Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

New in theaters and now on nearly every console available, join Harry Potter in his fourth adventure: The Goblet of Fire. Based on the Game Boy Advance mold, the DS version includes extra content that takes advantage of the system's unique capabilities. Help raise a magical creature and cast spells by drawing lines, circles and other shapes on the screen. Though the DS and GBA versions are similar in other respects, these bonuses will win over anyone who's got a DS. The larger, clearer screen is also a plus.

Before the developers could get into any of that they had to have a good base for their gameplay. Players get to choose who they want to control – Harry, Ron, or Hermione – at the start of each level. That's always cool, but what made it special is that each character has a short list of strengths and weaknesses. Harry excel in attacks and has an above average speed rating, but lacks a significant defense.

Ron, on the other hand, has a weak attack rating. His speed compensates, though you might find Potter easier to control during boss battles. Ron's defense is better than Potter's, which helps keep him alive until he's dealt enough attacks to win.

Hermione is the defense queen of the bunch. Her attack power is better than Ron's. As I'm sure you could guess, that means her speed rating stinks.

Character movement is very smooth. I liked the controls a lot more in this version than in the GBA version. Technically you only have eight ways that the directional pad can be utilized (up, down, left, right and all four corners). In an adventure like this eight degrees is satisfactory.

The backgrounds are two-dimensional but look very sharp. I'm impressed with the level design and the interesting puzzles that the developers came up with. Most of them revolve around the accessibility of a level. If you can't seem to pass a level or explore a certain part of it, chances are you have to solve a puzzle. These puzzles relate to navigation – your ability to get from point A to point B.

Solving puzzles means waving your magic wand. The stylus comes into play, but not yet. You'll cast the majority of your spells by pressing the A and B buttons. First-rung spells let you open chests, stun enemies, push them away from you, and levitate objects! Levitation is the most fun and most frequently exercised. Many of the puzzles require you to lift an object out of the way, or place an object in a slot or on top of a sturdy switch. The switch removes a gate; if the object was placed in a slot, you'll be able to climb on it to reach a higher area or use it as a platform to cross a dangerous path.

 
Team up with your in-game pals for three times the levitation power.

Game construction is a little like Zelda in that the levels are broken up into screens. In this case when I talk about multiple screens I'm referring to a shift from one part of the environment to the next. The bottom screen provides data; gameplay does not appear on the bottom of the screen except during 3D battles.

Back to the topic at hand, when you reach the end of one screen the camera stops moving. Walk off the screen wherever possible and the game moves into the next part of the environment. It's the same level the whole time, the screens merely represent different portions of it.

There are 2D boss battles and several mini-bosses to take down, but I'm sure most of you will anxiously wait for what the game calls 3D Magical Encounters. These encounters are much more graphically complex than everything you'll see in the game. As the monster gets ready to attack it's up to you to wield your stylus and create the proper defense. You might have to draw a circle on the screen to get a shield to appear, blocking incoming attacks. The shield is unstable and will disappear if its size maximum size is exceeded, leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione vulnerable to attacks.

To attack you can choose to follow a spontaneous path, draw a set path (copy whatever image is displayed), or touch specific parts of the screen. These increase in difficulty with every stage. The paths become harder to draw, and the spell icons are harder to touch. The game is good at detecting flaws and will pick up some mistakes, though like most titles it ignore major ones. Part of the challenge is being able to react quickly, whether it's a button that has to be pressed or a stylus and a touch screen.

This 3D encounter is so…magical!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire surprised me at every turn. The gameplay, the level design, the memorable music and clear sound – every piece necessary to build a great game is here. Don’t miss it.

Gameplay: 8.1
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a highly entertaining puzzle-solving adventure. The smooth controls and enjoyable levels complement the magic system. There’s nothing more fun than levitating objects – except for levitating enemies! Boss battles are fairly difficult, but even the easier ones are fun. This is a rare exception for me. I don’t usually enjoy games that don’t have at least one insanely challenging aspect. But good is good. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is, as Mario would say, “Just what I needed!”

Graphics: 7.0
The 3D touch-screen battles are dark and gloomy (in a good way). Initially you’ll be impressed by the colorful spells and multiple camera angles. Though I’m glad the developers chose to go with an isometric view for this game, it unfortunately means that most of the gameplay visuals are on the same level as a Game Boy Advance game.  

Sound: 8.5
If this music didn’t come from the film then EA might have finally found someone that can flawlessly bring the sound of a movie to a game. These powerfully written compositions have that special, magical sound that we associate with the series. They’re some of the best heard in a Harry Potter game, and thanks to the Nintendo DS’s high-quality audio, every note comes out clear.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
This isn’t the most challenging game on the planet, however, it is a bit more difficult than the average DS release. Most of you will think it’s easy, but there are a few points in the game where you’ll step back and say, “I didn’t see that coming!” Nothing too extreme, and certainly not something that kids can’t handle.

Concept: 7.5
The touch-screen features are fun but fail to introduce anything new to the platform. Overlap (games with similar mechanics/features) is inevitable on any console. In the end, however, the developers came through with an entertaining game that will satisfy the needs of Harry Potter fans everywhere.

Multiplayer: 6.0
Not too impressive. The mini games are rather simplistic and play nothing like the single-player game. I wasn’t overly enthused by the creature-raising feature either. Thankfully those are optional.

Overall: 8.0
Isometric view, third-person-quality gameplay. The eight-way direction of the controls are much smoother than other comparable titles. Players will be able to jump into this game with zero hassle. There are times when the level layout and unchangeable camera interfere and make it hard to pick up an item or pass through an area. This nuisance – as well as any other you encounter – is a trait of isometric adventures and should not deter fans from playing a game that’s great first and a licensed property second. If you have a DS, make sure this game’s added to your “games-to-play” list.