Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince

Posted In: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1

Katherin Radabaugh says...

I gave this to my grandson this week for his 12th birthday and he and his 4 friends played with it endlessly.I heardloud comments , cheers, yells, etc. constantly while theyplayed.Really cool graphics and lots of challenges for the boys who were experienced in played Wii.I would definitely recommend this.

Posted on September 28, 2011

Tonita Gracy says...

Beware: If you aren't familiar with the storylines in the HP books, specifically "The Half-Blood Prince" a.k.a. book 6....the game reveals a extended cinema variation on events...so SPOILER WARNINGS....okay? Some book edits the game makes maybe in the Movie as is...others, we'll see...



Harry is beginning his 6th year at Hogwarts, it is believed Harry is the Choosen One of prophecy, who will deliever the wizarding world from the clutches of the re- ascension of evil Lord Voldemort...Dumbledore begins Harry's private lessons again using thePensieve to educate Harry about his adversary and Harry needs a key memory from newly returing Potion's Master Prof. Slughorn inorder to defeat Voldemort....Harry is also eager to learn the origin a his secret benefactor "The Half-Blood Prince" who as filled Harry's hand-me-down Potions textbook with helpful hints and spells... also Harry begins his quest towards the defeat of his nemesis in a climax that ultimately leads to infiltration of Voldemort's Death Eaters into the very walls of Hogwarts itself.



If you played the Wii version of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" then the game (and Hogwarts) will feel quite homey. Old faithful spells return from the last adventure like EXPELLARMUS, INCENDIO, WIGARDIUM LEVIOSA, ACCIO andREPARO.Spells like STUPEFY can be charged to increase their effectiveness. Many spells are automatic to the character's location, like LUMOS will light your way in dark places. The remote spell gestures are similar as is the layout of the castle...for those of you new to Harry for the Wii...the remote spell casting is great fun, doing the wand work yourself, for example with PROTEGO, a deflecting spell, you cross your arms like an "x" you can bounce your opponent's shot back at them.



You still have plenty of out-of-story freedom to roam and perform good deeds and mini-adventures to earn crests and badges, like other HP games Hogwarts is expansive and authentic, you can run and use shortcutsto cut down on travel time, but a more improvement is Harry's ability to summon NEARLY HEADLESS NICK anywhere in the castle. NICK will lead Harry to the next story point when you're ready. Gone is the functional Marauder's map, although unlocked sections of the castle are revealed via the map.



Slughorn's Potion's Class and the Potions Club allows Harry to enjoy his new found potion prowess thanks to the Half-Blood Prince's old Potions textbook. The Potions Club is for out-of-class potions work, but as in the classroom players can really mix the potions akin to COOKING MAMA, adding the ingredients, shaking, stirring and adjusting potion temperature, even to wave the smoke away....all by remote gestures.



When not concocting potions a new Dueling and Flying Club has been added...early in the game the Gryffindor Dueling Club is introduced, not part of actual movie or story events...the Dueling Club is a great excuse to fire off combat spells, even offering a 2-PLAYER OPTION. The Flying Club allows Harry, the newly named Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team some extra broom-work.



Quidditch practice and game sessions largely consist of flying through stars to increase your speed to catch the snitch to end the game, while fending off rival players over and around the pitch.





Extras like all the Harry games this one has Harry collecting crest like Mario's Galaxy star grabbing...using DEPULSO, you can find and collect hidden ones and other spells along the way... they add up to unlockables and such. Also Harry's good deeds aren't rewards in themselves...jobs well done earn Harry badges throughout the game...forming a collection for later display, like the Wizard cards of old. In fact, after the story plot points are all covered players can continue to find the remaining crests, solve disputes between students (this usually involves a Wizard's Duel) and potion challenges.



The Wii's strength is usually is only weakness...in the motion play of the remotes is the tool that makes the game so interesting is sometimes what interferes with game play...at times to controls miss the mark and gestures are incorrectly interpreted. But, overall these mishaps are few. The look and feel of the game mirrors the movie style down to the music and actor's images....this is a great precursor to the film experience as was the last Wii HP movie tie-in. Some moments in the game I hope play out as well in the movie....Harry's misfires at love, Ron's misadventures with love-potion spiked candy...playing Love-sick Ron is very funny as is the Jazzy/swing variation on the HP theme while using the Luck-potion!



HEADS UP: EA Games is remaking their Harry Potter LEGO games for early part of the New Year....the first installment will cover books 1-4...the original HP games focused too much on building, but the new LEGO/EA Games format (Like Star Wars and Indy) will make these titles worth owning.

Posted on September 28, 2011

Phung Dimaggio says...

I bought this game for my 9yr old daughter and she loves battling Bellatrix and the death eaters in dueling matches. She also enjoys making potions and Quidditch.But I do find the game a little boring when playing by myself.But when we take turns it's a blast to play.

Posted on September 28, 2011

Jesenia Knapke says...

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for Wii is definitely the best Harry Potter video game to date. If you're familiar with the video game series, then you probably know that games one through three are very similar, while four sort of . . . stands alone. The sixth game is VERY much like the fifth game. You have a very similar (yet updated) Hogwarts, characters that are made to look their movie counterparts, and even a similar spell list.



Hogwarts is awesome. I dunno if you've heard, but this game is supposed to have the most accurate castle of any of the games. You can get lost in it, yes, but after a while, it's cool to be able to say you can navigate the place. In terms of exploration, in this game you collect silver Hogwarts crests. There are 150 in all, and they're sneaky little things, I tell ya. You also collect mini crests, and when you collect enough of those, they combine to make a whole crest. The best part - No Moaning Myrtle swooping in at you and being a creeper like in the last game. It's sort of more like wizard cards from the games of old.



Graphically, the game is superior in every way to the last one. Remember, though, we're still working with a Wii, which has less power than a 360 or Playstation 3. In addition, the Harry Potter games have always had a lot more STUFF in them at sort of a lower quality. You won't be in awe at the cut scenes, but it's not like we've reverted to Pong here, people. And the actual PLAYING part of the game looks much nicer than any of the videos, as per usual . . .



Magic. That's what we play the game for, right? So then it had BETTER have a ton in it! And it does . . . to some extent. Two spells have been eliminated since the last game: Accio and Depulso. Now, they've managed to work depulso into the game in a different way. You sort of . . . attack glowing things with your Wii Remote, causing mini-crests to fall out. There's no real flash or boom, but it's been dubbed depuslo, so . . . whatever, I guess. I don't know how Accio fits in, either. Of all the things I'm disappointed with in this game, it's the lack of new spells that irks me most. In the words of J.K. Rowling -- "HAVE YOU GONE MAD? . . . ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?" Apparently not as much as we thought . . .



BUT, there are some pretty cool additions that make up for it. The number one thing is extra curriculars! In this game, you now have a Dueling Club, a Potions Club, and a Flying Club.



Dueling is SO much better than the last game. You actually have a health bar [type thingy]! And spells can be cast much more easily. They also don't take forever between casts, so you can fire off a dozen stupifys in like a second. Just . . . how it should have been last time. All of your old spells return for this one, except Rictusempra, which is replaced with a delightful "Charged Stupify." I thought it was a fair trade . . . Anyways, dueling is a definite PLUS! And be aware that YES, your first duels will be very easy, but they DO get more difficult as the game progresses.



As for potions . . . it's different. It's a fun little mini game that they drop in, and I'm proud of how it utilizes the Wii Remote. I suppose I could live without it, but it's definitely enjoyable. ESPECIALLY because my little sister is afraid to play any REAL part of the game, so when I get to a potion she has a chance to actually do something.



As for Quiditch . . . well, I'm reminded of the second game, where you follow a set track. The camera does a lot of the work for you, and, to be honest, the earlier games and practices are quite boring. As the game progresses, however, it DOES force you to pay attention by placing obstacles and enemy players in your way. It starts slow, but definitely gets better!



My final thing is this: While this game is multiplayer, it does not support cooperative gameplay. Your friends can't play with Ron and Hermione and explore the castle with you, which is a shame, because I can definitely see bonding opportunities there. You're, unfortunately, restricted to dueling each other.



So yeah! I really liked it, and I'd definitely go out and buy it again, so you should too!

Posted on September 28, 2011

Le Villines says...

My nine-year-old son loves playing this game.His favorite tasks are mixing potions, quidditch matches, and fighting in the wand duels.I understand the negative reviews--this game may not hold the interests of older players--but my child very much enjoys playing this and it's a blast to watch him.It seems to have the right level of challenge to keep him engaged without getting frustrated.I highly recommend it.

Posted on September 29, 2011

Yahaira Heafner says...

It is clear that when constructing the 6th installment in the HP video game series, the developers were extremely limited by the Wii remote. There are only 3 things that one can do in this game: Quidditch, Potions, and Dueling. All three are extremely boring and poorly constructed.



1. Quidditch: I started a flying session, set my remote down, and Harry flew through every single obstacle and caught the snitch. The game is already preloaded within a set path and you can't fly more than 3 inches away at any given time. Extremely boring.



2. Potions: It is fun to make a potion for the first few times but after the third time it gets tedious. The same movements of shaking the Wii remote and spinning it around in the air dominate this aspect of the game.



3. Dueling: Dueling is the best part of the Harry Potter game but it takes no skill at all. All one must do is flick the Wii remote as quickly as possible and he/she can defeat the opponent in a matter of seconds.



Overall I am extremely disappointed in this game. I have every Harry Potter game in the series and this is the only one that disappoints. There is no exploring of the castle or its grounds as one must stay on the path at all given times. There are more cutscenes than there is playing time. Every mission is either to duel, make a potion, or fly in the poorly constructed Quidditch pitch.



This game is a complete failure in every regard. I might have bought it for $[...] but absolutely no more than that amount. I recommend the last 5 games which were amazing and exciting.

Posted on September 29, 2011

Mui Gagel says...

My son LOVES this game.He says it is much better than the other H.P. games he has played.It makes you feel as though you are truly part of the game.Would recommend to any H.P. fan.

Posted on October 1, 2011

Vito Gagliardi says...

Kevin wrote a good review, but I just want to add a few extra points.

First, I've never played any of the other Harry Potter games, mainly because of the mediocre reviews.However, I decided to try this one based on some good reviews around the internet.



My son (3) really enjoys watching this game.Potion making is his favorite and can actually be quite a challenge. Hogwarts castle and surrounding grounds are fairly expansive and the cutscenes/voice acting are nice.



Dueling is probably the most fun, followed closely by potions.My only real gripe with the game is Quidditch. As already stated, all you do is basically point your Wii remote at the screen, which gives you a glowing pointer.Your broomstick will fly toward that point, although you do not have total reign on where you go since you fly a general direction toward the snitch and can only adjust your position slightly.



You fly through stars and hit target dummies to get more time and continue doing so until you finally catch the snitch.It seems like they could have done SO much more with Quidditch than just flying through stars for a couple minutes.



That gripe aside, I'd recommend this game.Potions, dueling, Hogwarts, (Quidditch)......Give it a go...I think you'll enjoy it.

Posted on October 1, 2011

Shanel Tansil says...

My 9 year-old little brother saw the commercial for this game and really wanted it. I bought it for him for his birthday despite the bad reviews and he loved it.This was our first HP game so we can't really compare it to other HP games. We loved the potions and the dueling.Quidditch was not as good as expected.Like what one of the other reviewers said, basically Harry Potter flies by himself.Also as another person pointed out, we finished the whole story mode in one day which was sort of lame but at least we still had to find all the crests and stuff.



Pros:

-Exploring Hogwarts

-Potions

-Dueling

-Good for little HP obsessed kids lol



Cons or improvements I wish to see:

-I wish it was more like sims...in other words, more interaction.I wish HP could like sit on the seats, talk to more people and stuff.

-The Story mode needs to be LONGER and more detailed.I did find the mis-quotes and other story mistakes rather annoying. Like sometimes HP will say what Ron said in the movie.Also I wish I could like sit down in the grand hall and dig into all the yummy food and stuff: more interaction.

-More Spells and charms



I gave it a good rating because my brother loved it

Posted on October 3, 2011

Blair Vallimont says...

Although the Harry Potter novels are some of the finest fantasy works around, the famous wizard's foray into other media has been met with uneven success. The movies based on these books don't contain all the story details, but they have been saved by their fantastic special effects and beautiful art direction. Unfortunately, their video game counterparts have struggled to capture the brilliance of the books. Half-Blood Prince continues right where 2007's disappointing Order of the Phoenix left off. An accurate representation of Hogwarts is the main draw, but simple gameplay and a lack of any coherent storytelling mar the whole experience. For fans of the books, there is a certain joy in tromping around the weathered school grounds and dueling death eaters, but the Half-Blood Prince ultimately feels like a half-finished game. The story is barely comprehensible if you haven't read the book beforehand. There are a couple of references to the titular Half-Blood Prince whose notes dot Harry's potions book, a trip or two through Dumbledore's memory to see the young Tom Riddle, and a quick peek at Harry's ever-growing suspicion of Draco Malfoy. But you'll have to fit these pieces together yourself because the game doesn't spend any time filling in the details. The cutscenes are not only short and sporadic, but they are also poorly acted and look awful. None of the movie's actors lend their voice talents, so you'll have to make do with sound-alikes who sound little like the real people. The character models are based on the actors but are poor imitations of their real life counterparts. Hermione's long hair hardly moves, Professor McGonagall is cast in perpetual shadow, and Albus Dumbledore has trouble moving his lips. Furthermore, the game's plot takes liberties with the source material, putting Harry in preposterous positions that clash wildly with the book.



Order of the Phoenix was the first game in the series to faithfully re-create Hogwarts, letting players explore its many hidden alcoves and winding passageways at their leisure. For people who have not played the previous adventure, it can be a kick to walk around the world's most famous fictional school, navigating the moving staircases and taking shortcuts through the many portraits that line the walls. But if you've already played Phoenix, there's very little new to see in Half-Blood Prince. The environment is nearly identical to the last game's so series veterans will find no new thrill in checking out Harry's school. At least it's easier to find your way to your next objective this time. You can summon Nearly Headless Nick any time you're lost, but you'll still spend way too much time backtracking.



Aside from running all around the school grounds (complete with unnecessary motion blur), you partake in three different wizard-themed activities. Seeing as the Half-Blood Prince has greatly improved Harry's potion-making ability, you'll be spending a lot of time in the potions dungeon, brewing up a number of tasty concoctions. This plays like a magical version of Cooking Mama, placing a number of ingredients in front of you with the recipe lining the side of the screen. Potion creation makes good use of the motion controls, letting you pour, stir, and heat your mixture with a few logical gestures, and it is cool to combine the often gross ingredients into something even viler. However, you'll need to make so many potions throughout your quest that you'll wish you could slip one of your classmates a few Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans to prepare them for you. What starts as a simple though entertaining minigame quickly reaches tedium as you go through the same motions over and over again.



Quidditch makes a return after a brief hiatus in Order of the Phoenix, but it's less imaginative and even less fun than making potions. You play as a seeker, Harry's chosen position, and once atop your broomstick, you need only worry about flying through hovering stars in the sky. The controls are extremely simple--use the pointer to place your cursor in the center of a star and let Harry worry about the rest. When you zoom through enough of them, you automatically nab the golden snitch and end the match. There is a real disconnect between your midair maneuvering and what's going on in the match below, though. In the books, Harry is constantly forced to avoid angry opponents trying to knock him off his broom and heavy bludgers being thrown his way, but none of those obstacles factor in here. You won't have to pull off any fancy evasive moves, and given that your path is preset, you don't even have to search for the fast-moving snitch. This mode is predictable and bland, never capturing the exhilaration of playing an airborne sport. Your final task in Half-Blood Prince is dueling, and though it's more fun than anything else in the game, that isn't saying much. These one-on-one battles have you slinging magical spells at your opponent and dodging out of the way to avoid losing your own energy. The controls are motion based, so depending on how you move the remote or Nunchuk, you perform one of six different spells. Protego is the most satisfying because you have to cross your arms in front of your body to form a shield, and deflecting a blow at the last second is pretty sweet. However, the battles often boil down to one cheap tactic: Stun your opponent with one powerful spell and then spam your weaker attack. For instance, if you can nail your foe with levicorpus, he or she will float defenselessly in midair, and then you need only shake your arm frantically to let out a string of stupify attacks, quickly dropping your opponent's health. Going head-to-head with a friend is more unpredictable, but the lack of depth limits the long-term appeal of this mode.



The Harry Potter video games should complement the other media, providing gleeful interaction to match the excellent story from the books and the visual splendor of the films. But Half-Blood Prince isn't much fun to play once you've gotten a taste of the few simple activities. The game is ultimately a forgettable experience, pushing players through the same three minigames over and over again, without ever capturing the thrill of being a wizard. The story lacks focus and is difficult to follow, giving players only the faintest motivation to continue on before it finally ends on an emotionless, anticlimactic note. The Half-Blood Prince squanders its impressive license; you're better off reading the book again.

Posted on October 3, 2011