LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
common sense media says
Magical adventure is fun, funny, and fantastic.
parents & educators say
- 70% say there are positive role models
- 50% say there are positive messages
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 covers the stories of the first four Harry Potter books (and movies). Those stories get darker as they go along, but in the world of LEGO video games, even that which is scary or violent is depicted with colorful block characters. A spooky LEGO ghost still looks like a toy. Even among the growing library of LEGO video games, though, Harry Potter is less violent. With LEGO Star Wars or Batman or Indiana Jones, there was a lot of physical fighting, but such melees are only a small fraction of the action here. In LEGO Harry Potter, the focus is much more heavily weighted toward exploration and puzzle solving. There is a tiny bit of crude humor, most of it involving bad odors -- as when a LEGO creature leaves little brown LEGO droppings, and characters grimace.
Positive role models:
Harry and his friends are excellent heroic role models here, just as they are in the Harry Potter books and movies. They stand for good in the battle against evil, but in a more relatable way, they always help out their friends and fellow students whenever somebody needs a hand.
Ease of play:
The LEGO games have all been well-designed, with easy to learn -- and easy to use -- controls. This one is no exception. While switching between spells adds a level of complexity not seen in other LEGO games, it's still very simply laid out and never too hard to handle.
Violence:
Characters -- in the form of LEGO minifigures -- blast one another with magic spells. Some yelp vocally when hit. Occasionally, a minifigure is destroyed as a result of fighting, and breaks apart. In the case of the heroes, they immediately reform. One heroic character dies toward the end of the game (if you know the books, then you know who) and as Harry mourns, holding the head of the LEGO minifigure, the game is sad for about two seconds. One dragon-type boss creature is killed with a sword. Voldemort and his minions are scary LEGO figures -- but they're still just LEGO figures.
Sex:
Some light kissing and blushing, but again, they are LEGO characters.
Language:
Not applicable.
Consumerism:
The game has a double-tie-in, with licensing from both the LEGO toy brand and the Harry Potter movie franchise.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Not applicable.
More on LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Screenshots
Review It
Based on 10 parent & educator reviews:
- 70% say there are positive role models
- 50% say there are positive messages
- 30% say it's educational
Most useful reviews by all members
magz1027
kid, 11 years old
kid, 11 years old
It's fun, but sometime's it not that good.
Sometimes it gets too violent for kids because most of the time you are able to levitate people and put them wherever you want.
They have Harry Potter symbols and Lego logos all over.
Other than that it's easy to play, and cool.
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xxxGIRxxx
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
Now i like LEGOS
When i first heard of LEGO Harry Potter I'm like, it sounds dumb but i totally need that. Now i love it! I finished the whole game and i'm going to play it again! I apprecite LEGOS more now!!!!
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brown_eyed_girl
parent of 10 and 12 year old
parent of 10 and 12 year old
Excellent addition to Lego Wii games
If you're cool with the whole Harry Potter mythology, this is a very enjoyable game. Story line is pretty close to actual book/movie plot line. Lots of puzzles to play and areas to explore. The game overall is very intuitive and it's easy to figure out how to operate controls. Much better than Lego Star Wars which seems like one non-stop battle. I only wish they would have the option to make primary controls switch after every quest is completed so more than one child could take active lead in the game. Lots of arguments of which way to go because on person is always in control of the game play.
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greatfilms100
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
Violence (E): Nothing bad, aside from some scary stuff.
Sexual Content (E): Mild kisses.
Consumerism (E): Legos are your background.
Social Behavior (E): Voldermort is a bad character your kids shouldn't act as.
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adamr2893
teen, 18 years old
teen, 18 years old
A game that is entertaining and funny. A great family game.
Wow. Since I got this game, I was amazed. The controls are very simple, and when you start playing this game, you just can't stop! The controls are just like the other LEGO games, but instead of punching or kicking, you use spells on things. This is also a great family game. There can be 2 players. But there is one teensy problem with multiplayer. When one person goes a certain distance away from the other person, a straight black line appears on the screen. Well, I guess it's better than dying and spawning where the other person is. Anyway, about the rating. This game is rated E10+ for Cartoon Violence and Crude Humor. Yes, there is cartoon violence throughout, but there's nothing to be worried sick about. Everything just breaks into LEGO pieces when you zap it with a spell. Nothing bad at all. There is also potty humor, e.g., Harry shakes his but while under the invisibility cloak. The game is REALLY funny. If you are a fan of LEGOs or LEGO games, this is the perfect game for you. There is so much to explore and unlock in the world of Harry Potter!
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pinkkittyninja
kid, 13 years old
kid, 13 years old
Meh fun but still...
This game was ok, but definetly not worth over forty dollars. It's mainly the remake of the first four harry potter movies rolled in one--lego style. I didn't like how dark it was and how practically impossible it was to see much. I was also annoyed at their voices, for they didn't say anything. Every cut scene all you heard was "ehhh" and "oooh" and "ahhh"! Plus you could call this an ad. BUT overall, i had a really fun time playing it! :D You should really only get this if you're a Harry Potter fan (i'm not but still enjoyed it) and it's probably going to be more fun for the older crowd. Anyway, i rate this 7 out of 10! :D
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chimera
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
just dosent satisfy
ok, i am SICK of video games being ads. now gaming just feels like watching commercials. it would be about three stars if it wasnt an obvious lego ad! otherwise, its ok, but i am sick of game-ads.
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beckyhall
parent of and 8 , 11 , 15 year old
parent of and 8 , 11 , 15 year old
We got this on the release date, being huge Harry Potter fans from the books to the movies to the games. My kids (7, 11, 14) LOVED it from the first moment! I love the humor in the lego games, and I love the theme of good vs. evil in Harry Potter in general.
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BlueCastle
kid, 10 years old
kid, 10 years old
LEGO
I LOVE THIS GAME. ITS SO OK FOR A 6 YEAR OLDER.
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CSM Screen ...
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
Cdric diggory dies and there are death eater and curelty like voldemort trying to kill you and lucis malfoy captures dobby and treats him like a slave and you can play as death eaters and lucis malfoy voldemort and a few santers it a pretty goood game but can get killed and you can kill other people there are splles use that can stun you torture you disarm you and kill you and i rate it 5 and up cuzwe there is some iffy stuf for a 1,2,3and4 year old to be watching this game
sigend by Cedric Diggory
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huskertwins99
parent of 11 and 11 year old
parent of 11 and 11 year old
Hooked on Lego Potter..
Love it..
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minigreenfrog
kid, 10 years old
kid, 10 years old
epic win! :)
Don't have it but I've tried a demo of it. It's AWESOME!
I want it for my b-day
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Cody284
kid, 11 years old
kid, 11 years old
the best game ever
The best lego game so far.
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Sosie98
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Great!
I love this game. It also lets you build levels, which my brother loves.
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PrincessNoriBori
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Great game for everybody!
The only reason I say it isn't on for everybody is because for young children or people who don't know the books and movies it can be difficult to find your way around. If you know the books or are good at video games you should be fine.
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ReillyGuy2
kid, 13 years old
kid, 13 years old
Really Fun!!!
The onl reason I gave it an 9 is not because of violence or anyhing inappropriate but because it can get a little confusing at times!
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Jukilum
teen, 18 years old
teen, 18 years old
Fine for anyone.
LEGO Harry Potter should be fine for anyone to play, and adults should play it too.
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MamaB2C
parent of 5 and 13 year old
parent of 5 and 13 year old
True to the books and movies and interesting game play.
This is my personal favorite of all the Lego video games due to there being more puzzles and problem solving and less combat. As a fan of the books and movies I was very impressed with the consistency of the scenes and storyline.
My son started playing this at age 4 and found the almost constant aiming (pointing at objects with the controller) pretty difficult, but that just gave me an excuse to play with him.
I found a few times while sandboxing in Hogwarts that I couldn't go back to complete something if I missed it the first time through. This is frustrating, but I don't think it's a bug, I think it's meant to require more in depth strategizing.
Replay capability is excellent.
Really enjoyable game
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