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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 26, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game is OK it has a few flaws and it can be a little slow, Also when you are to do something it doesn't always do it. But it is OK.

Leaving much to be desired

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 26, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Ah Hogwarts... so much has changed in the gaming world over the years. Technology has come along was since the days of Pong. Unfortunately, maybe a little too much emphasis was placed in the graphics this time around. Because although they were simply stunning, compared to the imagery, the plot was left in the dust. The storyline was not clear or well developed, in fact, I would say it was pretty much all over the place. If you had not read the books or seen the movie, you would probably be sitting there scratching your head. That being said, I will give both the pros and cons to the game:

PROS:
-The graphics were splendid! Although the characters were slightly lacking, Hogwarts really seemed to come alive. It was very beautiful and realistic. Maybe a little too realistic... it took me a very long time to get from place to place to complete the tasks. At first I wasn't bothered by this, but it became tedious.
-The voices were completely true to the movie. They used the voices of most of the actual actors: Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, etc. This makes it seem more believable and gives it an edge over other games. The only voice not quite spot on in my opinion, was Professor McGonagall.
-The music is very pleasant and does not get repititious whasoever. I recognized some scores from the older games, but apparently, new songs were incorporated as well.

Cons:
(I am sorry to report there might be more of these than the pros...)
-Everything you do seems like a chore in this game. When you have to round up Dumbledore's Army, it gets old pretty quickly. You basically follow footprints and solve the characters' mindless tasks that do not aid the story whatsoever. Its okay the first few times, but after person number twenty eight, I was pretty relieved it was over.
-I found the different spells unnecessary and slightly difficult. Especially since the controls you use for dueling are the same as the spells you use for everyday use. This makes it a challenge to remember them all. In addition, it was nearly impossible to get anything better than a "Troll" (the equivalent of a failing grade) in Professor Flitwick's charms class. Casting wingardium leviosa on specific objects was frustrating due to the fact that Harry couldn't really focus on just one object without the focus switching to the other.
-Despite being true to Hogwarts, the changing staircases were quite a nuisance. Just as you are about to step on one, it moves and you have to wait a minute or two for it to come back. Sometimes I fervently wished I could just avoid that staircase altogether.

Overall, it might be better than Goblet of Fire, but you may want to avoid purchasing Order of the Phoenix unless you are an avid Potter fan with sentimental feelings about what it might be like to be in the (not-so-homey) Hogwarts.

26 year old harry potter fan

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 21, 2008
Author: Amazon User

i got into the harry potter books when the fourth movie came to theatres, from then on i have read the entire series 1 - 7 3x over, then this game came out, i was already a gamer. so i tryed it and loved it from the first second i played. not only can you cast spells in corridors at students to start a fight, then theres the portable swamps you set off, then the best sidequests for book fans. alltogether its a good game, a re-explorable game for harry potter fans.

!Great! for a HP fanatic, but. . .

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This isn't a game for someone not too into the books or the movies.

**PROS**

Hogwarts is a sandbox. You have free-reign to roam all over the castle and some of the grounds, and they are extensive and extremely detailed. They made it from sketches and maps made by set directors and Rowling herself. It can take a while to get to places you need to go - even with the numerous secret passageways you'll uncover. But it's not a bad thing for a HP fanatic such as myself. 7/8 floors of corridors, rooms, and classroooms. Then you can go to other areas of the castle like the library and the greenhouses. Then you can get away from the castle to Hagrid's hut and beyond or the owlery. Dungeons, the Great Hall, numerous court yards . . . The way the place is put together makes perfect sense, transcending the confusing changes and diffrences you see in the movies.

There are some minigames like Gobstones and Exploding Snaps here and there as well as dozens of portraits and students needing you to fulfill some task or another. You even take a class or two and revise for the upcoming Owls.

The game has a few treats especially for the fans of the book. Ron and Hermione are prefects and they even mention Ron being Quidditch Keeper. In one mission you lend Fred and George a hand in setting off swamps around the school.

There's also the wandwork: All your spells are cast with various movements on the joystick making you really feel a part of the action. You can lift things at will or repulse/pull them, and you can ocassionally pick fights with some Slytherin for some pretty fun duels.

Graphics aren't bad for PS2 and like I said before, there's a whole lot of detail.

NO LOAD SCREENS. You flow effortlessly through the large map. It's as easy as pushing through a door to immediately keep walking. Makes it feel very natural.

**CONS**

The gameplay, graphics, and free-reign over the school are awesome, but the game's plot and storyline are TERRIBLY done. The cut scenes are weak and jumpy. It really feels like the developers were in a hurry and didn't put much into making it very coherent or interesting.

There could have been some more features at the castle. You only get to actvely practice three subjects. They were fun, but it would have been great to do more.

THERE'S NO QUIDDITCH. What the hell? I don't think it would have been too hard to at least throw some leisurely broom riding in there. No Quidditch Pitch and no Quidditch.

**CONCLUSION**

The sandbox style, vastness, and detail of Hogwarts is a fanatic's wet dream. So much to do. It's fun to use your wand to levitate and move objects as well as jinx schoolmates and Slytherin enemies. Walking around and exploring a place you always wish existed is simply magical.

If you're looking for a good, solid, coherent plotline - or are otherwise not into HP to begin with - just forget it and play Bully.

Me, being the fanboy that I am, would gladly plop down twenty or thirty bones for this.

A MUST !!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: September 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

They sure have made a powerful comeback from the Goblet of Fire! This one, you are able to explore Hogwarts. Yes, just like the Prisoner of Azkaban. There are better graphics, and you no longer have to wait for the game to load when you are going through the rooms at Hogwarts. When you're playing the game, it truly feels like you are there with Harry, Hermione, and Ron. If you liked the Prisoner of Azkaban, and only liked some of the graphics from Goblet of Fire, expect this to be the best one yet!

So-So

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: August 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have all the other games, my favorite of the 5 is the second one. This game, although Hogwarts Castle was AMAZING! to run around in and explore, there was not.... plo, so to speak. You couldn't loose either, or you could! Any duel that was initiated that you were supposed to lose, you lost. Even fighting Voldemort in the end, all I did was press random buttons, even put the controller down, and I still won. Because I was "supposed to". In the other games, you could fail, get game over, win the house and quiddich cups. This had none of that. All we did was run around 50% of the game, find DA members and complete their silly, easy quests. All of the other games were more challenging, and much more content filled. I beat the game at 70% of the way thru. It seems like the main point of this game was for the "Room of Rewards" to show you scenes from the movie/video game creation. Yes, that's always nice to see behind the scenes stuff..... but cmon give me an interactive experience.

Great game !

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: August 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'm a great Harry Potter fan and I think this is the best Harry Potter game. I was disappointed by the Goblet of Fire game but I was really satisfied with this one. Hogwarts is so beautiful, so realistic, it really looks like the film's Hogwarts ! It is so immense you get lost in the many corridors and staircases at first, but you can also use the Marauder's map to find your way ! There is no load time between rooms, so you feel that Hogwarts is real. You have to fix things with your spells, you interact with the objects : armours, portraits, carpets, and even the golden snitch ! It's really nice to discover Hogwarts as if you were there ! And you earn points and rewards ! The storyline is OK, it's not great, but I think it's enough to understand the story. Spellcasting is really fun. You get to learn moves with the controller to cast spells.
It's definitely the best Harry Potter game !

Fun game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: July 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Lots of fun. Great views of the Hogwarts. A little predictable in parts but overall a great game.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: July 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Kids would really like this game. I like that you can use magic that isn't introduced until a later book. It is really fun and I enjoy playing it a lot.

Just like being at Hogwarts!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 14 / 14
Date: July 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'm a casual gamer, playing games that might interest me only, not really on the lookout for the latest and greatest. I'm also a big Harry Potter fan. In past years, I avoided the Harry Potter games merely because of some of the other movie tie-in games that I've played were basically on the intelligence level of an eight year old and rather silly indeed. But with the new book coming out this week, and the movie as well, I was sucked into purchasing this game, and have been pleasantly surprised.

Order of the Phoenix follows very closely the book and the movie, starting with a quick Dementor attach, to learning spells in Grimmauld Place, to quickly landing at Hogwarts. In the game, you are required to assemble the new D.A. by performing tasks, and to train the army with Defence spells. Along throughout the castle, you are asked to use your wand to repair things, clean up things, and discover many secrets hidden in the castle to earn more magical power for Harry.

Now, as a serious, challenging game, this isn't it. I've been finding it fairly easy to complete the tasks. In some occasions which the game required magic to complete a task, I found it easier to hold the controller with one hand while operating my wand with another. It was great fun to use spells to make things fly across the room, make carpets shake, and set lights on fire. Again, not challenging, but fun.

Let me say that the visual representation of Hogwarts is magnificent. It really is very complex, many leveled and layered. The details put into each room is just like being on the movie sets. The Grand Hall is beautiful, the Gryffindor Common Room has lots of little details, and even the journey to Hagrid's Hut is long and breathtaking. It really does simulate Hogwarts beautifully, and with the amazing ability of having NO load times between rooms, you really feel like you are there!

The pitfalls I've found are thus. You do bump into Ron and Hermione frequently., especially if you are in a small room and need to get out. In several of the rooms. In one occasion, a student was stuck partially through the ground. The biggest issue is the sound. In several rooms, I keep hearing this grating, grinding noise that doesn't seem to have any part in the story. In some cases, it is so loud, I cannot hear the characters speak. Occasionally, characters voices would cut out or sound fuzzy or buzzy. I would restart the game, and most of the problems were solved.

But overall, I do feel like I'm really getting my money's worth. Just by feeling like you are in Hogwarts is an amazing feat. This will be one game, after I've finished the tasks, that whenever I feel like visited the old magical school, I'll return to time and time again.

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