I had this game on my radar since they first announced it because I liked Harry Potter books, games, and movies. I also had played several Lego games before, and they weren't my favorites, but they were decent and had a lot of replay value. I mostly play fps's, mostly black ops and reach these days, although i just started fallout new vegas. I got this finally today, though, the day before my 15th, and played it four hours straight without even realizing it. All of a sudden my brother came into our room and said that pizza was ready, and I was surprised. I played another after that, and that felt like fifteen minutes. After all that time, I'm only on the 2nd one, during the quidditch match. Even after all of that, I'm not even done with the first story. I have to reach true wizard on one or two levels, and I still have to collect tons of gold bricks and crests and students in peril. I rated the graphics a ten because even though they are cartoonish, that is what makes them great. They are supposed to look like an 8 year old's immagination, for that is what legos are-8 year olds building and immagining that it is real, and this perfectly pulls it off. The sound is pretty good, and funny at some parts, such as ron playing the trumpet to make fluffy sleep. Obviously the game has a ton of lasting appeal, for you can go around doing whatever you want to characters, or you can do what you do in regular Harry Potter games-explore the castle. Also, don't forget you'll still need to replay every level and find tons of things. The gameplay is amazing-magic, puzzles, and battles. What could be better? This is the first one that hasn't felt repeatative, but there are some parts that feel like you're replaying a past part, or a part from a previous lego or harry potter game. I'm probably going to get the ds holiday edition, too, for it would be amazing for the three hour trip both ways to dad's every other weekend plus trips to New Jersey on some home weekends-another 3 hour both way trip. Anyway, I hope this review helped.
If you haven't played a Lego game on your console, what rock have you been hiding under? This is another in a long line of Lego titles that delivers what we all expect. It's fun. It's funny. It covers the source material very well. It uses the same graphics engine as always, complete with the visual tearing problems. And it's also chock full of well documented bugs and glitches (some of which will prevent you from scoring achievements and/or trophies). What? Yes, I know other Lego titles have had ONE or TWO glitches, but LHP is LOADED with them. Considering the release date of the Goblet of Fire(HP4) movie was YEARS ago, and the fact the latest in the film series was at least 6 months away when this game was released, the slapped together obviously rushed quality of this title is both blatantly obvious and inexcusable. Beyond the bad QA, the game simply wasn't play tested enough to smooth out some of the really poor play mechanics (camera angles, all of the Spell It sequences, certain boss battles, etc.) causing a lot of frustration as you progress. On the plus side, the game covers the source material pretty well, and there's a LOT of material covered here. Hogwarts is a very large environment with many places to explore (and Lego objects to break), and there are TONS of elements that you'll wonder about until you learn the correct spells to utilize them. Plus it's fun and that's what counts in the end.
1 of 3 found this review helpful.
Overall rating
5/ 5
Gameplay
5/ 5
Graphics
4/ 5
Sound
5/ 5
Eggs804
fun
PostedJune 29, 2010
Lego Harry Potter's gameplay is similar to that of most previous Lego games, with an emphasis on collecting and exploring. Casting spells is an integral part of the gameplay, with a wide range of spells available for unlocking as the player progresses. As there are many spells available in the game, you use the spell wheel to select your spell. Potion-making is another integral feature; potions can help the player complete levels or, if created incorrectly, have adverse side effects such as turning the player into a frog.[6] Changes to the mechanics of previous games include 'Student In Peril' missions, which are a group of challenges to help a student, and Polyjuice Potion, which allows players to temporarily change one of your characters into any other mini-figure unlocked.[citation needed] A major change is to the hub system. Diagon Alley works as a central hub for purchasing unlockable extras and returning to previous levels, while Hogwarts acts as a constantly evolving massive hub with the unlockable characters found by picking up their hidden portraits.[original research?] The bigger areas in Hogwarts have led developer Traveller's Tales to improve the overall level design. Also include another bonus level that allow players to customized the level just like in Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues. If you are lost in-game you can follow a trail of Ghost Studs to the next level. These do not count towards your stud total, but will guide you to the next section of the level. Overall the gameplay is fun and you will have a blast playing this game.
