaplane. He comes to retrieve Jimmy while Jack heads towards Kongs lair to rescue Ann.
• Jimmy: The youngest member in the Venture. He came ashore in another boat along with Preston, Lumpy and a sailor and later falls into a pit during a V-Rex attack but is found later fighting raptors. He can only use spears and is an easy target for most creatures. Jimmy is known to have a knack for getting into trouble.
• Preston: Carl's assistant who goes ashore with Lumpy and Jimmy in another boat. He is killed by a V Rex when he, Jimmy, Lumpy and a sailor are in the process of crossing a catwalk between a gap, high ubove a small ravine.
• Lumpy: The cook on the Venture, Lumpy went with Preston and Jimmy in another boat. He is torn apart by a V-Rex when he tried to defend Jimmy, who along with the others, fell from the bridge.
• Briggs: Briggs is a sailor on the Venture who goes ashore with the others. He is killed instantly while landing when the boat crashes, becoming the first casualty on Skull Island.
• Sailors: Several of the Venture crew go ashore and are Killed by the island's vicious inhabitants.

[edit] Weapons

• Pistol - Luger P08, 9mm semi-automatic handgun. This is the first weapon available and is used on several more occassions but is rarly found in the dense jungle interior. Best suited to gunning down the island's less threatening inhabitants, such as the natives, giant crabs, juvenile Venatosaurs and the common flying foe, Terrapusmordax. Always useful in tricky situations with it's high ammo count and quick fire and reload rates. It also makes a breif appearance in the film, in the sequence when captain Englehorn kills a skull islander, he uses this gun whilst rescuing Ann, Jack, Carl and the other sailors from a violant and bloodthirsty end.

• Sniper Rifle - Gewehr 98 bolt-action rifle with a telescopic sight. Always there when you need it, being best suited of course to shoot down predators at a distance before they notice you, a handy weapon with convenient ammo count and telescopic sight. Not the best weapon for close range combat or for defeating the deadly Venatosaurs, but is still effective.

• Shotgun - Winchester 1897 trench shotgun, 12 gauge pump-action. The game's rarest and most effective weapon, although it has virtually no impact at long distances. An apt weapon for confronting packs of voracious Venatosaurs and V-Rexes, with an impressive ammo count.

• Machine ("Tommy") Gun - 1928 Thompson submachine gun. The film and game's most popular weapon, unfortunatly a low ammo count is not very convenient, but it is still effective as a close and long range weapon.

• Spear - A primitive tool handmade by the island natives. More powerful than the bone spear, but is limited.

• Bone Spear - Long bones that are found near the skeletal remains of hundreds of creatures throughout Skull Island. Although not as effective as the natives spear, a carcass has an unlimited supply of these.

[edit] Creatures featured in the game

In addition to Kong and the many dinosaurs and creatures featured in the movie, the game features several new species:

-"+" means that certain creatures featured in the game did not appear in both the 2005 movie remake and The World of Kong book which means they were either created for the game or were creatures that were going to have appearances in the film but were cut due to the limited screentime available.

• Megapedes: Large, carnivorous centipedes which are slightly different from the species seen in the film. Whereas the ones in the film were portrayed as relatively harmless creatures, the ones in the game are vicious predators, rearing up like cobras before leaping at their prey and wrapping around it like a snake. There are two varieties of Megapede featured in the game: one of them is up to 10 feet long and is a brownish colour, the other is dark blue, smaller and more aggressive, reaching lengths of approximately 6 feet and is very rare. the smaller species will leap further distances than the larger species. These sub-species are known to cannibalize each other. They usually inhabit rocky areas, as well as caves. They can also swim across bodies of water in a spiraling motion, similar to that of the whirligig beetle.

• Scorpio-Pedes: 3 foot long scorpion-like 'neopedes' with a large, poisonous, parasol-shaped tail. They are usually found in dry scrubland, but also live in the rainforest undergrowth. They are encountered in large groups and are hard to dispatch with bullets, but a spear will kill one easily. Although they do not make any appearances in the theatrical version of the film, they are featured in the extended cut when they attack Jack and the men in the swamp sequence.

• + Swampcrawlers: Crocodile-like reptiles around 4-5 feet in length that are found in the swamps and waterways of Skull Island. Adults are dangerous predators, but babies can be used as bait. Unlike crocodiles, adults don't attack prey on the shore, instead waiting for them to dwell into the water. They camoflage themselves to near invisibility among the tangled roots and waterways of Skull Island. The babies have a habit of leaping from the water like dolphins. Ironically, they take the role of the Piranhnadon from The World of Kong, but are much smaller.

• + Giant Spiders: They block areas in large swarms, leaping at anything wandering near enough, but can be distracted easily by carrion. The swarms always work together as a team, bringing down animals far larger than individual spiders ever could. They are also scared of fire. They are around at least 10-11 inches in length and legspan.

• Venatosaurus saevidicus: A large green Utahraptor-like dinosaur around 16-24 feet long. They run at great speeds, can leap over gaps and onto ledges, and are rather tough to kill. They usually attack in groups of two or three.

• + Juvenile Venatosaurus: Smaller (and much easier to kill) juveniles of the adult Venatosaurus. They appear to be around 5-6 feet in length. They are a bluish color and hunt in large numbers, able to leap from long distances and use arboreal routes, unlike the adults. It usually takes about one or two hits from any weapon to kill them. They may also be a separate species other than the Venatosaurus, though they are often seen near the larger raptors which never attempt to harm them, however the larger ones will eat the smaller ones after they have been killed.

• Giant Crabs/Cunaepredator: Always found near water, attacking prey with their four massive pincers. These 6 foot predators are generally quite easy to kill. However, there is a gigantic crab, about 30 feet in length which can only be killed by aiming under its shell. These giant crab versions are much different from the versions in the book, the World of Kong, because of how much larger and more fierce they are.

• + Cave Serpents: Giant, amphibious snake-like creatures featured in a fight scene that takes place in Kong's lair. Kong must kill three of these huge creatures. The adults appear to be around 35-40 feet long, while the juveniles, which are also fought appear to be around 12-15 feet long. In order to kill the adults, you must weaken them with attacks and then grab them to quickly perform a finisher move, Otherwise the Cave Serpent will strangle and kill Kong. They appear similar to a pirahnadon, in both their size and strength.

• Terapusmordax: A flying bat-like rodent with 8-10 foot wingspans that are commonly seen around the island, from the vast cavernous canyons to the intensly humidic jungle and swamp environments. They are encountered in various sizes, sometimes Jack will battle Terrapusmordax younglings which favour hunting in groups of 6 to 12. Males live together in large colonies ruled by pugnatious females. While they are no more than an annoyance to Kong, they can be dangerous to Jack when they group up in huge swarms. They are distracted easily by carrion.

• + Queen Terapusmordax: A huge, ferocious female Terapusmordax with a 28-33 foot wingspan. She is very tricky to kill as both Jack and Kong, and is big enough to carry off humans. Her kind reside in "castles" which are actually large towers or ruins adorned with wooden spikes and littered with corpses. She is always surrounded by her many Terapusmordax minions, including several of her offspring that tend to follow her closely.

• Brontosaurus: Although these 80-120 foot sauropods are rather peaceful herbivores, being in the middle of a herd can be dangerous. Their huge feet can squash Jack and small predators easily, and one Brontosaurus being shot or attacked causes a stampede. They also cannot be killed by bullets or spears.

• V-rex: A gigantic, 40-50 foot long theropod dinosaur that makes several appearances around the island. They are invincible while playing as Jack (hitting and shooting them will only aggreivate them), and only Kong can injure or kill them. A V-rex can be distracted as Jack by shooting down Terapusmordax for it to eat. Sometimes V-rexes attack in groups of two or three.

• Juvenile V-rex: The much smaller juveniles of the adult V-rexes that are around 22-26 feet long. They can be seen fighting and killing Venatosaurs, and are also fairly solitary. They are difficult to kill as Jack and are one of the toughest predators. They can also smash through stone shelters.

• + Mountain bats (skin birds): Tailless flying bat-like rodents that have 5-7 foot wingspans. These creatures live in large numbers outside Kong's lair. Females are aggressive and deliberately attack Jack, but males are more interested in carrion or sleeping. However, if Jack harms them, they will chase and attack him. They may be related to Terapusmordax.

• Skull Islanders: The human inhabitants of the island. Little is known about these strange natives, but they are not to be underestimated. They are large in numbers, and have strange rituals of death and sacrifice that make them both mysterious and terrifying. They are quite skilled attackers, able to hit Jack with flaming spears and have excellent accuracy. However, they can be killed with guns at close range. Burning down their shrubbery surrounded bridges will dispatch them easily. As Kong they are little more than insects, tiny and weak.

• Many small species of arthropod are also featured in the game, such as dragonflies that inhabit clusters of plants, and large larvae that are found on the floor, usually near corpses. These harmless species do not play an important role in the game, except to be used as bait for larger, more dangerous animals. They are always found in small groups. One harmful species of arthropods are mosquitoes inhabiting swamp plants; if Jack walks into these bushes the mosquitoes will swarm out and sting him. Terrestrial thorn bushes (which sometimes block paths) also injure Jack when he walks into them, although these do not contain mosquitoes or any other insects.

[edit] Technical issues

The version for the Xbox 360 was set up only for use on HDTV, and as a result, use on standard TVs led to a very dark image unsatisfactory for effective gameplay. As a result, Ubisoft recommended fans buy the Xbox version until a fix for the problem is produced [3].

The PC version is also known to utilize the StarForce copy protection system which may cause unforeseen difficulties to the player.

The Nintendo DS and PSP version were widely panned by reviewers because of bugs and glitches, poor level design and enemy AI.[4][5]. The DS version was nominated for 'Flat-Out Worst Game' in GameSpot's Best & Worst of 2005.[6]

[edit] Reaction

This game won the "Most Long-Winded Game Title" in the Dubious Honors category of the GameSpot's Best of 2005. They called it a "15-syllable-long monstrosity" and said that gameplay speaks more volumes than the title. [7]

However, the console versions received generally positive reviews, which is rare for a movie to game conversion.

[edit] Game reviews

• GameSpot: 8.2 out of 10 (82%)
• GameSpot (Nintendo DS version): 2.8 out of 10 (28%)
• GameSpot (PC version): 8.1 out of 10 (81%)
• GameSpy: 3.5 out of 5 (70%)
• IGN: 8 out of 10 (80%)
• 1UP.com: 8.5 out of 10 (85%)
• Vito Raliffe (X360): 8.6 out of 10 (86%)
• Joystiq: 8.5 out of 10 (85%)
• Game Informer: 8.5 out of 10 (85%)
• Nintendo Power: 9.0 out of 10 (GameCube version) (90%)
• Nintendo Power: 3.5 out of 10 (Nintendo DS version) (35%)
• X-Play: 3 out of 5 (Xbox 360 version) (60%)
• Included on Game Informer's "Top 50 Games of 2005" list
• Kong was placed #10 on the "Top 10 Heroes of 2005" list

[edit] External links

• Official Site
• Mobile Version
• KongLives.net - Fansite
• Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie at the Internet Movie Database
• Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie at MobyGames