sprites & bites

Gaming, iPads and a few biscuits on the side…

Tag Archives: video games

Lego Harry Potter

Let me get my admission out of the way first, I do not like Harry Potter films. I only ever saw one and could not be bothered with the rest but I had to play the game because it is Lego and I have played all Lego video games so far except for Lego Rock Band.  So I went in playing this game thinking it was going to be also rubbish.  To my pleasant surprise, it was not like Harry Potter really at all and it was not long before I just felt like I was playing a Lego game with wizards and spells. This was fantastic as I was able to brush aside my dislike of Hogwarts and just concentrate on playing the game.

It is classic Lego game fun and while I would not rate is as highly as the previous games – Star Wars, Batman and Indiana Jones it is still definitely a worthy addition to your collection if you are also a Lego fan.

The previous games got bigger and bigger in gameplay space especially the last Indiana Jones episodes so it was a disappointment to find that Harry Potter version feels a heck of a lot smaller.  I think this is due to being mostly in the confines of Hogwarts Castle so I did feel at times a little claustrophobic and restricted and it also felt quite linear.  I suppose this is not really something I can criticise too much because of course they are trying to vaguely follow a story which was mostly set around Hogwarts and if they strayed too much away from that, die hard Harry Potter fans would find holes in the story.  As usual with Lego games there are tons of collectibles – red bricks, gold bricks, postal boxes and some which are unique to Harry Potter like shield crests – each level has 4 quarters of a shield to collect. There are also bonus levels to play for extra gold bricks.

There is really not much I can say about this game further. It is Lego, in the same vein as the other games with a different skin and a smaller playing area. If you are a Harry Potter fan you can add it to your collection, if you are like me and do not like Harry Potter but are a Lego game fan, it is still a worthy game to play because you will soon forget you are playing the series.

One final note for the developer, I think the title is wrong. I know the game is aimed at all ages, but the title Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 really makes it sound like the actual game is aimed at pre-school when it is not.

GOOD/10

What next for Lego games?  Spiderman, Superman, or maybe a collection of super heroes would be good?

Rocketbowl Xbox Live Arcade

Rocketbowl appeared on Xbox Live Arcade today for a mere 800 points.  I say “mere” as in not a lot because it is not a lot of points for a LOT of fun.

There are 10 bowling alleys to unlock, except these are no normal bowling alleys.  Instead of an alley in the traditional sense, you have a wide map area with lots of sets of pins and collectables.  Think maps about the size of Marble Blast Ultra but with bowling pin sets scattered across the course.  The purpose of course is to knock down the set of pins in that frame only (the one which is highlighted by a red arrow) but there is nothing to stop you from going for other sets of pins on the same course to boost your score of the current pin set.  Say for example for some reason you miss your target pin set.  You can guide your ball while it still has pace to another pin set and try and take down those instead.  If you take any out of that set, when it comes to bowling that set in your next go, the pins you took down will already be down.

Rockets can boost your balls to go a lot faster.  But be careful when using them because pressing X to left boost will shift the ball slightly left and you can actually miss your target, the same for pressing B to boost right.  It is difficult to explain but you can clearly see how it works in the trial version of the game.

Alongside the courses and collectables on the map you have challenges and tournaments.  Challenges are against one computer opponent and Tournaments are against 4 or 5.  The good thing is that you do not have to go through every computer controlled opponents before you get another go.  You only see your goes and the opponents are tallied up in the background.

This is of course also online and local multiplayer if you wish to play your friends.

Throughout the course of the game you will earn cash and this will allow you to buy better bowling balls with more accuracy and better firepower.

It is a good game and quite addictive and certainly worthy of 800 points in my opinion.

Screenshot Sunday

Yes I know, it is not Sunday, but I thought I would announce a little side project I am doing for Sprites & Bites which will be starting this coming Sunday. Every Sunday I will be posting a new post based on an up and coming game.

To improve reader content for the blog I would like everyone to create a screenshot for the announced game to be included in the Sunday post. Entries must be drawn by yourselves in whatever medium you choose and must reflect the game of the week. You can use Artpad, or Paint or whatever program you want to use. If using Artpad, please take a screenshot of your final work and send it over. You do not need to be good at art to send a submission. It will not necessarily be the best screenshot that gets placed into the post, it will be the one or two shots which reflect the game in question well.

The game announcement will be held midweek on a Tuesday, the closing time for entries for that week will be 12pm Midday on Sunday. For an example screenshot please see the post here

All entries which do not make it into the original post will enter the users gallery for everyone to admire, hate or even laugh at. :)

So get your artistic computer pens at the ready, the first game to be featured in the Screenshot Sunday will be “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed”.

Please send all entries to beck AT spritesandbites.net and put “screenshot sunday” in the title.

Tiger Woods 09

The next iteration of the Tiger Woods series is nearly upon us. Tiger Woods 09 incorporates a new training mode involving Tiger Wood’s real life coach Hank Haney.

There will of course be the annual tweak of the controls, adding extra control methods for new players and die hard fans alike. With new modes and new courses added to the mix, will the new 09 beat the impressive 08 version?

There will be a downloadable demo of the new game available on Playstationnetwork and Xbox Live on 14th August so stay tuned.

Check out this amazing screenshot below