Game #1312: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone(Playstation 2)

 The sequel's prequel. 

 There's something quirky about Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on PS2... namely how it actually released after Chamber of Secrets. Yeah, it's an asset recycling job as they waited for Prisoner of Azkaban. It's also quite expensive.

 This game sticks closer to the movies than previous games, but character models have a decidedly cartoony look that doesn't look half bad. It also sticks closer to the actual plot of the movie than previous games, while still keeping some key sections from the game incarnations of The Sorcerer's Stone, such as gathering ingredients for Snape's potion.

 The game is divided into days and nights, but it does very little, as you are free to explore Hogwarts as your leisure, provided you have the right spells. It's incredibly easy to just get lost exploring around, and you'll inevitably come across obstacles that you just can't clear until you progress through the plot and get the necessary spell. Besides spells, about two thirds into the game you'll get your broomstick, and you'll be able to fly around Hogwarts. Honestly, there's not much stuff to do outside the castle, but flying is decent and it's a neat addition to the game. 

 Exploration is more important in this game than in any other, since all the collectible wizard and witches cards actually amount to extensions to your life bar, so you'd better get exploring. That said, about the only bits I didn't enjoy was finding Snape's ingredients. I wasn't quite sure that every ingredient was in the same area, and the game expects you to go at some point before the second and third Potions class, but since the game directs you towards the first ingredient... I thought it'd be part of the plot and not something you needed to progress but had to be done at your pace.

 The game is a bit like Zelda in that you get three item slots, mapped to Square, Triangle and Circle, and you have to shuffle your spells and items to those buttons. You'll probably have to visit the menus quite frequently, but there's zero load times, so it's not too bad.

 Using your spells to solve puzzles is how you'll deal with 90% of the game, but there is combat involved... it simply isn't very good. Stuff you have to Flipendo is easy enough, but it's ghosts and using Lumos that actually is a pain in the rear. There was nothing I hated more than having to face ghosts, and it's even worse when it comes to ghost dogs. It's as if the collision detection for Lumos doesn't work very well, and ghosts often times will hit you as you hope that the light cone in front of you harms them. Battling Plants, that require using Divindo and Incendio can also be a bit of a hassle, but not as annoying as ghosts.

 Flying is far from perfect but it's the best it has been yet. The first chase against Malfoy was honestly quite exciting, since it's done all around Hogwarts, and the sense of scale and speed was quite impressive.

 Well, as far as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone goes, this one gets the exploration the best. Exploring Hogwarts is fun and using spells to solve puzzles felt quite fitting. Sadly, the combat ranges from annoying to dull, which sucks considering how much battling there actually is in the game. As it stands, I'd say the PS1 game was the one I enjoyed the most, since it did everything well enough, as opposed to this one which excels in one area but did a blunder in another. 

 7.0