Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is EA’s latest attempt to provide Potter fans with that magical experience they have longed for. The game coincides with the release of the blockbuster movie but does it deliver in the same way?

I am sure many Potter fans out there are aware of the Harry Potter story so far however a quick recap of the final chapter will be helpful to those who want to be brought right back up to date.

Deathy Hallows is the final chapter of the series. Harry, Ron and Hermione are on the run from Voldemort and his Deatheaters as the wizardly world is over run by the dark lord. Hunted at every turn they have no alternative but to complete Dumbledore’s quest to destroy the remaining horcruxes. The story pushes friends and will power to the limit to defy capture and death. This is a dark tale and is good for those who have kept up with the story.

However the game does make a few adjustments to fit the whole story in and even with the inclusion of short cutscenes, they do little justice to provide you with the full authentic tale.

The predominant design of this game is a level based shooter that is more linear compared to previous Potter titles. During progression, the game allows you to ‘choose’ your own level to advance. However I annotate the word ‘choose’ because even by choosing what mission you want to complete next it does nothing in terms of altering story or outcome.  Furthermore you cannot progress until all levels are completed, which again asks the question why the inclusion?

Scripted events with content sensitive sequences make for a fast paced game. This essentially is a 3^rd person shooter with cover mechanics like those similar to Gears of War and the recent Vanquish. However you will soon learn the cover-based system is useless and does little to improve the experience or your ability.

There are a few collectables which can be obtained throughout the environment, this is where the game tries to open up a little and prevent it from being a completely linear experience.

The campaign itself is incredibly short having completed it in under 6hrs on medium difficulty. However there is the addition of a challenge mode where like in Batman Arkham Asylum you will be faced with various villains to eliminate and then be able to post your best times for the world to see. This is a welcomed addition but it does feel bolted on and does little to extend the lifespan of the game. Furthermore the environments of this mode are exactly the same to those seen in the campaign, which does may you think the developers got a little lazy.

You will find that most shootouts are with Deatheaters, a few spiders, with the odd cheesy boss fight thrown in. This really doesn’t help the game that is already screaming out for variety, making it extremely repetitive. Again the shooting mechanics do feel trivial with the inclusion of no ammo restrictions but you do unlock spells when levelling up thus making it a little easier when in battle.

What’s more there are no incentives for switching up your spells so you tend to stick to one spell that works for you throughout the game. There are also some terrible AI issues and the odd bugs where you find Ron and Hermione get in the way of battle. Again they do little on your journey to help defeat the villains and are mostly there for I-candy.

Objectives can be confusing at times even with the inclusion of a pathway assist. Pressing Circle or B lightens up a direction you’re meant to head in (similar to that of seen Fable). However there was one point where the objective asked to eliminate all enemies and after destroying countless villains, they kept on respawning until I took it upon myself to explore and find a way out.

As previously touched upon the cover mechanics are terrible and doesn’t even lock the player in as you would of hoped, in fact it was far easier to be out in the open attacking enemies head on then stay sheltered.

There is also the inclusion of Kinect support but a few gimmicky wrist-flicking actions do little to improve the experience.

Presentation wise would be where the game excels at, even with some ugly environments there are a few that capture the essence of the novel. There is the occasional visual bug however but that aside there are a few voice talents that have been leant for the game.

The soundtrack is good when it hits its stride but the majority of it is background ambiance that doesn’t do a great deal to capture the essence of the franchise.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a disappointing game like most video game adaptations of movie titles. It captures the vibe in its visuals and story but doesn’t do much else. With its short campaign consumers will feel shorted changed so it would be difficult to recommend it even for the most avid fan. On the other hand there is Part 2 to come next year so let’s hope EA finally take it in their stride and come up with something special.

Lets not hold our breath though…

Reviewed by: David Salman

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1. Lego Harry Potter knocks Red Dead from top spot
2. Halo Reach – Reviewed (360)
3. Medal Of Honor – Reviewed (360, PS3, PC)

That’s not to say the Red Dead Redemption has dropped that far, only to number two so it is still selling well.  Other noteables are Naughty Bear in at number in at Number 5 and Transformers not being as popular as Harry Potter coming in at number 8.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has also made a climb back up the charts due to the Onslaught DLC being released to number 9.

Full Charts

1. Lego Harry Potter: Years 1 to 4
2. Red Dead Redmeption
3. Super Mario Galaxy 2
4. FIFA 2010 World Cup South Africa
5. Naughty Bear
6. Demon Souls: Black Phantom Edition
7. Just Dance
8. Transformers: War For Cybertron
9. Battlefield: Bad Company 2
10. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
11. Blur
12. Wii Sports Resort
13. Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
14. Wii Fit Plus
15. Split/Second Velocity
16. International Cricket 2010
17. Football Manager 2010
18. Club Penguin: Herbert’s Revenge
19. Rooms: The Main Building
20. Bioshock 2

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1. PSN video delivery service live from November

From action packed thrillers to a little something for the kids, there will be a host of fantastic films that all the family are sure to enjoy, some of which include: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Bruno, Angels & Demons, Casino Royale, Crank 2: High Voltage and The Hills Have Eyes.

The service will allow movie fans to download the latest releases straight to their PlayStation 3 (PS3) and PSP (PlayStation Portable) for viewing at home or on the go from this November in France, Germany, Spain and the UK with other markets to follow in 2010.

The video store will offer high quality entertainment, available to buy or to rent, from major movie studios including 20th Century Fox, Disney-ABC-ESPN Television, Lionsgate, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Starz Media, Universal, and Warner Bros. In additional, a number of local studios will be announced closer to launch.

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1. Ghostbusters, The Video Game: Reviewed (PS3)
2. Free Brutal Legend DLC next week
3. Huge Fifa 10 update incoming