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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Movie games for some reason are at times
very hard to create and more importantly succeed with the gaming
community. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is
unfortunately effected by the movie game curse which does contains some
clever ideas but fails to hit the spot when it comes to paying proper
homage to the novel and the film.
The story of the game loosely revolves
around the first half of the final book as we follow Harry, Hermione and
Ron as they attempt to find and destroy the
Horcruxes of Voldermort which
are littered throughout the lands. Not only are these items the key to
Voldermort’s power, they must somehow be destroyed in order to end his
terror.
The gameplay of Harry Potter is presented in a third person shooter view
with the gamer looking over Harry's shoulder. Controlling Harry with the
DualShock controller works well as you fire your spells, duck for cover
and explore the world outside of Hogworts. Exploring the world is
actually quite fun but sometimes combat becomes a little too annoying.
For example, the camera at times hinders
the combat, especially with Harry taking up most of the screen. But
using the various spells of Harry is actually quite cool and they
contain up to 10 different from spells from the books/movies. Spells
must be earned as you level up Harry as you progress.
There are a few types of enemies to face
such as the Death Eaters or the Snatchers. It would be nice if there was
a little more but considering the book was quite limiting, it is
understandable.
Targeting enemies with your wand is
surprisingly quite accurate and if you get injured, there is no health
bar to assist. I had mixed feelings without a health bar or magic meter
but it does make things quite realistic in the darkest Harry Potter
story. You just have to keep an eye out on what is happening to your
character. One funny thing about the game is when our dear Mr. Potter
uses potions to throw at enemies because when he throws them, it's like
a World War II military film. Grenades anyone?
Apart from combat and exploring the gaming
world, there are a variety of mini-games and challenges to help break
things up from the combat. Another break up are the magical items that
Harry has access to. These can be quite entertaining to use such as his
invisibility cloak and other magical trinkets reminiscent of the novels.
Once you have finished the single player
game that is a little on the short side, there is a gaming mode called
"Challenge" that requires to complete a set number of tasks for you to
complete. For example, you may be required to defeat a set number of
enemies in a certain amount of time. These challenges are different and
does add some additional hours of play. If you have your PS3 connected
to the net and you select "online", your scores in these challenges are
added to the online leader boards.
Graphically, this game is a mixed bag.
Sometimes they're great and other times, like the cutscenes leave a
little to be desired. Also that cool scene from the movie which
replicates the story of the Deathly Hallows has been incorporated into
the game that is visually quite surreal. It should also be noted that
the characters look like their real-world actors. Unfortunately the
voice acting is like the graphics, from good to bad, especially with Ron
who doesn't know when to shut-up in this game. Ugh!
Compared to previous Harry Potter games,
this title is considerably darker and more violent. The game is heavily
reliant on combat and challenges and although the developers have taken
some artistic liberty in relation to the story, some of information
seems a little convoluted. The biggest problem with the game is the
camera which unfortunately becomes frustrating at certain stages in the
game which generally involve combat. Oh well, if you enjoyed the
previous Harry Potter games, you might enjoy these but maybe a rent
first. |
