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Harry Potter arrives on consoles (and PC). The game changes a few of the things Harry fans have come to expect from the games, and though aimed at a younger audience, Harry fans will find a lot to like in the game.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and friends have entered their third year at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. Through some trickery, Harry is entered in the Triwizard Tournament, chosen to co-represent his school in a tournament known for making sure that not all competitors leave alive. The game focuses on the actual adventure elements of the movie, leaving out all of the sappy romantic elements between Harry and his crush, and Ron and Hermione.
In the Goblet of Fire, you’ll play as Harry, Hermione, and Ron. You’ll go around the different levels solving environmental puzzles thanks to the game’s many context-dependant spells, which change whether you’re pointing at fire or a huge boulder. You’ll use these spells to solve the game’s puzzles, none of which are too difficult but make good use of the spells. There are also spells to attack the game’s enemies which include erklings and salamanders. You can combine these attacks with the regular spells for some additional fun. The other two characters are controlled by the AI which typically does a good job of helping you out without too much hassle. The game also sports a three-player cooperative mode in which players can enter and leave at any time.
As you go through these levels, you’ll have to collect Triwizard shields. You’ll gain some by exploring levels and others by defeating bosses, both tasks require mastering the spells though. You’ll be able to visit a number of locales from the movie including the Forbidden Forest. You’ll also be collecting mushrooms, statuettes, and minishields; some of these even unlock additional Triwizard shields. They may also unlock additional cards. To get more of these cards, you’ll need to purchase them using beans which are scattered throughout the levels. The cards upgrade the characters allowing them to be stronger or have more stamina. Some cards let you mix and match spells, adding some complexity to the game.
There are other items scattered about the levels, such as minishields, statuettes, and mushrooms, that you're asked to collect. Some of these also yield Triwizard shields, while others unlock cards. The problem is that after you've collected all of a certain item, it's never made clear what you've won. Sometimes a Triwizard shield popped up elsewhere in the level. Other times, we never quite figured out what we won by finding all the statuettes or magic mushrooms in a given map. Because the game relies a lot on having you replay certain levels to find all the collectibles, it's somewhat frustrating to not receive immediate feedback on what you've gotten out of searching every nook and cranny. Despite that flaw, it's still pretty fun to explore each of the game's levels the first time, fighting the monsters and finding the Triwizard shields.
Aside from exploring or collecting, you’ll also participate in the Triwizard challenges found in the film. This means you’ll be able to recreate the tense dragon pursuit or the scary Black Lake escapade of the film. While the challenges aren’t that complex by themselves, they do manage to make the game more varied and interesting. These challenges culminate in a battle with Lord Voldemort.
The game’s visuals are adequate. The main character models don’t impress but do their job rather well; you’ll definitely be able to identify all of the different characters but they don’t look particularly good or animate particularly well. Some character models, though, like the dragon of the Forbidden Forest are quite spectacular though. The environments do much better, providing a true sense of authenticity for the game. The same can be said for the spell effects thanks to the pleasing mix of lighting and particle effects. The cutscenes are decent, though it would have helped if EA could have included some footage from the movies. As far as console differences go, the game is nearly identical across the Gamecube, PC, PS2, and Xbox, with the PC and Xbox looking a bit sharper compared to the other two.
The game’s sound is equally fitting. The background music of the game fits very well and helps set the atmosphere more often than not. The sound effects are nothing special, though the creature effects and spells sound good. The voice acting is also good though it can get a bit repetitive.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire does a good job of recreating the film for fans of the movie. Though it appears to be aimed at younger fans, Harry fans of all ages will find something to enjoy in the game. -- Adam Nunez, PGNx Media
---- Nov 27, 2005
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