Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – GC – Review

Harry Potter
is once more flying on our consoles and PCs, this time in Harry Potter and
the Goblet of Fire
. Electronics Arts is still the publisher and developer,
but has taken a totally new direction with the development of this game in the
series. Instead of the free-roaming adventure type gameplay that the first
three implemented, this time around it’s mostly action with some adventure
elements. No longer will the primary focus be on Harry attending classes,
exploring, collecting cards and beans at his leisure while learning spells and
participating in action sequences from time to time; instead, this time most
of the emphasis is on straightforward action, with some elements of
situational puzzles and collecting. A new card system is in place, too, which
lets players assign cards for power-ups for each character. How does this new
direction for Harry Potter work? Well, while there are some improvements over
the last game, there are also some disappointments.

The first
thing players will notice when they start up the game is the much-improved
graphical quality over the last game, Prisoner of Azkaban. The
characters are smaller, but more cleanly drawn. The backgrounds are nicely
detailed, as well. The lighting contrasts are more distinct, and the game
compares well to other games on the GameCube system in the way it looks.

Players will
get to choose to play as Harry, Hermione or Ron.  If playing alone, players
will direct the one character, while the others will follow. The AI will
direct them to help the main character out in certain action sequences. Other
players can join in and play as the other two, for a total of three players on
the system. The other players can either choose to play when the game starts,
or jump in during the middle of play. The only time single players have to
play as Harry is during the Tri Wizard Tournament events and the final battle
with Lord Voldemort. Play is cooperative, and many of the action sequences
depend on all three characters doing their part.

The action
is divided into different types, with the main style consisting of fighting
enemies with spells. The method has been changed, with the spells used in
fights decided by the computer, not the player. The right spell for the
situation will automatically be used. This makes for an easier and quicker
fighting experience, but takes away a lot of the puzzle aspect of deciding
which spell should be used for the most benefit. This fighting action is
broken up by the Tri Wizard levels, which are available about halfway through
the game. These are the arcade levels, and they follow the movie exactly.

The Tri
Wizard Tournament consists of the three events from the competition in the
movie, and is a lot of fun to play. First, Harry has to outrace the dragon, in
a cool version of the old Quidditch matches of the previous games. Harry has
to fly through rings on his broomstick, but this time there’s a nasty,
fire-breathing dragon dropping fire-bombs all around. The second event
involves swimming through the Black Lake while avoiding the Grindylows, and
the third event is the magical maze. These arcade races help break up the
action sequences and can be played again for a better score. The scores are
divided up into bronze, silver or gold medal awards. The races are fun and
exciting, and are similar in feel to the old Star Wars Racer.

The card
system is a welcome addition, and adds a nice role-playing aspect to the game.
Players will collect cards by completing quests and defeating enemies, and can
also buy special character cards in the Folio Universitas. These cards can be
assigned to the three characters to enable better powers and spells. Beans are
the currency. Other collectibles include statues, wizard cards and wizard
shields. The items needed are listed in a task list for each level.

Harry Potter
and the Goblet of Fire is a good enough game, but could have been better. The
exploring focus is gone, which is a shame, as that was a major part of the
charm of the games. Exploring Hogwarts, encountering various movie characters,
and interacting with events from the books and movies was fun. Now, it’s all
about fighting, and the interaction just isn’t the same. While players still
move around the Hogwarts localities, the movement is much more restricted and
linear than before. Another thing that is missing is the ability to click
around to see what the descriptions would say. That’s a shame, as that was a
hoot.

However, the
action is well-designed and will work for most players. It’s dumbed down
somewhat from the previous games, in that the spells and actions required are
mostly automatic, players just have to stand and cast spells repeatedly until
the enemies are gone, for the most part. But, the spells look really cool in
execution, and completing a fighting sequence is satisfying the first time
through. The graphics are impressive, and the animated scenes are pretty good.
The Tri Wizard racing games are fun, and players will enjoy going back and
trying to get a better medal. The cards are a nice addition, too. However,
it’s a short game, and can be played through in a couple of days.

A good game
that will please young fans of Harry Potter, at least, the ones who like to
fight, but maybe aren’t too good at it.


Review
Scoring Details

for

Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire

Gameplay: 7.5
The gameplay is
fun enough, for those who like a lot of action. The racing is fun, and the
cards offer some time away from fighting. However, more elements from the
books/movies should have been added for a deeper playing experience. Freely
exploring Hogwarts was part of the fun and is missed.


Graphics: 8.0
A big improvement
over the last two games in the series.


Sound: 8.0
The voice acting
is good, and the sound affects are well-done. The music isn’t very memorable.


Difficulty: Easy
Pretty easy,
which is good for young kids, but not so good for everybody else.


Concept: 7.0
While there isn’t
anything really new in most of the action, the execution is good and the races
are nicely designed.


Multiplayer: 7.0
Up to three
friends can play together cooperatively, which is fun enough, but really not
all that exciting.


Overall: 7.5
A decent game for
the younger set or the casual player, that is faithful to its audience of
Harry Potter fans. While it could have had more movie/book elements tied into
the gaming experience, the existing game is fun enough.