LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4

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Ok, this game is getting some MAJOR Hate and I can see why. Its nothing but a broken mess. However, FEAR NOT! If you're buying this game for the first time AND have your PS3 connected to the internet you are perfectly fine. Once you start your game you'll download Patch 3.00 which fixes everything, but ONLY with the start of a new game. A lot of people have been complaining that even with Patch 3.00 they are still having problems like Gringotts Bank is now closed and won't open and some character tokens are still not appearing. However, these people already have a game started prior to downloading Patch 3.00. I got the game for Christmas, downloaded Patch 3.00 and had no problems whatsoever. I was able to successfully get the Platinum trophy with no problem. The gameplay is fun, the story is memorable, and if you've loved all the other Lego games you'll love this one! For those of you who started a game prior to Patch 3.00 and are still having problems I'm terribly sorry. Hopefully Traveler Tales doesn't make the same mistake of releasing a broken game with their next installment.

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I've been a big fan of the Lego games since playing my first "Star Wars" video game a few years back. At first, I really thought as an adult that the Lego games were just for kids, not challenging nor fun. Boy, was I wrong. The Lego video games are an engaging series infused with what I call a "Lego" sense of humor that permeates through the game. From Star Wars to the challenging Batman game, to my personal favorite, Indian Jones, they all have been pleasurable experiences. When I heard about Harry Potter coming out as a video game, I was elated. And truth be told, this game is as good as all of the others in the series. At first it seemed as if Harry Potter and Lego have somehow parted ways. There weren't any Lego sets released with the last movie, and nothing much on the Lego website about Harry Potter in general. However, the two have united again in a very fun video game, "Harry Potter: Years 1 -4".

Since I'm a casual adult gamer (I play video games but won't spend days playing a game straight without a break), my review comes from that perspective. First, the creators of the game have gotten so much right about this game. From the infusion of the magical components of the game to the story to the characterization of the people, it all works brilliantly. The game starts as Harry is whisked from his sad existence at Privet Drive to Diagon Alley, accompanied by a lovable Hagrid. This section is designed to teach you everything there is to know about the game. However, if you've played any of the Lego video games before, it's all very instinctive and natural. There are some specific controls that you need to learn to move things and cast spells, but it all feels very natural. Just in the first level alone, you can make things fly, move, and animate with a flick of the wand. It's all very entertaining!

When Harry reaches Hogwarts, I was impressed with the both level of detail in the design of the game, as well as Lego components that are infused in the place. It feels very natural and yet very Lego! For those of you like me who adore the coin collection part of the game (it's rather an obsession of mine), Lego has that back and allows you to collect to your hearts content as you smash your way to wealth! Another one of the better additions to the game is also the use of "Polyjuice Potion" to be able to change characters through the game play to make your way through the levels. The challenge of the game isn't too great (I made my way through the first movie on the first day, which was approximately six levels), and you are given spells to use as you need them. I like the gradual release of these spells because you actually remember them.

What are the drawbacks? For one thing, there doesn't seem to be an "area to explore" as in, an area to wander around. You are pretty confined to the "sets" to explore. While in Hogwarts, you can definitely not follow your ghost guide and try to accomplish other tasks, but it definitely isn't an open range. Another drawback is the broom flying feature is a bit weak and hard to get used to. You don't ride from the front on perspective, but from the side, making depth perception a bit tricky.

NEW SECTION: I've been reading the comments from players who are stuck in Professor Flitwick's dungeon. I just played that level in my game, and got out of the room without any problem. After I assembled the dragon, it threw my character up in the air and back into the classroom without any issues. However, I understand the frustration from others who haven't been able to leave that room. (It happened to me once in another game that wasn't working properly on my system, and when I wrote a negative review about the game, I was hammered with unhelpful feedback.) However, because I didn't have the glitch in my game, my review score will stand.

If you are a Harry Potter fan, you'll be purchasing this game immediately. I've played the other games and loved them for their realism and attention to detail. This one? It's just plain fun!

Buy LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 Now

Pros:

-Fun game

-Enjoyable story adaptation (similar to previous Lego games)

-Consistent with the Lego game franchise

Cons:

-Freezes progress lost and requires a hard reboot

-Impossible to complete game glitch traps player permanently

I have enjoyed all of the Traveler's Tales Lego games in the past, and this game fits well in the series. Fans of the Harry Potter series will enjoy the story tie in as well as the gameplay that we all expect from the Lego game franchise.

While the game itself is good, I have had my PS3 freeze eight times while playing this game. This is eight more times than it has ever frozen before playing Lego Harry Potter. This freeze requires a hard reboot of the PS3 system; accessing the XMB (system menu) is not possible. Having the system freeze is quite frustrating; all progress since the last save is lost while untold damage is being done to the hardware.

Much more frustrating is the game stopping glitch that I came across. While exploring the dungeon below Flitwick's classroom (available after learning the final spell in year four, the orange one) I became stuck. Stuck as in a glitch prevents me from exiting this dungeon and progressing further in the game. Quitting the game, restarting the system, and reloading the saved game bring the player back to the exact same point (trapped in the dungeon).

Here is what WB customer service told me:

"This issue is currently under investigation, however sometimes restarting the console and reloading the save can resolve this issue."

...

"We have had reports that if the player encounters the bug, then exits to the Leaky Cauldron and then activates a save point such as: Completing a Story event or Free Play level, buying something from the shop, unlocking a building level etc , then even resetting the console will not fix this. Selecting return to Hogwarts will then take them to the Dragon room and they will again be unable to get out. We are in the process of investigating the best solution for this."

While it worked I thoroughly enjoyed Lego Harry Potter on my PS3. Given the fact that this game is playable for periods between freezes and comes to an untimely end (before the game is complete), I cannot recommend it to anybody or rate it higher than one star.

Read Best Reviews of LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 Here

To escape the dragon room glitch:

1) Play as Hermione and select her cat on the spell wheel.

2) Head over to the far left corner.

3) Jumping into this corner will kill your character, but while jumping into the corner, rapidly tap the "release pet" button.

4) It may take a few attempts but the pet will appear in the classroom area.

5) From here, the player can leave the classroom and continue the game.

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We purchased this game the day it was released and have put about a weeks worth of playing time into it our whole family has individual games saved.

So far it has blackscreened (right in the middle of playing we got a black screen no sound, nothingthe whole thing locked up) several times, lost picture (could still hear the sound/game play) multiple times, the whole thing reset our Playstation 3 once, and the game freezes (completely locks up but there is still sound and picture) during game play way more often than any other game we have owned. We finally exchanged the game hoping it was a defective copy. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it was.

After finally getting the new copy, I am now stuck in a room underneath another room with a dragon. There is no way out. (Well, there is supposed to be, but the game glitched and instead of the dragon boosting me out, it threw me backwards into the room.) Even if I exit back to the Leaky Cauldron and return to Hogwarts, it still drops me back into the room. I have no way of continuing game play other than to go through the free play section and hope for a patch.

According to the game forums I have read regarding this massive dead end glitch, the game company is aware of this problem (and has been for days) and blame the consoles for the problem. None of their suggestions work to get me out of this room. So rather than sending me a patch to fix my problem and get me out of this dead end, my only option is to restart my game. NOT COOL!

Considering the poor quality of game play and the very linear aspect of the story line, I doubt I will start the whole game over. It just isn't worth it.

Having looked forward to a new Lego game for so long, I am truly disappointed in this game.