What makes King Kong so good is the polish that the game brings. It takes a classic storyline and a classic gaming genre and delivers it to the gamer in a new and refreshing manner. Just as Half-Life popularized the concept of a "no cutscene and no load times" first person shooter, King Kong will popularize the concept of an immersive first-person adventure game with no HUD. Ubisoft strikes the balance perfectly with enough shooting, enough puzzles, and enough drama to keep you engrossed for the entire game.

The biggest hurdle to this game is that it really needs a killer system to capture the full effect. If you're playing the PC version, you'll need incredibly fast hardware in order to experience the Gamer's Edition. Likewise, the game demands 5.1 surround. In that sense, the Xbox 360 can be considered the definitive version (provided that it's not too dark on your HDTV). Even then, you'll want a big screen HDTV and a beefy surround sound setup. The core gameplay is just as good with the other editions, but the level of suspense and the immersion will be less when the lighting models don't allow predators to hide in the shadows or when the sound isn't coming from all directions. King Kong is a game where the improved graphics really add to the gaming experience.