King Kong lets you play as both of Ann Darrow's suitors: the tenacious Jack Driscoll as well as the powerful, titular ape (meaning Kong, not Peter Jackson). The bulk of the game consists of Jack's missions, which is too bad since they involve standard first-person shooting. Your adversaries are video-game regulars, ranging from dinosaurs to giant versions of pretty much everything you'd find under a rock in your back yard.
The Kong levels, on the other hand, offer nonstop thrills. The controls for the third-person battles are somewhat simplistic, but even if it took only a single button to rip a T-rex's jaws apart, it wouldn't feel any less cool.
The whole adventure only lasts five or six hours, but between that and the three hours it takes to get through the film, everyone should get their fill of monkey business.
NEOPETS: THE DARKEST FAERIE (E10+) (3 stars)
Sony Computer Entertainment
PlayStation 2
If you think Neopets are those small porcelain animals you grow plants out of, then you'd best steer clear of this action-platformer equivalent of plain yogurt. But if you're a fan of the online critters, you probably won't mind constantly backtracking these familiar characters through their new 3D world.
MARIO KART DS (E) (5 stars)
Nintendo
Nintendo DS
Screwing over your best friend with a banana peel has never felt better. The DS lets you take Mario's brand of nail-bitingly close races online with 16 new tracks. And since nobody does nostalgia like Nintendo, another 16 classic tracks from all previous incarnations are included.
INFECTED (M) (3.5 stars)
Majesco
PlayStation Portable
Nothing ruins Christmas quite like a zombie plague. Fortunately, you're immune to the disease, which means shooting your blood at zombies makes them explode. Naturally, you're going to have some good, clean, gory fun unloading a few pints of A-positive on the undead. Just take a break if you start feeling dizzy.
KINGDOM OF PARADISE (T) (3.5 stars)
Sony Computer Entertainment
PlayStation Portable
This action RPG is almost too gorgeous for a handheld. Too bad it's tied to a weak and all-too-familiar story where you must avenge your parents, collect the sacred swords and so on. Just ignore the narrative, build those devastating and oh-so-pretty combos and you'll have a blast.
Matthew Scott Hunter has been known to mumble, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start" in his sleep. E-mail him at
[email protected].