much like another LEGO game of this sort. One of the things that sets it apart is the use of spells, with each player having a handful available. The player, or players in the case of co-op, will need to change between characters fairly regularly to take advantage of their various abilities and spells. With bright, colourful characters and settings based on a well-known franchise, not to mention tons of off-beat humour, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5 - 7 is something that the whole family can enjoy. There is a lot to do, many often challenging puzzles, and the need to take characters that are unlocked later back to already completed levels to access new things adds a lot of replayability to the game. t is, essentially, just another LEGO based title, but with that said, it needs to be pointed out that it is a good one. Fans of both this unique genre and the Harry Potter series should really enjoy it. g
AT A GLANCE: The next LEGO Harry Potter game offers more of the same. Developer: Traveller’s Tales Publisher: Warner Bros Distributor: Nu Metro
Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice
7+ gamecca review • issue 31 • January 2012
Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual
X360 Platforms
the same as it was before. Traveller’s Tales haven’t tried to do anything unique with this title, preferring to stick to the ‘Harry Potter’ formula that worked so well in the previous game. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. When you consider the previous game, you will realise that there is a lot to enjoy in this new title. See, where other LEGO games of this nature are fairly linear, and this one also suffers from that issue to a degree, there is a hell of a lot of exploration and stud collecting to do in this game. The levels are large and complex, with tons to fiddle around with. There are things to blow up (to collect studs), things to rearrange (to collect studs), hidden bits to explore (more of the studs) and so on. Along with working through the stories of the three chapters, players will also be able to unlock characters, collect special items and a host of other things, pretty
PC X360 Kinect
PS3 Move
Wii PSP DS 3DS
Score
80 45