E3: Donkey Kong

One of my first appointments at E3 was with Ubisoft, who were making a hoo-hah about their tie-in with Peter Jackson's King Kong movie, due out at Christmas. For the presentation of the game demo (PS2, Xbox and next-gen), the host made a big deal of warning viewers in the little theatre that we must under no circumstances attempt to record any of the show. To emphasise his point, he gestured to a number of heavies around the room who would be monitoring us closely and warned we would be expelled at the slightest provocation.

Sounds like a PR stunt to me, though it was explained that the game footage gave away details of the movie which are not public yet. And yet we were happily permitted describe them in words? Doesn't make sense.

Anyways, the game itself looked pretty good, if not astounding. You get to play the humans and the big ape himself. The art style was a bit retro and the plot a bit linear but Jackson himself seems to be involved, so there's some hope it won't go all Matrix on us.

Then it was a quick hop into the next theatrette for a look at Brothers in Arms 2 (subtitled Earned in Blood). Same basic mechanics apply again in this excellent FPS but the combat is much more urban-focused, plus the AI is much smarter and can't simply be flanked every time. Xbox/PC/PS2 versions expected in October.

Far Cry Instincts is an impressive translation on Xbox of the excellent PC shooter. But it's not a straight port - the basic premise is the same but there'll be new maps, fresh moves and superhuman abilities. Due out later this year, FCI includes a nifty level editor which can create maps to be played online.