GENRE
	Adventure
	DEVELOPER
	Warthog
	PUBLISHER
	EA
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
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I’m new to Harry Potter, which means I refused to read the books until last Thanksgiving, when I read the first four. All the resistance was for nothing. I ended up liking the host of plot twists, English wit, and bizarre puns… I mean spells. Sure, some of it doesn’t make any sense. I mean, if there is an ancient wizard culture with its own laws and mores, why do they celebrate Christmas? Shouldn’t they have some of their own holidays? And why do the kids keep eating every flavor beans when so many of the flavors are wretched? I can’t imagine a company, even in the wizard world, making a profit selling such a sketchy product. But I digress...

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, a videogame adaptation of J.K. Rowling's first novel, by Electronic Arts is, strangely, a follow-up to last year’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, an adaptation of the second book in the series. Since the Chamber of Secrets was timed for release with the second movie, EA leap-frogged the first book. The Sorcerer’s Stone came about because they have decided to go back and release a game, using the same engine as Chamber of Secrets, that fills in the story to those who play the game but don’t read the books and to give fans of the series a chance to play through year one at Hogwarts, retold to fit the videogame medium. If it seems like a useless game born in a boardroom, well it is, sort of. But, fortunately, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is an okay game that fills a niche, right above craptastic and below goodness.

visuals

The graphics in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone are mediocre. The game features more jaggies than I have ever seen before in a GameCube game. There is a lot of shaking in the environment whenever you run around. The camera is terrible, and often becomes trapped when you turn a corner. This makes it difficult to complete some puzzles in the game as the camera reset button doesn’t help the majority of the time. Even if you tell the camera to snap behind you, it can still get stuck or it can zoom in too close to Harry and obscure your view. There is no 16x9 or progressive scan support.

audio

There are tons of voice samples in this game. Every line of text is spoken, give or take a few useless ones. There is more speech in this game than in Chamber of Secrets, one of the few categories where The Sorcerer’s Stone exceeds the sequel, err… prequel. Harry and the other students at the school all jabber on in clever English accents. The accent scores extra points with me wherever it’s found. John Williams didn’t provide the music for the game like he did for the movies. This means the music doesn’t have a full orchestral sound and you won’t feel like watching Star Wars or Jaws when you turn the game off. I liked the music though. It wasn’t overwhelming and fit the atmosphere of the Harry Potter world.

gameplay

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is another Zelda clone. The main difference is you have to get new spells instead of new weapons. Otherwise, the progression, puzzles, auto-jumping and secrets all fit the Zelda mold. The biggest problem with The Sorcerer’s Stone is with the physics engine. You will be trapped in walls, bushes, and certain corners at different points in the game. Sometimes you can get free, but most times, you’ll have to save your game, restart, and hope you aren’t screwed.

The game takes place over a matter of days where you attend classes, defeat monsters, and learn new spells. While not in class, you are free to explore Hogwarts in order to find secret passages or complete side fetch-quests. You collect every flavor beans, the currency of Hogwarts, and wizard cards, which tell the story of famous witches and wizards throughout history. Nothing in the game is new, nor is it terribly well executed. Overall Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is a challenging diversion you can easily beat, as long as you don’t end up trapped in a wall.

multiplayer

N/A

overall

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone isn’t groundbreaking, original, or challenging. Assuming you can avoid becoming a part of the wall, the game can be beaten in about ten hours. This game is for the Harry Potter faithful. The game, with its remixed story line, random objectives, and Zelda-esque gameplay isn’t enough to keep newcomers to the series interested. That’s not to say that it’s bad. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the plot elements in the game, but it was all a rehash of Chamber of Secrets. If you’re a big Harry Potter fan, you likely will play this game no matter what I say. If you’re not a fan and want to get into the series, read the book. Sure, the game can be found for $20 to $30, but there are better places to spend your money.

6.1/10