CGC Trading Cards-certified Harry Potter’s Video Game Counterpart

Based on the best-selling book series of all time, the Harry Potter trading card game is one of the recent additions to the expert certification services provided by CGC Trading Cards™. With the popularity of the Harry Potter series, it's no surprise that there was a time when the Harry Potter TCG was the second-most sold toy in the US. Though there have been many games created that feature Harry Potter characters, stories and themes, none quite match the magic and humor of the video game based on the series — LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4.

Released in 2010 for the Nintendo Wii, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 lifted the video game industry to new, humorous heights. As the name implies, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 takes all of the beloved characters and stories of Harry Potter and converts them into LEGOs. It showed the world that a video game could be comedic and paradoxical while still being a joy to play. Players relive some of the most iconic moments from the Harry Potter film series with funny changes: Dumbledore mistakes a stray black cat for Professor McGonagall, Bank Elves congo line in the vault caves and the frightening Voldemort uses a pacifier.

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is played like a direct retelling of the first four Harry Potter films without any dialogue apart from some non-word expressions of “huh,” “ah,” “oh” and “hmm.” The story also uses subtle and not-so-subtle comedic visual communication to express complicated concepts while staying true to the non-word theme. It’s like an adult using LEGOs and make-believe to retell a story to a child in the most fun and least scary way possible. The gameplay is anything but boring, as there are 167 characters to unlock, LEGO pieces to collect, spells to learn and more.

Players venture through Hogwarts using spells in ways that interact with their environments. There are also a plethora of mini-puzzles that are solved to obtain studs, which are small circular LEGO pieces used to purchase characters. Lifting objects around with magic, interacting with paintings and breaking furniture for more studs throughout Hogwarts makes for a very satisfying combination of humor and gameplay.

Among Harry Potter games, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 stands out for not taking itself too seriously while providing a rich and challenging experience. As for your Harry Potter cards, CGC Trading Cards cannot wait to grade them!