King Kong The Official Mobile Game of the Movie (Mobile)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.1 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Greg Kasavin
• Reviewed on: 12/15/2005
• Released on: 11/14/2005
• Originally published on GameSpot: King Kong The Official Mobile Game of the Movie (Mobile) Review

Just in time for the theatrical release of King Kong comes a game well suited for play while you're standing in line waiting to get in on opening night. Just like its console and PC counterparts, the mobile version of King Kong lets you play as the gigantic ape himself as well as Adrian Brody's resourceful but significantly smaller and very much wimpier character. This side-scrolling action adventure game is designed in the vein of various 16-bit classics as well as numerous other past games from publisher Gameloft, which once again delivers an impressive-looking and well-designed little gaming experience with King Kong.

You'd figure it wouldn't be particularly fair to compare the mobile version of King Kong against the bigger, flashier 3D versions on consoles and PC, but there's at least one aspect of this game that's better than the others. Namely, you spend most of your time here playing as Kong rather than as Jack, and let's all agree it's preferable to lumber around as a giant ape, snapping dinosaur jaws and stuff, rather than tiptoeing around as some good-for-nothing screenwriter-type with a blowgun. Despite the differences in the characters' statures and personalities, controls nevertheless are similar for both. You can run and jump either to the left or right, and you'll automatically grab ledges and climb up wherever needed. Kong can swing on stuff and grab on vines (or New York City buildings!), while Jack can push blocks to open new passageways. Jack's sequences are a little more puzzle-oriented than Kong's, while the ape gets to spend a good amount of time pounding dinosaurs into mulch.

While there's some quality action to be found in this game, the nine levels blow by quickly, maybe in an hour. That's the game's biggest weakness, since it doesn't take its time to really flesh out the potential made possible by its solid controls and design. Instead, the levels often feel like little demos for what should be much longer and probably more challenging levels (though at least there are bits of story thrown in between to create some continuity). There's also not much variety to the enemies you'll face, and while the combat sequences as Kong definitely look satisfying, there's not much to them other than hitting the 5 key over and over to punch dinosaurs in the face. Not that there's anything wrong with punching dinosaurs in the face.

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