Why People Really Play Kong on 360?

[killerjt]

A recent King Kong video game available for the Xbox 360 doesn't seem to be well loved among some owners of the new console -- yet many of the game's critics are admitting in online discussion groups that they rented and played it even though they knew in advance that they might not like it.

What gives?

Well, it turns out that the game, published by Ubisoft Entertainment SA and based off the recent Peter Jackson flick, has a reputation for coughing up an easy 1,000 points that Xbox 360 owners can add to their "gamerscore," a number publicly attached to their online identities as a measure of their gaming "skillz" and dedication.

Taking the new Xbox onto the Internet has been more fun, in some cases, than the games themselves. And the perceived importance of gamerscore bragging rights among Xbox 360 owners online is just one example of the clever hooks Microsoft Corp. has thrown in to keep players' hands wrapped around the new system's controllers.

Players' gamerscores ratchet ever upward as they unlock various "achievements" tucked away in the games in their collection. Each game that you can rent or purchase off the shelf at retail stores has about 1,000 points to dispense; downloadable arcade games for the Xbox 360, like the classic game Joust, have 200 points.

Having finished up playing the slick World War II game Call of Duty 2 on "normal" difficulty, for example, I unlocked 150 points for my Xbox 360 gamerscore. To get most of the remaining points, I'll have to go back and play it again on the more difficult "veteran" setting.

Once upon a time, I would have put this game on the shelf and forgotten about it at this point, but now it bugs me knowing that I haven't milked more out of the game. My gamerscore is at a grand total of 345, whereas many of the random strangers I've played online -- in games like Quake 4 or the latest Tony Hawk-branded skateboarding title -- have four digits to their name. It's pathetic. It also has me tempted to give King Kong a second chance.

And it gets worse. If you're away from the console, but at an Internet-connected computer, you can log on to Xbox.com and see how all your Xbox-360-owning friends are doing. You can see which of your Xbox-360-owning friends are playing right now and, yes, check out how far along they've gotten in the games in their collection.

In individual games, you can see both how well or poorly you're doing against your friends as well as against all the other Xbox 360 players on planet Earth. In the new fighting game Dead or Alive 4, I'm ranked No. 103,685 out of 142,915 online players. I don't even like the game that much -- but somehow it's fascinating to know that there are almost 40,000 people in the world who are worse at it than I am. And hey, there's a long weekend coming up -- I might even break into the top 100,000.

With the original Xbox, only one owner in 10 bothered to hook the thing up to the Internet. With the Xbox 360, over half of the owners have gone online -- and even those who aren't connected now can still rack up points and plug in later to show off their skillz. It doesn't hurt that Microsoft made some online features free with the console; full, paid subscriptions cost about $8 per month, or less if you buy several months at a time.

Game console makers have been yakking for most of this century about making a device that will serve as a home's Web-connected entertainment center, and Xbox 360 appears to have found some traction on that front. So far, Xbox 360 owners have downloaded 7 million pieces of games, music and movie content from the Xbox Live marketplace, according to Microsoft.

Most of those downloads were free, but about one-fifth of online players have made a purchase. Where owners of the original Xbox had to have a credit card to buy stuff online, you don't for the Xbox 360. You can buy, for example, 1,600 points for $25 on a card available at Best Buy. (Don't be confused: These are buying-stuff points, not gamerscore points.)

Plug in the code on the back of the card and suddenly you have some currency to spend online at Microsoft's Xbox Love Marketplace. A typical downloadable arcade game, such as a new hit called Geometry Wars, costs 400 points.

You kind of have to admire Microsoft, though I'm a little wary of the monkey it is trying to put on my back. Features like the gamerscore and credit-card-free purchasing probably cost little to develop and implement, compared with the total expenses of developing a new game system -- yet it's already clear that they might turn out to be diabolically effective ways of getting players locked in during the running start the company has on Sony's next console, due out later this year.

In the previous installment of the game console wars, gamers who were fans enough to own both a PlayStation 2 and an Xbox would frequently reach for the Xbox version of a game, because the graphics were regarded as slicker on Microsoft's machine. This time around, players might reach for the Xbox 360 version -- just to add points to their gamerscore.

That is, gamers might do that if they actually ever get their hands on the new console. Even after the console's well-documented holiday shortages, the new Xbox is still hard to find -- BestBuy.com, for example, was reporting yesterday that it doesn't have any in stock.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/15/AR2006021502495.html?sub=AR

[Minty]

couldnt be arsed to read all that, could play the game in less time!!

but everyone knows Kongs an easy 1000. the problem is, if you want to have a decent score you need all the easy points just to keep up.

[SpideR NY]

My 300 in King Kong shows the world I thought it was a big enought turd not to play through it.

[scoobydiesel]

oddest thing to me is how its gotten good reviews and lots of people like it, yet at the same time i see people acting like it got horrible reviews and no one liked it.

i have yet to play bt will by tuesday i hope.

[SpideR NY]

oddest thing to me is how its gotten good reviews and lots of people like it, yet at the same time i see people acting like it got horrible reviews and no one liked it.

i have yet to play bt will by tuesday i hope.
you dont hope believe me lol

[scoobydiesel]

i dont see how it can be worst the NBA live, plus i loved the movie and it just looks good anyways....plus 1000 easy points so...should be all good

[Krazie]

Im like a third of the way through with it im guessing, and i dont think its that bad, i find it decently enjoyable..

[ocfp]

i enjoyed the game it wasnt that bad. its not worth buying it but whatever.

[Krazie]

i enjoyed the game it wasnt that bad. its not worth buying it but whatever.


Definietly not worth a purchase, but i dont think it should be shit on as bad as i heard it has been, take it for what its worth.. And with the low amount of 360 games out so far, ill take anything thats even remotely fun, and this one is just that, its fun, but definitely not one of the best out..

[Always Wrong]

I just read that article in the newspaper, it's so true.

[SpideR NY]

Again in responce to people saying "its not that bad, etc", and I'm not flamming here. I thought the game was too dark / green. I also hate games that are like "do this because we say it makes sence." That old wooden peg I need for that door would burn buried in all that kindling. Even if I put it out it would be way to weak to spin the thing for the door. Did you see the movie? Way am I not blasting the shit outta things like in the movie. Instead I'm moving fire around all the time. And why is the only fire always behind the water? Hmmmm fun. And the Kong parts were decent. All around I give this game a D-. I found it unplayable. I'm sure people will have fun with this game, or ANY game for that matter. I voice my opinion on this game because I hated it and don't wanna see someone make a bad buy. Again worse game I have played so far on 360, however I havent played Live or Fifa yet. And not worth playing through for the 1000 points for me. Would much rather get points in games I enjoy.

[g4m3r7ag]

this is the same reason i played the game, easy points

[k_dog]

oddest thing to me is how its gotten good reviews and lots of people like it, yet at the same time i see people acting like it got horrible reviews and no one liked it.

i have yet to play bt will by tuesday i hope.
you dont hope believe me lol


Your'e entirely to biased...

The truth is that Graphicly and as far as Sound is concerned, it's one of the best titles on the 360. Now as far as playability and replay value, this is where it lacks.

It's good for a 5 hour player. But it's more like "Wow, that 5 hours was fun, what's for lunch again?

Worth renting and playing once...

-Brian

[DarkLif3]

The truth is that Graphicly and as far as Sound is concerned, it's one of the best titles on the 360. Now as far as playability and replay value, this is where it lacks.

It's good for a 5 hour player. But it's more like "Wow, that 5 hours was fun, what's for lunch again?

Worth renting and playing once...

-Brian


I 100% agree with you Brian. Great game while it lasts. Worth a rental in every way.

[SpideR NY]

oddest thing to me is how its gotten good reviews and lots of people like it, yet at the same time i see people acting like it got horrible reviews and no one liked it.

i have yet to play bt will by tuesday i hope.
you dont hope believe me lol


Your'e entirely to biased...

The truth is that Graphicly and as far as Sound is concerned, it's one of the best titles on the 360. Now as far as playability and replay value, this is where it lacks.

It's good for a 5 hour player. But it's more like "Wow, that 5 hours was fun, what's for lunch again?

Worth renting and playing once...

-Brian
Ok then address the issuses I had with the game then. And the graphics sucked because of how they were all dark and what not. Maybe its my TV. But I have a pretty nice TV running in HD. And make no mistake. I played this game for about 3 hours (in like 40 min bursts) and I hated every second of it. Again dark, repetitive, stupid puzzles that make no sence, not the "action" of the action movie it was made about.
a shooter with tons of shit I should have been shooting in the middle of this crazy jungle, will insane villiagers, bugs, etc etc. BUT instead its all about keeping ammo in check. If you had fun with this for 5 hours congrats. I AM totally bias, because I thought this game was dark, boring and just all around suck-my-ass. The most fun I had in my entire time with it was taking it out of my 360, putting it in the package and sending the turd back to gamecrazy for Madden or whatever remotely fun game was next in my Q.

[k_dog]

Ok then address the issuses I had with the game then. And the graphics sucked because of how they were all dark and what not. Maybe its my TV.

More than likely your TV, What are you running? I was on 1080i and it looked fantastic.

Again dark, repetitive, stupid puzzles that make no sence, not the "action" of the action movie it was made about.

It also falls under the "Adventure" and "Puzzle" section...but then again, I gave it glamour for its Sound and graphic display, not replay value.
BUT instead its all about keeping ammo in check.

Do you really expect to find Tompson and Sniper ammo in the middle of the Jungle? It's a Strategy game...

-Brian

[ianc125]

I will have to agree on some parts of the game I had to stop and increse the brightness on my tv because i coudlnt see at all

[Oryan]

Alright, well since I beat NFS I traded it in to my local trading store, and since they have a 7day return policy, I decided to get King Kong. Well I beat it, and I'm going to exchange it for another game tomorrow. Till then, back to PDZ.

Good 4 hours, but I wish there was more.

[SpideR NY]

Ok then address the issuses I had with the game then. And the graphics sucked because of how they were all dark and what not. Maybe its my TV.

More than likely your TV, What are you running? I was on 1080i and it looked fantastic.
---ran it in both 720p and 1080I and everyother game (including condemed) looks awesome. (wqell as awesome as Gun can look lol)----
Again dark, repetitive, stupid puzzles that make no sence, not the "action" of the action movie it was made about.

It also falls under the "Adventure" and "Puzzle" section...but then again, I gave it glamour for its Sound and graphic display, not replay value. ---And I guess I just hate boring puzzles in games.----
BUT instead its all about keeping ammo in check.

Do you really expect to find Tompson and Sniper ammo in the middle of the Jungle? It's a Strategy game... -----Its boring. And I saw the movie first and I was expecting some action. And they had enough ammo in the movie lol. And the movie was almost as long as the game so. ---

-Brian

[SpideR NY]

But I will give you that the sound was good. But graphics and sound dont make a game for me. Whatever its all good, I hate the game, you like the game.

[ianc125]

i got it for the easy 1000 but i made the mistake of buying it

[k_dog]

But I will give you that the sound was good. But graphics and sound dont make a game for me. Whatever its all good, I hate the game, you like the game.


Once again, I didnt say the game was groundbreaking. Mind you, I meerly rented the game. The sound and graphics alone don't do it for me.

But would you spend 60$ MSRP on a game that has good gameplay but wouldnt pass for a 2600 game? No, and neither would I.

Which brings me back to my original point, the game is worth RENTING, which you failed to do. I don't condone you for this, but I typicly do research first before I purchase a game.

-Brian

[ianc125]

yes and that was my mistake renting didnt even com to my mind? lol

[k_dog]

yes and that was my mistake renting didnt even com to my mind? lol


Alot of people tend to make the same because of lack of research. I mean, just consider the cash you are dropping before you go out and actually do it. Mind you, I've done it as well, but not anymore.

-Brian

[ianc125]

usually i do my research on everything but i dont know what happened here

[SpideR NY]

But I will give you that the sound was good. But graphics and sound dont make a game for me. Whatever its all good, I hate the game, you like the game.


Once again, I didnt say the game was groundbreaking. Mind you, I meerly rented the game. The sound and graphics alone don't do it for me.

But would you spend 60$ MSRP on a game that has good gameplay but wouldnt pass for a 2600 game? No, and neither would I.

Which brings me back to my original point, the game is worth RENTING, which you failed to do. I don't condone you for this, but I typicly do research first before I purchase a game.

-Brian
um I gamefly'd this turd and sent it back the next day heh

[scoobydiesel]

im renting should be here today, but sicne yesterday was a holiday not totaly sure if it will make it

[doadea]

I enjoyed the game....it looked great on my TV and I thought it was fun

[ianc125]

it wasnt aweful i thought playing with the fire was the most fun

[k_dog]

um I gamefly'd this turd and sent it back the next day heh


See, now you are starting to contradict yourself. Earlier, you said...


[The most fun I had in my entire time with it was taking it out of my 360, putting it in the package and sending the turd back to gamecrazy for Madden or whatever remotely fun game was next in my Q.


Which automaticly led me to believe you had purchased it...

Which is it now? ::)

-Brian

[SpideR NY]

um I gamefly'd this turd and sent it back the next day heh


See, now you are starting to contradict yourself. Earlier, you said...


[The most fun I had in my entire time with it was taking it out of my 360, putting it in the package and sending the turd back to gamecrazy for Madden or whatever remotely fun game was next in my Q.


Which automaticly led me to believe you had purchased it...

Which is it now? ::)

-Brian
dude dont be a dick, it was a typo. I game flyed it. Only games I own are NBA 2k6, DoA4, CoD2, PGR3 and soon to be ES IV.

[ianc125]

who cares whether he owns it or not

[k_dog]

who cares whether he owns it or not


It's not caring, it's moreso he said he bought it, then rented it.

I'm not being a dick, clairity is all I was asking for...Trust me, if I was being a dick, you'd know it. And that's not my intention, sorry for the misunderstanding.

-Brian

[ianc125]

i dont care either way it doesnt matter to me

[SpideR NY]

Yeah rented it. Basic point was I hated this game and for sure try b4 you buy.

[scoobydiesel]

got it from gamefly today, got the first achievement, seems good to me so far

[bobHALO]

People certainly do cry about this game alot! I just rented it 2 days ago, and yes, its already beaten, and yes it is way to short... BUT this is a very good game. Especially when you consider it is based on a movie. Most games based on movies blow! This game is very atmospheric and is unique in some ways. I can understand why some people might not think its the greatest, but to say its a turd or say it sucks... I say your a turd and you suck!

[ianc125]

chronicles of riddick was based on a movie it took along time to finish and I loved it

[SpideR NY]

chronicles of riddick was based on a movie it took along time to finish and I loved it
exactly. and call me what you want but you just called King Kong a great game.

[ianc125]

i was just trying to prove that not all movie games are bad

[SpideR NY]

i was just trying to prove that not all movie games are bad
no I was agreeing with what you said ianc. was saying "call me what ....." to the othe guy (bobhalo)

[nestler16]

i thought the graphics were the best of any 360 games ive played... game was fun but as everyone else saysway to short. this is a MUST rent in my opinion it was fun while it lasted

[BIGRIPS420]

the graphics might of been okay but the user interface is just horrible

[scoobydiesel]

I didnt liek the riddick game then again i didnt liek CoR, it had some ok parts but eeh, the game looked good but that was about it for me.

back on supject i guess

Im nto finishing it as fast as everyone else 0_0

[aRowan]

I just finished King Kong. It started out bad. I had rented it once before to play. (Mainly cause for some reason I remember SpikeTV calling it game of the year). I got all the way to the end of the third chapter and quit. I just picked it up a couple days ago and I have to say I started to like it in the middle somewhere... But i forgot to save before I quit and had to replay 8 chapters. After replaying them because I couldnt get the cheat to work, I still enjoyed some parts of the game. Towards the end I was forcing myself to play it for the last few hundred points. The graphics were very good, but the gameplay completely sucked. This is one of the worst games I have played on my xbox360. The last game that I felt I needed to finish like this was NFS:MW on Gamecube.

[KillerJuan77]

Because the game and the movie are really bad!
Ha ha
But the e¿xtremely easy 1000 points make it a worth buy!

[Webb]

Hey man, don't bring up old threads unless you are doing it for a valid reason. You are not, that is spam. Please stop.

[II SoCo II]

i bought off of gamefly for $20... for 360 game pretty good price... o srry bout replying in old post i didnt read post above me until after i replied

[Webb]

i bought off of gamefly for $20... for 360 game pretty good price... o srry bout replying in old post i didnt read post above me until after i replied

Ha ha. It's not an old thread now, so your alright :p lol

[W. Samuel Jones III]

chronicles of riddick was based on a movie it took along time to finish and I loved it

Chronicles of Riddick actually added something to the movie, King Kong was very linear and didn't add anything extra to the Peter Jackson remake.

[Led]

I couldn't stay awake while playing this game. It must have took me a week. I finally drank alot of coffee and had all my lights on to finish it. The real reason why people play this game is to rape points, myself included. Even if I can't stay awake. :)

[ORACLEPAGER1029]

i know peter jackson meant good on this game but all the new ideas dont cut it

[Tyger7]

blah this is such an old post please stop bumping it up! It should be locked! :locked

An easy game with easy achievements...hmmm what else would they have done achievements for? you burn bushes and find sticks. Its an annoying game and they had so little content, that they had no other way to give achievements.

[DanJayDennis]

dont get me wrong it wasn't ground breaking but for an early 360 release it still hlds up well. somewhat challenging but overall like a "B"

[Spartan]

dont get me wrong it wasn't ground breaking but for an early 360 release it still hlds up well. somewhat challenging but overall like a "B"

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