LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 has just been released from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games. Combining the quirky gameplay of LEGO with the magic of Harry Potter, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 gives gamers the chance to take on the adventures of the first four Harry Potter books. The adventure builds from Privet Drive to the Triwizard Tournament in an interactive journey that takes players through some of the most detailed environments ever created for a LEGO game.
Playing as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, as well as more than 170 other favorite characters, fans will have the opportunity to attend lessons, cast spells, mix potions, fly on broomsticks and complete tasks to earn rewards. In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, players can play alone or in a two-player co-op as they explore settings from the wizarding world including Diagon Alley, the Forbidden Forest and the village of Hogsmeade.
The game is rated E10+ by the ESRB and is available for all major gaming platforms. “Harry Heads” can get a glimpse of the action and play free mini games at www.magicisbuilding.com.
Parents looking to find a sunny day and sweep the clouds away for preschoolers should keep an eye out for Sesame Street: Elmo’s A-to-Zoo Adventure and Sesame Street: Cookie’s Counting Carnival. These two fun and educational console videogames for preschoolers will be available for the Wii, Nintendo DS and PC in Fall 2010.
These games offer “gameplay helpers,” for the Wii and Nintendo DS systems at no additional charge. The gameplay helpers simplify game controls, making them more accessible for preschoolers who have small hands and developing skills. On the Wii, the gameplay helper is a character cover with special grips that slips over the Wii Remote, minimizing unnecessary buttons and making it easier and more fun to hold. For the Nintendo DS, there is a jumbo click stylus designed for smaller hands, simplifying interaction with the touch screen.
The games feature a “Parent’s Page” where parents can review games their child has played along with relevant curriculum for each. Using this option, parents can customize up to four profiles, set functions including difficulty level and game limits. Since parents will be able to easily understand the areas in which their children excel or have difficulty, they can better target real world learning experiences to reinforce skills.
And then, after Sesame Street teaches kids how to count out the beat, they can put on their dancing shoes and boogie down like Michel Jackson. Later this year, Ubisoft will release a performance-based video game, inspired by the King of Pop. The game developer stated that the game will provide an interactive experience that enables players to step into the shoes of Michael Jackson himself and re-live his famous performances through their own singing and dancing.
The upcoming game will include tracks from Michael Jackson’s extensive catalogue such as Beat It and Billie Jean, as well as an array of his dance moves for players to learn and emulate within the game. Additionally, fans will be able to sing along and test their vocal skills while immersed in the performance. The game will be available for Kinect for the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 with PlayStation Move support, plus the PSP, Wii and Nintendo DS.
“No artist can energize a dance floor in the spirit of fun like Michael Jackson,” commented Michael Jackson Estate Co-Executor John McClain. “This game is a natural extension of what he would be doing today to raise his artistry to even greater heights for his fans of all generations. It is a game that the entire family can experience and enjoy together and this is something that would please Michael tremendously.”
Track the game’s release through www.ubisoftgroup.com.
