Has your child asked you for tuition to attend Hogwarts? Do you ever find them pretending to turn their youngest sibling into a frog? If your child is wild about Harry, then they might like the latest installment of Harry Potter games for the Wii – Harry Potter and the Half –Blood Prince.
Pros
- Controls are easy to master, and the game makes great use of the Wii-mote motion controls.
- An accurate representation of a virtual Hogwarts is a huge highlight in the game.
Cons:
- Game plays more like a series of short puzzle games than an adventure gameThere are only 3 basic mini-games that are constantly repeated, making the game a little tedious.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - Potion Making
Potion making plays like a cooking simulation game using the motion controls of the Wii-mote. You pour and stir and cook your potions with a few simple motions. There is a beat the clock aspect to the mini-game, which makes it challenging, but the repetition and the length of the process can be frustrating.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - Dueling
The Dueling game is played by holding the Wii-mote like a wand. With a flick of the wrist, your child can take down Ron in a fight to the…well...falling down. Doing this is easy enough for any child to do, and actually had my three year old niece laughing with joy. You can also duel against a friend for even more laughs. The flaw? Shaking the Wii-mote randomly seems just as effective as deliberately casting spells.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - Quidditch
Quidditch plays like a racing game, except instead of a car, you are controlling a flying broomstick. This mini game, like the others, appears many times throughout Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. You fly Harry through a series of hoops while following the golden snitch. If you successfully make it to the end, you win.
The World of Hogwarts
Beside the three main activities, you can walk Harry around an accurate virtual Hogwarts. This is the redeeming feature of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Along your path through Hogwarts you encounter familiar characters and participate in conversations making the whole experience a pleasure for anyone who dreams of being a member of the Gryffindor house.Summary and Game Specifications
The mini games in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince aren’t all that exciting and the game as a whole could use more meaty activities. Still, the accurate portrayal of the school of wizardry is a great achievement, making the game an easy pick for your little wizard. Gamers will probably want to pass this one by.
- Publisher: EA Games
- Release Date: June 30, 2009
- Genre: Action
- ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)
- Platforms: Wii (also available for other platforms)
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
