King Kong 360 demo on Live

By Tom Bramwell Published 14 February, 2006

And some other downloadables.

Microsoft's put some more goodies up on Xbox Live Marketplace this week, including a demo version of King Kong.

We've not checked out the 575MB demo ourselves, because, well, it's 575MB and we've already played it, but given this is the 360 version [snicker] you'll soon get used to being left in the dark! Hahahaha.

Anyway, it's well worth having a go on if you weren't quite sold on the reviews. Just try to look past the lack of a HUD: it's much more than that. It's throwing sticks at dinosaurs, for example.

The other new stuff on Marketplace isn't all that exciting, frankly - you can alter the graphics and sound scheme for Xbox Live Arcade title Crystal Quest (for 100 points, which lest we forget is REAL MONEY), and there are some picture and theme packs for Fight Night, Hexic HD and Bejeweled 2 for various small points-totals.

We'd stick to the free monkey demo, us.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (27) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Mr_Brown #1 6 years ago

    Finally, will download this. Haven't played King Kong yet :)

  • MrGrumpy.au #2 6 years ago

    "[snicker] you'll soon get used to being left in the dark!"

    Does this glitch (or dev oversight) happen only when it's being played on an standard definition TV or is it both SD/HD?

  • Genji #3 6 years ago

    How does this point system actually work? You pay money to get points, and use the points to buy stuff?

    Anyway. This looks nice, but I'd just as soon buy it on the current gen. The Xbox demo I played at a local games store was absolutely astounding.

    @Grumpy

    I think that bug never actually became a problem. The developers thought there might be a problem, but it turned out there wasn't any. I think.
    Edited by 1 at 14/02/06 @ 10:19

  • gizmo #4 6 years ago

    This is one element of microsofts master plan which is really concerning me - PAYING to change the graphics and sound scheme of a shitty game like Crystal Quest?

    A toe in the water now maybe, but I don't like the feel of it.

    NOTHING will send me running back to PC gaming quicker than this sort of thing.

  • Mildew #5 6 years ago

    Downloaded this last night. Is it just me or is the V Rex part of the demo one big dead end? Went outside to greet two big bats, threw my twigs at them, and then...er...nowhere else to go! Bit naff...

  • reality_cheque #6 6 years ago

    Graphically, it's very nice. Wasn't too dark on my non-HD TV at all, I would have said it was about right so maybe the others are too bright! :)

    However I think the game sucks ass. Kong vs T-Rex was one of the most boring sections of a game I have ever played in my not insubstatial years of gaming. I'd write a review but it would be so full of hate and bile it would melt the information super canal path into a puddle of silicon and copper.

  • MrGrumpy.au #7 6 years ago

    @Genji, thanks so it's really just an urban myth some anti 360 people made up.

  • Genji #8 6 years ago

    Are there many Kong bits in the game, though? I've heard the human bits are fantastic in comparison.

    @Grumpy

    Actually, no, I think it was the developers of the game that started the alarm :-)
    Edited by 1 at 14/02/06 @ 10:25

  • kangarootoo #9 6 years ago

    @gizmo

    You don't have the buy the new skins surely? Better to have the choice than none at all. Unless the initial quality is low to prompt later updating (which is what you were suggesting perhaps?), but then that is still an situation the player can abstain from buying into if they want.
    Edited by 1 at 14/02/06 @ 10:24

  • reality_cheque #10 6 years ago

    The human bit was OK, but not awesome. It lost points when NPCs ran off somewhere and when I caught up all they would say was "there's one left Jack". One what? One T-Rex? One spear? One love?

    However I did like the fact that when I was seperated from them, they kept calling my name to help me find my way back. That was a nice touch.

  • Mildew #11 6 years ago

    My demo got stopped half way through downloading then I kicked it off @ 65%. The NPCs run off, then when I catch upto them in the cave they just stand there and do nothing. I can swap guns with the bloke on the right but Jack Black just stands there swatting flies. None of the gates will open in the human bit either. The Kong bit on the other hand worked fine...weird!

  • riz23 #12 6 years ago

    Actually King Kong is rather dark on the 360 in my opinion. Perhaps not in the demo sections, but certainly when you are in tunnels and caves in the full game I have to adjust the brightness on my TV considerably so that black appears as a 'dark grey'. It's the only game I have to do this one. However it's a mild annoyance as opposed to a big problem.

  • dbeamish #13 6 years ago

    haha Crystal Quest is the shit.

    sorry.. Crystal Quest is shit.

  • speedjack #14 6 years ago

    Will download this tonight... (as soon as I've deleted the Full Auto demo).

  • gizmo #15 6 years ago

    @Kangarootoo

    Thats what I meant. I worry that games will get shipped with the bare minmum in terms of either quality or quantity, and extras will get peddled to us on a long gravy train.

    It was outpost Kaliokeykokey dokey whatever its called that aroused my suspicions with its downloadable scenarios, sketch modes and all sorts.

    I like to be able to buy a product and know its not parts 1 to 8 of 15 if you get what I mean.

    I have nothing against genuine worthwile expansions, but some of these downloads start to ratchet up in price with all of the little extras, for what are in essence, fairly basic games.

  • Retroid #16 6 years ago

    Ape. APE!

    /Tuts

  • reality_cheque #17 6 years ago

    @gizmo: There is only one Outpost Kawotsit X scenario that cost money, all the rest of the new missions are free (and that one was there from the start, so all the new stuff is a free expansion to the game that only cost £3.50)

  • JonFE #18 6 years ago

    gizmo, I do agree with you on half-finished games, but you have to remember that, we, the customers, have the power to purchase or not. Does a game seem short or half-baked? Don't buy it... Does an costly expansion add nothing other than patches and facelifts? Complain to the developer / publisher and don't buy it. This could fix things...

  • Furbs #19 6 years ago

    Not to mention none of the things gizmo mentioned on XBox1, or even with the PC which has had download content for years.

  • gizmo #20 6 years ago

    Don't get me wrong, I love the general arcade concept, and I'm all for buying games that appeal to me.

    The fact that small teams/individuals can bring a concept to market for a relatively small investment is excellent.

    I can't get to the 360 right now, but I had in mind that there were several chargable extras for Outpost Kaliwotsit, and it simply waved a warning flag at me with regard to the future, and being drip fed content that over the course of could be a bit of a money pit.

    I think it was specifically the 'sketch mode' for 100 points, that seemed odd to me.

    I run a business, so totally agree that content needs to be paid for, but maybe I'm stuck in my ways and simply like to pay up front and have the whole :) just my opinion.

    Tonight I shall look at it more closely with regard to those extras, before stomping through the flowerbed again :)

  • gizmo #21 6 years ago

    Well, maybe not tonight, given the date :o

  • Genji #22 6 years ago

    I think gizmo is only talking about games that are released at full price with very little in the way of extras. I might be a little pissed off too if I had to pay more for extras that could've been included with my original purchase, especially if they were released only a couple of weeks after.

    It's different if you don't have to pay for it, of course, which is why I love downloadable extras for PC games. When money is involved, however, developers might feel inclined to release bare-bones games with extra (fee-paying subscriber) content soon after.

    But yeah. Vote with your dollar, and all that.

  • Bumbuliuz #23 6 years ago

    In the end of Feb hopefully we will get a demo of Ghost Recon 3 :)

  • Stormflood_UK #24 6 years ago

    What the hell do you do in the V-Rex bit? I follow Jack Black, he stops, I continue though into that open area, and nothing happens! What am I missing?

    Oh, and I love the way the flying things suddenly disappear after a few seconds when you shoot them from the sky. Real next gen stuff :|

  • joephish #25 6 years ago

    Bit of a blank demo for me too! Follow the guys, pick up the gun... can't get those guys to do anything. Can't open either door. Can shoot down the pterodactyl things with bullets or spears but that's it!

    Funny that the demo doesn't work - I played it a while ago at work on a 360 kiosk...
    Edited by 1 at 14/02/06 @ 20:12

  • Baronen #26 6 years ago

    Wow, good job on fucking up the Kong demo. I would've thought it would have been impossible to screw up something that was released to booths two months ago, but there you go. Well. Done.

    *bitter*

  • morriss #27 6 years ago

    NOt anymore. It's teh g0ne.