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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, PSP, PlayStation 2, Windows, Mac)

common sense media says

Dark themes handled with a light touch in this 6th game.

parents & educators say
  • 60% say there are positive role models
  • 40% say violence is an issue
See all 21 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this visually-exciting action adventure game is based on the movie and book of the same name. While the themes in J.K. Rowling's sixth book in the Harry Potter series are darker and more mature than those in the earlier books, this video game does not focus that much on those themes. While kids will fight the Death Eaters at the end of the game, those fights don't seem that frightening because they have been practicing dueling with other kids at Hogwarts throughout the game. Kids will see Harry being kissed. And while the video cutscenes at the end of the game show a main character being hit with a magic spell that causes him to go over the edge of the Astronomy Tower, it happens quickly and then the story moves on.

Positive messages: The game teaches kids about the importance of doing the right thing even though you might be putting yourself in peril. Dumbledore's actions show this theme, as do Harry's.
Positive role models: Harry, Ron, and Hermione are great role models about being good friends. Harry, Dumbledore, and others all make sacrafices for the greater good.
Ease of play: This game is fun but very easy to play. It is set up so that kids and casual players will experience success. While you may have to retry a potion, or play a Quidditch sequence again to win, you will never lose or have to restart a level -- you just keep replaying a section until you win. And if you are struggling through a section, the game adjusts to become easier.
Violence: The fantasy violence is represented as magic spells cast from a wand. The spells can knock you down, suspend you upside down in midair, and freeze or stuns you. You will witness a spell that appears to kill a main character. On one scene you will have to cast magic to keep scary undead characters from crawling out of lake toward you.
Sex: There is a kiss shown between Harry and Ginny. You will hear talk about "snogging" (kissing) and "getting lucky."
Language: There is an occasional use of "hell."
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

  • Families can talk about why all things Harry Potter are so popular?

  • How can game creators suck you into the game? Is it by presenting an emotionally charged story line? Or do they hook you by presenting fun activities to do. What happened here?

  • Is this game different from the book? From the movie? In what way?

What's the story?

What's the story?

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is the sixth Harry Potter game produced by Electronic Arts. This time around, Electronic Arts provides kids with the ability to openly explore a beautifully rendered Hogwarts castle and grounds. The retelling of the story of J.K. Rowling's sixth Harry Potter book is shown through video cutscenes that are triggered by the accomplishment of various tasks. As Harry, you will attend class, help others, practice making potions, go to Quidditch practice and play in matches, and practice dueling. The game culminates with your fighting some Death Eaters. Throughout your castle explorations, you will find Crests to collect which unlock new and bonus content, including the ability to duel with a friend.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a good game for kids and casual gamers who are fans of Harry Potter. Because it is an easy game and relatively short (about 8-10 hours in the story mode), it is not a good fit for video game enthusiasts. Because the story is compacted, it might not make sense to those who have not read the source book or seen the movie on which it is based. It is not as deep as previous games; in this one you will basically be brewing potions, dueling using magic, and flying during Quidditch.

What the game does well is provide realistic animations of all of the actors from the movie – you can even see emotion on the characters' faces. And many of the actors have lent their voice talents to the game including Rupert Grint as Ron and Bonnie Wright as Ginny. The wizard dueling is easier than in earlier games because the controls are more responsive (especially on the Wii) and you can now move Harry while he is casting magic spells. Likewise, the navigation is easier because you always have an option of calling up Nearly Headless Nick (a ghost) to lead you through the castle. We also found that flying on a broomstick had improved from previous games.

Game themes & details

Game Details
Available on: Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, PSP, PlayStation 2, Windows, Mac
Not available online
Genre: Action/Adventure
Developer: Electronic Arts
Released on: June 30, 2009
Price: 29-$50
ESRB Rating: E10+ for Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
Screenshots
This review was written by Jinny Gudmundsen
 
 

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What parents & educators say

12
Based on 5 parent & educator reviews:
  • 60% say there are positive role models
  • 40% say violence is an issue
  • 40% say sexual content is an issue
  • 40% say there are positive messages
Read the reviews

Most useful reviews by all members

magz1027
kid, 11 years old
6
 
Kind of Lame
It's kinda easy to beat. I think it's kinda lame. I'm not a big fan of the game. It's a little violent but not really.
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bosbos
adult
16
 
love it
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cowsie
kid, 11 years old
8
 
the wizard game
i love it but its just to easy.andwhen you fly a broom it pretty much does it for you. the things i love is you get to fight almost everyone that are inthe movie mainly.one more thing i love that you get to practice fighting.
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love2
parent of 19 year old
9
 
ok game
i got this game for my b day and it was not the best game ever but it was pritty good. kids under 8 wont really understand the game and plus the game is inaproprete for there age. but if your child is 9 this is a good game for them to play with some iffy content. if your child is older than that then this game is ON for them.
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24cool
kid, 8 years old
9
 
9+
Violence: Many battles against the death eaters and sometimes their tense. The dueling club has some spells that can knock you out. Language: A few uses of bloody hell.
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BlueCastle
kid, 10 years old
8
 
best
this game is good.PLAY IT.ON XBOX360
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Pockets420
adult
15
 
its a good game if you are trying to get them all
I liked this game there was some stuff in it that could have been twecked i like the dolling the only thing i didn't like about this game was the story stops just like the movie dose
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CSM Screen ...
kid, 12 years old
2
 
love it but there is a couple of hells
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Coolguy7077
kid, 13 years old
7
 
Anyone can play it
I love this game but i wished it was longer once you beat the game all you can do is make spells and potions very fun but to short
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scooby625
kid, 13 years old
7
 
If you can play it you will love it.
Love it. The only problem for me was that I beat it in like 2-3 hours. It's short. It has great graphics. My favorite part is making the potions.
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ps3 gamer
kid, 13 years old
9
 
Good short game for children
Great game but it took me 2-5hours to complete so its quite short! (also if you read my review of tekken 6 the bit about the women i didnt mean)
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Books For The ...
teen, 17 years old
9
 
Great Game
Dark themes handled with a light touch in this 6th game.
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Soccer person
teen, 14 years old
9
 
Nine and older
I played this with my sister, who was nine at the time, on the wii. It was fun to play, but we were often stuck on one task for hours on end. The inferi are scary for really little kids, but should not be to anyone over eight. The only problem was that it was only one player.
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momonick
parent of 10 year old
10
 
A great game
It is awsam game!!!! I love it
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JohnathonLongh ...
adult
10
 
Good Game; though, Short, However.
This is a good game, but it is way too short. I suppose they put those clubs on there make it a longer game; however, I do not know.
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Justino4
teen, 14 years old
10
 
More of That Harry Potter Violence
The game's bd content contains some drinking and more of that Harry Potter violence. All of which isn't really bad. The rating E10+ is perfect for this game.
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yukari
teen, 16 years old
10
 
Not to bad of a game
This was a fun game to my friends brother he loved it! Though he commented that there could be a little more game play
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Gamerbro
teen, 17 years old
9
 
Not a good game.
While this game is age appropriate, it fits in with the standards of many other movie games. That standard being very low.
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rainpuddle
teen, 16 years old
8
 
Fun, but to easy and short
This game was super easy and took me two hours to beat. It was fun but there was not enough included in the game to make it last long enough. Most of the game was where you were watching videos such as when ron was poisened you didn't have to go looking for a bezoar insted it just showed it happening. It would have been a quest in the pc game. I'm not say ing this game isn't fun i am just saying if you want a longer experence i would recomend the computer game and iknow they are longer.
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Monkeyman1521
kid, 11 years old
9
 
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood prince the game is awesome
I just simply love it. I've read all the books and watched all the movies (that are out). I started reading the first book in second grade. Then I started and finshed the 2-4 books in second grade and over summer break. then I started the 5th book on the last week of summer break. I finshed in the 3rd week of third grade. Then the 6th book took me about 3 weeks to a month. Then the final book (really good) took me around a month. I tried to get my dad to get me the game but he really wanted Wii sports resort. So we got it instead. But I really wanted it so next time I see it we will get it
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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
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