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Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets Review
Richard Amos
04/12/2002
Be an upper-middle class wizard who’s far too polite for our liking…
It was inevitable; J.K. Rowling (who, by the way, deserves to be locked up and the key thrown away) created a series of hit books, a film was created, a game was created, and of course the sequel followed. We expected the worst and persistently insisted this WAS the worst; that was, until we began to enjoy itā¦
The Chamber of Secrets brings you back to Hogwarts, which, to the unacquainted with Master Potter, is the school of wizardry that the posh lad attends. Itās a lovely large castle in the film; and, in the game, itās just as stunning. The Chamber of Secrets hands you a massive play area which you can freely roam, only following the story when you deem it necessary for yourself; strangely and unexpectedly, the game is structured very much like a full RPG, learning many lessons from Zelda: Ocarina of Time (remember the N64?!) ā“ expansive levels, loads to do, innovative puzzles and a very similar control system.
So why am I comparing a Harry Potter game to a game that is perhaps one of the greatest ever, created? Because it really is very similar - from the minute you pick up the controller you feel in the Zelda world ā“ clever use of the analogue stick (allowing creeping, etc) is combined with the same button set out as Zelda. This allows you to āprogramā the Y, X and B buttons to different spells, which can range from the standard attack to a special shield to āLumosā, a flashlight spell. All are perfectly balanced weapons that have downsides and upsides to their use.
Combat with Harry is ALMOST a dream. Using the trigger on the controller, you can use the (much acclaimed in other games) z-targeting system, allowing you to lock onto targets and strafe around them, whilst still having the full ability to use your spells. There is a problem though ā“ even the slightest blow to Harry from an enemy pulls you out of the lock - regaining the lock can be a pain and often ends in total failure in the battle. There are also points in the game where you are fighting someone, yet they are placed too far away on the map to lock on to. Itās a shame that this system is slightly flawed, as otherwise it is perfect and is a joy to use ā“ youāll want to love the combat and some will, but the niggles will no doubt annoy many more hardened gamers.
The game is structured in days ā“ each day you have a different mini āquestā, each one being a different lesson at the school, where at the end you are set challenges to obtain new spells. Everything from combat to broom riding (and subsequently, the game Quidditch) is taught; all very entertaining and great to play.
Notably one of the best parts is the combat training, where you a must fight your way through different rooms, each with their own puzzles ā“ these are cleverly thought out ā“ not the hardest puzzles youāll have seen, but hard enough to make you think for a bit and have a few tries. At the end you must challenge a boss who must be fought with his own āfireā ā“ you must deflect his attacks back using the shield spell. Itās the simple puzzles like this that really set the game alight ā“ they may not be difficult, but somehow the game WORKS.
During the game you can, if you deem it necessary (or are just bored), collect magic beans (donāt ask). These arenāt, as a whole, essential to the game, but they add another dimension; you can visit the āsecret shopā (itās a bit like a Famous Five episode really isnāt it?) and with the beans buy new spells, vials (which recover your health automatically when filled with potion) and other āwickedā things (damn, it really is the Famous Five). The RPG element expands more when you are met with ācardsā, of which there are 100, featuring info on different magicians and wizards who all relate to the story of Harry Potter. A few of these can be bought at the shop, but the majority are scattered about the levels.
We canāt help but praise this game; we wanted to dislike it and give it a bad review, purely because itās ājust another movie cash inā, but it isnāt. Thereās something strangely enchanting about this game that youāll never work out, but itās there, and it draws you in like a magnet. Even when youāve convinced yourself you want to switch off the games console, you wonāt be able to ā“ youāll just want to see whatās next ā“ and there is ā“ at least 10 hours of game play can be squeezed from this game, and thatās if you speed through it. Play slowly and explore and youāll find that this game will last a long time ā“ but be warned, it isnāt pick up and play for a few minutes ā“ youāll be desperate to complete the section youāre on.
And the graphics: Stunning, absolutely stunning. The characters have been lovingly created with the same charm thatās in the original book artwork ā“ a slightly anime feel, but still ārealā enough to look realistic. The levels are nothing short of wonderful; textures are crisp, barely degrading on close up; the levels have a massive attention to detail; and even more impressive are the reflections in the shiny floors that look breathtaking. Of course thereās a flaw with the graphics ā“ thereās no dynamic lighting. At times you really wish there was some resident evil style lighting just to set the mood of some levels of which many have a rather dark them. Flickering candles, flickering shadows? None here, sorry. Shame.
Anonymous
Date Added:Tue 20th Mar 2007 15:38