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Best Potter Yet

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 39 / 42
Date: June 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

So far I am very impressed with this game. Overall it is the best recreation of the castle yet. There are no load times as seen in the previous games. So when you go from say the courtyard to the common room you can go straight there with no loading screens. There is a slight slow down when going between some areas but nothing really noticeable. For the most part you just walk up to a door and continue through it.

The Spell casting on the Wii is pretty fun. Instead of having to switch between them like they were items it is just a flick of the wand (or Wii Remote) to activate a spell. The spell used depends on the flick.

The graphics are beautiful and the attention to detail is amazing. In this one almost all of the paintings are animated in some way or another and you can talk to some of them.

I just can't get over how huge the castle is. The map is very essential to finding your way about. You can even select locations and the foot steps will appear in front of you to guide you to that location or person. The voice acting is well done though there is some repetition. But since they recorded the same lines several different times the character can say the same thing and say it a little differently each time.

There are also many mini games. So far I have found a game of Wizard chess, a version of shooting marbles (gobstones I think) and some sort of matching game.

If you are a fan of Harry Potter then this is a must buy. Its not for everyone (there are a lot of anti-potter's out there) The game is like the others where there are a lot of fetch and grab missions, not much on the fighting aspect of it though there are some times where you get into a duel with some of the other students and some bad guys later in the game.

() Game play: This is pretty easy since you have the nun chuck to navigate. Some of the spells are frustrating to pull off. Like the levitating spell the floating objects are difficult to get positioned exactly where you want to. I had one painting that I wanted to position on the wall get stuck behind the wall in limbo and couldn't get it back in the room. Though after leaving the area and revisiting it later the puzzle reset itself and I was able to complete it.

() Music: The music is great everything just works well where you are at and does not seem out of place. They did a great job on that.

() Graphics: These are some of the best on the wii. Nothing was rushed through. There are some low frame rates on the characters movement but nothing horrible.

() Lasting appeal: I don't know how long it will take to beat yet. And I always spend more time that necessary to find every thing. I think that the lasting appeal will be more for the younger crowd. My children still want me to get out the other Harry Potter games to knock around in, explore the castle, and fly around whatever. For the older crowd I think it will be like everything else where after beating the game it will only be revisited every so often.

() Overall I can say that this is the best Movie tie in game made yet that I have played. It just does not feel that they just rushed through this and slopped something out to sell.

Some small control flaws mar this otherwise enjoyable game.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 10
Date: July 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the Wii is a fun game, I will say that much. Is it a perfect game? No. Several flaws detract from it's overall performance.

First of all, I must say that I have not finished the game, yet, so I am not in a position to judge. But from what I have seen (and played), the game suffers from serious control issues. Despite the different gestures for each spell, the game frequently confuses them and in one point in the game (fairly early on, in the first Luna Lovegood Thestral mission) I threw my Wii-mote down in disgust.

Furthermore, in this game, you lose the ability to switch characters between Ron, Hermionie, and Harry. This is not a major complaint; it just slightly irked me.

Also, despite the wide, expansive grounds to explore on, certain parts of the game felt strangely railed. There are perplexing "invisible walls" through all of Hogwarts and you sometimes see things in the background, only to find them disappear when you turn around again. The inability to jump in the game contributed to the railed feeling also.

Another complaint of mine is the awkward camera. Often it does not show what you are looking at at all, and you have to center the camera on Harry every now and then.

But don't get the opinion that I dislike this game; quite on the contrary. It has many enjoyable and creative aspects to it; the idea of using the Wii-mote for the wand, by itself, is worth almost half of the game. All in all, despite these flaws that decrease the quality of the game, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the Wii is a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Great Game, but has issues

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: July 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I love the Potter series, but if I was incharge of a brand this big, I would make sure it was perfect before releasing it. I understand they have to release it before the movie comes out, won't make sense if they delay it to spend more time in production. But it would of helped.

The game is beautiful, graphics, sound and game play is great. The biggest complaint is the cutscenes. Even when you interact or talk to another player, the cutscene is so fast and choppy is kills the feeling in you. (one example is when you talk to a girl, she turns around and says hi, then turns back around so fast all you see is a blur during the whole scene).

Also all the cutscenes between the different parts of the game are so fast, choppy and poorly done i actually thought my Wii was skipping! or i had a damaged game.. (I don't know...maybe i do?? has anybody else experienced this?

Wonderful presentation, but ...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: July 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I so wanted to really like this game. Really.

The production values are, overall, excellent; obviously, a great deal of care has gone into the experience and presentation. Finally, we have a Harry Potter game that does a decent job (not perfect) of capturing the 'feel' presented through the movies.

Unfortunately, this care didn't extend to the actual game itself.

Don't get me wrong; the game is decent, if a bit short (I could probably have finished the core storyline in under eight hours; as it is, I've breezed through it in under 20, even with extensive exploration [over 80% completion]).

Unfortunately, though the book is clearly targeted at older children, the game is still firmly set within the province of younger gamers; experienced gamers will not likely find this one challenging at all, and the plotlines are reduced to almost absurd simplicity.

Visually, however, it is magnificent; the sheer scope of it all makes the whole experience actually feel authentic, and the fact that you can move from one end of Hogwarts to the other with no load screens or other delays only improves the immersiveness of it all.

Controls are acceptable, although a little finicky in places. One tip I can offer: to target an item for a spell, hover the on-screen pointer over the item (until the remote vibrates briefly to indicate a 'lock') and tap the B-button. This is often quicker than tapping the B-button to cycle between available 'targets'. Items that cannot be interacted with, or which you have performed all possible interactions (many times, you can interact with a given item more than once, in different ways) will no longer 'lock'.

All in all, this is a wonderful addition for any die-hard Potter fan, but it is likely to disappoint the serious gamer. It feels less like a real game and more like a set piece.

This is especially noticable after the main story is finished, yet all the students are still reacting as if it is all still going on ("Umbridge is wonderful; I hope they sack Dumbledore soon!").

The silver lining to all this is simple:

Now that they've done such a good job on the presentation, maybe the next game can use it as a base so they can focus on the actual game itself.

Further technical details:

On startup, the game appears to insist on activating all available remotes registered to the console, even though this is, as far as I know, strictly a single-player game. Additionally, if a second remote is activated, be careful about turning it off; the game does NOT properly handle this, and instead turns off the console. This is a usability oversight which is seriously disappointing (I've tried several first-party titles which only permit the P1 controller to actually turn off the console; this is MUCH better).

It's also a minor frustration that it does not automatically detect the presence of the nunchuck attachment; instead, it puts up a screen advising "You must attach the nunchuck to play this game" on every startup. Granted, I've yet to see a third-party title handle this correctly, so it's not an unexpected nitpick, especially given the relative youth of the Wii.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Wii version

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I really love the Harry Potter books, and I like the movies (although I do wish they'd stick to the books closer). This game is based on the movie of OOTP, not the book. However, the game is really fun. I thought that this game would be very structured, as in you must do this task and then this assignment in that order. However, it was much more like a RPG, in the fact that it let you pick from quite a few tasks at once and do them in any order. Also, you can free roam around the castle at any time (except for the movie sequences).
There are many things to "discover" at Hogwarts. From fixing broken furniture to playing wizard games like Gobstones, chess, and Exploding snap to sweeping leaves, it all gives you "discovery points" which then lead to rewards (as well as a 100% finished score).
At the end, you go into an Endless day where you can find all the stuff you missed while doing task. You can get the last new portrait passwords, finish up the last chess game, or just light the lamps, it's nice to just walk all around Hogwarts to see it for yourself.
The only reason that I gave it 4 stars out of 5 is that the Wii remote is a bit hard to use at times. It is fine for walking, but there are 12 different spells (6 combat, 6 non-combat), and they work by doing a specific motion with the Wii remote. However, I found that sometimes the game would think I was doing a different spell then the one I was trying to do. That did get a bit frustrating.
Upside of the Wii version is that it is cheaper than 360 or playstation version.

Amazing castle, but overall terrible game

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 7
Date: July 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the Wii is, in my opinion, a very bad game. The bad parts of this game are that the view is annoying and random, it skips over major parts of the story, teleports you at random points (for example I was in Occlumency class and then less than a second later without any explanation in the Order of the Phoenix headquarters at Christmas), has hardly any action, no puzzles, and is made up mostly of running around Hogwarts collecting students for this or that. The students who you are supposed to collect can never come with you until you do some stupid task for them. The good parts are that the Wii motions usually work and when they do work it feels a lot like you are actually holding a wand, the graphics are amazing for the Wii, and Hogwarts is gigantic and thoroughly detailed. All of those pros have a bad side to them though. When the Wii motions don't work it is really annoying, the graphics are only good from far away (when you look at close-ups things look really weird), and because Hogwarts is so big it makes the tasks insanely hard because you often need to go across the whole entire building looking for things or just getting something across the building. There's good music, but for some reason it usually isn't playing. Every word is voice-acted, which is a good thing, but there's so much unneeded and random talking in the game that the voices get really annoying. There are a bunch of unlockables, but no real reason to get them. You get videos and stuff when you find enough hidden stuff, but they're sort of boring.

Overall the only really good thing in this game is the amazing recreation of Hogwarts. If the price goes down somewhere around 5$ this game might be worth thinking about just so you can explore Hogwarts, but at any other price it just isn't worth it.

Best Potter and many spells!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Overall this game super but there is just one small flaw when you talk to someone they say hi then it goes back to the gamplay so guickly, but sort of funny. Anyway there's many things to do in the game and the castle is so much bigger than all the other games. The one thing that's really fun to do is cast a spell on the Slyterin people and get in a fight, by the way there are 12 spells. I deffinatly hope you by this game because it is very fun to flick the Wii Remote

BRILLIANT! Best Yet!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: July 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I am a definite Harry Potter fan, having seen all the movies, played all the games, and read all the books to date. I have played and completed this game, but am still trying to get all the goodies. This Harry Potter game is definitely the best, and I think the Wii gives it the edge. It was a major improvement from the last one, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which was TERRIBLE. Here is a rundown on how I think this game was.

--Graphics/Hogwarts: The graphics were good, but was really mind-boggling was the castle. It is HUGE! I just saw parts of the first three Harry Potter films yesterday on TV with my kids, and the castle was exactly like it. Every room, every staircase, every torch, every courtyard, every bridge or any other type of room looks exactly the same. You also get to visit other places, such as the Ministry of Magic and the Black house. They really outdid themselves. AWESOME!

--Game play (navigation, spells): As I stated before, the Wii gave this game the edge. You must have the wii remote and the numchuck to play this game. Using these to remotes, you can move throughout the castle or produce different spells by moving them with different motions. You can battle or you can use spells to earn experience points (see Repeatability). To navigate, you have to use the Mauraders Map. You simply select the location you want to go to, and footsteps appear on the ground leading you to that location.

--Story: The story followed the movie's plot, like the last four games. The Order of the Phoenix is my favorite book, movie, and now game to date. J.K. Rowling's twists, turns, and brilliant imagination really made it great.

--Repeatability (after you finish the story mode): Throughout the game, you could do tasks, some large, some just involve the flick of the remote, to earn experience points. Experience points make your spells more powerful, unlock videos with interviews about the game, and unlock cups (statues) for doing certain tasks. After you finish the story mode, you can continue your game in Endless Day mode, where you try to complete everything. I, for one, see me playing the game again once I have completed the Endless Day.

--Problems: I have heard some complaints, some being shaky cut scenes, but I had no problems with this game. I've heard some say when you say hi to people (hit the A button), they just say hi and go back to what they were doing. So WHAT? Would you rather engage into a long conversation about how homework is going, or how the daisies are beautiful in the garden? You have to remember that Harry isn't well liked in this game because he says Voldemort (the bad guy) is back, which is not a popular theory.

--Overall: This game was GREAT! I think this game is every thing a game should be. It is definitely worth the money. Children and adults will love it. It may not be as long as some games, such as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Wii (which I POSITIVELY recommend), but it is still a good length. BRILLIANT!!!

Wingardium Leviosa: The Game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: July 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

That's what they should have titled this game, because that's practically all you do--float things around, with a few brief duels thrown in. Oh, and a lot of wandering back and forth to different parts of Hogwarts, looking for people.

I was very disappointed in the last game (Goblet of Fire) but had high hopes for this one, especially with the Wii. And while it is a fun novelty to use the remote like a wand, and the graphics are great, the game itself is a bore. I would also say it's too short, but I won't because given how dull it is, short is a blessing.

There's no running, no jumping, no puzzling out what you're supposed to do. Now that the game designers have showed off what wonderful graphics they can do and what fun it is to use wand movements, maybe they can turn their talents to actually creating an enjoyable game next time.

Good game but instructions leave a lot to be desired.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I think I respresent the target audience that Nintendo is going after with the Wii. I have not liked video games much even though I am technically savy (programmer)--though I was fond of pong!

I just purchased the Wii and this is my first game purchase (other than Wii Play). Overall I enjoyed the game--largely due to the fact that there was very little time sensitive actions (like fighting and whatnot). It is mostly about puzzles and exploring.

I have two major gripes about this game--and I suspect they are probably universal for most video games.

1. The instructions are not complete. As an example the most used spell in this game is Wingardiam Leviosa. Executing it is simple--but moving an object in 3d space with only a 2d view (TV) is something that takes a lot of practice. I was toward the end of the main portion of the game when I discovered that when using the WL spell if you get an object close to where it is supposed to be and hit the A button it will be placed correctly and the spell will be completed.

This is not mentioned in the instructions. I suspect this is because this type of functionality is something that gamers just know to look for. Since the Wii is marketed differently I suggest that those who develop for the Wii rethink there approach to documentation.

One final clarification point, I am not suggesting that the documentaion reveal clues or solutions to puzzles, but simply explain the controls and how to use them -- COMPLETELY.

2. Point number two is related. Including a practice mode that allows the user to interact with the game to develop the feel for the controls used with real time feedback before immersion into the actual gameplay would be helpful for the rest of us who may not want to go through story lines 10-15 times to get a feel for gestures, controls, etc... Providing useful feedback would also be helpful. One example of poor feedback is that when casting spells with the Wii the gestures used do not correspond to the movements of the characters on screen--I assume that this is so the character movements can be uniform across platforms. Whatever the reason it is very distracting and made the learning curve steeper than it should be.

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