Amidst the extravagant set-ups and displays boasted by E3’s
South Hall, Ubisoft’s King Kong was the biggest and brightest of the peacocks.
In fact, it holds the record as being the company’s largest and most elaborate
booth. King Kong will grace store shelves at the beginning of the holiday
season, in conjunction with the December 2005 release of the film. Ubisoft
anticipates King Kong to be their most successful game of the year. We were
fortunate enough to nab a spot in the Ubisoft mini-theater, nestled in a theme
park-reminiscent bamboo structure. Exhibitors were in top-secret mode,
demanding that all recording devices (including cell phone cameras) be turned
off and put away. After the small room went pitch black, the viewing began with
commentary by top collaborators Peter Jackson and acclaimed Ubisoft game
creator, Michel Ancel.
Famed Lord of the Rings producer Peter Jackson dreamed of remaking the King Kong film since he was a youngster. He seems determined to make every aspect and extension of his remake into his baby. Jackson claims that, "Being able to collaborate closely together from day one is of utmost importance, which is why we've given Ubisoft unlimited access to every creative aspect of our film production. We really want the game and the film to be part of the same universe." The triple Academy Award-winning director expressed his desire to incorporate as much of a movie going experience as possible. However, this isn’t your grandparent’s RKO Radio Films stop-motion animation. Weta Digital and Weta Workshop, recipients of multiple Academy Awards® for their collective work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, unveiled their meticulous artistry as our guiding Ubi developer navigated through the lush foliage of Skull Island. It began in first-person through director Jack Driscoll, as Kong delivered his chest-pounding and roaring rescue of actress and to-be native sacrifice, Ann Darrow. Driscoll and his film crew then expose viewers to the wonders and horrors of a place untouched by time, as the search for Kong and Darrow force them into the island’s deadly interior. More than a few gasps could be heard as giant, allosaurus jaws came within a millimeter of the fleeing film crew. I was slightly confused as to why these encounters weren’t close enough to make some of them fun-sized snacks.
The AI seemed intelligent enough, since these unrelenting
beasts always found a way to corner Jack and his team. Tommy guns and flaming
spears had the ability to make the allosauruses retreat an inch or two, but mere
humans were unable to inflict real harm. Fortunately, it was possible to kill
the occasional giant, speedy centipede, which preyed upon both reptile and
human. A few well-aimed shots could take down a pterodactyl or two, creating
another diversion, or rather a quick snack break for the scaly stalkers.
Suspense compounded as prehistoric beasts continually ganged up, forcing
Driscoll and his wandering crew to jump into dangerous river rapids, hugging
sharp, rocky bends while dinosaurs ran alongside. The final minutes revealed an
interesting character switch from flashy, depression-era director via
first-person to a third-person perspective of the Kong, himself. The transition
began when the ape released Ann Darrow, immediately returning to her rescue as
screams announced her introduction to the game’s Jurassic-era element. We were
then treated to a vigorous dual-to-the-death between Kong and his reptile
enemies. The momentous chest-beating caused earthquakes, shaking his opponents
to the ground, therefore enabling him to pounce upon them. He also used his
massive fists and arms to avoid claws and teeth, ultimately aiming to stretch
some allosaurus jaws to a fatal breaking point.
True to Peter Jackson’s wishes, the viewing was exactly like watching a film. It looked heavily scripted, due to the lack of screen icons, health meters, and game play opportunity. The interesting use of multiple viewpoints helped enforce a storyline true to the movie, as well as promote a variety of game play styles ranging from FPS action/ survival sneaker to action beat’em up. However, this style seems counterproductive to experiencing a single player’s journey. Could the action end up being too fragmented, creating a “mini-game” like game play? Ubisoft PR manager, Michael Beadle asserts that, “For players, it will be the reverse. It’s going to feel more seamless. The alternations keep you from being a passive observer and that’s pretty unique. The player becomes immersed in the story as they experience the endangered vulnerability of Jack Driscoll, switching to the all-powerful, predatory might of King Kong. Except for the Myst franchise, there’s no other game like this. You have to listen to your team. You can face an expedition team member, push the D pad, and they will react with a context sensitive response; if you need to swap guns or get assistance, it gives you some verbal feedback, opposed to arrows pointing, pop-ups, or other forms of user interface directives.” These gaming giants are making their huge-title release accessible to as many gamers as possible, formatting it to all consoles (including next gen). Cheers to Ubi for going all out to the point of mania!