Granted, there are similarities between all art forms, but sculpture and videogames have very few, or at the very least, should have very few. Something that Ubisoft’s King Kong exemplifies magnificently. Gradually chipping away at gameplay until you’re right down to the very basics of the FPS genre is a risky move for any title, let alone a movie tie-in. And, whilst PS2 owners were happy to accept the lavish visuals in lieu of decent action – and even happier to call it ‘cinematic’ – the fact is that King Kong, sizeable as he is, can’t hope to trade punches with the upcoming gout of First Person Shooters. No, Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game Of The Movie doesn’t have anywhere near the gravitas that the name so hopefully suggests.

The game follows the movie’s plot fairly closely and charts the movements of both Kong and the film crew sent to make the movie of the millennium on Skull Island – the recently discovered home of giant reptiles, primates and insects. What surprises about the game is how few snippets of the film have been included. Past the initial trailer, Kong chugs along without much interference and remains agreeably coherent, jumping only occasionally to put you in the shoes of Kong himself as he seeks to satiate his desires and get his hands on Miss Darrow.

It appears that the developer has managed to create something almost utterly devoid of both style and substance. No form, and very little function make Kong an extremely dull boy. And what heaps even more dung onto the pile, is its comparative impact on the previous generation of consoles so far into their life cycle; it simply has nothing to offer X360 gamers. For the majority of the game you’re trudging through environments utterly lacking in character, similar to the warehouse worlds of old. There are a number of moments that, in a Resident Evil fashion, will see your bowels slip just a little, and the first time you take control of the titular ape it’s hard not to smile as you crush, smash and swing your way to the leading lady’s heart; but these moments are regrettably few in number.

It’s clear that King Kong is aiming high however, and there are elements that make the five or six hours of playtime bearable. The absence of any HUD is one such device that makes far more sense than it should. Ammo checks are given audibly, targeting reticules are shown as either gun sights or a finger, and given the linearity, a map would be superfluous to requirements. While the weapon load-out is as basic as could be imagined, when the ammo conservation comes into play and Kong’s fellow monsters start getting a little too large to handle with spears and pistols, the dynamic of the game changes and you start feeling distinctly uneasy. Rounding a corner to discover a herd of gigantic reptiles feasting on an ex-family member is rarely a pleasant experience, and is often compounded further by being dangerously short on ammo. But it’s difficult to get too carried away with the whole affair, as it gets old all too quickly.

For the majority of the game you’re accompanied by members of the film crew, which is something of a double-edged sword in terms of both presentation and gameplay. The sharper, and more useful side of that sword being that your little squad is supremely effective – when it wants to be – at dispatching the local fauna, and if it weren’t for them, the on-screen action would be a good deal less, well… active. Predictably, let any of them die before their time and it’s game over, even if they deserve to get eaten alive for their woeful animation and complete lack of emotion. There’s nothing quite like crappy squad mates to ruin any feeling of immersion, is there?

Peter Jackson’s King Kong fails spectacularly at recreating anywhere near the kind of feel of the Hollywood blockbuster movie, and whilst it was eminently playable on the current generation of consoles, it doesn’t really push the capabilities of the Xbox 360. Some may enjoy this flailing attempt at meshing videogames and movies, and others may appreciate how well King Kong manages without the HUD, but let’s face it, we’re really clutching at straws here. Peter Jackson’s King Kong is only marginally less insipid than the title, ultimately coming off as a lot more pony than monkey.

Tom Leclerc