Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

"Definitely NOT my goblet of tea"

Like many others, I'm a Harry Potter fan and my first Harry Potter game was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (PC). This was before I bought a Playstation 2.
When I bought a Playstation 2 and got wind of the fourth Harry Potter game, I eagerly awaited the release.

Sadly, I was disappointed. Playing the third game gave me the idea of which format they normally use for the other games in the series - free roaming. You get the opportunity to roam the magical castle of Hogwarts, take part in lessons and sidequests that lead to rewards in the form of treats and sweets to trade for trading cards and various other rewards, such as portrait passwords.

When I played Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and saw the new format, I was disappointed.

They've replaced free roaming with levels. You start at the first level and move on to the second. Beginning from the second level, you must collect enough shields in order to move on to the next level and advance the story. Unless you're using a guide to help you with the game (I didn't), in your rush to get through the damn level and get away from the freaking annoying creatures jumping out at you, you'll definitely miss a lot of the shields and will find yourself being forced to return to the level again and again to obtain the required amount of shields, being forced to check every likely corner for a missed puzzle that would have led to one of the missed shields.

If it's already starting to sound lame to you, I don't blame you for it.

What's greatly missed in this game is that you ABSOLUTELY CANNOT explore Hogwarts castle.

I know. Read it and weep. All those previous Harry Potter games where you can choose to explore Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, have your fun casting at random objects that can be casted at, talking to random people and sometimes to trade trading cards, and sometimes even learning a tidbit or two. All those Harry Potter games, that let you roam around the castle to your heart's content, let you do what you like before you feel like advancing the story, let you go to Fred and George's shop to trade your Every Flavoured Beans, Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkin Pasties for portrait passwords and trading cards. That let you accept sidequests and earn more rewards. It may eventually get boring after you've discovered everything in the castle, but changing the format from free-roaming to platforming has just made it even more boring and repetitive too.

It's Disapparated. Someone's cast a Vanishing Spell on it. "Evanesco!" It's gone. It isn't there in the fourth game.

If you are the type who enjoys platforming and returning to previous locations again and again, searching every corner for shields so that you can pass on to the next stage, then yes, this is good for you, but many prefer free-roaming.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is not a very difficult game (although I did find the battle with Voldemort in the graveyard a tint frustrating - same goes to the 3rd Triwizard task) . It's difficulty is along the same lines as the previous games.

The spells? I admit, the spells have improved. It is easier and has more variety, and now have better after-spell special effects (the jinxes in particular). So this is one thing I like about it. They've also added the Magicus Extremos mode, where Harry, Ron and Hermione's powers become stronger, therefore making things easier but only for a short while.

The story? There's barely any story in this game. If you want the story, buy the book and read it, or at least watch the movie, because this game does not get a high score for story. I'm talking about the in-game story, not the actual Harry Potter story (which is awesomely addicting).

The graphics have also improved, and have become more smooth and less blocky than the previous games. The characters now look quite a bit more like their real human selves.

The music is, as always, good.

The controls are easy to master.

Replayability? I haven't even THOUGHT of replaying this game ever since I finished it - over a year ago. It's just too tedious and repetitive for one to actually enjoy replaying it.


As a conclusion - for those faithful Harry Potter fans who have played the previous Harry Potter games and know full well how much freedom you were allowed, and if you liked all that freedom, you will be sorely disappointed with this game, because it does not offer much in way of exploration, interaction with other characters and discovering secrets. You will hardly find yourself within Hogwart's walls, and even when you are, you will not be able to enjoy it in the way you'd like to.The spells and special effects may be better, the graphics are better, but they ruined what would have been an otherwise good game by changing the original concept.
What really brings it down for me is the fact they took away the freedom.
In other words : a huge let down.

Gameplay : 3.5/10
Graphics : 7/10
Music : 8/10
Controls : 7/10
Replayability : 2/10

Rent or Buy? The game is short, boring, repetitive, tedious - I say Rent.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 08/20/08

Game Release: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (US, 11/08/05)