Retro Review: Peter Jackson's King Kong

First played: 2005 on PS2

Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie may have a ridiculously long title but despite the long standing pattern of lazy game tie-ins, this one stands out as an often overlooked gem which goes beyond simply accompanying the film.

Peter Jackson’s King Kong is based on the same plot as the titular film which takes place across the game’s lone single player mode; Carl Denham, a daring but arrogant filmmaker, along with script writer Jack Driscoll and leading actress Ann Darrow journey with the crew of the Venture to Skull Island, a lost settlement teaming with hostile natives and deadly wildlife. When Ann is taken into the dense jungle by the giant ape, the crew gives chase in a bid to rescue her, and so begins a 6 or 7 hour adventure where you play as both Jack in first person survival and King Kong himself in a third person brawler. From the offset, King Kong sets itself apart from the film by mixing up the gameplay with plenty of what if scenarios. As Jack, you’ll take on the biggest, loudest and downright creepiest creatures you’ve ever seen from a first person viewpoint from enlarged spiders to the mighty V-Rex, which all have different attack patterns to exploit. Because they are all predatory creatures you can also trick them into attacking each other or going after a piece of bait. The game features traditional firearms, but when ammo is often scarce, you’ll often rely on spears and wits to come out alive. You’ll also be solving light puzzles such as finding a lever to open a door, or fire to burn away a bush which provide a nice reprieve from shooting up monsters. Playing as King Kong presents a huge sense of empowerment; no matter which creature you’re fighting or vine you’re swinging from, you feel the awesome power and weight behind the beast. In combat Kong has a wide variety of moves akin to wrestling games; Kong can smash, grab and throw objects and even finish off the larger opponents in the most brutal way possible. Though the Kong sections on Skull Island are plentiful, the final levels in New York City are disappointingly brief, not to mention that Jack Driscoll completely disappears for the game’s final moments. After the campaign is complete, you can go back and play the chapters again to rack up a high score and unlock extras; you gain points for killing creature and lose points for injuries and wasting ammo. It’s a novelty at first but without any other additional modes, it won’t last players very long.

The game is incredibly immersive for its time; there’s no heads-up-display telling you how much health and ammo you have left, instead you need only press a button and Jack will inform you of his ammo count. Health regenerates automatically and when you are hit, the screen will turn blood red and adrenaline will start running through Jack’s breath. This immersion extends into the story; despite some occasionally awkward dialogue, the voice actors (who all reprise their roles from the film) do a great job of selling the peril that surrounds the characters from beginning to end. The wide variety of environments, including cliff sides, valleys and swamps are all rendered quite well by PlayStation 2 standards, but it’s the sound that really impresses. When a creature roars or slithers in the background, you’ll definitely want to escape the often scary animals that cross your path. With all this in mind, the game leaps beyond a simple shooter and becomes something of a horror game; despite the 12+ rating, there are moments in the game which will send shivers down your spine which brilliantly captures the spirit of the Peter Jackson film.

It’s a short game with little replay value, but King Kong can still stand up today as a great example of how developers can take the source material from a film and get a solid game out of it. The immersion and atmosphere that surrounds every aspect of the title also allows it to sit alongside some of the best film-tie-ins put out over the years.

My recommendation: If you were a fan of the film like I was back then, it’s still worth a play-through on any older platforms it came out on (except for the DS). But because of its short length you really shouldn’t pay more than a fiver for it.

Rating: 7/10

Edge of Tomorrow Movie Review

In modern cinema science fiction films can be organised into two categories; those which manage to be thought provoking and interesting, and those which skip on development in favour of mindless action. Edge of Tomorrow, Tom Cruise’s latest foray into the genre is thankfully part of the former, with its unique take on futuristic warfare.

Lightly inspired by and adapted from Japanese novel “All you need is kill” Edge of Tomorrow takes place in the not-too-distant future, where mankind is under attack from a species of extra-terrestrials known as mimics, who have overrun Europe. The combined armies of the United Defence Forces with their advanced military exoskeletons aim to push back with the beaches of France serving as the main frontline. From here we’re introduced to Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), a propaganda officer who is thrust into combat with no knowledge of experience of infantry combat whatsoever; Cage is quickly killed by the rampaging monsters, but something is amiss as he wakes up and experiences the same day of brutal combat over and over again. From here, the film loops over sequences and then progresses further as Cage, along with the fabled Seargent Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) to unravel the mystery and outwit the Mimics before it’s too late. While the film’s repeating of the initial action scene may seem like a waste of run time, the film uses it sparingly to hammer home the strange and baffling situation Cage and Vrataski find themselves in and this technique is wisely cut down to avoid tedium for the later parts of the movie. Over the course of their mission across France and rural Europe, the dynamic duo teams up with an inquisitive scientist (Noah Taylor) and eventually a rag tag squad of soldiers to take on the alien menace. If there’s one gripe with the plot, it’s that the mimics don’t really get a lot of backstory and explanation; the mystery surrounding their hierarchy and the way they fight is well done, but we never learn much about where they came from, or why they are attacking humanity.

Of course a plot this complex wouldn’t work too well without solid characters and the cast of Edge of Tomorrow pulls off this feat quite well. It’s a welcomed change of pace to see Tom Cruise in a more vulnerable role this time around; rather than the usual tough guy we usually see Cruise play, here he really needs to go through proper development to become the one to stop the Mimics. Emily Blunt as Rita stands as the opposite; a strong-willed and powerful leading lady who assists and trains Cage, rather than the other way around. The relationship between the two is well developed and builds naturally over the course of the film as both characters are distracted from their attachment to each other by the mission at hand, and the grim consequences for failure. In other roles, Bill Paxton as the drill sergeant is surprisingly charismatic, despite the small role he has in the film. Though the other characters aren’t as well rounded or developed enough to make you care about their fates, the film nonetheless delivers where it counts in terms of characterization.

Edge of Tomorrow’s bombastic action sequences can be very disorienting; whilst the exoskeletons seem cumbersome at first, they quickly come into their own on the battlefields of Europe. During the action, the camera does shake quite frequently but in this case, it adds to the disorientation and visceral nature of the combat. The music matches this mood, with gritty tones and echoing sound effects during the combat, contrasted against more sombre tracks in the film’s final moments. In addition to the strong technical presentation, there’s also some great looking stunt work from Cruise and Blunt, which heightens the intensity further. The Mimic designs are also quite unique; the creatures seem to be made up of coils and other machinery pulsing with electrical energy; this gives way to some particularly stunning lighting effects in the film’s final act. As far as science fiction films go, Edge of Tomorrow does a fine job with its effects, working to absorb the viewer in the fires of battle wherever possible.

At first glance Edge of Tomorrow seems like another generic science fiction film, but the complexity of the plot made possible by the bending of time really does add some much needed spice to a crowded genre. If you’re willing to engage your mind, this is one science fiction war worth plunging into.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

X-Men: Days of Future Past Movie Review

In the realm of super heroes, Marvel’s X-Men have been arguably the most successful with six films to their name so far. It’s been a long wait for Days of Future Past but the enticing recipe of the entire ensemble cast led by Bryan Singer has paid off in spades.

Based on the 1981 comic, X-Men: Days of Future Past is a sequel to X-Men: The Last Stand, The Wolverine and X-Men First Class simultaneously and opens in a very grim future. Both mankind and mutants are on the ropes as the deadly and almost indestructible sentinel robots hunt them down at every turn. After some consideration, Kitty Pryde/ShadowCat (Ellen Page) sends Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back in time in a desperate bid to reverse the construction of the sentinels and ultimately save the future. On his mission, Wolverine comes across the young Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender). The film flashes between past and present and with a great deal of consequences on the line, X-Men: Days of Future Past launches into a globe-trotting adventure filled with pulse-pounding action, heartfelt emotion and some mild comedy. From the break-out of Magneto at the Pentagon to the intense final battle outside the White House, every scene is worthwhile, memorable and contributes in its own way to the plot. It’s one of the few modern superhero movies in recent memory that gave me chills in its final moments, something which was made even more impactful having watched the older films. My one gripe in an otherwise gripping plot is the future element; it has some real potential for future films, but because the film is set mostly in 1973 this setting can only develop slightly. Yet despite this issue, Days of Future Past offers a plot which manages to juggle healthy doses of action and emotion as well as link in to previous films very well.

With an enormous ensemble cast present that is even bigger than 2012’s The Avengers, it’s hard to believe that X-Men: Days of Future Past would be able to handle them all effectively but by placing on focus on 1973, the characters that get the most screen time are thoroughly developed whilst the future setting featuring characters such as Storm (Halle Berry) and newcomers Bishop (Omar Sy) and Blink (Fan Bingbing) plays host to action sequences that provide some eye-popping special effects. Other new characters also make an impression; Peter Dinklage as Bolliver Trask isn’t your usual scheming antagonist who hates mutants, rather he admires their abilities and hopes to use them as a catalyst for his sentinel plan and QuickSilver (Evan Peters) is so laid back and casual in his mannerisms that he’s instantly likeable for the time he’s on-screen. The greatest strength of the cast though is many of the characters have some sort of internal conflict which makes the audience care about their fates. Charles Xavier and Hank Mcoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult) actually resent their powers at first, taking medication to suppress their abilities, Magneto swings back and forth between his friendship with Charles and his unending hatred for humanity and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) cannot decide between taking revenge for the death of her friends and carving out a better image for mutants in the eyes of humanity. These struggles make the impending future that much more imperative to prevent and the plot more engrossing throughout.

The X-Men series has always shown off some brilliant special effects and this entry is no different; the future setting in particular plays host to dazzling lighting, thunderous powers and a gloomy atmosphere that emphasises the bleakness of the dystopian world. This is contrasted with the ordinary world of 1973, which is thrown into disarray with mutant intervention. Where First Class reached its climax with a massive naval battle, Days of Future Past brings on some gargantuan destruction effects on par with Magneto’s bending of the Golden Gate Bridge in 2006’s The Last Stand. The cinematography reflects this scale, panning out to see the destruction taking place; this also applies to the combat sequences, giving a clear view without devolving into shaky moments. The music is both sombre and emotional, perfectly reflecting the sense of impending doom that threatens the world of man and mutant. X-Men: Days of Future Past pushes the main series forward just as well for technicals as it does for plot and characterisation.

Never before have I seen a superhero movie as meticulously crafted as X-Men Days of Future Past; it seamlessly blends brilliant special effects, emotive and detailed acting performances and an intelligent plot, weaving them all into real world events. It’s the best film in the X-Men series and a grand achievement for Bryan Singer and company.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Countdown to E3 2014: Predictions, Expectations and Anticipation

In five days the Electronic Entertainment Expo (or gaming Christmas as it’s often called) is making its return to Los Angeles, bursting with announcements and games of every kind. But with countless delays of games into 2015, gamers are wondering whether this year’s show might disappoint when it comes to solid exclusives. Leading up to the big event, here are my predictions for the main companies and some of the games that will likely be shown off at the event.

As my most followed and respected gaming company, Sony blew everyone away last year with a pitch-perfect presentation of why PS4 is THE console worth buying, not to mention the numerous shots fired at Microsoft’s original Xbox One policies which had enraged legions of gamers worldwide. Yet despite their huge success with the PS4 thus far, Sony has been struggling financially, selling off other divisions such as VAiO laptops and its shares inJapanese developer Square Enix to cover its losses. Sony’s gaming division has the potential to prop up the company’s profits but only if they make good on their promises on the gaming front.

What I’m expecting from Sony

Sony may have taken the crown last year, but their new slogan “Greatness Awaits” won’t be good forever; the exclusives need to come thick and fast, just as they for PS3 from 2008 onwards. By that I mean a steady stream of titles which will be rolled out from now till next year’s E3. The big exclusives can’t all be delayed to 2015 so it may be time to invest in even more new franchises for the PlayStation. Knowing Sony and their primary focus on gaming, they should rise to meet this challenge but if they shrug their shoulders and stick to games like The Last of Us: Remastered then it will no doubt be a bitter blow and a huge step back from last year’s domination.

What could happen?

The Last Guardian and Agent could come back, this time on PS4. Fans of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus have been waiting for Team Ico’s next spiritual masterpiece involving the journey of a boy and his pet griffin for quite some time. Likewise for Agent, an espionage thriller set in the Cold War, developed by none other than Rockstar Games. Given the developer’s legendary reputation for the Grand Theft Auto series, Sony would be wise to make good on this new IP, especially on a platform in need of some killer exclusive games.

After taking a beating at last year’s show on Sony’s part; Microsoft was inspired to finally get back on track, having caught up with its free games on Xbox and removed the controversial (and by many accounts rip-off!) kinect from the Xbox One. With the older executives gone, the newly promoted Phil Spencer seeks to repair the damage done by the likes of Don Mattrick amongst other blunders and get the Xbox brand back on the good side of gamers with a better focus and philosophy for the Xbox One. But all the build-up won’t matter if MS can’t deliver where it counts; games.

What I’m expecting from Microsoft

Just like Sony, I’m expecting big games from Microsoft; exclusives that justify Phil Spencer’s focus whilst also proving the Xbox One’s commitment to games as well as all over entertainment. They’ll still show the same Call of Duty demo and possibly talk a bit about their television strategies but I want to see new IPs; let’s see Microsoft branch out and try new ideas rather than just reusing Halo, Gears of War and Forza over and over again. Insomniac Games has already kicked off this trend with Sunset Overdrive, perhaps the biggest exclusive this year for Xbox One. Hopefully other studios owned by the corporation will follow in its footsteps.

What could happen?

Perhaps Microsoft may finally let Rare loose to work on its own projects again? It would be a logical decision to follow on from removing the Kinect. Rare was once a household name in game design and after years of making Kinect games, could they rise to prominence once again?

Ever since the release of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Nintendo has endured a bitter slog, cutting its profit forecasts and continuing to suffer lacklustre sales for its Wii U system. Whilst games like the recent Mario Kart 8 have kept it going there’s no denying that the system is really on the ropes, hopelessly outmatched when compared to its competitor’s features, despite ironically having the best exclusives. With the company not holding an official conference for the second year in a row, Nintendo needs something to pull itself out of the fire, and this time it won’t be just Mario, Zelda, and Metroid that save them.

What I’m expecting from Nintendo

Nintendo needs to find a solution for the struggling Wii U and that means giving third party developers an incentive to get back on board, and with that, there will be more inclinations to release new multiplatform titles on the system as well as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. More details on the next Zelda and maybe a new Metroid title wouldn’t hurt either.

What could happen?

If the Wii U continues to struggle on as it does right now, then Nintendo may be forced to put a contingency plan in place to avoid crashing out of the console business. An entirely new system could be announced via their direct feed, one which catches up on features and is able to better compete with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Despite consistently wearing the dubious mantle of “Most hated gaming company” amongst the community, Electronic Arts still has some potentially brilliant games up their sleeve. Whether or not they botch the launches of their upcoming titles or build up false hype is a story reserved for later in the year. While there were titles players had been waiting for such as Star Wars Battlefront 3 and Mirror’s Edge 2, EA babbled on about sports games such as Madden 25 for far too long at their conference; which led to great anger when the finished products looked and played nothing like what was shown earlier that year. In the eyes of gamers EA still has a lot to prove, but could that change at this year’s E3?

What I’m expecting from Electronic Arts

EA’s conference was a mixed bag last year, so I hope to see them show more of what we actually want to see ie: more Battlefront 3 and Mirror’s Edge 2 gameplay and a cut-down of the crap associated with sports titles. Of course they’ll have to talk about these titles but it really shouldn’t take up more than ten minutes seeing as how most of what EA claims of its sport titles are mostly broken promises anyway. If the various tweets from last year’s show are anything to go by, EA seriously needs to rethink its stance towards sports games.

What could happen?

TimeSplitters 4? Fans of the shooter series have long yearned for a fourth entry in the franchise and while it has been announced by Crytek UK (formerly known as Free Radical) the game has remained dormant for many years. Because Crytek is owned by EA, this year could be an opportune time to bring the serious back the same way they did with Battlefront last year.

Having recently released the highly anticipated Watch Dogs, Ubisoft is again returning to E3 as it usually does, with several games from its various franchises to show off; these include Assassin’s Creed Unity, Far Cry 4, and The Division. It will probably be business as usual, showing off the major titles whilst also possibly expanding them into other mediums. Although as proven by Watch Dogs, Ubisoft is no stranger to new IPs and so new titles could emerge in their press conference this year.

What I’m expecting from Ubisoft

Last year’s press conference for Ubisoft certainly delivered with a variety of titles but the company resorted to trailers, some of which we had already seen rather than live demos which made the presser as a whole rather muted. Because Sony transferred the demos of Watch Dogs and Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag to their conference last year, I want to see Ubisoft build up excitement again. By showing in-game demos it really puts across what we’ll be playing much better than a trailer ever could.

What could happen?

Could there be another presenter blunder? Ubisoft has made a habit of hiring quite charismatic presenters in recent years, but they do have a habit of being quite awkward or in the case of “Mr Caffeine”, extremely over the top. Having a presenter who knows the facts about games and conducts themselves with a bit more seriousness would make a better impression when comparing the conferences with each other.

Potential trends of the show

·       Virtual Reality: Despite the previously failed attempts to make the holy grail of gaming immersion a reality, quite a few companies seem to be jumping into this field again. Oculus Rift and Sony’s Project Morpheus are leading this charge. Although neither of these have a confirmed release date, we’re sure to see the peripherals feature quite a bit at this year’s show.

·       Enhanced services on the consoles: Both Microsoft and Sony have introduced many new features, made possible by the power of the new systems and the ever increasing relevance of cloud computing. Sony has PlayStation Now; a rental service which will stream games from PlayStation One to present. Microsoft on the other hand is touting the cloud as making its exclusive games better, particularly where open world games are concerned. With luck, both companies might make good on these promises this time around, given how they’ve had a year to develop past the concept stage.

·      Upgraded engines in more fully-fledged games: Last year’s E3 saw the announcement of Unreal Engine 4 and while the “Infiltrator” demonstration back then was only a tech demo, the technology has heaps of potential on the new gaming consoles and PC. Crytek has also updated it’s CryEngine to fit the new systems. As with the console services, a year in development should allow developers to put out more fully-fledged games running on the new engines, providing the next-gen oomph that has been quite lacking in the eighth generation of consoles thus far.