The Xbox still has some juice left in it. Great game, by the way.
The HUDless gameplay has not been done better than "Kong". It's fantastic. The immersion is like none I've ever experienced so far. The gameplay is different from most othe FPS games (if you can call it FPS), but it's all part of the sense of being in this island where the King lives.
You don't always carry a gun, but when you do, you don't hold it up always either. Calling up the gun is as simple as pressing a button (or trigger on Xbox), which makes you wonder why the hell other FPS characters always hold their gun up. You also don't rely on guns all the time (there's only three by the way: Tommy gun, pistol and Sniper rifle), spears and bones litter the jungle, which are much more useful (and satisfying) than their automatic counterparts. Using the same button to call up your equipped gun, if you hold a spear, you will raise it as if you were about to throw it. This is the only way to kill with a spear or bone. Simply pressing the attack button repels enemies; it doesn't kill them.
Playing as Kong is different than the fragile Jack (I think that's his name) that hides rather than fights. Facing the T-Rex with Kong is very different from facing the T-Rex as Jack. While the T-Rex is pretty much invincible and downright frightening as Jack, you feel like you can size him up as Kong. There's only one button for attacking, one for repelling attacks, one for dodging/dashing, and one for grabbing. The repelling button is also a button for banging Kong's chest and going into a raging rampage. It's almost one hit kills with most enemies in this mode. The only complaint with this is that there is too few Kong levels.
The graphics are amazing. You'll wonder where the hell the Xbox has been hiding its power all these years. I'll be the first to admit it's graphics are better than Halo 2's, and the loading times are just as quick. The high res character models need to be seen to be believed. It's a thrilling visual experince...
...and the sound doesn't lag behind either. The ambience in the game is amazing, to say the least. You'll always be straining your ears for the slightest sound of a dinosaur, or you'll hear the far away roar of Kong.
This game is a visual and audio treat for the senses. It does what its suppose to do, and is a great experience at least once.