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Additionally, all discs at NexWave Games are carefully inspected and assessed for quality. When discs arrive, we do not accept any that are so badly damaged that they are unlikely to work. We only accept discs with light scratches at most. Discs with scratches are then treated in our professional disc repair machine. By warming the disc and polishing it with soft brushes, these machines can remove a very thin layer from the disc. This removes the layer containing surface scratches and improves the disc’s readability. This ensures the disc works properly, even on consoles with ageing lasers that have difficulty reading games! Great news for the player.
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 for PlayStation 3
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 for PlayStation 3 follows Harry, Ron and Hermione through their first four school years at Hogwarts. You play through events from the first four stories, from Harry's introduction to the wizarding world to the Triwizard Tournament. Familiar locations combine recognisable buildings with LEGO pieces that you can move or rebuild. The adventure alternates puzzles, exploration and short battles, with visual jokes in its cutscenes.
You learn spells and use them to levitate objects, move obstacles and open new passages. Lessons and potions also form part of school life. Characters have different abilities, so you regularly switch between them to progress. Hogwarts connects the story sections and encourages you to take a closer look at its rooms and corridors. A strange object may only become useful later, when you have learned a new skill or can bring another character along.
You can play alone or cooperate with two players on the same PS3; you will need a second controller for this. When revisiting a level, you use unlocked characters to find previously unreachable collectibles. That leaves more to investigate after your first journey through it. The emphasis is on working out together what the surroundings require, rather than complicated combat combinations. This edition is the original PS3 game and does not automatically include the sequel Years 5-7 or the later Harry Potter Collection.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 3 games are European editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 for PlayStation 3 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Warner Bros., TT Games and the LEGO Group announced LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 in 2009. The game appeared in 2010, after LEGO adventures based on Star Wars and Indiana Jones, among others, had already shown how films could become brick-built worlds. This time, a school provided the connecting setting. The developers could combine familiar events with recurring lessons, corridors and classrooms, making learning and discovery part of the rhythm of play.
In the original announcement, TT Games emphasised the freedom to explore Hogwarts. Development therefore involved more than recreating major film scenes. Spells and potions gave the designers ways to create obstacles that fitted Harry Potter's world. Familiar characters received different roles within those puzzles. LEGO humour allowed room for lighter moments, even when the original story became more dangerous. The result follows recognisable events without reproducing every conversation word for word.
Years 1-4 covers only the first part of Harry's school life. Years 5-7 followed in 2011, focusing on the later stories and the fight against Voldemort. Both games were reissued years later as LEGO Harry Potter Collection on other consoles. This PS3 edition belongs to the original, separately released series. That distinction matters when adding to a collection: the name Years 1-4 refers to the content of this single adventure, not all eight films or a bundle containing both games.
Similar games for PlayStation 3
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 builds on the same spell puzzles and cooperation on PlayStation 3. It covers the later school years and the confrontation with Voldemort, introducing new locations and duelling sequences. Years 1-4 begins with the introduction to Hogwarts and therefore spends more time discovering the school and attending the first lessons.
LEGO The Lord of the Rings likewise combines a familiar film world with character abilities and collectibles on PlayStation 3. Its journey crosses Middle-earth and covers the complete film trilogy. Harry Potter keeps Hogwarts central as a recurring location. Learning spells takes the place of using the travelling company's varied weapons and tools.
LEGO The Hobbit also uses a group of heroes with different abilities on PlayStation 3. Dwarves gather materials and can join forces to tackle obstacles and battles. Harry Potter centres on spells, lessons and potions. The school connects its adventures, whereas The Hobbit takes you from the Shire towards the lost dwarf kingdom of Erebor.
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean also retells several films through visual LEGO jokes and two-player cooperation on PlayStation 3. You switch between pirates and their individual abilities during island and ship adventures. Harry Potter builds its puzzles around magic and lets you return between story sections to a school full of hidden places.
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga uses the same foundations of building, changing characters and finding secrets together on PlayStation 3. It spans six films and alternates lightsaber battles with vehicles. Harry Potter gives daily lessons and spells more attention, so progress is more closely connected to what you learn during your time at Hogwarts.
