Michel Ancel is not a name that one would hold up to the likes of Shigeru Miyamoto or Peter Molyneux, but he does
have a masterpiece or two under his belt. Ancel is the man responsible for Rayman and Beyond Good &
Evil. Peter Jackson reportedly chose Ancel for the project because of the latter game (trust me, it is that good).
I never thought the King Kong movie would be that great, despite Peter Jackson's involvement, but the
trailer really impressed me.
Ancel's interview with EuroGamer makes King Kong sound like a game that really could stand out from the other
game-to-movie franchises. I really agree with Ancel's views on making atmosphere an important part of the game,
especially for first person shooters. Metroid Prime did it, as did Half-Life, but for King Kong he
has the added challenge to make it convincing without the ability to have a life bar at all (Prime got away
with it by making the life bar just part of her Samus' display). The
impressions have so far been good, and I want to
have faith in this game. Expect to see Kong, with any luck, this Christmas on every platform.
