Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4, developed by Traveller's Tales, is currently available on the Wii, XBox 360, Playstation 3, PSP, Nintendo DS and PC. Years 5-7 is expected this October. So, magic and Lego- a good combination?
Lego games have been largely the same since Lego Star Wars was released in 2005. They've featured different franchises, obviously- there's been a Lego Indiana Jones and a Lego Batman- but the controls, design and ideas have remained largely the same. In Lego Star Wars Jedi characters could use the Force to levitate objects, and in Lego Harry Potter wizard characters use magic. And, just like the other games, different characters have different abilities- some can dig, some can fly, some have super-strength. Only one character, Griphook the Goblin, can unlock chests, and only Dark Wizards can levitate certain things.
Lego Harry Potter Co-Op Mode
One of the game's big strengths is that unlike many Lego games, in co-op mode the two characters don't have to stick together- instead the screen splits into two, so both players can explore. This comes in handy in huge levels, and most of the levels are huge- especially Hogwarts, which is easy to get hopelessly lost in. Luckily, Nearly Headless Nick shows up to help you out, and leaves a trail of 'ghost studs' so you can find out where you're going.
A Harry Potter Fan's Paradise
All the Lego games have a wonderful hilarious charm to them, and this one's no exception. Even Cedric's death in Goblet of Fire is rendered funny! People who haven't read the books will be completely confused at the little Lego cut-scenes, but let's face it, no-one who hasn't read the books is going to pick this one up.
Even the most hardcore Potterphile may be surprised at what this game has to offer. For a start, there are a vast number (160!) of characters. These include not only Harry, Ron and Hermione, and much-loved characters like Hagrid or Dumbledore- but also virtually anyone who was mentioned in books 1-4. That includes Lee Jordan, Oliver Wood, Susan Bones, Ernie Prang, Igor Karkaroff, Madame Hooch, a shifty wizard, Fang the dog, and (more inexplicably) Mr and Mrs Mason, two obsure Muggles. (Playing as a Muggle is quite pointless, as they can't do magic, only smash things.)
Not only that, but many of the different characters have several different outfits. Harry alone has a blue shirt, a sweater, his school uniform, his dragon task outfit, his lake task outfit, his maze task outfit, his Quidditch gear, a girl disguise, a Slytherin disguise, his pyjamas, and a tuxedo. Pavarti Patil, a relatively minor character, comes in both her school uniform and her Yule Ball dress. This is fun for a while, but gets annoying when you expect to pick up a brand new character only to recieve one you already have, just wearing his pyjamas.
The 'jump' moments of the books and films have been toned down- even the Dementors aren't particularly scary when they're seen in The Three Broomsticks banging their cutlery on the table. This is an utterly perfect kid's game, through and through, and adults won't feel left out either.
Sarah Barrett - Sarah Barrett is a relatively new writer, but looks forward to seeing where her writing takes her. She loves books, films, and British TV, ...
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