Game #1317: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets(Gameboy Color)

 Somebody put Harry Potter into a JRPG again!

 The first Harry Potter game on the Gameboy Color was, of all things, a JRPG, and while the console was on its way out by the time the second movie came out... they managed to churn yet another JRPG on the GBC with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

 For all intents and purposes, the game is exactly like the previous one, but with a new plot and better graphics. Levelling up spells by using them repeatedly is still a thing, the weird Hogwarts architecture remains, Harry trips at Gringotts once again, and the quirky sense of humor returns. Finding collectible Wizards and Witches cards returns, and you can still combine them for special effects... with the added benefit of now being allowed to see what each combination does.

 The plot flows a bit better than before, that's for sure, and it helps that the game has better sprites than the previous game. They also added Hermione and Ron as playable party members, but they don't join permanently, instead, they join in and out of the party as the plot mandates. Each character has their own unique ability, Harry can combine cards, Hermione can perform lectures and Ron can use Scabbers, and up to what level each one can improve each spell is also different. Since Ron breaks his wand at the start of the game, there's a small chance that his spells will backfire in battle!

 The game is not a huge step up from its predecessor, but it's certainly better. The plot is slightly more faithful while still keeping some of its more off-brand elements that made the original charming. Other enhancements, such as more party members, are more friendly UI and prettier graphics makes it more enjoyable too!

 5.5 

Game #1316: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets(Playstation 1)

 Can you keep a secret?

 Philosopher's Stone one PS1 was pretty good, surprisingly so considering it was a licensed game, and as luck would have it, the sequel Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets received a PS1 iteration too.

 Sadly, this one isn't as weird as the previous game, but it still has its trippy moments, like the Floo Powder sequence being a downward slant-type section, or the hilarious sequence when Harry discovers Malfoy is the new seeker, which goes as follows:
Ron: "I heard Slytherin's got a new seeker."
Hermione: "I wonder who it could be?"
Malfoy, out of nowhere: "IT IS ME!"
 Still, definitely not as weird as the original game. As for the plot, it's alright... Harry talks in this one! That said, while the original used gorgeous hand-drawn art during certain cutscenes, this one uses ugly stills from the main console game, which is a bit of a step-down.

 At it's core, the game is identical to the original but with a different plot. That's not altogether a bad thing considering the original was already a pretty entertaining adventure game. In this one, the annoying Incendio spell is gone, thankfully, but the game still has plenty of button pushing minigames. as a matter of fact, the game might have a few too many first-person gallery shooting sections. On the flip side, secret rooms return, but they often include challenges to overcome unlike the original.

 Speaking to how similar the game was to the original... while the plot is new, the puzzles are different and even the framerate seems smoother... sometimes, it feels like to much of a retread. The game even recycles the rhythm button-pushing minigames to learn spells and how to make potions, and even reuses the Diagon Alley box-hunting mini-game and, much like the first one, has a single sort-of annoying stealth segment.

 Not everything is recycled, however, as this game introduces Dueling... and it's actually sorta fun. It takes place in third person, as you and a rival shoot Flipendos at each other. Get the enemy to hit a special object, or hit one on the enemy's side of the screen, and a special Jinx will pop out that you, or the enemy, can the use in battle. It's a bit gimmicky, but it was fun.

 Chamber of Secrets is more of the same, but a bit more polished and a bit tamer, making for an ever so slightly better game than the original. Regardless, you can't go wrong with either of them. 

 7.0

Game #1315: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets(Gameboy Advance)

 It's a secret to everybody. 

 I was actually planning on starting with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on Gameboy Color, but the battery was dead, kaput, gone.... which is something I solved this very day, regardless, that forced my hand, I had to start with the Gameboy Advance version.

 First impressions were bad, now the game uses an isometrical perspective, and I'm not gonna lie, Harry's new sprite looked too large and dorky, which at first, made me feel as if the game was jankier that the original. It's not, it really isn't. The game plays really well, platforming is kept to a minimum, and what little there is, it's not too bad, considering it's an isometrical game.

 The game is similar to the PS2 version of Philosopher's Stone, as it has some clearly defined dungeons to explore. If anything, they might be a tad too long, which is a negative when save points are sparse. As you go through the game you'll obtain 6 different spells that can be used to explore Hogwarts, as there's a bunch of secrets and goodies you won't have access to from the get go. And exploration is encouraged, since you can increase your maximum health by finding chocolate frog candies. Just as with the previous game there's sneaking and... it's still not very good. Yeah, I didn't enjoy it. It's ironic, 'cause Harry owns an invisibility cape, but in this game it's a rare timed power up. I hate stealth in videogames, what can I say. That aside, the exploration is pretty entertaining and the combat is passable.

 The Quidditch mini-game is the worst yet, the timing for catching the Snitch is all borked up it's not even funny. Catching the Snitch mini-game wasn't half bad in every port I tried of Philosopher's Stone, why this one is so bad is beyond me. The map isn't as useful as it used to be, sure, X marks the spot... as long as you are in the right section, you have no local map, you can only access the map of the zone you are in. At first cycling through items and spells was a bit of a pain, since I had to return to the pause menu, but you can quickly cycle through them by holding down select and pressing the appropriate button.

 While I enjoyed hunting for secrets and what not... Alohamora is just mean. This spell is the only spell you don't automatically obtain as you go through the game, instead you have to randomly press the action button next to a seemingly innocuous wall to produce a lever and find the last item you need to unlock it. I only found it after I looked it up online and had already beaten the game, so while I toyed around with it, finding some of the goodies I missed... I wasn't too invested, since I had already beaten the game.

 Chamber of Secrets on the Gameboy Advance was a pretty decent time. In some ways, it managed to bring the fantastic exploration factor from the console games into the handheld, while not being as tedious as the previous take on the Advance. It was quite decent, despite some minor flaws. This new take on Quidditch can burn in hell for all I care though.

 6.0

Game #1314: Huntdown

 It's open season again, the game this time are punks.

 I won't lie, I didn't much care about Huntdown, it seemed like a less interesting Blazing Chrome, but boy was I wrong. This is a side-scrolling 2-D action shooter in which you play as any of three punks as you set out to hunt down targets in a very 80's themed cyber-punk world. And it's glorious.

 The aesthetics is easily one of the highpoints of the game, the pixel-work in this game is fantastic, it's not very detailed, but the streets and cityscapes you feel dark and dank, and it captures the 80's aesthetics perfectly. The character designs are top-notch too, you are out to hunt punks from four different 'tribes', and they look ripped straight out of Mad Max or Hokuto no Ken. As for the art itself, it felt very nostalgic, as if it was an older pixel-based PC game. Add to this a very fitting soundtrack, and the game is completely voice acted too!

 The game can be played in two different ways: Arcade and Story. Arcade is a much tougher take on the game, more linear and with no cutscenes. I gave Arcade a try first and I got wrecked, so I played Story Mode on Easy. And even on easy it had its challenging moments. Afterwards, I gave Normal a try... and it was definitely easier than Arcade mode, for instance, Arcade Mode only grants you three hit points, as opposed to Easy and Normal's five. My advice? Try the Story on Normal and attempt Arcade mode later.

 The game lets you play as three different characters that can run, jump, slide and take cover. Each character has armed with their own basic gun and alternate weapon. Mow Man has a very weak, but rapid firing gun, Anna Conda has a gun that fires in three-bullet bursts and Jack gets the slowest gun... but the strongest. Their alternate weapon runs on cooldown, and they each get their own unique twist on it. Anna gets a tomahawk that travels in an arc, John gets a boomerang that can hit twice while Mowman gets some incredibly strong Kunai. Needless to say, there's some definite replay value thanks to how different each character is. That said, everyone can pick up every weapon they come across, such as shotguns, uzis and what not, and those behave the same for everyone.

 There are about 20 different stages, and they are very brief and end on a boss. Boss are amazing, for the most part, all of them feel very unique, some have different phases, some have an armor you have to get through first, some have a single health bar, etc. No two bosses are alike, and I think there was a single boss fight I didn't enjoy. The stages blur a bit together a bit more, but the world of Huntdown is quite pretty, so I didn't mind it too much. All in all, it should last about 3-4 hours, less if you are good at these games.

 Huntdown was a surprising treat I honestly wasn't expecting. It's a load of fun, both in how satisfying the run and gun gameplay is as well as how well it managed to capture the 80's cyberpunk aesthetics.

 8.0