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Computer Times
Editors' Choice Game Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Reviewed by Angie Kibiloski
Hogwarts is back in sessions, and Harry Potter and his pals have returned for their sixth year of magic studies and battling evil. EA Games brings you Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Retail $29.99), an action/adventure game that mirrors the newest film release. The plot of the game touches on the plot points of the film, but is loose enough that players can enjoy roaming around Hogwart’s at their leisure, while engaging in the everyday activities of Harry’s life, like Quidditch practice and various after school clubs. There is something very addicting about being inside Harry’s world of magic, and the first time I loaded up this game, I spent the next 5 hours avidly exploring, casting spells, and dueling. Any game that keeps me entertained for that long right out of the box is a winner in my book.
Harry’s arch nemesis of the student body, Draco Malfoy, is up to no good again, and something rotten is going on with Professor Snape. Harry must figure out what evil those two have planned, while trying to get into the good graces of another professor, Slughorn. His memories hold a secret, which Dumbledore thinks vital to Harry’s fight against Voldemort. You must guide our young wizard through his quests, with the help of his friends of course. In addition to these main objectives, Harry must not slack in his school work and after school activities. You will need to stay current in Harry’s Potions class, Potions Club, Dueling Clubs, and Quidditch matches. You will also have to duel with various members of the Slytherin House in order to progress through the game, as they are constantly trying to block your way or generally cause mischief among the other student. If all of this seems a bit too much to keep track of, or if you get lost and can’t remember the way to Potions club, or can’t think of where in the castle Dumbledore’s office could be, just call on Nearly Headless Nick, who is always more than willing to lead the way to your current objective.
Casting spells, whether in duels or in Harry’s exploration of the Hogwart’s grounds, is done by simple mouse moves. You will learn more and more spells as you get further in the game. Making potions is also a series of easily learned mouse moves. You’ll get on screen examples the first time you learn a new spell or potion making method, but after that its up to you. As you duel or create potions, you are awarded with Badges for various achievements, and even some failures. For example, there is a badge for a quickly made potion, but there is also one for a potion made with a lot of spills on the work table. They are all fun to receive and make the game even more exciting to keep playing. You will get Badges when you play Quidditch as well. You will be flying after the Snitch, as the Seeker, and you have to navigate your broom through a series of glowing stars in order to catch it and win the game. This is simply done by moving the mouse around in the direction you wish Harry to fly. It seems easy at first, but when that little Snitch really gets going, weaving around towers and dipping towards the pitch, flying through every one of the stars can get tricky.
When you aren’t engaged in a class, club, or duel, Harry is walking around Hogwarts, usually en route to one of these things. Hidden throughout the environment are glowing Crests that you must collect. Collecting them will unlock certain additional challenges in the various activities, like new potions to make, so keeping a keen eye out for any and all Crests is a must. Sometimes they will be hidden in hard to reach spaces. Harry must utilize the spells he has learned to collect these. For instance, sometimes he will have to use Wingardium Leviosa to levitate an object and throw it at a Crest secured to a wall, knocking it down and allowing him to retrieve it. These particular Crests take a little practice to be able to release, but you’ll find it to be well worth your while when you unlock cool new content. As well as the full Crests you’ll see placed around, there are Mini-Crests that you can collect, to build one full Crest. Each time you see a glowing object, like a lamp, a book, a bird, a suit of armor, or anything else with a shimmering aura, you must cast a spell to release the Mini-Crests. Collect them , and when you have enough, they will turn into a large Crest and be added to your collection.
The Harry Potter books and films are such a huge worldwide phenomenon, and any product hoping to be part of this popular catalog must be of very high quality to fit in successfully. EA Games provides one such high quality product with the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince video game. This game is packed full of hours of addictive fun. Beautifully rendered too, with entertaining cut-scenes that move the plot along, and really place you into the magical world. The little games within the game, like dueling and potion making are challenging enough to keep you on your toes, but not too challenging as to be frustrating. For anyone who has ever wished they could grab their own magic wand and a flying broom, hop on over to Hogwarts and help Harry right some wrongs, this is a “can’t miss” game for you. System Requirements:
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