King Kong (2005 video game)

"Peter Jackson's King Kong" redirects here. For the film he directed, see King Kong (2005 film).
King Kong
North American PC cover art
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Ubisoft
Director(s)Michel Ancel
Producer(s)
Designer(s)
  • Michel Ancel
  • Sébastien Morin
Programmer(s)Christophe Beaudet
Artist(s)Florent Sacré
Writer(s)
Composer(s)Chance Thomas
EngineJade
Platform(s)
Release
November 17, 2005
  • Mobile
    GameCube, Windows, PlayStation 2 & Xbox
    Xbox 360
    Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS
    • NA: November 22, 2005[3]
    • EU: December 9, 2005[4]
    • AU: December 15, 2005
    PlayStation Portable
    • EU: December 16, 2005[10]
    • NA: December 20, 2005[9]
    • AU: December 20, 2005
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer (PSP version only)

Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (also known as Peter Jackson's King Kong, or simply King Kong) is a 2005 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft, based on the 2005 film King Kong. The game was created in collaboration between the film's director Peter Jackson and the game's director Michel Ancel. The film's cast members reprise their roles. 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, 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. 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 immersive environments and audio, ability to play as both Jack and Kong throughout the game, the voice acting (particularly Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody and Jack Black's performances), and is often considered one of the best movie-based video games of all time. However, the DS version received negative reception due to bugs, poor AI and technical issues, while the PSP version received mixed reviews, with critics liking the inclusion of a multiplayer mode, but criticizing the shorter campaign length. King Kong has since gained a significant cult following and has been praised as a revolutionary title in the survival and first-person shooter genres.

  1. ^ "King Kong The Official Mobile Game of the Movie Launches Today". GamesIndustry. November 14, 2005. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  2. ^ Surette, Tim (November 17, 2005). "King Kong Cast Bananas for Game". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  3. ^ a b Adams, David (November 23, 2005). "King Kong Stomps Stores". IGN. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  4. ^ a b Gibson, Ellie (October 25, 2005). "Why Peter Jackson Went to Ubi". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  5. ^ Leuveren, Luke Van (November 7, 2005). "Updated Australian Release List - 7/11/05". PALGN. Archived from the original on 2006-06-29. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  6. ^ Richards, Geoff (November 15, 2005). "Xbox 360 Launch Titles". Bit-Tech.net. Archived from the original on 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  7. ^ "Microsoft Announces Xbox 360 Day One Launch Lineup — Strongest Launch in the History of Video Game Consoles". Redmond, Washington: Microsoft. November 14, 2005. Archived from the original on 2015-05-04. Retrieved 2005-11-14.
  8. ^ "Xbox 360 Games Launch List". CNET Australia. March 23, 2006. Archived from the original on 2024-06-15. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  9. ^ Stasick, Ed (December 21, 2005). "PSP Game Releases for the Week of December 19". Yahoo Finance. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  10. ^ "Ubisoft - Peter Jackson's King Kong The Official Game of the Movie". Ubisoft. December 12, 2005. Archived from the original on 2005-12-12. Retrieved 2023-03-30.


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