As the long-winded title implies, Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, is the newest title from the makers of the popular game Splinter Cell. It is based off of the hit blockbuster, King Kong, and what a beast they have created. Ubisoft has taken the best of both worlds in this action-adventure by combining a first person shooter with a giant gorilla beat-em-up. One of the most unique features of Kong is that it combines two elements of play, first person shooter and third person adventure.

Carl Denham, a movie producer voiced by Jack Black, has stumbled on something huge: a map. Not just any map, a map that will lead him and his crew to the perfect place for his next movie. However, upon reaching this island, Denham and his party are set upon by a tribe of natives. In the confusion, their actress Ann Darrow, voiced by Naomi Watts, is set up as a sacrifice to the mighty Kong. When Denham and his party are freed, it is up to Jack Driscoll, the screenwriter voiced by Adrian Brody, to rescue the girl he has come to love while finding a way to escape an island that seems to be filled with only vicious predators of mammoth size.

The game opens with Driscoll leading the party into the new island where he and his team have been stranded after a rough trip by boat. Once on the island it appears that almost every animal on this rock has one motive, to eat you. Kong’s first person action is kept interesting because of the scarcity of bullets. While a gun is very powerful and fast to shoot compared to the throwing a spear Driscoll is often forced to use, the player will find that if he or she doesn’t conserve ammo the only sound he or she will be hearing is the click of an empty chamber as raptors devour them.

However, Driscoll’s only challenge does not lie in the ferocious wildlife (though it doesn’t help). Throughout the game small puzzles are presented in order to advance. Get ready to appreciate fire like you never have before, because with this great invention of mankind you’ll be able to burn bushes blocking your path and keep giant fire-fearing raptors at bay. Make sure you know how to manage your party as well, because they each have the ability to hold extra guns for you that can come in handy when the going gets tough. Sometimes playing as Driscoll can get plain frustrating.

Luckily, it seems that just when the player is getting sick of killing giant bugs with spears, and throwing fire around to solve puzzles, they are allowed to play as the massive Kong himself, and that is when the game really gets fun. One of the best aspects in this game is the fact that playing as Kong really makes the gamer feel like he is in control of a massive force of raw fury. His sheer size is almost felt by the gamer as he pulls trees out of the earth to swing at enemies. Using Kong to swing from cliffs and break Tyrannosaurus Rex’s jaw is not only impressive, but also fun. Nothing beats the feeling of defeating three T-Rex and watching Kong beat his chest in triumph. Kong’s controls are easy to pick up, but very entertaining to battle with.

Large drawbacks in the game were not enough to offset any opinion formed about the game. The largest fault found was that the game was far too short. One solid day of gaming could finish this game. Another problem was that the game was very dark. Not dark in mood, the game was literally too dark to see very well which often became irritating.

Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie is a large title to say the least. It contains a great game that combines two different elements of play very well. Play as the clever screenwriter Driscoll and save the damsel in distress, or play as the mighty Kong and smash your enemies. This game will keep most on the edge of their seats.

Get out there and pile-drive some T-Rex.