  Abracadabra! (my favourite Harry Potter spell!)
|
If you're a true-blue Harry Potter fan, you've surely already read the longest book in the series yet, The Goblet of Fire. You've already seen the movie or you'll be seeing it very soon.
But what about the video game version of the fourth installment of the Harry Potter series?
Well, it may not be perfect, but that can be forgiven. Even the famous Potter himself struggles at Potions and Divination, right?
Goblet of Fire on the Nintendo DS is for the most part a 2D, top-down adventure that follows many of the major events from the book, including the attack at the Quidditch World Cup, the three Triwizard tasks, and the final battle with Voldemort.
Before the majority of levels, you have the option of controlling one of either Harry, Ron, or Hermione. The other two are computer-controlled players who follow you around, providing aid when needed.
There are a lot more elements of gameplay, though, that should keep fans and non-fans alike interested in this game. In fact, the only time this game really falters is during the third-person levels, where you mostly run around casting the same one or two spells over and over again. These portions are too long and repetitive.
Back to the other gameplay elements, though. Chances are most people can put two and two together and assume that the DS's stylus will come into play as a 'wand' of sorts. This is definitely a safe assumption. At certain points against random enemies, the action shifts into a first-person mode and your character has the ability to cast one of three spells at the enemy using the stylus. For instance, one spell has dots appear one by one on different spots on the screen. It's up to you to drag the stylus from one dot to the next (kind of like a connect-the-dots puzzle) to unleash a powerful spell. The more dots you successfully hit, the more damage your spell will do to the enemy. You're also given the task of defending yourself with a swirling blue shield as the enemy attacks. You have to drag the stylus in a circle to make the shield grow larger ... but beware - turn the stylus too fast and the shield disappears briefly and you're prone to any attack directed at you. This aspect gets a little repetitive, but is used less in the last half of the game, making the times it does show up that much more fun.
There is even a Yule Ball dance-off in the game, which is both addictive and absolutely hilarious. Once again, you choose one of the three main characters and you have to dance your way to victory. You get graded at the end of your routine and if you don't get a high enough score, it's back to the drawing board. Anyone who has played Parappa the Rapper should be very familiar with how the dancing is done. Basically, a constant stream of button and directional pad symbols scroll across the bottom of the screen. When they land in the middle of a light on the screen, it's up to you to hit the corresponding button. There are three different songs and each has three levels of difficulty. It's a riot seeing Ron's disco-esque dance animations!
While going through the levels, there are several items hidden throughout. This is another reason fans of the series may like this game even more. It's possible to collect special cards that show pictures from the movie, as well as Bernie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. The beans act as money, so as cards are collected in levels, they are opened up and given values and you have the chance to buy as many as you can afford. Some cost 40 beans, others cost 500 and up. Each card includes info.
Other extras in Goblet of Fire for the DS include six mini-games (that are also quite addictive but unfortunately too short) and a Nintendogs-like 'Care of Magical Creatures' mode, where you get the chance to care for a Niffler. It's a little too simple though and adds little to the game experience overall. Lastly, for fans who want to duel it out using their skills with the stylus .... errrrr, wand .... there's a multi-card two-player mode as well.
Past 'Potter' games have been very simple and unspectacular. Yet just as the series grows up with each book, the games seem to do the same. Goblet of Fire is far from a difficult game, but should present enough of a challenge to younger Potter fans, and there's plenty of extras for fans of all ages to sift through, making this an above-average title.
WHAM! Rating: |
8 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
E (Everyone) |
Official Web Site: |
|
|
