Monday 14 January, 2008

Gameplay:
Well I am glade to say that I have begun to get use to the odd configuration of the buttons on my computer. Once I finally got use to the controls the game began to much more enjoyable. I am still wandering around doing tasks for the students in the D.A. There are some tasks that are very difficult to complete, such as finding the talking Gargoyles.
It is always fun to side track yourself from the task at hand, the only thing that is annoying about this is that Hermione and Ron nag you to get back to the intended mission. I just ignored them and went on my way. I have been trying to get 100% discovery points for locations all around Hogwarts. I have had to climb the buildings, fix objects, mop the floors, feed the birds, and cast spells at passing teachers (Snape is always a fun teacher to target). The only time I ever get frustrated when I am discovering things on my own is when there is just a few last percentage in hall that I need to discover in order to make it to 100%, but that is to be suspected.

Design:
The game has many good and bad design elements and some that are both good and bad. A prime example is the design the reward system. For all the discovery points found, a secret is unlocked in a the room of rewards. The secrets that are unlocked leave much to be desired, but the search for the points is much more entertaining and rewarding then the games intended reward.

The game seemed long and there was a lot to do in it, but it seemed less fulfilling then the previous games in the series. This game had little to do with life. There are no lightning bolts telling you how injured Harry is. It makes the game seem to easy, as if the game is built to automatically allow you to prevail. The fights between you and the Slytherines is finished quickly, as if it was design to minimize the challenge of dueling. I would rather have a challenge then none at all.

The graphic design of the castle and its appearance is fantastic. It is exactly the way that you would picture a castle to look like. The grounds are layed out extensively, and allows for many different possible routes to get to the same location. The fact that you can pretty much do anything you want in the grounds is very engaging.

What I have noticed about all the Harry Potter games they don't really contain levels. In this game you don't really even go to class. At least that is what I have noticed so far. The pass of the game is pretty much continueous and steady, but while a constant pace is nice it make the game seem very long because their is no differentiation between the tasks.

The game maybe to complex when it comes to completing mundane tasks but is entertaining when it comes to the hidden aspects within the school. If I could change aspects of the game I would insert a life status bar, make the conflicts between the students more varied and much more intense. And although the school grounds are entertaining I would have loved to sneak around Hogsmead. A change in the location of where the tasks are taking place would have been great. So far all my tasks have taken place around Hogwarts, and I have seen very little of any other location, except for what is shown in cutscenes.

This is an excellent game log.

- Ian Rickard, your TA

(the following is included on all my first-round gradings, and should not be taken as any commentary on your writing.)

If you're interested, I'm happy to provide additional nit-picks of your writing. However as this course is not considered writing intensive, lapses in spelling and grammer of the type I would critique will not have any affect on your grade and so you really needn't worry about them. If you're interested in this type of feedback, email me at inio@soe and I'll provide it privately.