Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows - Part 1 Product Details

Released on 19/11/2010

• Harry Potter turns shooter?

  Harry Potter turns shooter?

  Unlikely as it sounds, Warner Bros and Electronic Arts have turned Harry Potter into a third-person shooter series - at least that seems to be the plan.

  Eurogamer has announced that the publishers have lifted the lid on two games based around Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - and they look fantastic.

  Only the first game has been revealed in any depth so far. Subtitled Part 1, it's due out this autumn for the DS, PC, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360, and it's a third-person shooter, focusing on the action and combat aspects of the final book in the best-selling wizarding series as Harry and friends take on Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

  "The final Harry Potter adventure has given us the opportunity to make a darker and more action-orientated game than we have before," said the game's head of production Jonathan Bunney. "We have built new technology specifically to allow us to prove that magic is a truly potent force and, in this game, players will need to use all their skills if they want to survive."

  We'll have more on the series' new direction for you in the months ahead.

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Preview

  Leaving home

  The latest Harry Potter game moves out of Hogwarts and into overcast England. It's a much more serious affair with the days of exploring school grounds and learning how to mix potions a thing of the past. This time Harry embarks on a real action adventure with some proper wand work in what's essentially a third-person shooter for magicians.

  The fact that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is based around some real third-person shooter mechanics is immediately obvious. Scouting a construction site and coming face-to-face with Voldermort's Snatchers and Death Eaters provides early action.

  Abracadabra

  With a push of a button Harry snaps to objects around the site like boxes, girders or sheets of metal for cover a bit like Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher. From here he can send blasts towards the enemy from his magic wand.

  The Deathly Hallows could be one of the first Kinect titles to go beyond party games.

  Different spells can be selected with the D-Pad or through the weapon wheel in the pause menu. 'Stupefy' inflicts the least damage but can be fired at a higher rate, 'Crucio' sprays dark magic from the wand, 'Expelliarmus' needs to power up before releasing a punchy hit but 'Confringo' is the rocket-launcher of the pack sending out the largest blast

  There are cooler spells as well, which go beyond just blasting folk in the face with painful energy: 'Leviosa' is a levitation spell allowing players pick up objects around them and use them as a shield or projectile. 'Confundus' on the other hand confuses enemies and makes them fight for rather than against you.

  Conjuring Kinect

  It's a fresh approach to Harry Potter and the visual presentation is solid. Potentially one of the most exciting features of the game, however, is Kinect support. Since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 is looking to be an entertaining cover-based shooter at least, it could be one of the first Kinect titles to go beyond simple party games.

  The game's Kinect features, however, don't apply to the main part of the game, only a selection of challenge levels. These levels leave the third person shooter mechanics behind and instead opt for an arcade style on-rails approach (sophisticated movement control with Kinect would be different after all).

  Naturally with Kinect your attacks are based on how you move your body.

  Harry walks a pre-determined path and you're tasked with disposing of evil doers as you encounter them in a similar way you would with the classic arcade Time Crisis series.

  Naturally with Kinect your attacks are based on how you move your body: Flicking the right wrist prompts Harry to launch a simple projectile spell in wherever you throw it. Holding up the left hand and pushing outwards with your right triggers that bamboozling Confringo spell and holding out both arms raises a shield that can block incoming blasts. Replacing a typical shooters grenades are incendiary potions, used for taking out groups of enemies with an underarm throw./p>

  Early showings of the Kinect features do look a little bit rough. Spell's often fall victim to various levels of inaccuracy, you might wonder why Harry's targeting the top corner of the screen, even worse you might zap your own feet.

  More to do

  There's also the issue of lag, which seems to vary from game to game when it comes to Kinect but is definitely apparent in Harry Potter.

  But this is a preview and so there's still time for kinks to be ironed out. If the team working on Harry's Kinect challenge modes can get things running smoothly then they'll be a nice use of the motion sensor and a great addition to a good looking game and a new take on Harry Potter.

  Preview by: Tom 'Leviosa' Pakinkis
  Version Tested: Xbox 360
  Preview Published: 01.09.10

  Published: 01/09/2010

• Gamescom 2010: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows gets Kinect support

  Harry Potter fans are to be able to immerse themselves in the magic of the boy wizard's newest videogame thanks to the power of Kinect.

  Microsoft has confirmed at the Gamescom trade show that the Xbox 360 edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 will provide exclusive full-body motion control compatibility.

  It means that gamers will be able to use physical gestures to cast spells as they fend of hordes of marauding Death Eaters, controlling Harry, Ron and Hermione in both solo and two-player cooperative modes.

  Actors James and Oliver Phelps, who play troublemaking twins Fred and George Weasley in the Potter movies, were on hand to show off the new functionality to Gamescom crowds this week.

  Jonathan Bunney of developer EA Bright Light Studios said: "Our Kinect challenges allow players to literally cast magic from the palm of their hand, completely controller free, to enhance and deepen the overall play experience."

  The game will also be coming to PlayStation 3, Wii, DS and PC this autumn.

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