"This game... eh... *yawns* right..."

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone... we all know that title, don't we? The book, the movie, the toys, the actors, the author of the books, the games- the games. This game, the first Harry Potter game, pretty much disappointed me. Now, I got this on Christmas Eve, and I didn't ask for it, but I got it with my GBA. (Note: I had this game ONLY, besides my GBC games, for one year before I got a new GBA game. *sleeps*) So I started playing...

Graphics: 9/10
I have to give the creators of the game credit for the graphics. While it still does look pretty animated, it looks a little lifelike - a LITTLE lifelike. Only when you see the teachers' faces does it seem lifelike, to me. Of course, going through the Forbidden Forest, seeing Lord Voldemort - that's when the graphics get good, when they start to narrate the scene. After that, however, it goes back to normal. And, in my opinion, Ron does not look too well. The starting screen looks okay, too.

Sound: 3/10
The music is horrible, in my opinion. You know while playing Quidditch, you expect to get some really action-packed music, Zelda-style? Not here. The music is not memorable like Zelda's, or Mario's, or even Final Fantasy's, but it's crap. I only gave it this score because of the grounds music. And when you get to the final level with Voldemort, the music does not match the mood. It just sucks, simple as that.

Challenge: 6/10
The challenge is pretty good, especially when you have to avoid the prefects while trying to get to Malfoy at night. I sucked at it so badly I lost all of my 365 house points. >_> Aannywaaay... Like I said, it's pretty good. Especially in the Forbidden Forest; you die once, you go WAY back. But the puzzles I didn't care for much. They were too easy, I only found two things challenging: the Forbidden Forest and getting to Malfoy at night. Other than that, the game is very easy.

Gameplay Value: 2/10
I did not like the storyline much: it followed the movie, but didn't follow the movie. Don't you just hate oxymorons? Anyway... Most of the game followed the movie, like going into the forest, facing off against Voldemort, that stuff, but not following the movie, like going across bottomless chasms in the school, and running around some small, Quidditch learning area... it doesn't do too well. Better luck next time, Mr. Potter...

Options: 10/10
Very nice options. There's a nice, challenging Quidditch control option, which can be very hard to master. Also, there's MANY languages to choose from, not just Japanese and English, if any at all. Sound options, and three save files - that's good - control options, language options, you name it, they must have it. Good job here.

Replay Value: 0/10
Replay value? What? What replay value? You defeat Voldemort and you're stuck there every time you start up that file! Replay value?! Hah!

Fun Factor: 2/10
I did NOT enjoy this game at all. I got it Christmas Eve, 2001, and beat it in three hours at 11:00 PM that night. The longitivity sucks, the sound sucks, the replay value sucks, basically the options dominated in this game, and that's not saying much - it's the OPTIONS! Do NOT get this game unless you're a collector or an EXTREMELY die-hard Harry Potter fan. I'm warning you.

Overall Points: 4.5/10
Overall Grade: 45% - F

Final Word
This game sucks, BADLY. I'm warning you: if you get this game, you wasted some good money if you bought it. Throw it in the trash. Put it away. Hide it in your closet, this game is crap. And in case some of you geniuses out there haven't noticed already, this was my review, a.k.a. MY OPINION. I don't care what anyone else thinks, I just know that this game is a piece of crap and you should NEVER, EVER play it unless you seriously are into Harry Potter. That's my say, I'm out.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 05/19/03, Updated 05/19/03