Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Whether you are a child or adult, it would be a sceptical if you had not heard of Harry Potter, the boy who lived! Although now, after the thrilling conclusion of his previous year at Hogwarts, he's widely known as "The Chosen One". But can the chosen one break the curse of bad movie-based games?
Whilst this game doesn't bring anything new or spectacular to the table, it's a pretty OK title in it's own right. If you don't go at this game with your expectations too high and a avid Potter fan, you shan't be disappointed. Chances are, if you're considering this as a purchase you would have already read the book and cherished it deeply. But if you haven't been a fan of the magical world or are looking for more – it may be best to give this game a miss.
Harry has once again found himself in the middle of magical chaos. But, at least this time he's not being shunned by the rest of the Wizarding world. After He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was sighted in the previous title, the Ministry can no longer keep things under wraps and it becomes known Harry wasn't a liar, actually, he's now their savour. War has been declared between Voldemort and the Wizarding World, everyone's in panic and Draco's acting suspicious. All of these aspects combined makes the story of the Half Blood Prince.
Once again you will pick up the controller and control Harry through a fully realized Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In a accurate hallway-to-hallway recreation of the school you will be free to explore and delve into the world that captivated you through the power of imagination. Upon starting your adventure you are slightly limited to the area's you can explore, but other area's unlock fairly rapidly as you progress through the story. At no point will you be forced to backtrack due to invisible walls, which is high on the list of annoying video game clichés.
As you break through the boundaries of Hogwarts you will quickly come to face with all the new mini-games that are on offer. It seems EA have gotten rid of some activities that did not tie into the magical concept very well – Wizarding Chess, anybody? Sure it's a great idea, if it were real. But it just doesn't translate to the video game world very well. But this time, they have really hit the nail on the head with the mini-games. Firstly you will be introduced to the new innovative mini-game they call, potion making. Sure, it looks like dance-dance revolution with potions – but that's exactly what it is – but it's fun! As instructions slide up the screen you have a time limit to complete the list of ingredients. You will find yourself pouring, stirring and boiling your way to a new high score. At times you may find the controls fiddly as you have to shake your potion vile without spilling any of the contents into your cauldron, or else you will find your cauldron turning a dark shame of grim.
Harry is now the captain of the Griffindor Quidditch team, which means he has to organise his team and lead them to the Quidditch house cup. Which is succession, leads to a load more mini-games. In Quidditch all you have to do as seeker is catch the snitch before the opposing teams seeker does. Easy, right? Damn right it is. One major let down in Half Blood Prince is the lack of depth in Quidditch, all you have to do is successfully fly through a series of hoops to automatically catch the snitch. The other seeker doesn't even attempt to catch the snitch, the only opponent here is the time. Which left me with a overwhelming sense of disappointment as there is so much wasted potential here. The only spark raised from the Quidditch matches is that you get to control Ginny in the final match against Hufflepuff, where the winner wins the cup. This gained brownie points, I must admit.
Over the course of the game you control the lucid Harry Potter but at stages you will also get the chance to control Ron and Ginny Weasley. It's a given you will not be able to spend much time as the red haired alternatives, although the time spent with each is brief. But then again it's not their name on the game case, is it? You control Ron when he is in a love dazed state after unknowingly taking a large dose of love potion that was meant for Harry -- then later you get the chance to capture the Quidditch cup with the radiant Ginny Weasley in the final Quidditch match of the season.
The character models are below par this time around – and the voice acting doesn't do Danial Radcliffe or Emma Watson justice, either. Unfortunately Half Blood Prince stumbles in one of the basic elements of a game -- the characters seem both lifeless and expressionless throughout the game. The only redeeming quality is the quality of the masses seem to slightly improve to create a great atmosphere around the castle. As you take time out to explore the scenery and area's you will be gracefully welcomed with inspiring comments of appreciation from fellow Griffindors, threats an sneers from Slytherins and affectionate flirtations from the girls showing their fondness for "The Chosen One".
But what do you do when you have a fairly sized Slytherin breathing down your neck? You hex him of course. This edition of Harry Potter has a vastly improved duelling system. Each contestant has a health bar and a wand at there arsenal. How they deplete their opponents health is up to wizard. You have six spells -- Stupefy, Protego, Expelliarmus, Petrificus Totalus , Levicorpus, and Charging – you control these spells using the right analogue stick and use the triggers to dodge side to side. This battle scheme is is leaps and bounds better than it's predecessor. Although once you acquire the Levicorpus spell you will find yourself wrenching your opponent into the air by the ankles and spamming Stupefy into his or her chest for the win. You will be faced with duals throughout the game when a enemy stands in your way or you could simple enter the duelling club ranks and become the duelling champion of your house, or even the dual your way to champion of Hogwarts.
Harry is now 16 years of age this time around, so hormones are raging. He gets some kissing action, but more importantly, he can run and jump! He's all grown up! Another addition is that now instead of having to follow pesky foot prints that cause' more of a inconvenience than anything. You now have the privilege of being escorted around Hogwarts by Griffindors ghost "Nearly Headless Nick". As always exploration and finding the secrets of Hogwarts is a colossal part of the game. The main story can be polished off in about 5 hours or less. But for all your confectionists and Harry Potter fanatics there is still a considerable amount left to wet your apatite. Scattered around Hogwarts are 150 hidden crests in which you've taken it upon yourself to collect. They are not difficult to find, but you will find yourself having to be creative with your spells to collect them. You might have to use Incendio to clear the path to the crest then use Wingardium Leviosa to hurl a tapestry head at the crest so it falls into your grasp.
Collecting these will add a considerable amount of achievements/trophies to the pile as well as unlock items and perks within the game - From extra health in duals to extra potions for your potions club, it serves as a helpful bonus throughout the game. Nonetheless even with all the additional events to keep you busy, with all the mini-games, crests and competitions out of the way – Half Blood Prince will be fully finished and back on your shelf within 10 hours of breaking the seal, never to see light again
Though the events don't add much overall to the game once completion, it delivers something that isn't counted in the game, the nostalgia. Exploring the Charms classroom and talking to Professor Flitwich then climbing to the top of the Owlery will serve no real purpose in-game – but serve as a great fan service and deliver a heavy dose of nostalgic charge.
The castle looks very polished over, the sky shines down onto the land and creates a blissful haven as far as graphical presentation goes. Although, it's things like that that you appreciate, but at the same time makes you feel a sense of disappointment as it does little to tell the story that the magnificent novel created. It doesn't begin to touch upon some of the vital keys that made the novel so great. But for a Harry Potter fan who is familiar with the story enough not to care, Half Blood Prince will not disappoint them as much as it would seem. It serves it's purpose to give fans what they want, to be emerged once again in the world of Harry Potter.