Today's NY Times examines the blurring lines between video games and their cinematic influences, focusing on the sure-fire holiday hit, King Kong. Make that, "Mr. Peter Jackson's King Kong". A fan of Beyond Good and Evil, Mr. Jackson turned to its developer Ubisoft for his ape epic after his Lord of the Rings experience with EA didn't go so well. Jackson was seeking a higher level of hands-on involvement for the Kong game, and Good and Evil designer/director Michel Ancel was happy to accommodate him.
As a result, gamers will experience a more complete Kong universe than the one confined to the two-hour movie. The article mentions game-exclusive, giant-winged bats and at least ten hours of game play, but with a staff of 80 and a budget in excess of $20 million, will this really be enough to extend the movie experience? Maybe if they include the behind-the-scenes footage of Jackson jumping up and down imitating a crazed Kong. Next up for the ring king: an executive producer's chair for the movie adaptation of Halo.
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[Thanks, Chris]
