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> Results: Harry Potter & the Sorcerorﾒs Stone
Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us Scroll down for our Kid Factor. 
Often when a game company cashes in on a successful license, itﾒs done without any effort. The fans are there, ready to buy, so just churn out something passable, slap on the name and logo, and watch fore them to levitate off the shelves and the money pour in. And with J.K. Rowlingﾒs phenomenal ﾓHarry Potterﾔ book series, fanbase, and the support of a well-crafted and overwhelmingly marketed major motion picture, you know EA was well aware they had a license to conjure money here. Fortunately the game is remarkably solid and satisfying, if not brilliant or innovative. Itﾒs not for hardcore video game fans any more than the books are meant for fans of great and important literature. Itﾒll please the legion of children fans, and charm anyone new to gaming, and in truth thatﾒs all it has to do.The key is simplicity. The controls are straightforward and easy to use, even if youﾒve got the hands of a 4th grader. Itﾒs in 3rd person and our view is also fixed over Harryﾒs shoulder with his Hogwarts cloak flapping in the behind him. The game begins with a quick voice-over synopsis of the opening events, and actually begins just after the Sorting Hat places Harry (at his request) in Gryffindor. Then we meet Albus Dumbledore and he bids Harry to explore the castle, yet also reminds him not to be late for class. Then the game takes on an extended tutorial tone as Harry explores Hogwarts and its environs for a while and learns how to cast spells, and how to navigate the puzzles heﾒll face later. Along the way we meet pretty much the entire cast of characters, from the precocious Weasley twins, who bid Harry to collect Bertie Bottﾒs Ever-Flavor Beans for them, the annoying poltergeist Peeves, stalwarts like Hermione, Neville, and Ron, and then the various professors. The professors (and Herimone) teach Harry how to cast the various spells. Initially, these are taught by showing a symbol and having you trace it with your joypad stick while a timer counts down, success gains you points for Gryffindor house and mastery of the spell. In the game itself you cast the spell with a simple click of the button, and you can often figure your way through later puzzles simply by pointing at an object and seeing which spell becomes available.  One of Harryﾒs early classes is broom riding, taught by Madam Hooch. This portion of the game and the Quidditch itself, offer a limited flight model and somewhat spotty controls. So the gameplay consists of running around and casting spells, occasionally dueling with troublesome characters like Draco Malfoy in a firecracker-throwing contest, avoiding crafty bean stealing Gnomes, Hagridﾒs little dragon friend, or the rampaging Mountain Troll, collecting colored magic beans, chocolate frogs, health replenishing stars, and Wizard Cards, meeting beloved characters, and occasionally flying around on a broomstick. There is no death here, only the prospect of Harry fainting and having to restart, but the game never poses a challenge. In place of challenge Harry Potter offers a certain variety and charm. It never lets you stay in one place, doing the same thing, for long. One minute youﾒre engaged in jumping puzzles, then youﾒre levitating giant statuary onto platforms, and then youﾒre riding a broom through fiery hoops, and then youﾒre sneaking past Filch and Mrs. Norris in the library under an invisibility cloak. Sadly, the game doesnﾒt feature voice acting from the movie, nor does it use any of the filmﾒs music. But EA did a surprisingly good job finding cheaper voice actors to imitate the film and kids will be hard-pressed to notice any difference at all. Some sound so accurate youﾒll suspect theyﾒre the real thing here, and simply uncredited. Special mention has to go to composer Jeremy Soule (Total Annihilation, Icewind Dale) who had the unenviable task of concocting music to imitate and replace John Williamsﾒs bombastic film score. His music is subtler and often fits the action better than in the film, particularly at the end of the game and during the Quidditch scene. The character models and levels do faithfully imitate the look of the film and the Unreal engine is used extremely well here. In fact some fans will delight in this game just to catch a glimpse of Hagridﾒs hut, wander the halls of Hogwarts, or have some new adventures with Harry, or to relive sequences in the book that didnﾒt even make it to the film. Sure, the paintings arenﾒt alive here, but special effects like that would require a much faster computer. Harry Potter and the Sorcererﾒs Stone wonﾒt please hardcore game fans, the cynical, or anyone wanting a real challenge. Instead has EA crafted a simple, playable, and satisfying game thatﾒs faithful to its subject matter and not just a quick cash-in, which is exactly what fan-obsessed kids (and their parents) will want after seeing the film for the 20th time. It should be noted that this is pretty much the same game as the earlier PS1 release. Theyﾒve just upped the graphics ante to make them feel new. Given Harryﾒs popularity, this is a brilliant move on EAﾒs part. Kid Factor Itﾒs Harry Potter. Itﾒs true to the books, true to the films, and challenging enough to keep youngsters (and their Muggle parents) occupied for hours. Plus, Harry faints instead of dying. Thatﾒs a potent combination thatﾒs easy to recommend.  Reviewerﾒs Recommended Ages: 7+ ESRB: E- Everyone Developer: Warthog Producer: Electronic Arts Discuss this review in our Forums! (No registration required) 
Often when a game company cashes in on a successful license, itﾒs done without any effort. The fans are there, ready to buy, so just churn out something passable, slap on the name and logo, and watch fore them to levitate off the shelves and the money pour in. And with J.K. Rowlingﾒs phenomenal ﾓHarry Potterﾔ book series, fanbase, and the support of a well-crafted and overwhelmingly marketed major motion picture, you know EA was well aware they had a license to conjure money here. Fortunately the game is remarkably solid and satisfying, if not brilliant or innovative. Itﾒs not for hardcore video game fans any more than the books are meant for fans of great and important literature. Itﾒll please the legion of children fans, and charm anyone new to gaming, and in truth thatﾒs all it has to do.
Kid Factor by Andrew Bub
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