Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

As previously mentioned in the review of this game on the DS, Harry Potter is a worldwide success, and to coincide with the sixth film in the series is the release of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on the Wii. For those who are not up to date with the storylines (which to be honest, includes me), this game is not really any help in piecing together the story for you. There is a storyline to follow within the game, but it is in no great detail, and anyone who knows little of the film/book plots will be none the wiser throughout the game.

Throughout the course of the game, there are many scenes which outline what Harry has to do next and a short description as to why. Unless you have a real interest in the stories, then these videos are of no interest, but only to find out what to do. This sequence of events basically maps out the game; watch a short clip then carry out the next task.

Having said this, I felt the Wii version of this game was far more accessible than the DS version. Not knowing the story of the Half-Blood Prince, I still felt I was able to complete all of the tasks fairly easily, and learn a bit about the characters as I went along. Knowing why you are doing something makes it a lot more worthwhile, but there are some fun parts of the game regardless of prior Harry Potter knowledge, which I will describe later.

Immediately, the controls are explained via a game of Quidditch. Great! One of the most well known terms of Harry Potter land…even I know it’s sort of like football in the sky, on a broomstick! The controls for this are simple to understand, but a bit tricky to master. Aim the Wii remote at the screen in the direction you wish for Harry to fly. For the first training exercise, there are stars to fly through to guide you along the way. Then in tasks along the way, the Wii remote is used to control Harry’s wand, and the joystick on the Nunchuk controls Harry’s movements. There are uses for buttons on both the remote and Nunchuk, probably the most useful of which being the -button, which calls up Nearly Headless Nick, who will guide you to your next destination.

So, as you have gathered, all there is to this game is to follow instructions, but some of the tasks can be fun. There are spells to learn such as “Wingardium Leviosa”, which is one of the first Harry learns, and it basically makes items levitate. New Wii remote techniques are taught along the way in order to carry out spells. Also, there is the ability to make potions by joining the Potion Club, and if you like those games where you work in a kitchen and serve food, then it’s great! I have to admit that making the potions did bring some kind of childish joy to me…you have to physically tip the Wii remote to pour the desired volume of liquid into the cauldron, and then shake the remote to heat the potion up.

There are also duels along with the way with Harry’s Hogwarts rivals, after of course a practise on poor Ron! There are a few attacking moves to learn and one main defence move (not including running away!), so it’s fairly simple, but some opponents will attack harder than others.

The graphics in this game are decent in gameplay, but during conversations in scenes, both the movement and speech is a bit stiff. The conversations mildly tell the story and give some information of Harry’s next task but there is not really much to be enjoyed. Except maybe a few inside jokes along the way. It’s a shame that the graphics in the cut-scenes are not as flowing as the graphics in-game, but I suppose it’s the look of the actual playing parts that matter, in which case the game is pretty good.

The lack of replay value is apparent as there is no online option for variation, and also only limited possibility for multiple players. The mini-games are good to play more than once, but there is a limit to the amount of fun that can be had in a short space of time. Duels can be played with two players, which is good fun and would probably be just enough to keep coming back to it. Making the potions is fun, but could become repetitive if played too much. For a real Harry Potter fan though, there may be more fun to be had in the main game and once may not be enough.

Overall, this game is pretty good. While some elements of the game are more fun than others, it would be harsh to say that the rest is completely rubbish, because they’re not. Within gameplay there is a good amount of variation, and the use of the Wii remote really helps this game to come alive with the many possibilities of remote movement. Harry Potter fans would like this game, as long as not too much is expected of the plot. The game may even be responsible for converting some younger players to the films with its interactive nature. I think it can be enjoyed by everyone, as long as expectations are not as high as those of the films.

+ Fun controls for mini-games
+ Help is available but not a hindrance
+ Varied tasks in main game

- Not much of a storyline
- Little replay value
- Conversations between characters are jumpy

SCORE: 7/10