Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

My biggest gripe with this game is that I can't change camera angle to see what's ahead of my character! At least with COS and POA I had that control, and I could use the mouse to aim and change camera angle. I hate the controls, and there are no options to change them to something I'm comfortable using.

I don't like the linear feel of the game. I played it for about an hour last night, hoping it would get better. It's been turned into an arcade game. It sucks. I wish I could get a refund but I think the best I can do is sell it back to the retailer and take a loss on it.

I wish I could have played a demo of it first, otherwise I wouldn't have wasted my time or money on this lame excuse for a game.

Despite my love for the first three Harry Potter games, I held off for years before buying Goblet of Fire because of all the bad reviews this game received. It was obvious that this installment in the HP game franchise was a radical departure from the others in the series, and all of the criticisms of the player control system in particular convinced me to wait until I could pick up the game for as low a price as possible. Now, having finally played the game, I have to say that it isn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be. Certainly, the keyboard-only control system is awkward and takes some getting used to, but it certainly isn't impossible to make your character do what you want him or her to do. The graphics are also quite good - except for several cut scenes which feature pictures with no animation - and the game can be challenging in a few different spots. Still, there is no question that Goblet of Fire fails to deliver a true Harry Potter experience, and the trouble begins with the very concept of the game.

One of the best things about the earlier Harry Potter games was the ability to explore Hogwarts on one's own. This is totally lacking in Goblet of Fire. Forget finding secret areas filled with bonus goodies; in this game, you're barely even allowed inside Hogwarts proper at all. There is absolutely no interaction with Hagrid, the professors, or any classmates apart from Ron and Hermione (even Snape and Draco are nowhere to be found), and the only thing resembling a mini-game is a set of laborious challenges courtesy of Mad-Eye Moody (and there's little to no fun to be had in these). The main areas you are given to explore consist of Hogwarts' exterior walls, the Herbology greenhouse and grounds, the Forbidden Forest, and the Prefects' bathroom. Until the end fight with Voldemort, your enemies basically consist of a small selection of annoying magical creatures. There is only the most rudimentary outline of a story, which means you are basically given a series of chores to complete - and the only way to advance to the final levels is to find TriWizard shields scattered among the various levels. When you actually find one of these things, you're immediately taken back to the main menu, which means you have to go back and choose that level again just to continue progressing through it - this is one of the game's most annoying features. Another drawback is the fact that you encounter challenges in the early levels that you cannot attempt until you've learned a certain skill in a later level.

You just have to keep plugging away at the same few levels in a frustrating search for TriWizard shields in order to unlock the three TriWizard challenges and the final encounter with Voldemort. The TriWizard events themselves are simplistic and frustratingly mundane, and it doesn't seem to matter very much how long it takes you to complete them. You are only too glad to accept whichever trophy you win and move on because there is no fun to be had in doing these challenges again. Speaking of a lack of incentive, there is basically no point in struggling to stay alive when you're injured. When you die, you simply re-spawn right then and there with full health. Where's the challenge in that?

I admit that I did enjoy the game to some degree, despite many of its frustrating flaws, but I think that is largely due to my love for the whole Harry Potter story and universe. I have gone through the earlier games on several occasions, but I do not see myself playing this game again anytime soon. It is just too frustrating and repetitive to truly enjoy, and those of us who bring our love of the earlier games with us to Goblet of Fire cannot help but be disappointed by the loss of so many game elements we had come to expect in any Harry Potter game.

This game has exellent graphics, and you CAN turn the camera to see different angles of the game. It's exiting and is plotted well. The only problem is that the game has been made easier for children, and isn't a kind of puzzle it was in the first and scond game. Over all, it's a fun, good game; especially for kids.