King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (2005 Video Game) User Reviews

Extremely fun game!!

[jw_1195 · 8/10 · 18 September 2006]

I got this on PC, although it was the first game I ever got on PS2. The controls on both platforms are very easy to get used to, and the game play style is totally unique. I love going from FPS to Third Person, from Jack to Kong, Kong to Jack, and so on. The graphics are very good, although the PC requires a very powerful graphics card in order to run the game. Still, I really love this game. It follows the story, maybe not the actual events, but it follows the story of the movie almost flawlessly and the levels are often heart-pounding and intense (the scariest level is "Brontosaurus", where there are about a hundred dinosaurs that will leap at you from any direction at any time). The Kong levels are truly inspiring, where you can go from breaking a V-Rex's jaws to smashing up Military Vehicles in New York City.

If you loved the movie, you should definitely get this game. It has all the major parts of the movie and even expands on the movie.

8/10!!

Strangely Unsettling

[jonsefcik · 7/10 · 14 August 2018]

I'm not much of a gamer; besides my PC, my old PS2 is my only gaming console. I recently dusted it off and spent my summer going through my old games, including this one. Upon replay, the greatest aspect of this game for me is the unsettling, anxiety-inducing atmosphere.

As Jack, you have the first-person perspective of someone in this scenario. You know that primal fear instilled by our ancestors of being helpless and hunted in an unfamiliar environment, worrying about encountering a lion, tiger, or saber-toothed cat armed only with spears? This game gave me that same sensation multiplied by a factor of five. I say that because dinosaurs are a lot more intimidating than plain old lions, tigers, and bears. I got very anxious in a level with a lot of Venatosaurus or juvenile V-Rex where I'm low on ammo or don't have a gun at all. Spears aren't very helpful if there's more than one dinosaur. When you're out in the open and you know a big predator is running toward you, your immediate instinct is to run for shelter. It's not just the situation; the game's presentation and stellar atmosphere make it particularly eerie. Many environments are misty/foggy so its hard to see more than 50 yards ahead a lot of the time. The noises they make before their silhouettes appear in the distance are unsettling. There's no health bar, ammo count, or map in the corners of the screen to distract you, allowing you to be more immersed in the situation. Subtle, quiet, and unnerving music cues also help. Some levels that stand out to me are "Hayes", "Brontosaurus", "Venatosaurus", and "To The Lair".

Other than that, here's the rundown of what I liked and didn't like.

Pros:

-Everything mentioned above. -Very good graphics for a PS2 game. -The world genuinely feels like an extension of the King Kong (2005) universe. -Creative liberties with the story are taken, but on its own it works just fine. -Great music.

Cons:

-Kong's controls are clumsy and consequently his levels aren't very fun. -Character's mouth movements often don't match what they're saying. Even by 2005 standards that's pretty bad. -As Jack, the right analog stick doesn't let you look around fast enough for my liking. In an intense, immersive moment, I kept feeling the desire to look quickly, as if it were my own head. -I like the idea of the burning bushes but they burn way too quickly (then again they could be super flammable Skull Island plants). -The game is quite short (I beat it in less than six hours on my second playthrough) and unfortunately the lack of upgrades or new levels or other cool things to unlock means there isn't enough replay value to keep me coming back. Besides those four levels I mentioned earlier, there's nothing else I'm dying to experience again. Even that feeling of being prey I mentioned before dwindles once you know how to navigate each level.

This game is worth a playthrough for the atmosphere, but I wouldn't pay a lot for it. I got my copy used and you shouldn't pay anything more than a used price for it. I'd give it a 6.5/10; it's better than a 6 but I'm not sure if I want to round up to a 7, either.

wonderful first time experience

[fh147 · 6/10 · 21 April 2024]

King Kong is one of those wonderful first time experience when it's in cinematic wonder to play every moment filled like it was set up to make you act out as the actor.

Going through the jungles fighting the enemies with spear and no aim dot which is the best part of it the Cinematic Feeling because of the no aim how hard the game goes forward it almost feels wrong if you put it on because it now just feels like a normal game.

And the graphics looks good. They have the good amount of color to not look Gray and just looks nice to the game.

But sadly the Cinematic feeling takes away that replay value because you are pretty much gonna do the same thing every time you play it at least I filled it. I mean this is the fourth time. I played it and I kind of felt fine about it because it is so scripted that it's hard to improvise.

Let's just say for first time experience. It's a 7 or 8 for the second third and fourth time we are at 5.

Awesome, AWESOME game.

[JasonBourne0 · 22 November 2005]

The game is so Peter Jackson it's scary. The likeness of the characters is excellent, the game play good, and the atmosphere superb. The entire game makes you feel like you're on a ride at Universal Studios that you don't want to see end! Try the game out, and if anything, do it for PC! You can completely tell that Peter Jackson overlooked every aspect of the game and didn't just throw his name on the box. Also, it's hysterical to listen to Jack Black talk and deliver lines from the movie. A lot of times you feel like you're playing a Tenacious D game...but in a good way. So enough of my blab, play the thing, it's worth every minute.

You may only play it once but it is no doubt a great game.

[juarez-8 · 9/10 · 1 July 2008]

For me this one of the greatest movie based games of all time. You can pick holes in it for saying that you can only play it once and then get bored but that depends on what level you are playing on. Running from dinosaurs is great heart-stopping fun all because of the controls you have and the way your character can remind how much ammo you have left.

Some parts of the game can be quite annoying as you are usually the one who always gets separated from the rest of the team. Other times you wish there was an option for exploring the island with some friends only then to find a T-rex but thats me being picky.

100% is this game worth a rental.

Just Brilliant!!!

[daggerboy34 · 10/10 · 18 August 2006]

I rented this game when it first came out I was just impressed!! The graphics are so brilliant that the people look real.

When I returned it, I knew I had to own it. When I finally got it I was ever so happy.

In the game you mostly play as Jack as you handle weopons like the Thompson or Sniper Rifle, And sometimes You play the legend Kong Where you can take on V-rexes and other monstrous creatures that reside on Skull Island.

Jack Black's character, Carl Denham Is really funny, for example, in one level where Carl, Jack and Hayes meet up with Jimmy, Carl doesn't know his name. ("Defend yourself uh Billy, no uh boy go on hit em") Most of the lines get repetitive like Ann saying "Oh my God" or Jimmy snezzing all the time.

Overall, this is a really good game, and I encourage you to buy it. I guarantee you won't be disappionted.

9/10

Better than the movie

[red_devil8181 · 10/10 · 30 March 2010]

i watched this movie when i was quite young and just loved the bits with Kong and so i couldn't wait to play the game so i could play as the ape. That was several years ago and the other night king Kong was on TV so i watched it and i decided i might rent the game and play it again cause i couldn't really remember what the game was like. The second i picked up the controller i couldn't put it down it was so addictive. It wasn't repetitive at all and i loved the first person shooting. The cut scenes were great and the game went for a perfect amount of time in order to keep repetitiveness at bay.To anyone who reads this BUY OR RENT THIS GAME A.S.A.P

One of the best video game ever.

[jacobjohntaylor1 · 10/10 · 27 June 2016]

This is an awesome game. It has a lot of action. It is very scary. It is one of the scariest games ever. In this game there are levels where you are Jack Driscoll and it a first person shooter. And you shot at monster. And there are other levels were you are King Kong and fight other monsters. This is a an awesome game. Play it. It is a must play. Jacques Exertier knows how to make an awesome game. Adrien Brody is a great actor. Naomi Watts is a great actress. Jack Black it a great actor. This is great game. I need more line and I am running out of things to say. Jamie Bell is a great actor. This a great game. Great game great game great game. Play it.

I've Got To Say.... Not Bad

[Jericho1138 · 9/10 · 9 February 2007]

when games come out based on a big budget film the usually suck terribly. like the graphics a re terrible, the sound sucks, the voices aren't even the actors' voices. but i got news for you:this game blew them all away! man this game was a blast! the graphics was great, the sound was kool, but the thing i really liked about it was that the exact same cast from the movie voiced their character in the game!! which almost never happens. the only thing that i didn't like about this game is that it didn't really follow the line of the movie. it was more like the original with a different cast. which was kool but i would have perferd it if it actually followed the movie. but w/e i enjoyed it and so will you

short, repetitive, and too little Kong levels

[movieman_kev · 4/10 · 27 March 2006]

I really can't believe all the positive reviews for the game on here. In my mind, it's a text book example on how NOT to do a movie based on a film. Numerous problems abound, such as the game being too short, too easy, too repetitive, and not being able to play as Kong, save for a level or three scattered throughout the game. The game is OK in some levels, but is mostly a bore. For an example on how to do a movie-based game justice, one needn't look any further then the superb "The Warriors" game. (I would include the enjoyable "Punisher" game, but that's more based on the comic than the film). My suggestion is to either play that game instead, or if you have a 360 just rent this for an easy 1,000 achievement points and be done with it forever. On a tangent somewhat, I would LOVE to see a "Dead Alive" based game, but it will never happen.

My Grade: D

Michel Ancel and Peter Jackson's baby.

[BlackJack_B · 25 December 2005]

Peter Jackson is not only an Academy Award winning director but also an avid video game player. He worked closely with EA with the various Lord Of The Rings video games made; intertwining the gameplay with movie clips and having the actors like Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood do voice acting and filling the extras menus with plenty of interviews and making-of-features.

When he was getting his new version of King Kong readied, he once again wanted a video game version made, but this time he went to Ubi Soft to work with famed video game designer Michel Ancel. Ancel is world-renowned for being the father of the Rayman series and also the criminally overlooked Beyond Good And Evil. Ubi Soft released Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game Of The Movie for all major consoles and the PC. I played and beat the game on the Xbox 360.

In the game, players control Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) through the nightmare that is Skull Island. The gamer must attack the various denizens of the Island that attack him or his friends such as Carl Denham (Jack Black), Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), Jimmy (Jamie Bell), and others. There are also several puzzles to be solved. There will also be some levels where you control the King himself. King Kong re-enacts the fights against the T-Rexs and other huge inhabitants. You basically have one life; with a gameplay mechanic similar to The Getaway and Call Of Duty in which you regain your health if you avoid being attacked. You can also lose if one of your comrades is killed.

The gameplay is simple to learn and well-done. The graphics are excellent and you really feel you are battling for your life on Skull Island. The music is superb and the voice work is very well done. However, Brody brings very little of his Academy Award winning skills to the table; mostly uttering how much ammo is left or screaming ANNNN! Watts is very good but she says "Oh My God!" too many times. Jamie Bell, Evan Parke, and especially Jack Black are excellent as well.

Sadly, the game is very short. You can beat it six hours. However, you can play it again to unlock all the extras like featurettes, interviews, and art. It is a wild ride worth experiencing and Jackson and Ancel deliver one of the better movie-based games of 2005.

BEST movie-game EVER!

[Carvey · 10/10 · 14 June 2006]

About 98-99% of the game takes place on the island, so the whole time you're in this enormously dangerous island where everything is out of control, mysterious, violent, aggressive, savage, ferocious and monstrous. There are no laws, no rules, and no where to hide, but you're always looking for a way to escape, you're almost constantly being attack by dinosaurs, bats, centipedes, scorpions, crabs, crocodiles, worms, spiders, and Kong in the jungle, and even by the natives in the city behind the wall and in the jungle too. Basically you're always running and fighting for your life against all odds with this really dramatic, suspenseful, scary, hypnotic, action and sad music to add to what was going on. And on some occasions whether it's on dry land, swamps, rivers or in caves, you have to battle creatures and at the same time protect your friends from being killed and avoid being killed yourself by spearing or shooting enemies as jack and fighting V-Rex's and other enemies as Kong.

The entire experience and feel of the game was just phenomenal and something no one could ever forget, but after Kong comes to New York, it feels strange to be in a place the complete opposite of Skull Island and knowing that the adventure and nightmare is over, but not for Kong because he was always under attack by the army, in New York Kong wasn't a king, he was prey. And when he died you kinda feel different and strange knowing everything you did as Kong and as Jack on the island and then watching the game end with an overview of New York, knowing what it took to get there, and everything you did on the island.

Great cinematics, great gameplay

[Tobbson · 10/10 · 28 September 2020]

This game mixes the great story of Peter Jacksons "King Kong", and some spooky horror vibes. It sometimes gets really difficult to proceed and becomes a great, nostalgic experience!

One of my childhood games

[umutkahraman-1994 · 10/10 · 8 July 2020]

As a fan of the movie, I cannot even describe how much I liked this game. Controlling both a human in FPS mode and King Kong in RPG mode makes the game amazing.

Dinosaurs rule again

[gabethedinosaur · 10/10 · 24 December 2020]

This was absolutely one of the best games I ever played when I was 10 years old old . I played it so well I just loved it . Being kong was so cool . I hope they add it to PS4 or ps5 that will draw lots of young people and use grown kids playing it again .

One of the PS2's strongest movie-gaming tie-ins!

[Johnny-the-Film-Sentinel-2187 · 9/10 · 2 November 2023]

King Kong was something of a super-event in 2005 when it finally came to theatres and graced the world with its three-hour runtime and modernised updating of 1933's classic movie, with cutting-edge motion-capture effects and the director of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Peter Jackson spearheading the bold reimagining of The Eighth Wonder of the World!

The game is a nice extension of 2005's hit movie and also a good extension of 1933 Kong's world by leaning into the setting of Skull Island; and having the player control Kong himself for portions of the game. It's basically a tie-in game that's a damn playable reimagining of 1933's pioneering blockbuster movie, mixed with 2005 sensibilities and survival horror elements akin to Turok Dinosaur Hunter. This is a tie-in game done right, and still works independently of the movie it's drawing upon.

I just wish this game could be ported over to more modern systems like the PS5, Xbox Series X, Windows 10 and Mac (it's that decent a game that deserves rereleases for modern systems everywhere). Even with the dated gameplay mechanics, King Kong is still fun to play and encourages rationing bullets instead of treating the FPS stuff like an 'all you can shoot buffet' Halo-style.

King Kong is good stuff, and deserves to reach audiences of the 2020s absolutely! It shows that video game tie-ins were never completely crap all the damn time! The ones made with care stood out beautifully, and dared to make others try and live up to decent standards of production.

King Kong is a solid PS2 game that still has punch eighteen years on since its release.

Down with the king

[Jlliott · 1/10 · 3 August 2019]

I only played 5 minutes of the game (PS2) and it has got the worst camera angle of any game and made me feel sick Worst game I ever played and I played ET

9/10

[hmckiel · 16 January 2006]

Peter Jackson didn't want the game to be a slave of the movie, and because of this, the game is very different. This doesn't the game isn't good, though. IT'S FRIKKIN' AWESOME!!!!

The graphics are way above average, the controls are difficult at first, but it's easy to get used to them, the voice acting is very good, and the game automatically adjusts the difficulty level to match your level of skill. However, don't pretend to suck just to beat the game faster, as this isn't an easy game anyways.

Overall, this game is very enjoyable. It's available for Gamecube, GB Advamce, Nintendo DS, PS2, and XBOX 360, so it's not that hard to acquire it, so go play it as soon as possible. If you don't enjoy yourself, sue me.

4.5 Stars out of 5 Stars

[ajneeago96 · 9/10 · 7 April 2022]

Another childhood classic. I remember watching this film in the theaters, completely enamored by Peter Jackson's cinematic feat. I believe it was a couple days later that my mom came home with the King Kong video game for original Xbox, and I literally lost my mind. I was so excited to play this game, and this game did NOT let me down. Being able to play as Jack, you kill centipedes, scorpions, dinosaurs, and crabs, but you also get to play as Kong himself. The gameplay is so much fun; I actually ended up buying this game for my 360 a couple years ago just to replay the game again, and I was still impressed. I haven't played a lot of "Based on the motion picture" centric games, but this one has to be downright one of the best ever(although nostalgia could be a slight factor) Definitely recommended if you're a fan of King Kong.

A really epic movie video game that is addicting!

[jay_amer · 10/10 · 9 March 2022]

Man, I remember when this came out and I was so excited to grab a copy. When I did and put the disc in the ps2. I was hooked into it right away, the chapters are fantastic, gameplay is amazing, the monsters are epic! As great as the movie! Definitely worth playing for sure! Looking forward to replaying this again! Overall, solid 10/10. Great Movie video game!

The best game of the year!

[ZookGuy · 30 January 2006]

Most games based on films suck! But not KK. The graphics are sharp the strategy perfect the voices are PERFECT!! But don't rush out and buy it now. Because there are some(sigh) let downs. 1.You got to wait such a long time for KK to break free and start rampaging through New York 2.They could've let the guns be less powerful and fast because I just ran out of bullets of Drisscols 500 bullet machine gun and I could kill a dino in just 10 shots!! But instead of that go! Buy it! NOW! Peter Jackson's best! Really go! The best game of the year or the decade or the century or maybe all time!!!!! If you hate the movie you would still love the game! You would play it all week! Go get it it would be the best fifty dollars you ever spent!

Fantastic game...After seeing it I can't wait for the film

[Skinny71421 · 2 December 2005]

When I learned a video game was being made based on the Kong movie I was skeptical, but after playing the Computer game I was hooked. The graphics are amazing, the story line is complex and unlike anything I've ever played. Playing as Jack is fun, but nothing beats the raw power of Kong. Kong is involved in numerous showdowns including T-Rex's, ornery natives, and the police in New York. The only downside is Kong looks a little too animated in some shots, but overall it is a triumph. If the movie is anywhere near as good as the video game, and every trailer I've seen shows it is, Peter Jackson will be swimming in a large pool of cash, not that he can't already from all the money his "Rings" movies made.

smashing!

[davies-13 · 1 June 2006]

This game is awesome. Everyone has wanted to experience what it would be like to be Kong and this game is a godsend to those people. I love playing as Jack on Skull Island. In this game, you are the King. The animation on this game is so solid it is un believable and is very challenging. I think it's awesome that you experience jacks journey exactly as he sees it as his levels are in first person mode and they made a smart choice making Kong in third person as it would not be easy to fight as Kong if you can't see him. The extras include artwork museums that are brilliantly in first person character modes as well. you can actually walk through the artwork like with Jack as if you were in a museum. This game is Brilliant and belongs in everyone's collection!

hail to the king baby

[spence711 · 18 January 2006]

released a few weeks before the movie king Kong has hit the console and it has kicked the s@$t out of any movie crap out now (the matrix path of Nero)the game has you playing as either jack or Kong but you can't necessarily choose who you want to play only the game can which is good for me playing as jack i think is the funniest for it is the most realistic take this scenario for example you and Carl and Hayes are being chased by a t-Rex or should i say v-Rex and you come to a door with two levers to open it while your friends open it you gotta hit the v-Rex with spears or shoot bats down for the v-Rex to eat it or how about you and your companions are in a Bronte field and you need fire to escape what you need to do is try to get the fire down by lighting it to other blocks to keep it going so you can burn down the pricker field but it is still fun playing Kong just the idea of throwing v-Rex's is amazing the only problem it takes about 8 or 9 jack missions just to get to the first Kong level and then 5 minutes later you'll find yourself running from v-Rex's again another problem is that sometimes the voice acting of jack and Ann gets repetitive like (oh my god) or (5 magazine's on backup) but it is the best movie game ever even if it's too short you can still unlock stuff by getting points including a alternate ending (which i won't spoil even though it's not as shocking as i thought) but still good game 8 out of 10