Peter Jackson's King Kong

The game follows New York scriptwriter Jack Driscoll through Skull Island, as he attempts to save love interest Ann Darrow who has been sacrificed by the island's natives to the giant gorilla Kong. The game allows players to play as both Jack Driscoll and King Kong. Players use firearms and spears as Jack; and punch, grab and use objects/corpses as Kong, to defend against and fight creatures on Skull Island. The King Kong segments are played from a third-person perspective, while the Jack levels are played from a first-person perspective. The game de-emphasizes the role of a heads-up display (HUD), with the developers explaining that this conceivably would help players to get further immersed into the game (although the HUD can be turned on in the settings). It was released in November 2005 for Microsoft Windows, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and the Nintendo DS, as well as the Xbox 360 as a launch title. Versions for mobile phones were released by Gameloft on 14 November 2005, a few days before the home console releases. A version for Game Boy Advance titled Kong: The 8th Wonder of the World was released simultaneously. A PlayStation Portable version was released in December 2005. Upon release, the console and PC versions received positive reviews, with critics praising the game's cinematic quality, environments, and ability to play as both Jack and Kong. The DS and PSP versions were received more critically. Retrospectively, King Kong has been praised as one of the best film tie-in games and is considered by some to be ahead of its time.

• Title — King Kong • Developer — * Ubisoft Montpellier • Ubisoft Casablanca (DS) • Ubisoft Montreal (GBA) • Gameloft (mobile) • Publisher — Ubisoft • Director — Michel Ancel • Producer — * Peter Jackson • Xavier Poix • Designer — * Michel Ancel • Sébastien Morin • Programmer — Christophe Beaudet • Artist — Florent Sacré • Writer — * Jacques Exertier • Philippa Boyens • Composer — Chance Thomas • Engine — Jade • Platforms — * Mobile phone • GameCube • PlayStation 2 • Windows • Xbox • Xbox 360 • Game Boy Advance • Nintendo DS • PlayStation Portable • Released — Mobile14 November 2005GameCube, Windows, PlayStation 2 & Xbox'Xbox 360'Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS'PlayStation Portable • Genre — First-person shooter, action-adventure • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer (PSP version only)

In the game, the player assumes the roles of both New York scriptwriter Jack Driscoll and the giant gorilla King Kong as they struggle to survive the threats of Skull Island in 1933. Human levels are controlled from a first-person perspective. The game de-emphasizes the role of a HUD: it lacks a life bar, aiming reticle, and ammunition readout (the ammo readout and aiming reticle can be turned on and off at the player's will, but is disabled by default), encouraging the player to find alternate weapons and techniques. Interspersed with human adventure are levels in which the player controls Kong himself, traversing Skull Island's unique geography, battling various giant monsters while defending Ann. The Kong levels take place in a third-person view, as the player directs Kong to punch, grab and use objects/corpses as weapons. He can also bite, climb, charge, hurl enemies and even pound his chest to go into fury mode. When Kong is sent into fury mode, the sky becomes tinted with a golden hue and Kong becomes more powerful and less vulnerable to attack. Many of the Kong sequences fulfill the role of boss fights, as the giant ape is able to effectively battle the gigantic creatures that Jack's weapons cannot harm. The game features an alternate ending where Kong can survive the Empire State Building battle. The ending was approved by Peter Jackson. To unlock the alternate ending, players must complete the entire game and then go back and play through various maps and earn a total of 250,000 points. It can also be accessed by using the cheat codes.

In 1933, film director Carl Denham (Jack Black), has acquired a mysterious map, which reveals the secret location of Skull Island, an island in the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean. Carl hires playwright Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) to write his script and plucks a starving, out-of-work actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) to play the part of leading lady and a tramp steamer called the Venture to take them to the island. The ship, controlled by Captain Englehorn (Thomas Kretschmann) arrives at the island on October 12. Three lifeboats containing the cast, crew and sailors are dispatched to the island. Due to stormy seas, the lifeboat containing Jack, Carl, Ann, and Hayes (Evan Parke) smashes into a chunk of rocks, killing sailor Briggs. Hayes shoots out a distress signal, causing Englehorn to come looking for them via the ship's plane and drop ammo supplies for them. The group, after fighting off giant crabs, head onto a rocky outcrop. Carl suggests shooting test shots for his movie, asking Ann to scream. Her wailing is answered by a loud roar. The party progresses forward, meeting up with the second lifeboat containing Preston (Colin Hanks), Jimmy (Jamie Bell) and Lumpy (Andy Serkis), although it cannot land because of the strong current of the sea. The team continue traversing the island, battling vicious predators such as giant megapedes, scorpio-pedes, and Terapusmordax and are eventually forced to split up as they make their way to a massive wall looming in the distance. Navigating through a seemingly abandoned village, Jack and Ann are captured by the island natives. Jack is tied to a stake, and watches the natives offer Ann to Kong, a 25 ft gorilla, as a sacrifice. Carl unties Jack and the two give chase. En route through the jungle, they have an encounter with pack-hunting Venatosaurus, and a Terapusmordax matriarch. Jack and Carl eventually reunite with Hayes. They soon find Preston, Lumpy, Jimmy and Bruce Baxter, who are crossing a bridge, but they are attacked by a Vastatosaurus rex. Lumpy is killed, Jimmy and Baxter fall down into the ravine, but Preston gets to the other side. Jack is separated from Carl and Hayes, who tell him to continue looking for Ann. Jack eventually finds Ann, but she is kidnapped by a Terapusmordax. Kong eventually saves Ann. Jack continues on into the canyon, sees a migrating herd of Brontosaurus, and battles Megapedes and Scorpio-pedes in the surrounding caverns. Jack navigates around the Brontosaurus herd to acquire a fire to clear their path forward, being chased by Venatosaurs the whole way through. A V. rex attacks the sauropods just as Jack returns with the fire and the trio escape. In the jungle, they save Jimmy, who is being attacked by the Venatosaurs. They eventually get on a raft, where Jimmy reveals that everyone else is dead. After escaping the Skull Islanders, the team are pursued by two V. rexes down the rapids. Their weapons cannot hurt the dinosaurs, and the rapids give way to slow open rivers. Kong arrives with Ann in hand, letting the team know that she is alive. Kong kills the V-rexes. The team enters a swamp, and fights against Udusaurs. After leaving the swamp, Kong interrupts their log crossing and tips them into a gorge. Carl's camera is destroyed and he gives up, heading downstream towards the Venture. Jack, Jimmy and Hayes continue their pursuit of Ann. Jack eventually saves Ann from a V. rex, and the party attempt to find a stretch of water on which Englehorn's seaplane can land. After fighting off Venatosaurus and a juvenile V. rex in a cave, and leaving another swamp, they find a long stretch of water. Englehorn lands on the water, but is forced to take flight as a V. rex arrives and chases the group. Ann signals for Kong to come while Jack shoots Terapusmordax to distract the V. rex. When Kong arrives, the dinosaur charges at him and inadvertently steps on Hayes, fatally injuring him. Jack and Jimmy stand over Hayes, who tells Jimmy before he dies to return to the ship. Jack and Jimmy fight raptors, return to the stretch of water and find the seaplane. Jimmy leaves with Englehorn and Jack climbs up into the mountains to save Ann. Jack ascends the mountain, harangued by scavenging Skin-birds roosting among the cliffs. He eventually reaches Kong's lair and rescues Ann while Kong fights cave serpents. Kong gives chase to the fleeing pair, who return to the native village. After leaving the jungle, Ann is captured by the natives once again but Kong saves her. He then heads for the shore and gets gassed by sailors. He eventually passes out and is taken to New York City, where he is put on display on Broadway. Kong escapes and rampages New York destroying police cars and army trucks. He eventually finds Ann and takes her up the Empire State Building. He tries to fight off biplanes but is eventually shot down. Carl stands beside Kong's body and says "It wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty that killed the Beast." An alternate ending is possible. If the player defeats enough biplanes as Kong, the army will light up searchlights on the building so that the biplanes can get clearer shots at Kong, causing Jack and Englehorn to appear in the Venture's seaplane. The player will switch to Jack using the seaplane's machine gun to take out the searchlights, and shoot down the remaining biplanes to protect Kong. Although emergency searchlights are set up, Kong climbs down the Empire State Building. Kong is taken back aboard the Venture and is safely returned to Skull Island. On board the seaplane, Ann sees Kong one last time. The seaplane then returns to the departing Venture.

• Illustration — Ubisoft promoted the game at the 2005 E3. The Xbox 360 release features improved graphics and audio over the sixth-generation console releases. The second PC version, known as the "Gamer's Edition" (originally only available with select graphics cards and later offered on game download services), also includes these improved features. The "Special Edition" version of the game was available for a limited time. Along with the two standard game discs, included are a bonus disc, containing concept art and a screensaver, and a making-of disc, containing a featurette with Peter Jackson. There was an error in the printing of the discs and the disc labelled "Making of" was actually the "Bonus" disc and vice versa. The "Signature Edition" also comes with a Topps trading card of King Kong, a code for a downloadable ringtone, and a cover signed by Peter Jackson. In 2019, Microsoft added the Xbox 360 version to the Xbox One backwards compatible library. The Xbox 360 digital version was delisted from the Xbox Marketplace sometime between 14–15 June 2015.

Symptomatic of early seventh-generation console games, the Xbox 360 version is only set up for HDTV, leaving the image on standard-definition TVs very dark and unsatisfactory for gameplay. As a result, Ubisoft recommended fans buy the Xbox version until a fix for the problem was produced. The patch was eventually released. The Xbox version is not backwards compatible with the Xbox 360. Two different versions of the game were released for the PC. The Signature Edition of the game utilizes the StarForce copy protection system, which may cause unforeseen difficulties for players, especially those using Windows XP. No patch has been released by the publisher to remedy this problem. The Gamer's Edition of the game is DRM-free and is playable on Windows Vista and Windows 7 with no issues.

Peter Jackson's King Kong was a commercial success, selling more than 4.5 million copies by the end of March 2006. The PlayStation 2 version received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom. The PC and console versions received positive reviews, with critics praising the game's immersive environments, action sequences, and ability to play as two protagonists throughout the game. The Nintendo DS version was widely panned by reviewers because of bugs and glitches, poor level design and enemy AI. It was listed in the "Flat-Out Worst Game" list of GameSpots Best & Worst of 2005. The PSP version received mixed reception, mainly for a shorter length, as well as cut down features from the console and PC versions. Non-video game publications gave the game generally positive reviews as well. The New York Times gave it a favorable review and wrote that "the sense of immersion is increased by the game's first-person perspective and an absence of on-screen clutter. There is no health gauge blocking your view; if a dinosaur bites you, your vision blurs, indicating that one more bite will kill you". The A.V. Club gave it a B+ and called it "an instant classic". The Sydney Morning Herald gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five and said of the game: "With a rather abrupt final sequence it does seem to rush to its climax, but despite its brevity, this is an unforgettable trip through the realm of Kong". Detroit Free Press gave the Xbox 360 version three stars out of four and called it "a decent effort", noting the game having cinematic feel and production values of a big-budget film. Maxim, however, gave the PSP version a score of four out of ten; the magazine commended an addition of a two-player co-op mode, but was critical to its controls.

King Kong has seen lasting positive reception, particularly when compared to other film tie-in games, and is considered by some to be ahead of its time. The game's success has partly been attributed to the involvement of Michel Ancel, creator of the Rayman series and Beyond Good and Evil. Polygons Xalavier Nelson Jr. called King Kong "the most innovative game of its console generation" through its cinematic quality, gameplay systems, minimal HUD, and focus on player freedom within scripted sequences. He also praised the visuals as being "better designed and executed than they have any right to be in a licensed product from 2005". Jade King of TheGamer concurred, writing the game was in many ways ahead of its time, including its "willing to usurp trends and try new things". She commended the "constant mixture of horror and action" gameplay as having "a profound sense of immersion [...] that still feels refreshing despite the game pushing two decades old." Conversely, she felt the Kong levels devolved the game into "a scrappy brawler with dodgy platforming or combat arenas conquered through mashing whatever buttons feel right". Screen Rants Cameron Koch lauded King Kongs "impressive visuals" and having a "big-budget, cinematic feel that isn't often seen in licensed games", though similarly criticized the Kong levels for their camera angles, platforming, and combat. Ultimately, he wrote it was "most certainly the best Kong game to date" and "one of the best film licensed video games of the last two decades". Writing for CBR, Vladimir Olivares wrote King Kong was "one of the finest examples of a tie-in movie game". He commended the lighting and environments as holding up well and heightening immersion for the player, and further praised the creativity in combat. He did, however, feel that the game's levels were repetitive, and thought the one set in New York City felt unfinished. GamesRadar+s Ali Jones noted players' comparisons of King Kong to the 2023 game Skull Island: Rise of Kong, which was panned for its gameplay and visuals. He thought the 2005 game "looks better at pretty much every turn" and that the Kong levels alone outshone the entirety of Rise of Kong.

King Kong received multiple awards and nominations. • Date — Award — Category — Recipient(s) and nominee(s) — Result — Ref. • 10 December 2005 — 2005 Spike Video Game Awards — Best Action Game — Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie • Designer of the Year — Michel Ancel • Best Cast — Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie • Best Video Game Based on a Movie • Best Performance by a Female — Naomi Watts as Ann Darrow • Best Performance by a Male — Jack Black as Carl Denham • 17 December 2005 — 10th Satellite Awards — Outstanding Game Based on a Previous Medium — Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie • 9 February 2006 — 9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards — Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction — Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie • Outstanding Achievement in Game Design • Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design • Outstanding Achievement in Story and Character Development • 2 May 2006 — 32nd Saturn Awards — Best Video Game Release (Fantasy) — Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie