PlayStation

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

With legions of Potter fans flocking to theaters, Sorcerer will surely enchant hordes of Harry’s followers. If, however, you’re immune to Harry’s charms, you’ll find Sorcerer to be the kind of dreary platform game you’ve played too many times before.

Als bekennender Potter-Fan war ich auf Argonauts Versoftung besonders gespannt. Optisch kocht Harrys Videospieldebüt mit Simpel-Texturen, hässlichen Polygon-Recken und teilweise extremen Ruckeleinlagen auf Sparflamme, dafür lauscht Ihr aufwändig orchestrierten Musikschnipseln und gelungener deutscher Sprachausgabe. Spielerisch gibt’s wenig Neues: Einfache Pseudo-Sprungeinsätze (Harry hüpft automatisch), simple Bemani-Einlagen beim Erlernen magischer Sprüche und unspektakuläre Flugeinlagen fordern kaum Pad-Beherrschung – selbst ungeübte Zocker haben an einem ruhigen Nachmittag alle Geheimnisse Hogwarts’ entdeckt. Insgesamt ein ordentlicher, aber höchst unspektakulärer Genre-Misch-Masch, an dem zumindest die zahllosen Anhänger des Zauberlehrlings Spaß haben dürften.

Harry Potter till PlayStation är ett mer intensivt och därmed varierat spel än det till PC. Dock skulle det bli bättre om man gav det lite mer tid. Också de som inte läst boken borde förstå handlingen.

After making two Croc titles, Disney’s Aladdin in Nasira’s Revenge, and Emperor’s New Groove, the gang at Argonaut could probably make a PS-X platformer in their sleep, and I’m beginning to wonder if they did with Harry Potter’s first foray into the world of video games. A few of the boss battles are cool, and Quidditch is good fun, but deciding to forgo the jump button and have Harry automatically leap at the edge of every platform was not wise. For the very young, or serious Harry Potter collectors only.

No matter how much you care for the idea of flying on a broomstick or weaving fantastic magicks, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a lesson in boredom. Without a jump command, the platforming elements are all but wasted, while the spell-flinging portions of the game are equally forgettable. Those of you who have paid close attention to the Harry Potter stories will find that many of the memorable details from the books and movie have been included to make the experience as genuine as possible. Despite this attractive aspect of the game, its overly simple gameplay mechanics and extremely short duration add up to a game that should be avoided by most. Ultimately, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone doesn't have the widespread appeal of its literary namesake and is suitable only for children.