Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

A cracking game. [Sept 2009, p.108]

While EA did a poor job fleshing out the story, some of the sound-alikes aren't nearly as good as the film's cast (Snape doesn't even sound close) and a few facial animations look bizarre, but for the most part, Half-Blood Prince is one of the best Harry Potter games we've played.

Electronic Arts has proved how to make good use of a character license, offering hours of fun and a magic world to explore.

It's not groundbreaking and it's not the most engaging experience in the world, but there is something fun about dropping worms into a cauldron and desperately looking for 150 hidden crests.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a title that gets a lot of stuff right because of its glorious presentation of Hogwarts and interesting bits of gameplay with the potions and duels.

The game across all systems is a solid effort, a little problems in each department manages to pull the game down however.

A fun movie tie-in game, and it certainly lives up to what is expected of it. Although it isn’t terribly long or deep, it will give fans of the series some solid gameplay , and it certainly isn’t too challenging for younger fans who might want to play it.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a solid movie tie-in game with a few setbacks. While light years beyond the mess that was Order of the Phoenix, it still needs a few tweaks to be considered a great game.

Harry Potter and the half-blood Prince is a funny game for children that allow us to play as the famous magician. EA made a good job by introducing some features in this game. However, it's a linear game without innovative aspects. Just buy it if you're one of Harry's supporters.

Concocting potions and humiliating dark wizards is fun for a while, but once the novelty is gone, Hogwarts loses all of its magic.

Targeted at the younger audience, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a decent game overall, but it doesn’t live up to the potential and grandeur of the Harry Potter legacy.

Not too long and not properly represent a challenge to players more accustomed to these mechanics, but nevertheless can provide large doses of fun.

Half-hearted port that doesn't excel in any category.

Before playing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, you should first be a huge Harry Potter fan. Second, you should have a high tolerance for backtracking and mini-game repetition. Third, you must be able to enjoy a game that isn't challenging (some players just can't do that).

Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince is a nice action adventure game. But more depth and variation in the gameplay would have been welcome. The game doesn't always give the player a magic feeling, but it still remains fun to be able to use some magic.

While the game was delayed for a few months after the movie was delayed it appears the developers did little to improve on the game and if they did it was not in good shape before the delay. A few issues bring down what could have been a great title and makes this a rent nothing more.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is to a certain degree pretty enjoyable but it simply never attempts to try anything special with the universe to which it is connected. It's absolutely not horrible and the true fans will definitely enjoy it but we hope the next game contains a bit more 'magic'.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince didn’t really manage to offer something new when compared to its previous iteration, and we suspect not much effort was even made in that direction. It still preserves most of its appeal if you are a big Harry Potter fan, though.

Fans will love its authenticity but it lacks the cross generational appeal of the source material. [Aug 2009, p.76]

The controls are slow and clunky, the technicals are passable but never really shine, the story and progression through the game is erratic, and we think the potion making part will prove frustrating for some of the title’s audience.

Get ready to fly on brooms, mix reagents in a pot and swing the magic wand… Until you yawn.

It's improved since the last Potter game, though it's still a bland, plodding adaptation of a beloved series. [Issue#182, p.77]

Each time you start [a minigame] it feels like you're forcing yourself to drink your own urine whilst frying in the desert: you don’t want to do it, but must to make it to the end. [Sept 2009, p.66]

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is quite a decent game that feels like one would expect life at Hogwarts to be like. However, the low difficulty, simple minigames and uninspired graphics detracts from the overall experience somewhat, and the jumps in the storyline requires prior knowledge of what's happened in the movie or the books. Fans might enjoy it, but perhaps they should wait until the price goes down a little first.

There's little to no challenge present throughout the entire game, the story only makes sense if you already know the plot and there's a lack of things to do outside of the three main gameplay mechanics. Buy if you're a mega fan, but avoid if you like your games with even a tiny amount of depth.

While Potter fanatics will get limited enjoyment out of the boy wizard's wand-waving antics, everyone else will be left disappointed at the lack of creativity.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will give fans some enjoyment, but it doesn't offer much challenge and the story is told in a lackluster way. However, the game's visual presentation is impressive and the offered mini-games are fun to play.

Not quite a triumph, then, but it’s leagues ahead of The Order Of The Phoenix – and if we’re being cheeky with the scores, hardcore Harry Potter fans should treat this as an [80].

The Half-Blood Prince isn't terrible, just average.

Terribly flawed audio, bland visuals, cut scenes that make no sense in the context of the preceding or following gameplay, miserable Quidditch, horrible potion-making and awkward dueling all add up to make this title a train wreck from which you can look away.

The game should be called "Harry Potter and the Half-Assed Game."

The Half-Blood Prince is a lousy representation of the best-selling novel.

In times of the financial depression you should think twice before you buy this game. Like the movie, the game lacks attributes of a good product.