King Kong on 360: A Review
Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 4:15 am
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 9/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Overall: 9.5/10
If you were one of the lucky people to recieve a 360 over the holidays, and you haven't picked up Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, consider this your wake up call.
I came away from the movie theater hyper and anxious for more after seeing Kong. The next day, I made a special trip to GameCrazy and gleefully picked up a copy of the 360 version(last in the store, go me.) I rushed home and plopped it in the system, anxiously awaiting the chance to start playing. After getting my bearings, I set off for one hell of an adventure. You play as Jack Driscoll, after crash landing with a small team(Carl Dehnam, First Mate Hayes, and Anne Darrow) bouncing from one unfortunate event to the other on the living nightmare that is Skull Island.
The graphics, whether you're playing on the 360 or not, are absolutely mind blowing. Water running over rock never looked so... much like water running over rock. The first time it starts raining on Skull Island... it's probably the most beautiful thing ever seen in a video game. Still, the best feature are the awe-inspiring rays of light you see. Sure, they may be over-exaggerated; but name one thing on this island that isn't. :p Speaking of things, the monsters you encounter are very nicely modeled. You won't really notice anything major until you first see the dinosaurs, which look so real you may just crap your pants.
The sound is brilliant, featuring the cast of the film and an original soundtrack that is a great overtone to the action on screen. You'll here some great cues and action music in their respective places. Unfortunately, there is one glitch I've encountered; looping death music. When you're dying, it plays this great vocal piece, but a couple of times I've had it loop... even when I've recovered from my injury. Still, overall the audio is excellent, especially the ambient effects, some of which will really raise the hair on the back of your neck.
Primarily, you play as Jack from a first person viewpoint. To make it more realistic, there's no HUD, you'll rely on Jack's comments to figure out how much ammunition you have left. If any. Even though this is technically an FPS, you'll spend very little time with a gun. Ammo is precious, but finding a gun is like a small victory. Most of the time you'll rely on spears, bones, and such to defend yourself. There isn't actually a ton of fighting, but you're always on your toes, because those raptors are persistent little sons of bitches. There is never a fight where you'll feel in control, and combat is frantic and scary. The game is actually quite creepy, and you'll never feel quite comfortable, and for good reason; I promise you will jump out of your seat at least once. At least. As well as Jack, you take part in third-person brawls as Kong himself. These segments are great, and are loads of fun, but don't pack as much cinematic punch as the FPS levels. Still, you haven't lived until you've kicked the crap out of a few of T-Rexes and breaking one's jaw.
Overall, this is a gaming experience not to be missed. Whether on the Xbox 360 or any other console, it's an exciting thrill ride that will have you captivated from start to finish.
Sound: 9/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Overall: 9.5/10
If you were one of the lucky people to recieve a 360 over the holidays, and you haven't picked up Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, consider this your wake up call.
I came away from the movie theater hyper and anxious for more after seeing Kong. The next day, I made a special trip to GameCrazy and gleefully picked up a copy of the 360 version(last in the store, go me.) I rushed home and plopped it in the system, anxiously awaiting the chance to start playing. After getting my bearings, I set off for one hell of an adventure. You play as Jack Driscoll, after crash landing with a small team(Carl Dehnam, First Mate Hayes, and Anne Darrow) bouncing from one unfortunate event to the other on the living nightmare that is Skull Island.
The graphics, whether you're playing on the 360 or not, are absolutely mind blowing. Water running over rock never looked so... much like water running over rock. The first time it starts raining on Skull Island... it's probably the most beautiful thing ever seen in a video game. Still, the best feature are the awe-inspiring rays of light you see. Sure, they may be over-exaggerated; but name one thing on this island that isn't. :p Speaking of things, the monsters you encounter are very nicely modeled. You won't really notice anything major until you first see the dinosaurs, which look so real you may just crap your pants.
The sound is brilliant, featuring the cast of the film and an original soundtrack that is a great overtone to the action on screen. You'll here some great cues and action music in their respective places. Unfortunately, there is one glitch I've encountered; looping death music. When you're dying, it plays this great vocal piece, but a couple of times I've had it loop... even when I've recovered from my injury. Still, overall the audio is excellent, especially the ambient effects, some of which will really raise the hair on the back of your neck.
Primarily, you play as Jack from a first person viewpoint. To make it more realistic, there's no HUD, you'll rely on Jack's comments to figure out how much ammunition you have left. If any. Even though this is technically an FPS, you'll spend very little time with a gun. Ammo is precious, but finding a gun is like a small victory. Most of the time you'll rely on spears, bones, and such to defend yourself. There isn't actually a ton of fighting, but you're always on your toes, because those raptors are persistent little sons of bitches. There is never a fight where you'll feel in control, and combat is frantic and scary. The game is actually quite creepy, and you'll never feel quite comfortable, and for good reason; I promise you will jump out of your seat at least once. At least. As well as Jack, you take part in third-person brawls as Kong himself. These segments are great, and are loads of fun, but don't pack as much cinematic punch as the FPS levels. Still, you haven't lived until you've kicked the crap out of a few of T-Rexes and breaking one's jaw.
Overall, this is a gaming experience not to be missed. Whether on the Xbox 360 or any other console, it's an exciting thrill ride that will have you captivated from start to finish.