5 Best Video Games Featuring King Kong

Highlights

• King Kong has been a pop culture icon since 1933, inspiring films, video games, and even legal battles with Nintendo’s Donkey Kong.
• Kong frequently collides with other legendary monsters like Godzilla, and the shared universe by Legendary Pictures has gained popularity.
• The gaming world saw two unique King Kong games, a lawsuit by Universal Studios against Nintendo, and even a revival in the early 2000s with a TV show and tie-in game.

In 1933, movie-going audiences were first introduced to the skyscraper-climbing giant ape that everyone now knows as King Kong. The first movie to star this massive beast has become legendary, and that movie has been remade many times in Hollywood history. The character was even popular enough to inspire one of the gaming industry’s biggest legends, Donkey Kong.

King Kong isn’t the only huge monster in movie history, and the ape often collides with other kaiju, such as Godzilla, on the big screen. In fact, the movie monster shared universe by Legendary Pictures that features these two titans has slowly gained traction with audiences over the last ten years. Luckily for video game lovers, Kong has also been a playable character in many games throughout the years.

5 King Kong 2: Revived Legend

Explore A New World In This Kong RPG

• Release Date: 1986
• Developer: Konami
• Platforms: MSX2
• Genre: RPG

The gaming world in Japan was on fire when King Kong Lives was released in theaters during 1986. The movie was titled, simply, King Kong 2 on these shores, which is why there were two different video games with that title during this era. The first was developed by Konami and titled, King Kong 2: The Furious Megaton Punch. This came out as a standard action game based on the movie, and the objective saw players controlling Hank Mitchell in search of Lady Kong.

King Kong 2: Revived Legend has the exact same story premise as Konami’s game. However, this version plays more like an RPG that tasks players with exploring dungeons and finding keys to progress. It may be very similar to The Legend of Zelda games from this era, but KingKong 2: Revived Legend is an interesting take on a King Kong game that is unlike anything else featuring the big ape.

4 King Kong

The First Game To Feature The Titular Ape

• Release Date: 1982
• Developer: Tigervision
• Platforms: Atari 2600
• Genre: Platforming

As rough as the original King Kong game for the Atari 2600 looks by today’s standards, it has a big part to play in video game history. The King Kong game was released in 1982 on the back of the release of Donkey Kong by Nintendo. In fact, Universal Studios, who own the rights to King Kong, couldn’t help but notice that Donkey Kong has a striking resemblance to their cinematic ape.

As a result, the company created a one-to-one version of Donkey Kong starring King Kong as the main villain, and then the studio went on to sue Nintendo for copyright infringement. However, the court ruled that the concept of a giant ape was in the public domain and that no harm had been done by the defendant. This decision was huge, as without it, the world would not have the legacy of Donkey Kong, Mario, or any other gaming icon inspired by these two characters. Sadly, that is the only thing of note to say about this forgotten Donkey Kong clone.

3 Kong: The Animated Series

Another Attempt To Extend The Life-Span Of The Iconic Ape

• Release Date: 2002
• Developer: Planet Interactive
• Platforms: Game Boy Advance
• Genre: Action Adventure

There was one sure fire way to bring interest back to an old property in the early 2000s, and that was by creating a new animated show for kids. Lots of famous properties got an animated TV show during this time, and King Kong also got a show that ran for two seasons between 2000 and 2001. The premise involved scientists cloning the version of King Kong from the 1933 movie, and he went on adventures with a young group of teenagers.

The show was popular enough to receive a licensed tie-in game, but it was only released on the GBA in 2002. The game is a side-scrolling adventure game with platforming sections across seven levels where the player has to find magic rocks. Players get to control this new King Kong clone, or the Jason character from the show, to fight their way to the end of each section. It isn’t the most inventive game that Kong has been a part of, but Kong: The Animated Series video game is a slice of nostalgia for anyone who remembers the show.

2 Kong: King Of Atlantis

The Sequel Game Improves Upon The First

• Release Date: 2005
• Developer: Sky River Studios
• Platforms: GBA
• Genre: Action/Adventure

Although Kong: The Animated Series was only a short-lived TV show, it did come back in the form of an animated TV movie in 2005. Kong: King of Atlantis revived the old TV series in an effort to piggyback off the success of the King Kong remake by Peter Jackson. Of course, the animated movie received a video game tie-in as part of its marketing.

This video game is very similar to the one that proceeded it, and it is also a GBA exclusive title. Much of the side-scrolling action gameplay returns. However, this game is often considered a better edition to the series as the controls are tighter, and the visuals are slightly improved. Players also get to play as Lua this time, as well as Jason and the King Kong clone.

1 Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game Of The Movie

A Rare Licensed Tie-In Game That Is Actually Good

After the massive success of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, director Peter Jackson went on to create a remake of the classic 1933 movie King Kong. The movie was received positively, and it received a licensed tie-in game as part of the marketing, which was the norm in the 2000s.

Players get to take control of Jack Driscoll and explore the island in search of King Kong in an exciting FPS, where the player must fight and survive against dinosaurs and other giant creatures. The game also lets players take control of King Kong in a fully-explorable, 3D New York City and on his island. There is no better feeling than stomping around busy streets and swinging off buildings and trees like a giant ape in this faithful recreation of the King Kong story.