A must buy for any Potterhead. A must rent for any Wii fanatic. Like a lunch period; welcome relief, but way too brief.
Didn’t: Over before you can say Levicorpus, rewards for completing tasks are weak, and only one (short) flying mission. If you’re a fan of the Harry Potter books, you’ve probably gone to see the movies and no matter how long they are you feel as though you’re being rushed through the story while your non book reading friends enjoy another blockbuster. Before you realize it, the climax has passed, Dumbledore’s doing his dénouement shtick, and you’re wondering where half the story went. Well, this game will make you feel the same way. While it’s certainly fun playing through the missions, the minigames, and exploring the grounds you can go through it all way too quickly and your rewards are… well, unrewarding. There is a room of rewards which only fills up with trophies and making-of video clips. And that’s perfectly fine for devout Potterheads but anyone who’s played a GTA game will be disappointed by what you get for finding all the Twins’ hidden packages. I don’t expect a tank or a jet but a broom would be nice. Speaking of brooms, there’s only one (brief) part of the game where you fly around a couple of areas. It’s immensely fun and leaves you wondering why you’re only teased with the gift of flight. It may seem like I’m complaining allot but believe it or not, I don’t regret this purchase. Of course I’m one of those people who’s going to be out for the midnight release of the 7th book (in case you are too, yes you find the locket in the game) so ever since I started wielding a wiimote, I’ve wanted to cast spells with it. And the game doesn’t disappoint in that department. The spells are intuitive and fun to use on random things and students around the castle. Duels are engrossing and can be started pretty much whenever you feel like it. The castle is vast, with plenty of things and students to talk to which is another reason it amazes me in it’s briefness. Why did they put so much detail into a game that you finish in a few hours? So like I said, if you’re a real Potterhead like me, definitely pick this one up. Like the books, you’ll probably find yourself going back to it on a rainy lazy Sunday. But if you’re just looking for something new and interesting to play on the Wii that’s not completely made up of minigames, definitely rent this one. You’ll have fun, for a few days. It’s definitely not a GTA game (what I was hoping for), but it’s probably the best damn movie game of the year.