


Some of the actors from the film reprise their roles, and they all sound great. The character models aren’t necessarily awe-inspiring, but they get the job done, and the same can be said of the voice acting. Anyone who has played a third-person shooter before will feel right at home, while those new to this sort of gameplay will find it very easy, and rewarding, to learn. Getting into cover isn’t just easy, it’s an essential part of the gameplay, and after a few minutes, it simply becomes second-nature, especially since shooting from cover is so simple. Grand Theft Auto IV is a great game, but getting in and out of cover is a chore Potter, thankfully, takes after the master of cover-based shooting, Gears of War, with a nearly identical system, and this pays off handsomely. Cover systems are very hit-and-miss in third-person shooters. The ‘A’ button, meanwhile, puts you into cover all of the long corridors you’ll run down are littered with rocks, debris, boxes, or other conveniently places objects that you can duck behind to shield yourself from enemy spells.

One aims with the left trigger and shoots with the right, switching spells using three of the face buttons - X, Y, and B on Xbox - and the left bumper for Protego.

Mastering just one spell won’t get you through the game - you’ll have to learn how and when to use each curse for maximum damage, and switching between spells strategically is essential to take down tougher enemies. All of the spells are extremely fun to use, and it’s actually a fairly deep combat system. As the game progresses, you quickly unlock new spells: Expelliarmus destroys an enemy’s Protego charm, making them vulnerable Expulso is a rapid-fire spell, much like an Uzi or Machine Gun in shooters Petrificus Totalus acts as a one-hit kill Sniper Rifle Confringo is basically a rocket launcher, and Impedimenta is a heat seeking, multiple-target incendiary. You start the game with two spells - Stupefy is your basic sidearm, comparable to a pistol in other games, while Protego is a shield that blocks enemy casts. Your primary weapon in taking the Death Eaters down is your wand, which can cast seven spells each of the available curses acts as a unique weapon, much like the multiple guns one finds in a shooter. Nearly every level follows the same formula you have to make it to the end (such as traveling through Gringotts to reach Bellatrix’s vault) by fighting through waves of enemies, usually Death Eaters.
