15-Nov-2002 If you tore your hair out over last year's version, rest assured that the latest GBA effort is a more palatable, if unoriginal, affair
As with last year's range of titles, EA has proved once again that it is expert at making the most out of licences, creating products that hold great appeal to fans of Rowling's fiction. Across the seven titles based on The Chamber of Secrets, the world of Harry Potter has been recreated with flair, diversity and stupendous attention to detail.
But out of all this year's Potter products, the GBA title stands alone in being a rather odd gameplay experience that often feels like it has very little to do with Harry Potter itself. But let's not be too negative - EA has taken on board the problems gamers had with last year's version and have produced a far more accessible title that guides you gently through the narrative without making you throw your GBA out of the way in screaming frustration.
Furthermore, due to well-worn hardware issues, last year's title was often quite difficult to see in less-than-perfect lighting conditions. But while the world waits anxiously for an official backlit unit, EA has kindly slipped in an extra-bright option, that can really save the day if you're not sat directly beneath a floodlight.
The Chamber of Secrets on GBA is an isometric action adventure that takes you from Gringott's Bank all the way to Hogwarts as you try to unravel the horrifying mystery that has ensnared the great school.
The isometric perspective and controls take a little while to get used to initially, but after a short time you'll become comfortable with Harry darting of at a diagonal when you push up and so forth. And the rigidity of these sections is offset by the occasional set-piece which allows full multi-directional control of Harry against a static backdrop.
Visually, Potter looks great on GBA. Harry himself is finely detailed and excellently animated, and the myriad locales are recreated in a fashion that will make them instantly familiar with anyone who has read the fiction or seen the movies. Which is - let's be honest - pretty much everyone. Indeed, the overall presentation, as with all of this year's Potter games, is exceptional and should be applauded.
So far so good, then. But for all fine detail, the visual charm, the authentic score and familiar locations, when you actually play the game, there's something distinctly un-Potter-like about the experience.
Take the very start of the game, for instance. You begin in Gringotts bank and must make your way through the labyrinthine interior to find Harry's vault. This takes the form of a lengthy mini-quest to find hidden gems and learn new powers, but the game mechanic of repeatedly pulling levers to find treasure chests seems to have less to do with Potter and more to do with generic old-school adventure games.
That's not to say it's bad. On the contrary, the exploration and puzzle-solving can be rewarding and, most importantly, fun, but the fact it is so tenuously related to the Potter universe, makes the unoriginal, dated nature of the gameplay all the more conspicuous.
But beyond this the developer has endeavoured to include plenty of mini-quests and sections to ensure variety. Quidditch is a Mode 7-based, fly-through-rings affair which works extremely well and is great fun. And aside from the main quest, bean challenges in the Portrait Room and collectible Famous Wizards and Witches card add depth and replay value.
And EA has made excellent use of the connectivity between GBA and GameCube, with an entirely new section - the Forbidden Forest - unlockable on the handheld complete with a creature called the Gytrash, created by Rowling exclusively for EA's titles.
But ultimately, it's the lack of new ideas and the feeling that you're not really playing a Potter title in the same way as other versions that lets the title down. Good fun and a highly-polished product, but GBA-owning Potter fanatics would do better to buy the excellent GBC version for the complete Potter experience.
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