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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

EMAIL PRINT ds

5.2 User Score:

Generally unfavorable reviews

Based on 9 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 5 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Bright Light Studio

Genre(s): Action, Adventure

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: June 30, 2009

Summary

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 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 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. As romance blossoms, 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. In the game, players return to Hogwarts to help Harry survive a fraught sixth year. They also 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. [Electronic Arts]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

VideoGamer

It's monotonous and lacking the exciting moments of the book and film, but you do get to play as Harry and act like a wizard in Hogwarts.

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Official Nintendo Magazine UK

Technically great, but it should have focused more on the action than the mini-games. [Sept 2009, p.85]

NGamer UK

Progress is hampered by clunky controls that see Harry bumping around like a dog wearing one of those post-operation plastic collars. [Oct 2009, p.69]

Worth Playing

When you get down to it, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is absolutely boring to play on the DS. It's a constant series of fetch quests that's rarely broken up by the wand duels, potion-making and Quidditch matches.

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IGN

t's not that Harry Potter is broken, it's that EA has managed to take a world brimming with magic and turn it into the most tedious, mundane game possible.

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Nintendo Life

A bit of a let down and feels like a step backwards in terms of gameplay as the game itself is little more than one massive scavenger hunt with most of the storyline progressing through bland, boring cut-scenes.

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Cubed3

Even if you're a die-hard Potter fan who falls into the lower age category the game is clearly intended for, there's very little here to hold your interest for long.

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Gamestyle

With a tight release schedule, developing a game based on a movie will inevitably involve a degree of compromise, but creating a game that feels unfinished and distinctly rushed isn't acceptable.

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Thunderbolt

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is a throwback to the bad old days of EA; a shameless and shameful cash-in that barely qualifies as a full game.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 5.2 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jan K gave it a3:
Blegh. Boring. It's basically Harry being the fetchdog of everyone in the castle and a couple of minigames. The bad doesn't stop there either. The controls are iffy at best and the loading times are such that you hesitate to check your inventory because it takes too long. The games is very short, but that isn't a bad thing in this case.

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Game Info

Summary

Also On Metacritic

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

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Recent Releases