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You get a C for trying, Mr. Potter
posted by JCDenton (FREEDOM, NH) Jan 26, 2009
Member since Mar 2006
1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful
It's his second year at Hogwarts and Harry Potter is in mortal danger... again.
Having just played Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I can see inherent improvements in Chamber of Secrets. But strangely, the game loses some of the appeal of the first. It's an odd case of two steps forward and one step back.
For instance, many of the simple actions have been streamlined and improved. It no longer takes all day to open doors or chests; spells are cast quicker; repetitive dialog has been removed. This, along with improved visuals, makes the presentation much better than the previous game.
However, streamlining can sometimes go awry. Dungeons are far shorter, mostly because collecting shields for better grades has been dropped. It's too bad, because finding shields encouraged players to really explore and return to these levels. But exploration has been cut across the game. On the grounds of Hogwarts, you just move in the direction of Quiddich, the forest, greenhouse, etc. and you'll jump to that area. Forget exploring the fields and ramparts, because you can't. You have a broomstick, but can only land at two locations.
Other things just leave you scratching your head. For instance, ghosts could be eliminated in Sorcerer's Stone, but they're invincible here. The controls have problems determining if you want to run or walk, making jumping imprecise and leaving a wall hug potentially fatal. While you collect beans, every time you get hit, several scatter which makes it difficult to keep any at all (especially with those super ghosts).
So, the game feels better with pacing and presentation, definitely more solid overall. But, by the same token, it loses play time and adventure elements I liked in the first game. So, Mr. Potter gets the same grade this year.
Mind you, I'm still enthusiastic to see what the other installments have in store.
Having just played Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I can see inherent improvements in Chamber of Secrets. But strangely, the game loses some of the appeal of the first. It's an odd case of two steps forward and one step back.
For instance, many of the simple actions have been streamlined and improved. It no longer takes all day to open doors or chests; spells are cast quicker; repetitive dialog has been removed. This, along with improved visuals, makes the presentation much better than the previous game.
However, streamlining can sometimes go awry. Dungeons are far shorter, mostly because collecting shields for better grades has been dropped. It's too bad, because finding shields encouraged players to really explore and return to these levels. But exploration has been cut across the game. On the grounds of Hogwarts, you just move in the direction of Quiddich, the forest, greenhouse, etc. and you'll jump to that area. Forget exploring the fields and ramparts, because you can't. You have a broomstick, but can only land at two locations.
Other things just leave you scratching your head. For instance, ghosts could be eliminated in Sorcerer's Stone, but they're invincible here. The controls have problems determining if you want to run or walk, making jumping imprecise and leaving a wall hug potentially fatal. While you collect beans, every time you get hit, several scatter which makes it difficult to keep any at all (especially with those super ghosts).
So, the game feels better with pacing and presentation, definitely more solid overall. But, by the same token, it loses play time and adventure elements I liked in the first game. So, Mr. Potter gets the same grade this year.
Mind you, I'm still enthusiastic to see what the other installments have in store.
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