What should you do when that inevitable question occurs: Can I get Fang to climb a ladder? Is holding onto a hovering pumpkin fun? Have Tt Games managed to successfully regain the fun and imaginative scale of the Star Wars Lego games? The answer to all these is yes. After a spell of some 'Meh' games from the Lego game makers, ranging from Indiana Jones to its sequel (which I won't completely judge on their demos) the appeal was slipping away faster than the effects of Polyjuice Potion for the once inventive makers. Lego Harry Potter: Years 1 – 4 could not have come at a better time.
Fully restored back to inspirational genius Tt are becoming as notorious as the brains behind Little Big Planet for the meticulousness and gaming entertainment shown in mere levels of playing. Everything from Gringotts to Hogsmeade has been reinterpreted to inconceivable effect which the Harry Potter fans will recognise the Lego transformation immediately, whereas the fans of the Lego game series can enjoy it for the new magical take of the definable gameplay seen in all the previous games; such as the assembling of bricks now being Wingardium Leviosa instead of doing it manually.
If you have grown up with the films (which they are loosely based upon) the changes are shrewd, making even the smallest sequences which are hardly seen in the movies entire thirty minute levels; but none of this rarely makes a vast change to the amusing retelling of the plot, so it's reassuring to the fans how the limitations of the Harry Potter world haven't gone to the makers heads as it had slightly done previous games. They have also kept their trademark techniques of using no dialogue throughout the game meaning it's the sound effects that usually make everything so funny. Hagrid's greeting of: 'Lo' and the opening cut scene, with the sound of whacking envelopes on Vernon's head are personal favourites because neither of them ever becomes irksome.
The format of the gameplay still makes it understandable for the whole family to enjoy (something which the Wii adverts make look as simple as waking up) so regular players will certainly appreciate the ease of a having a parent or sibling 'Drop In' without having to explain the use of every single button and the main objective of the level. The experience of playing will definitely clash though for many players. If you played Bethesda's RPG epic Fallout 3, the looting in every nook and cranny will only be second nature to you, this time with studs instead of caps. But say however you are more the arcade gamer or don't have the patience to bounce on mushrooms for studs, (people who don't want to bounce on Lego mushrooms come few and far between though) then the newly implemented split screen works wonders compared to the drag of the screen which could only have been avoided with a 100 inch television.
Split screen, despite not being a particularly new discovery, twists around the screen to benefit the players who might need a more diagonal angle on things such as the rewards tucked away in high spots or students in peril, who seem to find themselves in obscure places – one of the most memorable being trapped inside a snowman. Character/Spell rewards are easily the most deserving of merit compared to the Gold and Red Bricks which reward with almost minimum satisfaction until the end. The characters whether they be squib, muggle or just plain wizard can all be unlocked if you have seen or played as them within your game, some with abilities awe striking on first go, then forgotten once unlocked. There are creature characters, which admittedly don't prove majorly useful to the completion of levels or stud collecting because of their limited abilities, but make a nice change of character in free mode.
Free mode, accessible once a level is completed, is usually an easy mop-up that continues to hold surprises you never expected levels to have – skeletons dancing to theme of the film for example. It's also surprises like this that you find within the game that make it so detachable from other games, especially compared to more dominant genres such as shooters which are getting more and more alike by the day. The only thing close to shooters in the world of Lego Harry Potter is the Metal Gear Solid reference which I'm more than happy to let it off with (anyone who labels themselves as a gamer will likely agree). It's a fact this game will be deprived from Gaming Bafta glory, and will unlikely receive more than nominations, but that doesn't stop it being a hugely fun game for the year and one that ranges from all ages. At least until Little Big Planet 2 comes along to take its place anyway; or if were lucky enough in the foreseeable future, Years 5 -7.
