Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Score: 70% ESRB: Everyone 10+ Publisher: EA Games Developer: EA Europe Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 3 Genre: Action/ Adventure
Graphics & Sound: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is yet another massive gameplay change and devolution of the Harry Potter series of games. While the production values have certainly increased, the gameplay found within is lackluster at best and manages to remove any traces that made past Potter games any fun. Just as the gameplay of the series has evolved, so has the series' presentation. Goblet of Fire sports the much older look of Prisoner of Azkaban rather than the child-like approach taken in the first two games. The game is also much darker to go along with the tone of the book as well as the movie. In fact, its not until after you see the movie that you really appreciate some of the details that go into making the game look as close to the movie as possible. For example, nearly every time you venture outside of Hogwarts, it's raining – as it is in most of the cutaway shots in the movie. Then again, maybe the rain effect just looked cool and I’m reading into things a little too deeply. Back to graphics, Goblet of Fire is easily the best looking game in the series. All of the characters look exactly as they do in the movie and the game even features voice work from the game’s three young stars who will shout out quips to each other. You’ll also hear the voice of Mad-Eye Moody throughout the game, whose presence adds a bit to the game’s Gauntlet-esque feel by taking the place of “The Voice”…
Gameplay: This year's game finds Hogwarts swept up in the excitement of the Triwizard Tournament, a competition that pits chosen champions in three competitions that test their wizarding skills to the limit. While in past years only three champions were chosen, somehow Harry's name comes from the Goblet of Fire, making him the fourth champion. Beyond the initial setup, Goblet of Fire's story is virtually non-existent and what few story sequences that pop up are poorly explained and feel out of place with the story. It is readily apparent that, unlike past games in the series that took time to tell the entire story and drew on the book and movie, the developers already assume you already know the story and stick mainly to the events in the movie. As a result, the game feels disjoined and hollow. EA's series of Harry Potter games has seen a series of drastic changes over the last few years. The series began as an engaging Zelda-like adventure in the first two games, evolving to an action-puzzler in Prisoner of Azkaban then to Goblet of Fire's action oriented Gauntlet-styled gameplay. With each change has also come a downgrade in complexity. Goblet of Fire is first and foremost an action game with a few minor puzzle elements thrown in. As with the last game, emphasis is still placed on teamwork between the three young wizards, though the aspect isn't as strong this time around, since all three share the same abilities rather than each having their own strengths that contribute to the team's success. One of the few additions to the series is the co-op multiplayer that supports up to three players. Taking a cue from Lego Star Wars' "jump-in" gameplay style, other players can join in anytime during a mission and start playing as one of the other two A.I.-controlled characters. And, if a person has to leave suddenly, that person can simply drop out of the game just as quickly as they joined and let other players continue. This element makes Goblet of Fire a fun family game since siblings (and parents) can jump in at anytime, even if it's just to help a younger player with a boss fight or section they may find difficult. The only downside is that multiplayer is only offered in sections where all three characters are active, leaving the three Triwizard tasks to the person playing as Harry. Collectable Cards are another useful addition. Cards, which must be found or purchased, can be equipped between levels and grant stat boosts, adding just a tinge of customization. Some cards will also grant special teamwork abilities. Some, like Quest and Creature cards, can be equipped to any character while others can only be used by certain characters. The latter of these don't present that much of a difference though since all character specific cards provide similar results.
Difficulty: Story is only one of the Goblet of Fire's scarcities; the other is instructions. Granted, the game isn't all that complex to begin with, but there is a noticeable lack of instructions present that makes some objectives, especially the challenge areas, confusing. The game does a great job of telling you the basics, but outside of that, you're pretty much left on your own trying to figure out what spells combos produce which results. And, don't think that the flimsy manual will explain much in-depth either. Older gamers won't find the lack of instructions all that much of a hindrance, but I know a few younger gamers who would. Even without having everything explained, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is very easy and can be completed in only a few hours. Even the more difficult areas later in the game are fairly easy. Any problems you do come across will usually be the result of some technical glitch, such as teammate A.I. that has a really hard time keeping up with what's going on. I found myself having to retrace steps multiple times in order to coax the A.I. into following me to some objective or another.
Game Mechanics: On the topic of spells, Goblet of Fire presents the most scaled back and random set of spells in any Potter game to date. Spells are broken up into two major types: charms and jinxes. Both spell types are assigned to two context-sensitive button presses. Charms are your puzzle-solving tools and allow you to mainly move objects and put out fires. These spells are also where your main teamwork elements come into play since some tasks are too much for one wizard to handle alone. You have no control over which charms you can use; instead it is all based on where you are in relation to other things. The problems that arise with this setup should be rather obvious. There are numerous times during gameplay that you'll want to perform one action and have the game decide you want to do another. This becomes increasingly annoying while in confined spaces, especially when you're having to fight enemies while trying to move a log or put out a fire pit (where the enemies are coming from in the first place). Jinxes, on the other hand, are your main offensive spells and where the randomness comes into play. A solid number of jinxes are included, though you'd be hard pressed to use them when you needed them since they, like charms, are mostly context based and seem to happen almost at random. Which spells you cast are based on what the other two characters are casting and in what sequence the spells hit. Hitting an enemy with Wingardium Leviosa followed by a jinx will produce any number of results, from a giant whirlwind picking up an enemy to a powerful blast that tears them apart. As you can imagine, the system works much better when playing with other people rather than relying on the A.I., especially during challenge sequences where you're required to cast so many of a certain spell type in a set amount of time. Even with the added "depth" of sequential spellcasting, combat is pretty basic. There are a number of cool little ways you can dispatch enemies (like dropping boulders on them or levitating them off the sides of cliffs), but you'll spend most of your time just wailing away on whatever enemies come your way with jinxes. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is an average action game at best. As someone who has played all of the Potter games, I found Goblet of Fire to be the most disappointing of the four due to its emphasis on action; a trait that, at least in my opinion, makes the game feel like just another action game. Then again, there are sure to be people out there who will enjoy the slant towards fast-paced action. There's certainly a lot of fun to be had with the game, especially if you have two people to play with, but even that fun is fleeting. If anything else, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a great rental for those who come out of the theater fired up for more Potter action.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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