Yesterday, EA and Warner Bros. officially announced that they would be publishing video game tie-ins for the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the first part of which will be in theaters this November. I wasn't exactly overwhelmed by the first screenshots, but the press release seemed to note the shift in tone that Deathly Hallows takes, leading me to believe that the gameplay might be appropriately dark and action-packed. From the looks of this first trailer, that will be the case, which definitely pleases me.

It appears that the light-hearted mini-games from previous Harry Potter games may be gone, or at least significantly reduced, and the gameplay will be chock full of action, with Harry using his wand as a serious weapon--exactly how it should be. Deathly Hallows is a story about three seventeen-year-olds on their own who are literally fighting for their lives every single day. They know that they're probably going to die, and so are many of their loved ones, and they've already lost so much. It's a dark story that is often very, very sad, and Deathly Hallows is no time for mini-games that involve making funny-looking potions. It's a fight to the death all the way through.

Okay, there's still a pretty good chance that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be just another mediocre tie-in that will leave a bad taste in my mouth, but this trailer shows potential. It tells me that at least the developers have noted the shift in tone, and are using the significant difference in location to change the gameplay. It's a start, and I'll go into the game with an open mind.