Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

by Electronic Arts

Product Features

• Local 2-player multiplayer play option available and PlayStation Network Trophy support.
• Take part in thrilling wizard duels, battling against Death Eaters in Hogwarts, Inferi in the Horcrux cave and much more.
• Create magical potions with Professor Slughorn using the Half-Blood Prince?s Potions book.
• Take to the air to lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory.
• You may even get sidetracked by Ron's romantic entanglements as you journey towards a dramatic climax and discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince.

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B001AZFSC4
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches ; 4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: June 30, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,556 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

  #26 in

  Video Games > PlayStation 3 > Adventure

• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: PLAYSTATION 3

Amazon.com Product Description

Based on the 2009 summer movie blockbuster of the same name, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince transports fans both old and new to the beloved and action-filled video game universe of Harry Potter. In this most recent adventure players return to the famous Hogwarts school for wizards, as well as other surrounding parts of the wizarding world, to help Harry survive a difficult and danger filled sixth year. Duel against friend and foe. View larger. Mix it up in Potion Class. View larger. Compete in Quidditch matches. View larger. The Story In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince the Video Game, Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different, but equally unavoidable adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn't counted on Romilda Vane’s chocolates. And then there’s Hermione, simmering with jealously, but determined not to show her feelings. Yet as romance blossoms throughout Hogwarts, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again. Gameplay Like earlier video game releases in the Harry Potter franchise, the action in Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince the Video Game revolves around the exploration of Hogwarts and the action that results from what you uncover. The game features both an engrossing single player mode as well as local multiplayer modes for up to two players. During their adventures, players will have a chance to engage in exciting wizard duels, mix and brew magical ingredients in potions class and take to the air to lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory. Players may even get sidetracked by Ron’s romantic entanglements as they journey towards a dramatic climax and discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince. Key Features Compete for Gryffindor in the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup as you take on Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin in the most exciting wizarding sport. Perfect your Quidditch skills and prove you can dodge a Bludger and can catch the Snitch. Take part in thrilling wizard duels, battling against Death Eaters in Hogwarts, Inferi in the Horcrux cave and much more. Join the Gryffindor Dueling Club. Perfect your dueling skills before you take on the other houses. Will you become the Dueling Club champion?/li> Create magical potions with Professor Slughorn, using the Half-Blood Prince’s Potions book. Explore Hogwarts at night, taking on nighttime missions while the castle sleeps. When you get stuck, call on Nearly Headless Nick for clues and tips to help you complete your challenges. Relive the action of the movie...from the Hogwarts Express, to the dramatic revelation of the Half-Blood Prince. See more of the wizarding world as you explore new magical places like The Burrow, the Horcrux cave and more. Travel with Dumbledore to piece together Voldermort's past, and sneak around Hogwarts to discover Malfoy's secrets. Local 2-player multiplayer play option available. PlayStation Network Trophy support.

Product Description

Year six at Hogwarts' darker tone means more action, potions, puzzles, and, of course, more Voldemort. But, it's not all doom and gloom as even the videogame world addresses Harry's growing adoration for Ginny. Wii, PS2, PS3, PSP, Mac, PC, DS, Xbox 360, Electronic Arts, T.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Worst Harry Potter Game Yet, July 3, 2009

By	Ryan Townsend "retownsend" (Portola Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Video Game)

It is clear that when constructing the 6th installment in the HP video game series, the developers were extremely limited by the Wii remote. There are only 3 things that one can do in this game: Quidditch, Potions, and Dueling. All three are extremely boring and poorly constructed.

1. Quidditch: I started a flying session, set my remote down, and Harry flew through every single obstacle and caught the snitch. The game is already preloaded within a set path and you can't fly more than 3 inches away at any given time. Extremely boring.

2. Potions: It is fun to make a potion for the first few times but after the third time it gets tedious. The same movements of shaking the Wii remote and spinning it around in the air dominate this aspect of the game.

3. Dueling: Dueling is the best part of the Harry Potter game but it takes no skill at all. All one must do is flick the Wii remote as quickly as possible and he/she can defeat the opponent in a matter of seconds.

Overall I am extremely disappointed in this game. I have every Harry Potter game in the series and this is the only one that disappoints. There is no exploring of the castle or its grounds as one must stay on the path at all given times. There are more cutscenes than there is playing time. Every mission is either to duel, make a potion, or fly in the poorly constructed Quidditch pitch.

This game is a complete failure in every regard. I might have bought it for $[...] but absolutely no more than that amount. I recommend the last 5 games which were amazing and exciting.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun!, July 4, 2009

By	Megan "Bite me if you don't like my HONEST re... - See all my reviews

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (CD-ROM)

Great game. Graphics are great once adjusted in the game's options menu. Controls use both mouse and w a d s like in the older Potter games. I only started playing it for a few hours today but so far it's been really fun. Some of the spells take practice to do half way decent, like Wingardium Leviosa, and potion mixing.

EA took all of our opinions about the older games to heart I think because this time they included almost all of our favorite aspects that we loved so much in the previous games, and left out the stuff we hated.

In this one we collect crests, both hidden and obvious, cast spells, duel, explore, and Harry wears a gorgeous red cape in some parts. The flying is MUCH easier, so is quidditch. Dueling is easier, too.

It's storyline play is set up like the older games..Harry is assigned a task or two, then a cut scene (can turn on subtitles in options menu), then more tasks, more cut scenes etc. Harry sometimes has to follow another character somewhere but he doesn't always have Ron or Hermoine dogging his every move. There's freedom to explore the HUGE castle and its grounds. It's not like Goblet of Fire at all, it's more like Prizoner of Azkaban.

Great game, glad I bought it.

Make sure your PC system meets min requirements before buying. No less than 512 MB of RAM or more for Vista (256 MB min for XP), 1.8 Ghz or faster, 5 GB hard drive space, Direct X 9.0c or compatible video card.

My laptop is 1.6 Ghz processor speed, cut scenes are kind of slow and choppy on occasion but game play is fine.

---Just as a helpful note to those who buy this:

The game can be played two ways..either whizzing right through it by using Nearly Headless Nick all of the time and not doing any of the side challenges OR, by taking your time, exploring w/o Nick's help, talking to the other students and characters (walk up to them and hit Return key..they are the ones who dole out the side challenges), finding all of the crests and mini crests, joining the clubs, and earning all of the badges and rewards. If you choose to whiz right through, there is an 'Endless Day' after the credits role so you can go back and complete the other stuff but it's nowhere near as fun as taking your time and doing them all as you go along in the game.

Just wanted to point that out because if you whiz right through and ignore the rest you'll probably feel short-changed on the length of the game.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Cool, July 3, 2009

By	Christopher T. Mccoy "loverboy" (stockbridge GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Video Game)

Although the Harry Potter novels are some of the finest fantasy works around, the famous wizard's foray into other media has been met with uneven success. The movies based on these books don't contain all the story details, but they have been saved by their fantastic special effects and beautiful art direction. Unfortunately, their video game counterparts have struggled to capture the brilliance of the books. Half-Blood Prince continues right where 2007's disappointing Order of the Phoenix left off. An accurate representation of Hogwarts is the main draw, but simple gameplay and a lack of any coherent storytelling mar the whole experience. For fans of the books, there is a certain joy in tromping around the weathered school grounds and dueling death eaters, but the Half-Blood Prince ultimately feels like a half-finished game. The story is barely comprehensible if you haven't read the book beforehand. There are a couple of references to the titular Half-Blood Prince whose notes dot Harry's potions book, a trip or two through Dumbledore's memory to see the young Tom Riddle, and a quick peek at Harry's ever-growing suspicion of Draco Malfoy. But you'll have to fit these pieces together yourself because the game doesn't spend any time filling in the details. The cutscenes are not only short and sporadic, but they are also poorly acted and look awful. None of the movie's actors lend their voice talents, so you'll have to make do with sound-alikes who sound little like the real people. The character models are based on the actors but are poor imitations of their real life counterparts. Hermione's long hair hardly moves, Professor McGonagall is cast in perpetual shadow, and Albus Dumbledore has trouble moving his lips. Furthermore, the game's plot takes liberties with the source material, putting Harry in preposterous positions that clash wildly with the book.

Order of the Phoenix was the first game in the series to faithfully re-create Hogwarts, letting players explore its many hidden alcoves and winding passageways at their leisure. For people who have not played the previous adventure, it can be a kick to walk around the world's most famous fictional school, navigating the moving staircases and taking shortcuts through the many portraits that line the walls. But if you've already played Phoenix, there's very little new to see in Half-Blood Prince. The environment is nearly identical to the last game's so series veterans will find no new thrill in checking out Harry's school. At least it's easier to find your way to your next objective this time. You can summon Nearly Headless Nick any time you're lost, but you'll still spend way too much time backtracking.

Aside from running all around the school grounds (complete with unnecessary motion blur), you partake in three different wizard-themed activities. Seeing as the Half-Blood Prince has greatly improved Harry's potion-making ability, you'll be spending a lot of time in the potions dungeon, brewing up a number of tasty concoctions. This plays like a magical version of Cooking Mama, placing a number of ingredients in front of you with the recipe lining the side of the screen. Potion creation makes good use of the motion controls, letting you pour, stir, and heat your mixture with a few logical gestures, and it is cool to combine the often gross ingredients into something even viler. However, you'll need to make so many potions throughout your quest that you'll wish you could slip one of your classmates a few Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans to prepare them for you. What starts as a simple though entertaining minigame quickly reaches tedium as you go through the same motions over and over again.

Quidditch makes a return after a brief hiatus in Order of the Phoenix, but it's less imaginative and even less fun than making potions. You play as a seeker, Harry's chosen position, and once atop your broomstick, you need only worry about flying through hovering stars in the sky. The controls are extremely simple--use the pointer to place your cursor in the center of a star and let Harry worry about the rest. When you zoom through enough of them, you automatically nab the golden snitch and end the match. There is a real disconnect between your midair maneuvering and what's going on in the match below, though. In the books, Harry is constantly forced to avoid angry opponents trying to knock him off his broom and heavy bludgers being thrown his way, but none of those obstacles factor in here. You won't have to pull off any fancy evasive moves, and given that your path is preset, you don't even have to search for the fast-moving snitch. This mode is predictable and bland, never capturing the exhilaration of playing an airborne sport. Your final task in Half-Blood Prince is dueling, and though it's more fun than anything else in the game, that isn't saying much. These one-on-one battles have you slinging magical spells at your opponent and dodging out of the way to avoid losing your own energy. The controls are motion based, so depending on how you move the remote or Nunchuk, you perform one of six different spells. Protego is the most satisfying because you have to cross your arms in front of your body to form a shield, and deflecting a blow at the last second is pretty sweet. However, the battles often boil down to one cheap tactic: Stun your opponent with one powerful spell and then spam your weaker attack. For instance, if you can nail your foe with levicorpus, he or she will float defenselessly in midair, and then you need only shake your arm frantically to let out a string of stupify attacks, quickly dropping your opponent's health. Going head-to-head with a friend is more unpredictable, but the lack of depth limits the long-term appeal of this mode.

The Harry Potter video games should complement the other media, providing gleeful interaction to match the excellent story from the books and the visual splendor of the films. But Half-Blood Prince isn't much fun to play once you've gotten a taste of the few simple activities. The game is ultimately a forgettable experience, pushing players through the same three minigames over and over again, without ever capturing the thrill of being a wizard. The story lacks focus and is difficult to follow, giving players only the faintest motivation to continue on before it finally ends on an emotionless, anticlimactic note. The Half-Blood Prince squanders its impressive license; you're better off reading the book again.

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