REVIEW - LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- Written by John Harless |
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Have you ever wished you could be Harry Potter? Ever dreamed of being in a world made of LEGOS? Well if your anything like me you have done both, and with LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 that dream can finally become reality. Lego Harry Potter will take you on an adventure of a lifetime starting out at Harry’s home on Privet drive and onto a wild and wacky adventure through Harry’s first four years at Hogwarts. This game gives you a firsthand look into the world of Harry Potter through the magical world of LEGO.
In LEGO Harry Potter you will be thrust into the world of wizards and witches. The game gets its basis from J.K. Rowling’s popular Harry Potter series, but follows more along the lines of the movies then it does the books. On your journey through your first four years at Hogwarts you will meet up with some familiar faces. Ron, Hermine, Malfoy, Hagrid and many more of your favorite characters are included throughout the storyline. Each character brings a new aspect to the game; Ron and Hermine both come with their trusty pets, Scabbars and Crookshank. Both of which are very useful in solving some of the game’s puzzles. The game offers up the good ole typical LEGO game style of play we are used to from Tt Games. Lots of block smashing, puzzle solving and collecting will keep you busy for hours on end. |
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Whether you are playing alone or with a friend in split screen co-op mode this game is just plain fun. But then again, pretty much every LEGO branded game has been fun, so this should be expected. As you make your way through each school year most of your time will be spend on the grounds of Hogwarts. As you progress through the game, you will open up new areas to explore and new challenges to conquer. As Harry and his friends make their way through Hogwarts year after year, they must attend class in order to obtain new spells.
Once you have completed a level you may think that’s it, well if you have played LEGO games before then you know that there is so much more to do. You can go back and replay any level in Free Play mode. For those unfamiliar, Free Play allows you to openly play a level but you can pick from any of the characters you have unlocked through your adventure. While using these unlocked characters you will also be able to use their spells, some of which you may not currently have access to, to unlock new areas within each level. Areas that were inaccessible when you came across them while playing through story mode can now be accessed in Free Play when using the proper character. |
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If you are tired of playing through the levels in the game and want to take a breather check out Diagon Alley. All your Lego studs that you have been collecting can be spent here for new costumes, characters and many other interesting items. Also available are bonus games that can be unlocked. This can be done by unlocking and finding the golden brick. Each bonus game is a unique level containing a puzzle to solve in order to obtain yet another golden block. Remember the more golden blocks you get the more bonus games you can play. The bonus games can be found deep in the caverns of Gringotts Bank. Alongside the bonus levels there is a level creator in which you can build your own levels. With the completion of each level creator mini game you unlock more items to be used in the level creator.
This game looks great. The world may be constructed of Lego blocks but somehow they managed to still bring a beautiful representation of what fans have come to love about the world of Harry Potter. Cut scenes in this game are great and they really make you feel like you are in the game and part of the story. Tt Games has once again done an outstanding job recreating a movie and storyline and placing it into the LEGO universe.
The soundtrack for this game is wonderful as well. Each spell has its own unique sound as well as items you blow up while casting at them. Whether it is Hagrid screeching to a stop on his bike or one of the many bubbling cauldrons in potions class all of the sounds just flow together perfectly and don’t sound out of place. As key parts of the game are played through you may recognize the music in the background. It is the original music from the movie soundtracks. |
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I know there are plenty of people out there that that will blast through this game then never pick it up again. But I would strongly suggest playing through a couple times. With all the secrets that are hiding in this game ranging from students in peril to the golden blocks it would be impossible to complete the game 100% in just one run through the game. In fact, that’s what the Free Play mode is for because some areas are not accessible in story mode as I mentioned earlier. While there is no online multiplayer in this game there is a split screen co-op. I wish the game would have included online co-op but alas it does not. While the game is great alone, what is not more fun when you add a friend? There are a few camera angle issues that occur at times during split screen mode but I found that to be easily overlooked. Just tell your buddy to don’t run ahead or doddle behind.
For fans of Harry Potter or just fans of the LEGO library of games, this is a game that will continue to bring smiles to your face no matter how many times you play through it. Plus it is not only fun for the adults and teens, with an ESRB rating of E for Everyone even the kids can get in on the action. The only suggestions I would make is for online co-op gaming as I mentioned. I totally recommend the game to any Harry Potter fan or any LEGO game fan. Tt Games has knocked yet another one out of the park and you can stamp instant classic on this title now. |
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SUGGESTIONS |
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Online Co-op is really the only suggestion I could possibly think to give for this game. The fact that it is not online for 2 friends to play is why this did not score in the 90's for me. |
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Release Date
6/29/2010
Publisher
Warner Home Video Games
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OVERALL |
89 |
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GAMEPLAY |
88 |
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SOUND |
89 |
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GRAPHICS |
87 |
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REPLAY VALUE |
90 |
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