Scully ON THE GAME

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

First let me say I'm a Harry Potter fan. Yes I know it's a clichéd thing for an adult, but well, what you gonna do about it? I enjoyed the books and loved the films and now we have another game. I really want this game to be good, but I have to admit I not holding my breath. Movie tie-ins are almost always bad. It's a simple recipe. Take any well known franchise. Release game to co-inside with new movie. Make loads of cash. It's doesn't require too much effort on the part of the developers to create something that will sell. Cynical? Maybe, but here's hoping this goes against the odds.

The first level is a jaunt back to a Porthole to get you and you wizardy pals back to Hogwarts, with a few minor obstacles on the way to get you acquainted with the controls. At first I couldn't really understand what it was I was supposed to do, until I realised there wasn't anything to understand. You just wander around doing whatever it is they tell you to do, collecting whatever you find along the way, until you get to the end. Fairly simple, however in this short space of time, the wonderful child actors (and I mean that sincerely ) have already become annoying brats with limited dialogue, repeating the same inane lines over and over again. I yell at them to shut up and tell them that I know that already, but on and on they go. The irritation comes from the fact that they are always just slightly behind in announcing what's happening on screen. This isn't going well.

The other thing I notice is that the controls are sluggish. Let go of the direction stick and the brats - sorry, young wizards - will continue on a few more paces. Not much, but just enough to be a pain when you're trying to line yourself up in a hurry. Or when you want to stop just short of the fire, as opposed to just in the fire. There is also some delay in spell casting from time to time, as if the character needs to reset itself before carrying out the next command, leaving just enough time for the creatures to attack you while you stand there contemplating the lovely view. If Hogwarts had a A&E ward, I'd spend a lot of time in it.

The object of the game seems to be to collect Shields from the various opening levels in order to enter the Triwizard Tournament. I say 'seems' because it's not immediately obvious what the object is, other than to be Harry Potter. Also collectable are Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans that give you stamina and the ability to buy Collectors Cards (more of which nonsense later).

The main levels aren't much better. After collecting each of the big shields, the game returns to the options screen, forcing you to begin the level again to progress, going over existing ground, with each of the obstacles you cleared the first time round back in place so you can practice some more.

The graphics are an improvement on the previous games and the backdrops have that pre-rendered look about them, rather than being drawn during play, with the interactive objects blending in rather well. The physics of the game, however, is a little off. It took an immense effort from all three wizards to move three giant cubes to make a platform to climb on, however as Harry gently brushes past, the whole thing collapses like a house of cards. I also managed to walk on Hermione's head several times while I was trying to climb down from ledges.

The camera controls are very basic and there is minimal, if any, movement of the viewpoint. Certainly not the 360 movement we're used to in most 3D platformers. This means that trees and rocks can find themselves blocking the gameplayers' view of the characters on screen, just at that critical moment, with no adjustment of viewpoint available. That's pre-rendered graphics for you, good to look at but no depth.

So what's good about this game? The characters themselves are well rendered, with good likeness to the actors. The multiplayer function is also a welcome addition. Similar to that employed in LEGO Star Wars, players can drop in and out at any point of the game on the same single screen. This allows for greater co-operation and interaction and for players to wander off and make a cup of tea or have a snooze without having to pause the game.

Being wizards, there are a number of spells you can cast, shoot water, levitate stuff, drag stuff and throw stuff. Hit the Charm button and you'll get the spell you need. You also get buttons for Jinx, an attack, and Accio, which allows you to reach for something you can't quite get at.

Which actually sums this game up quite well.

As I mentioned earlier you can save up your beans to buy Collectable Cards. These cards can be assigned to each wizard at the beginning of each level and used to increase Stamina, magic, or give yourself an advantage over a creature. This is a nifty idea, but one that doesn't seem to go anywhere. With only three cards assigned to each wizard at any one time, why so many cards each? It almost feels like the designers had this idea, couldn't come up with a good use for it, then got bored trying to implement it and just gave up. I smell a deadline.

I guess my real beef with this game is it's complete lack of personality, it's just really dull. Sloppy controls and simple play can be forgiven if the game grabs you and draws you in and unfortunately this one doesn't.

Conclusion

To sum up, this is a game of things that could have been, and should have been but aren't. Yes it's a kids game but kids deserve more. Here we have Harry Potter and the Curse Of The Movie Franchise. Here's hoping the next one goes against the odds.

Screenshot Gallery

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
More than a missed opportunity, a disappointment. Seems to be more about riding the marketing wave than producing a quality game.
Overall Rating:	3 out of 10
ESRB Rating:	Everyone (10+)
Publisher:	Electronic Arts
Available for:	PlayStation2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, PC, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, PSP