nickdawgy

Nah. The Xbox controller still feels better in the hands.

RichC2

But lacks the bells and whistles.

Still prefer the Xbox controller for multiplayer FPS games, but the dual sense force feedback, whatever the trippy trigger effect is called and speaker do add a lot to the experience (in general)

davidh777

Exactly, but I do note and appreciate that the “BS” was left out of the follow-up response.

I enjoyed the heck out of the LOTR games. If people get a similar experience out of Hogwarts, then great.

Decker

I like this one so much more than those LOTR games, which were cool but pretty derivative of many other games, just with a Peter Jackson inspired skins on the characters. This game is so unique and well integrated into the IP.

davidh777

The convenient thing about LOTR using the same engine as the Arkham games was that it was easy to learn the combat moves.

mhg83

Sooo when do you get a broom? I'm 5 hours in and just finished the Library quest. Was expecting to get it sooner.

OldBoy

I didn’t mean any disrespect or disagree with the controversy, just meant no place in thread. My bad if anyone was disrespected or offended. That was not my intention at all.

The Cow

My wife is at level 16 and doesn't have one yet. She did get to ride one, but has not gotten her own yet. She's having her first encounter with beasts/animals currently.

OldBoy

Geez, 16 and still no broom? That sucks. I was so looking forward to that. I guess it comes much later. I don’t even remember what level I’m at, maybe 4 or 5. I’m a slow player.

The Cow

She's exploring all kinds of stuff and doing the side quests too, so I don't know how far along in the actual story she is.

OldBoy

I’m doing all the side quests too. They’re varied and not boring or generic as some games can be. I still don’t understand learning a spell thing.

mhg83

Its the equivalent of not giving batman his grappling hook in an arkham game for ten hours in.

lopper

I think once you take flying lessons at the school then you can buy a broom in town. Could be wrong. Don't remember when I got mine but it was definitely before I did the beasts class and before level 16.

Noonan

Yeah, pretty sure the broom store opens right after your first flying class. I did the first beast class but I don't think I'm able to tame animals yet? Or do I just go out and brush/feed random non-hostile animals?

Up to level 22 with my main story quest at level 14.

maxfisher

Somewhere, there’s a person whose job was to program the bugs that are in the environment during conversations outdoors. That person really pulled a fast one. The low quality of the clip-art-pops-up-then-shrinks-to-invisibility approach is so jarring compared to the rest of the game that it keeps distracting me from listening to what characters are telling me.

All in all, this is pretty masterfully done, at least for the first 8 hours I’ve played. I am a little concerned about if exploring will get tedious. Hogwarts and Hogsmeade are very well designed, but the playable area outside of them seems kind of huge and my first several excursions into it feel a bit generic.

Noonan

The outside area is quick to navigate once you have a broom and fast travel locations unlocked. There's a good bit to do but it's definitely not at the level of an AC game. The bottom half (or more) of the map is still fully unexplored for me.

Oh, quick tip for anyone who's still early on and didn't notice (like myself). Gear visuals are forever. If you have a robe you like the look of but it's lower level you can still sell it. Anything you own will be saved for the sake of glamour. I went a long time trying to manage a full inventory because I thought you needed the gear to be able to use its visuals.

Rob V

Thank God... AC is just too much. Hell, Ghost of Tsushima felt like too much after a while.

Noonan

Put in a couple more hours and I'm now able to tame creatures in the world. This year is going to be packed with games but this is already an easy GotY contender. I can't remember the last time I wanted to dive into my TV and live in the world of a game so much.

Rob V

I am loving this game. Again, not a HP fan per se but the details are incredible. The controls intuitive.

OldBoy

This game truly immerses you in a world that is so much fun to be in, it’s like you get lost.

Even if not an HP fan, if you’re a fan of games that tell a good story and keeps sucking you in slowly then this is for you. For anyone really.

The magic truly is magic. We may have seen similar gameplay, but not a world as insanely rich and cool with characters you come to enjoy, slowly befriend and dare say care about as they journey through the school grounds and Hogsmeade and whatever other areas there are to explore. All while not using traditional weapons.

Simply tugs at you and gives you that yearn sensation that you want to constantly play. Great feeling. Not many do that anymore.

mhg83

I agree with Oldboy on Spell learning being lame. I thought it would involve going through a dungeon to unlock a spell. Maybe more advanced spells in the later game will?

mhg83

Not sure if its been mentioned yet but make sure to sell gear to save up inventory space. Supposedly if you open a chest that has gear and your slots are full, you lose that loot when you come back later!

Thankfully you can still keep visible gear for cosmetics

Noonan

This is correct, as far as I can tell. I think I lost a couple pieces of loot along the way. Unfortunately (for the sake of the game overall) 95% of loot you find is worthless. That's probably the biggest "wish it was different" situation for me. Find some secret area thinking it'll be something good only for the chest to have a hat that's 10+ defense lower than what you're already wearing.

Unlocked the griffin. I'm not quite sure why you need both it and a broom. It seems to fly faster but is otherwise the same.

steebo777

Y'all have convinced me to get this, it sounds great!

Noonan

Do you enjoy open world games? Are you a fan of the classical fantasy genre? If yes to both, this game is a no-brainer. I spent like 20 minutes last night just slowly walking around Hogsmede, just soaking in the ambiance and visuals. I'll put this in spoilers just in case: