Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I

You simply cannot forgo a video game release on a film of this magnitude. It can't be done. When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I hits the silver screen - it must be accompanied by a playable offering. The legions of Potterheads would simply demand it to take their love of the franchise even farther. We always want to be a wizard, whatever the circumstances, right?

Naturally, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I takes on the typical persona of a film-based video game. It spans a variety of consoles, mobile devices included. The game also comes across as one that has minimal effort put into gameplay. Given the last few games in the franchise, it's safe to say we're not expecting much out of the penultimate story.

You're a Game Wizard, Harry!

If you show any signs of interest in playing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I - then you'll probably have played the franchise games of the past. You'll notice the difference in the style of the game straightaway - the genre has strayed from an adventure to a more confused third-person shooter. In the Harry Potter universe, you ask? Yep, and it doesn't really work either.

Whatever forced the shift in gameplay from the developers may not be obvious, but they have got it all wrong here. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 feels broken in nearly every aspect. The visuals are filtered with this grimy dark color palette that distorts views and environments. The animations and syncing are all over the place. And my word - those cover-and-shoot mechanics play like a flailing sloth.

We understand the concept of minimalism in a film game - it's downright unavoidable these days. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a pure example of how to mug off a fanbase. Even the basics for this genre don't even function properly. The camera to control your aim is all over the place, difficulty feels randomized, and there isn't even any cover for strategic combat.

Quite frankly, for a game that's got a big budget behind it, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I is a disaster. The saving graces for the experience are the voice acting and the epic soundtrack. But that can hardly make up for a lackluster offering. It only needed the basics to fit the category of a palatable video game.

A Deathly Pill to Swallow

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I will go down in history as one of the worst third-person shooters ever. There really is no excuse for such a dreadful piece of media - no matter how dedicated the fanbase. Games like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen took a similar fate - but that franchise isn't even on par with the popularity of this one.

Pros:

• Audio such as voice acting and music is good

Cons:

• Third-person shooter mechanics are broken in nearly every aspect
• The visuals mud up the gameplay
• Muddled difficulty and no facilitation for player strategy