King Kong gold

Anyone who has wanted to channel his or her inner ape is one step closer to fulfilling that fantasy. Today, Ubisoft announced that Peter Jackson’s King Kong, the game version of the eponymous film director's primate epic, has gone gold for current-generation consoles and the PC. The PC, Xbox, GameCube, and PlayStation 2 versions of the game will ship on November 22, just under a month before the film is released in theaters.

King Kong the movie follows a 1930s-era film crew, led by director Carl Denham (Jack Black) and explorer Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), which travels to the dreaded Skull Island in the South Pacific for a location shoot. Once there, they discover the place is crawling with many prehistoric creatures--and a 30-foot-tall gorilla known as Kong. Kong falls in love with the film's star, Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), who unwittingly aids in the supersized simian's capture. Kong is taken back to New York City to be shown to the public...but escapes. The result is a rampage through downtown Manhattan, which eventually has consequences much more tragic than mere property damage.

Developed at Ubisoft's Montpelier studio, Peter Jackson's King Kong will let gamers play as both Jack and as Kong himself on a variety of missions, sometimes even within the same level. Produced by Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil creator Michel Ancel, it was made with the expressed goal to have players experience the same emotions they would in the film. Though neither character has a visible heads-up display, both points of view differ significantly. As Jack, players see the world in a first-person perspective, which leads to greater immersion. As Kong, players are given a third-person view to show the havoc he wreaks on his surroundings.

King Kong is also being released for the Xbox 360, and Ubisoft today confirmed the game will ship alongside the console on November 22. All versions of the game are rated T for Teen, but only the price point of the PC, Xbox, GameCube, and PlayStation 2 editions--all $49.99--was announced.

November 22 will also see the release of the first handheld King Kong game, Kong: The 8th Wonder of the World for the Game Boy Advance. PSP and DS games based on the movie are expected "soon thereafter," but Ubisoft would not give a specific date. A PlayStation 3 version is also reportedly in the works.

For more on Peter Jackson's King Kong, check out GameSpot's previous coverage, including our recent hands-on preview.