Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

You can actually plot the various Harry Potter outings though the 'modern' Nintendo handhelds. The early movie tie-ins appeared on both Gameboy Color and Advance before moving solely to the GBA. Then from Advance and DS to today's DS only release. Just what platform the final game will be released on is anyone's guess but who could have predicted the DS way back in 2001? As well as appearing on different platforms they've also been varied, to say the least, in quality, with some gamers arguing that the GBC versions have been much closer to the ethos of the original books. Here we are now then with the fifth outing for Harry and friends but, with the almost seven month delay, was it worth the wait?

Gameplay

Normally here, with games based upon movie franchises, I'd probably say that I won't divulge too much of the story so as not to spoil the film or book for anyone who's yet to see or read it. That's not a huge problem here though as the story is absolutely baffling and very badly written which is a huge flaw when you consider that this is at the core of the Harry Potter phenomenon. Here it ends up damaging the gameplay and makes the endless 'fetch quests', which you'll do for hours on end, even more pointless. They involve traveling miles around Hogwarts looking for clothing, attending classes and collecting Wizard Cards. If you've played any of the Harry Potter games before, you'll know that this has always been part of the game's fabric, but without a plot, story or actual point to what you are doing, it does rather fall flat on its face.

Controls

While you can move Harry around with the stylus, it is occasionally easier to use the control pad especially when you get stuck behind an object or are attempting to enter a doorway.

Graphics

When the first batch of screens appeared before Christmas fans of the series were no doubt delighted by the new visual direction and even we hoped for something a bit special. On the plus side the characters do look good and are very well animated but this is not without its compromises. The backgrounds are not only full of glitches (such as the scenery simply ending in a black curtain) but also a little dull and in no way illustrate the majesty of Hogwarts. The mini-games fare a little better but the Quidditch section would be more at home on a GameBoy Color than the DS with its simplistic overhead perspective.

Sound

The soundtrack isn't bad but not nearly as epic as we've been treated to in previous outings. Elsewhere there's a collection of above average sound effects but don't expect any voice acting from the main players. No one utters a word.

Dual screen

The touch screen has been ideal for Harry Potter games and the endless spells but actually casting them here is far more random than in previous games with little skill involved in doing any magic. You'll also become involved in a number of duels, thanks to your trusty wand, but these are all simply a case of selecting various areas on the touch-screen (for high and low spells) and we never managed to lose a single challenge. The mini-games offer a little more interaction with Gobstones a little like bowls (or marbles depending on how it's played), Wizard Skittles is based on pinball but forget the bumpers and add a series of dissolving skittles. Less interesting is the card matching game: Exploding Snap which simply requires you to select cards. Quidditch is also played with the stylus but is far too clumsy for its own good with players floating around the pitch and bumping into one another as though they were on ice. This is so frustrating that you might want to skip the whole thing. Unfortunately, this is impossible as it's part of the 'adventure' which seems like an oversight in the design department.

Final comments

It really doesn't matter how much you enjoyed the book or film, the Half-Blood Prince is a significant step back for the Harry Potter franchise and the endless 'walk here, get that, do this' will frustrate gamers very quickly indeed. The new visuals direction is also a question of taste and then there is the problem that the story, the basis for all this in the first place, is almost nonexistent. Still it's a lengthy quest for a movie tie-in and there's lots to do but with the absence of last year's Multiplayer and repetitive gameplay it's unlikely you'll complete the whole thing.

Pro: Nice Soundtrack, Some Good Mini-Games
Con: Lots of Monotonous Fetch Quests, Bland Visuals
Final score: 5.1

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