Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

By Reardon Jones

The battle comes to Hogwarts in the final instalment for the Harry Potter series, with Harry and his friends taking the final fight to Lord Voldemort. 

Those who have seen the films or read the books will know by now that Harry must find and destroy seven horcruxes that will enable Voldemort's defeat. Easier said than done...

Part two of the Finale focuses on the final battle at Hogwarts as well as the ultimate showdown with Voldemort. Having been a decade in the making, the level of expectation for this is overwhelming. Thankfully, with the game following the film closely, this was achieved. 

The mechanics of this Harry Potter game are similar to previous versions, with spells being the main way of getting around, however this time we get to do what we have wanted to do for years - and that is cut loose against Death-eaters!

Deathly Hallows moves at such a break neck speed as do the easy-to-beat battles, which sadly, makes the game feel just that little bit too short. 

Experienced gamers will find battle sequences easy enough to pick up on, with numerous "Stun, Stun, Shield and Stun" kind of situations arising regularly which hardly makes for brain busting fun.

Having said this, for fans, it's an awesome and rare feeling being involved in the battles that made the books and films feel so epic.

I guess the most disappointing aspect is that some of the bigger moments of the story arc were skipped through by simply using cut scenes instead of gamers getting a chance to play them out. I would have loved to of flown out of the Rome of Requirement or fought my way out of Gringotts using the dragon, but sadly, the options just aren't there.

The Deathly Hallows part 2 also features some new playable characters including Professor McGonagall, Molly Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Voldemort on the Nintendo DS platform. 

While the real actors dion't lend their voices to the characters this time around, some have allowed their likeness to be used which really helps with the continuity of the experience.

The spell casting is straight forward enough again, with three buttons used to operate spells, double tapping these buttons will allow for a second set of spells to be used. This is all  made a hell of a lot easier with the new PlayStation Move.

As for tips and advice : Petrificus Totalus is your long-range attack; Stupfy and Confringo are probably the most effective when breaking through the hoards of Death eaters. Part two has also introduced the ability for Apparition, however is only really used as a way of getting in and around cover during fight sequences. It also comes in pretty late in the game to be ever fully utilised.

In terms of overall gaming this one left me feeling a little underwhelmed. I guess it is hard to live up to the hype and magnitude of the Harry Potter series, this being the Finale though I was expecting more. 

Game: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
System: PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS, Microsoft Windows
Developer/Co-Developer: EA Bright Light
Publisher: Electronics Arts

Rating: 60%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)