Game Review - Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

On April 25th, Hogwarts Mystery; an RPG Mobile Game based on the Harry Potter universe was released by Jam City with help from the newly established game publishing company Portkey Games (a subsidiary of Warner Bros.). After playing for more than a week, I have more negatives to say than positives; which is something of a trait when it comes to things which come out of the Harry Potter Franchise these days.

Story

The story so far is interesting (certainly much better than The Cursed Child). This is one of the few positives I can give. Despite the fact that the story is quite possibly non-canon, the backstory hooks you in right away.  The premises spans 7 years from the day Voldemort was defeated for the first time at Godric’s Hollow by baby Harry. By saying that, there are all sorts of neat references throughout the game. You’ll not only get to meet young Tonks but also the Weasley kids who attended Hogwarts before Percy.

As the name says, there is a certain mystery going on where our main player’s brother/sister has disappeared following a series of unfortunate events. Our task is to discover what really happened.

However, the new characters are uninteresting. What I mean by that is the fact that they all seems to be carbon copies of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and others. Been there, done that.

But here’s where the ridiculousness kicks in: The story contains a Draco Malfoy wannabe Slytherin bully named Merula Snyde. She acts and behaves much like a Deatheater and what she does throughout the game is completely worthy of a lifetime sentence in Azkaban (Seriously? Trying to murder a kid in broad daylight and leaving behind credible evidence?). I guess her parents being Deatheaters may have something to do with her bad blood. Yet, the teachers seems to turn a blindseye towards her antics. Not even Draco had this kind of freedom when it comes to bullying.

Graphics and Sound

Hogwarts Mystery is a gorgeous looking game. Eye-catching graphics and beautiful music will get you hooked right away. The music featured in the game are actually derivatives from the music featured in the movies (most likely to avoid any copyright issues had they used the original music).

The main line Harry Potter console games which came out during the movie days only showed the Griffindor Common Room with the exception being Chamber Of Secrets and Half-Blood Prince Video Games which also showed the Slytherin Common Room. Here of course if you choose to join Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, you’ll be treated with your first look at those respective common rooms.

I’m impressed with the graphics which put it on-par with a Playstation 3 era game. That being said, you’ll certainly need a good mobile phone to give this game a shot.

With that, this review is about to go 180 and turn towards the darkside.

Gameplay

Since Hogwarts Mystery is a typical ‘Free To Play’ type of mobile game, gameplay and micro-transactions go hand-in-hand. Though categorized as a ‘Role Playing Game’, the gameplay is a linear storydriven one where you have to tap objects for actions. That being said, this is not a game at all. An app such as this is normally categorized as an Interactive Mobile Novel. Imagine clicking a next button to advance. Yes; that’s pretty much it. There’s no “playing” involved. Here’s how it works: A small cutscene would play and you have to click on ‘Next’ to read the dialog. Once it’s done you have to tap on an object or a person to interact. There’s only one action to do and you just complete that action by tapping few times. Then another dialog will follow. Rinse and repeat.

Interacting with an object reduces “Energy”. You are given 24 Energy from the get go. Once the Energy is drained, you have to either wait 1.5 hours or pay real money to get it refilled. Here comes the messed up part: Some interactions are timed and requires a lot of Energy. Either you have to wait for several hours or pay with your own money to get the energy refilled. On a good game, these kind of ‘Paywalls’ won’t come on until you are few days into the game. But this game is a far cry from being a good game. You’ll get the “opportunity” to cough out money from your wallet few hours into the game. This is a clear cut ‘hook and sinker’ setup.

IF you choose to pay, you’ll be paying from Rs. 175 upwards. The transactions can go all the way up to Rs. 15,500/- But even so, the rewards are not permanent. Which means you’ll eventually end up paying much more.

If you are playing for free, a typical scenario would go like this: You’ll open the app, tap several icons or commands few times, you see that you ran out of energy, you close the app and wait for 1.5 hours. That wait is just to play [I kid you not] for another 1 or 2 minutes.

What Could Have Been

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery reminds me of an old mobile game called Layton Brothers Mystery. However, that game was leagues ahead when it comes to its transaction implementation. That game had Cases very much like this game’s Years. First case was free to play but the rest of the cases had a measly $5 to unlock them all. Also, there was no waiting involved. If you paid, you had the luxury to play to your heart’s content. And that is exactly what’s lacking here. The heart and soul of the Harry Potter franchise is lost with their lust for money.

Final Verdict

Hogwarts Mystery is a cashgrab. It’s no surprise when it comes to the microtransaction filled mobile world we are living in. As I stated before, there is no playing involved. There’s no deep thinking or figuring things out. Someone might say that there’s nothing much more you can do since it’s a mobile game. But some mobile games have proven to be even amazing than console games. This is certainly not that kind of a mobile game. Besides, as predicted, this game is a reskin of Jam City’s own Avengers Academy rather than being a new game of its own. It looks good visually, but that’s about it. This may not be the best start for WB’s Portkey Games, but we certainly expect something better next time for the sake of the franchise.

Curse Of A Child: Troubles With Time

When the producers announced a follow-up series to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I was skeptical. I was genuinely worried. The original show had a perfect ending so why tarnish that? That's what I thought. But, I was so happy to be proven wrong, for Avatar: The Legend Of Korra turned out to be enjoyable and a great series to Aang. Therefore, when a follow-up to the Harry Potter Series was announced, I was cautiously optimistic.

And boy, was I wrong again!

Harry Potter And The Cursed Child review starts here. If you still haven't read the book (or watched the play) and doesn't like being spoiled, please turn away now. You are kindly warned, my friend.

The story starts where we left off at the end of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows. Albus Severus Potter is worried whether he may be put on Slytherin. Harry reassuringly states that Sorting Hat takes the wearers opinion in to consideration. So, at the end of DH we were under the impression that Albus will ask from Sorting Hat not to put him in Slytherin. Only it didn't turn out that way. He's in Slytherin and I have a hunch why. I'll keep that for later.

Jump three years. Everyone except Scorpius Malfoy (Draco's son) are a**holes now. We see a severe butchering of characters we know and love. Harry, Ron and Hermione whom we cared so much thanks to their portrayal on the books, are acting out of character and this is especially noticeable on Harry Potter. 

Hermione while Minister Of Magic is acting in a rather stupid manner. She takes decisions without thinking too much and for a character whom we knew as a good thinker, this is rather off-putting. Ron meanwhile had turned out to be an alcoholic, and a rather dumb one at that. Ron was never the "comic-relief" character on the books. He was more of a best companion and sidekick to Harry. Title of comic relief was Fred & George's mantle. Never Ron's.  So, what was the author thinking is a big question here. Harry turned out to be world's most pathetic dad, and a world-class a**hole as well. The way he talked to McGonagall was a clear indication that this is certainly not the Harry Potter we grew up with.

The story jumps to a convoluted mess involving Time Travel. Here's the thing: it's a norm among writers not to use Time Traveling as an easy escape unless as a last resort when all other ideas are exhausted (or if the entire story is about Time Traveling). That's the reason why Prisoner of Azkaban used Time Traveling in limited quantities and destroyed the Time-Turners on Order Of The Phoenix just to prove the point.

In the Harry Potter Universe, time traveling acts in a different manner than to time traveling on other fiction such as Back To The Future. The universe Ms. Rowling created does not expect a time traveler to go back in time and come back to a changed future. The incident already happens with the time traveler as a passive observer. The traveler traveled because the event already happened. Which is why the traveler is on the other side of the lake (literally) and not the person itself. Therefore great wizards such as Dumbledore or Voldermort cared so little about time traveling; for the event has already happened and it has happened as it should be.

But contradicting all that, we see a "Dark Future" as a result of time traveling on Harry Potter And The Cursed Child. But this is not even the main problem.

The main  problem is the titular character herself; Delphi Riddle, the daughter of Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestange. Let that sink in for  a moment. Voldemort is the last person on earth who'd make a heir. He despise the concept of family and detaches from bonds. A guy like him making a baby, and being a father will never happen. Remember, his goal was immortality. A heir would be the last thing he wanted, for he made sure his own family was murdered by his own hands.

Now, the other problem of Delphi was the fact that she was born and raised in the Malfoy Manner. I'm assuming this happened following the Unbreakable Vow chapter of Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows. Props to the writer for noticing the unusual absence of Bellatrix during that time period and including this. But you'd think with both Draco and his mother being present at the house during the period, that they'd at least notice the nutty aunt was pregnant and there is a baby in the house?

Besides, Harry states that his scar is hurting, and he can speak Parseltongue again after 22 years and it may be due to some presence of Voldemort being around. First of all his scar originally hurt and he was able to talk to snakes because of the Horcrux within him. He lost the ability of Parseltounge and lost the pain, with Horcrux being destroyed and Voldemort being killed respectively. If his scar was hurting due to Delphi, it would not have paused 22 years, for Delphi was already born and raised for 23 years. 

Lord Voldemort + Bellatrix Lestange, appearance of Snape, appearance of Cedric Diggory, Heir of Voldemort are all thanks to Fan Service (or most commonly known as Fan W**king). This was done just to fulfill some of the fantasies of fans. And so was the fact that Albus Severus went to Slytherin. This was all Fan Service. Nothing more, nothing less.

There is a reason why I referred the author of the new story as "the author" and not as J. K. Rowling. News are coming in that J. K. had nothing to do with this story. She merely endorsed it (out of the pressure from the stakeholders no doubt). Therefore, I consider the new story as non-canon. I will not call this the eighth story. Harry Potter ended with Deathly Hallows. This new book is nothing more than Fan Fiction. End of story, Goodbye, The end.

The only redeeming factor of the book was Scorpius Malfoy. He turned out to be a very likable character. He's level-headed, ambitious and often see the brightside of life despite all odds stacked against him. He's the kind of person who is a hybrid of Harry, Ron and Hermione with a bit of Draco tossed in. If it weren't for Scorpius Malfoy, this new story would have been irredeemable.

What they should have done is, instead of making a sequel, they could have done a prequel like J.R.R. Tolkien's Hobbit. There are so many untold stories from the Harry Potter Universe. Take for example the feud between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, Snape's life story, Adventures of the four Marauders etc. But alas, it did not came to be.

So, where do I rank Harry Potter And The Cursed Child? Is it good? Is it bad? I'll put it this way: this book will not be placed on the same shelf as other Harry Potter books.

Image Courtesy: Fadalabla of Tumblr

Movie Review - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I haven't written a movie review in a very long time. Let's do this...

I really don't think the Star Wars franchise requires any introduction. It is bound to the human culture like the moon is to the Earth. It's always there... and hard to ignore. When the seventh episode was announced, there was much anticipation and excitement. However, the prequel series has left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth that some kept their expectations as low as it can go. BUT....

Starting from the thunderous applause which shook the theater when the Star Wars theme started playing to the audience jumping in joy at the end credits crawled (which may have led to last night's earthquake in Pakistan), Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an unforgettable ride which made people who called the director J. J. Abrams, Jar Jar Abrams to eat their words with extra bit of their own dignity.

Performance

Let me point you to the beautiful elephant in the room: The main characters of the movie... is a woman and a black man. Read that again slowly if you didn't get that the first time: The main characters of the movie... is a woman and a black man. The two character types who are often shunned in other movies, TV shows, books... you name it. Yet here they are... so beautiful not just in appearance but I never felt like they are movie characters. They were so real... both of them. Daisy Ridley delivered such a phenomenal performance. You'll never notice that she's a newcomer. Her portrayal of Rey is not just any woman; but strong, tech-savvy, kick-assy , independent, courageous individual who sets an example for every women in the society. John Boyega's Finn is a direct opposite of how the society looks upon black men. Finn showed that they do the right thing, walk away from the evil, caring and always there for their friends (“I like this guy”). Rey and Finn are the opposite sides of the same coin in personality. That's what sets them apart. But the value remains the same. With Adam Driver's Kylo Ren, you see the young Anakin and the old Darth Vader in him. That's what makes him so special. You see the Original Trilogy Villain and the Prequel Trilogy “Hero” in him. And finally the return of the original cast.... yeah, I don't even need to say a word. You can't criticize them. It's like criticizing your own mom and dad.

Plot

Well, the whole movie feels like it's a lot of fan service. You can't watch the new movie without watching and loving the previous movies. This is my ONLY gripe about Star Wars: The Force Awakens; you can't jump in. That's not how this movie works. But if you are watching this as a fan, let me tell you... you are in for the ride of your life. I guarantee you, you'll shed at least one tear of joy. Any single spoiler in this movie can ruin the entire movie for you. It's amazing how Disney kept all these secrets during the marketing campaign. Must have been one hell of an effort.

Cinematography and Visuals

SW:TFA goes back to what made the original trilogy so special. You feel the magic. You feel the galaxy far far away. You see the exotic locations. You hear the worlds. We couldn't help but feel nostalgic inside as familiar faces and familiar places comes up when we least expect them to. You see a whole new world and you escape into the aforementioned galaxy far far away. J. J. Abrams is a storytelling genius. We see his handy work and imagine it's George Lucas who worked on the original trilogy. It's clear that Mr. Abrams had gone for a more practical approach than the CGI-fest that was Prequel Trilogy. Just because a new technology exists, it doesn't mean that the traditional should be forgotten, That's exactly what the director tried to prove. Speaking of new technology, the 3D effects had gone to it's absolute peak. If you can, I highly suggest you to go for IMAX 3D.

Music

Again, the magic of the original is intact here. New themes like “Rey's Theme” are orchestral masterpieces which fills your heart each moment you are living in the movie. John Williams prove again and again why he is the king of movie soundtracks.

Legacy

Star Wars: The Force Awakens truly feels like it is the worthy successor to the original trilogy. It feels so connected that you'll never feel like it's something new. You'll feel like you never left the theater so many years ago at the end of Return Of The Jedi. You'll feel like no time has passed and you have returned to the theater next year to watch the sequel. 32 years just seems insignificant. And that is the legacy of this new movie. That is how Star Wars: The Force Awakens shines above all else. That is how this movie becomes legendary.

May The Force Be With You!

From The Eyes Of A Best-man...

Weddings are wonderful things. So many emotions. For some it can be a terrifying experience as well. Who are they? Well, the people who are appointed to make a speech actually. Because that speech is for a lifetime.

As my friends would know me, I’m a fellow who doesn’t pay much attention to the world around me. So naturally, I’m the last person in the world to do a speech like this. But, now I can…

When I was asked to be a Best-Man at Eranda’s wedding it was rather flattering. Eranda is not a friend… he’s a brother. And being the best-man at his wedding is quite an honor. I met Eranda back in 2008 probably. He was in a Drama at NIBM. But we became friends in 2009 and he was always out there for me. Keeping me out of trouble, guiding me through difficult times, being there for me when I needed the most and making me a better man. So, now you see why I addressed him as a brother. Before he met Dulani, he was very tough, very strict and no-nonsense kind of fellow. But by the time end of 2013, he was a guy who was even smiling to himself. He was happier than I ever knew him.

It was because of Eranda and Dulani that I believed in a little something called Destiny. I’m glad to be a part of their meetup. Dulani was never meant to go into the same project as Eranda. It was a mistake by me… by a pure accident and I accidentally interviewed Dulani for the project where Eranda was. But that is a one mistake I’m glad I made.

Anyway, here we are… on their wedding day. The thing is, I’m suppose to wish them. But when I saw Dulani walking into the hall today, clutching the hand of her father, I saw something; Her face. It was all set, without a single worry, so confident about her life ahead with Eranda. And on that moment I knew my wish was worthless; it is not needed. Dulani knew Eranda would take care of her for the rest of her life, Eranda knew his life is complete with Dulani. So what do they need with my wish? Their whishes are already fulfilled.

Never-the-less, I wish them all the very best. May they live long and prosper.

And one more thing… I think they’ll become great parents as well. Do you know why I say that? Well, both of them had a very good practice by taking care of a big baby like me. So, a little tyke is no big deal.

Photo Credit: Ruwanthi Abeywickrama

Why I Didn't Went To The Colombo International Book Fair This Year...

For the first time in my life I didn't visit the Colombo International Book Fair. I've been hearing a lot of negative comments regarding the state of the Book Fair over the years. It's all true, since I know for a fact that the fair left a bad taste in my mouth last time. I’ll tell you why…

When I first visited the book fair it was as it was named “Colombo International Book Fair”. There were so many International books which were hard to find in Sri Lanka, available for purchase. My kind of paradise. However, there was also so many local books but with good quality and by great authors; our time and past.

Over the years, the Fair degenerated into something unrecognizable. It began to turn more into a “Fair” rather than “Books”.

Gone are the good International Books and even the publishers stopped showing up (is it true that Expo Graphics left the fair this time?). The Book Fair became a haven for bad authors and mediocre publishers.

The CIBF became a carnival for people to visit Colombo and have something to eat. Boys come to check out girls, girls come to check out boys. So, who’s coming to check out books?

Also, when hungry and tired after walking all over the fair to find books, there was no place to rest or get a snack for a decent price. Everything is expensive.

So, I said to myself “why bother this time?”

Toy Review - Transformers: Age Of Extinction Generations Deluxe High-Octane Bumblebee

Despite what most people say, I love Bumblebee. The Camaro is one of my favorite cars and his bot mode is rather good. So naturally, when I saw that Bumblebee will have two vehicle modes (modified 1969 Chevrolet Camaro and 2014 Chevy Concept Camaro) I thought to purchase the Deluxe versions of both modes. However, both versions did not release at the same time. The 1969 version came with Wave 1 as High Octane Bumblebee. Boy was I in for some surprises.

Packaging
This is the first thing you’ll notice when you enter a store to buy the figure. Hasbro mentioned that they’ve introduced the new packaging to make sure it catches the eye. That much is true. Among many other colorfully packaged toys we see a very very white colored area which is the Transformers toy section. Previous packaging had unique shapes while this time they went with a more professional Square shape. Noting to praise and nothing to say bad about either. But the toys are very well securely placed inside the packaging. Praise to that.

Price 

The very next thing you’ll notice. Hasbro has increased the price slightly and with it the price of the toys has gone significantly up in Sri Lanka. For a full list of pricing in Sri Lanka, visit TFW2005 (and prepare to get your heart broken).

Size
OK. Now, remember when Transformers: Dark Of Moon toys came out and people complained that the toys are quarter of a size (¼) smaller than the Revenge Of The Fallen/Hunt For The Decepticons line? Well, guess what? Age Of Extinction toys are quarter of a size (¼) smaller than the Dark Of Moon toys. Since I’m reviewing Bumblebee, I must say that the size difference is kind of “ok” when he is in his Robot mode. But it looks teeny tiny compared to other figures of previous lines. In fact we’ve previously had bigger Scout class toys than the new Deluxes.

Plastic Quality

This is where the toys suck the most. Gone is the sturdiness that was on previous lines.  The plastic on High Octane Bumblebee is thin as a A4 paper. Since this is targeted as an Adult Collector Line, it’s best to keep him in one mode and don’t go on into transforming him often. After all, paying Rs. 4250/- means you can’t afford to break it.

Vehicle mode.

As much as I like the Chevrolet Camaro and even this 1969 version there is something about the vehicle mode which is kind of “off”. I do believe it has something to do with the Plastic quality, the whole Vehicle mode looks like it’s about to break apart at any given time. Even the DOTM Bee has this accusation but not this much. Holding him he feels like one of those tiny die cast cars but not even close to the strength it has. The car rolls pretty well. But whatever you to do not roll him and collide him with a wall or another toy. Dropping him even with a small height is a big mistake.

Transformation
The packaging boasts an 18 step Transformation. But to tell you the truth, the transformation is not that different than any previous Deluxe Bumblebees. However, to transform him it takes even more time. Why? Because you are worried that you’ll break something. But the transformation joints are so sturdy they hold the figure up very well. There a lot of click-ety joints that will keep the figure up without drooping. Huge plus point. The Instruction Sheets are reverted back to drawn diagrams rather than images of the actual product; which of course mean it's a bit hard to figure out what's going on. They should have stuck with the images.

Robot Mode
Ah, here’s where the toy really excels. The robot mode ( just like the vehicle mode) is spot on accurate to his on-screen counterpart. There’s a lot of details everywhere. And the figure looks striking. There a whole warrior look to it. But the toy has more Yellow that the actually movie version. But then again all the toys in this line are colorful than their on-screen versions. There are some good articulation and thanks to the sturdy joints, the figure can be posed very well. But the default standing position is really cool looking. The only complain about articulation is the fact that there is no waist articulation this time. So now he feels like one of those early Batman suits. Despite the tic-tac sized head, Hasbro still manged to give him light-piping to the eyes which improved the head-sculpt a lot.

Accessories
He comes with a missile which operates when you apply pressure. No spring-loaded gimmick. No Mech-tech (Thank god. That was a horrible line of weapons. It is certainly not missed). However, after about two times the missile bended slightly (as you can see on the image below).

 

Overall
Not a bad figure. It’s worth if you like Bumblebee a lot. 

Final Thought
This is Sri Lanka. You are paying 3 times the usual retail price. Spend your money wisely for the Age Of Extinction toyline. There are some exceptionally good figures. Voyager Hound and Deluxe Scorn are a must buy. Rest of the line is not that good. They are certainly not bad but nothing you should dump a ton of Rupees. If it gives you any satisfaction and if you like dinosaurs when you were a kid, grab the 4 Deluxe Dinobots when all of them are in Sri Lanka and grab Voyager Grimlock.

Sepia Tone

Times will come when the skies are grey

It feels like sadness is here to stay

You will feel like you have missed

A part of you which you dismissed

But times will come to make it better

The rain wash away in a pitter-patter

If you look to the past, there is no peace

Your heart will not be at ease

A lesson learned will stay forever

Leading us on ever and ever

No matter the past is sad and grey

I know a smile will come to stay

© All Rights Reserved. Udana S. Wijesuriya.
Image Courtesy: Stoked4Life