VIDEO GAME REVIEWS

'KING KONG'
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Nintendo DS
Genre: Action
Publisher: Ubisoft
ESRB Rating: T, for Teen
Grade: ss 1/2 (out of 5)
Step aside, "Donkey Kong," the real Kong is here. With the release of Peter Jackson's movie retelling of the King Kong story, Ubisoft has brought Kong himself to the gaming platform as well.
The game mixes a healthy blend of first-person shooter (playing as Adrien Brody's role of Jack Driscoll) with some third-person action where you get to play as Kong. Both portions are very satisfying, and it is a shame that coming from a director whose last film trilogy seemed to last days, this game's time is very brief.
The game is visually stunning. It recreates the vision Jackson seems to have set forth in the movie (based on what the public has seen in trailers).
Some fairly new techniques are employed, such as a lack of heads-up display and health meter. Everything is communicated via audio and it's refreshing to see some fresh perspectives taken by a movie-to-game title that normally would just be seen as a cash cow for those with the licensing/royalty rights.
Of course, this is all set up for playing as the big ape himself, and there's no disappointment when it happens, other than his prescribed missions are too few and far too short.
A game focused more heavily on Kong himself would have been a wiser artistic choice.
-- Chris Campbell, Scripps Howard
'AEON FLUX'
Platforms: PlayStation 2, Xbox
Genre: Action
Publisher: Majesco
ESRB Rating: T, for Teen
Grade: sss (out of 5)
Charlize Theron may be Aeon Flux in the movie, but she'll never compare to the original design and look of the perfect female assassin she plays in the film.
Majesco's gaming take on the movie is a wise one, filled with plenty of puzzles and action sequences that seem inspired more from the TV series and less from the film itself.
The same developer that brought you the BloodRayne games also did work for "Aeon Flux," and the influences are everywhere, which is a good thing. Both BloodRayne and Aeon have similar acrobatics and fluidity, although Aeon spares us the copious gore.
The gameplay mostly features a lot of puzzle solving with some hopping around and other platforming techniques thrown in for good measure.
What makes this successful is that none of it seems out of place and if there were ever a game that cried out to make a star of an emotionless female killer it's this one.
Gamers should not fear that the movie may stink; the game does not, and that's where your money and time should be spent.
-- Chris Campbell, Scripps Howard
'HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE'
Platforms: PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, PSP, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance
Genre: Action
Publisher: EA Games
ESRB Rating: E, for Everyone
Grade: sss (out of 5)
As we all grow up with Ron, Hermione and Mr. Potter we are at least granted the ability to enjoy their magical skills both on the silver screen as well as in video games.
In "Goblet of Fire," some improvements in the gameplay have been made; primarily with the introduction of co-op play where up to three people can control the main characters.
This is wildly different from the previous games where a single player could only switch between the trio.
This is certain to add staying power to the game since it allows younger gamers to enjoy the action with friends.
Of course, the game does not entirely follow the movie's plot, but does include all of the Triwizard events, which is the most important thing since being chased by dragons and swimming through Black Lake are levels that had to be included to make the game worthwhile.
The main gameplay focuses on gathering up Triwizard shields and character cards.
This is done primarily for upgrading the characters and it's a useful system.
The major drawback would be that there is an enormous amount of backtracking and revisiting the same levels over and over again to complete missions, and it can be rather tedious at times.
It's great that the Harry Potter library of games are maturing at the same pace of the films, allowing both older and younger fans to partake in the video games without feeling left out; a worthy buy for anyone.
-- Chris Campbell, Scripps Howard