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Horrible camera angles and short story hurt an otherwise decent game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 31 / 33
Date: July 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

You'll wish Harry had his broom when you start playing the latest EA game, Order of the Phoenix. The good news is, although short, at least this one seems finished. The previous game, Goblet of Fire came across as rushed and with several bug problems. Unfortunately, there's not too much else to applaud.

This game begins, briefly, where the book does; Harry saves his cousin from Dementors. It then skips to Sirius Black, Harry's godfather's home and meeting place for the Order of the Phoenix. There, you do have to do *exciting* things like housecleaning and packing, the chores are used to learn some of the first, basic spells. This trip is brief, however, and it's back off to school for the main adventure (and believe it or not, more cleaning!)

Gone, thankfully, is blasting things for Bott's Every Flavor Beans and buying magic cards. Now spells are somewhat more practical and using them or finding secret areas earns "discovery points" which zip out like fireflies giving you stronger skills, unlocking rewards and the ability to learn new magic. Except for a couple of instances, you play Harry--Hermione and Ron tag along. Unfortunately, they are often better at getting in the way and being an annoyance, except for the rare moment when you need more than one person to help you cast a spell.

The game area is realistic and huge; the stairs move and pictures move and talk. But the vast game area gets aggravating quickly as you seem to have always run across campus to solve a puzzle and back again. The main puzzle is rounding up the other members of Dumbledore's Army to the Room of Requirement. But most times you have to get something or solve their problem before they'll go there. (Do yourself a favor see Dean Thomas first--you can work on more than one problem at a time. Save Luna's task for last when your powers are stronger.)

In this game, one of the neat things is you cast spells by a combination of mouse-button and mouse movement--left button for normal spells, moving items, lighting torches. The right mouse-button is used for combat spells which you also learn along the way. You've got two basic key/mouse combo options--unfortunately, you can't customize these. You find your way around by using the Marauders Map. The map itself is pretty useless: It doesn't make much sense as a map layout. But click on either a person's or place's name and it not only marks where they are, it gives you footprints to follow which is helpful. Once you solve their issue, they pop off to the Room of Requirements. You will want to go back there also once and awhile to learn a new combat spell.

Along the way, you can earn bonus points by repairing broken items, revealing secret places, solving puzzles with your magic skills and other things. There are secret passage shortcuts guarded by portraits that will allow you through if you can find out their password. As with the others, you will sometimes have to perform a favor or find out something for them before they give it up. There is a Room of Rewards where you can see your progress and unlock video clips.

You can also earn points and trophies for beating the local champions at Gobstones (similar to marbles), Snap, an exploding card game and wizard's chess. Actually the wizard's chess is quite good and I don't know why they don't put out a separate set of games on this.

The biggest problem with the game is the camera angles. Harry moves strictly in the direction of the arrow, but the camera angle shifts constantly, so you're not just following the character. When the camera shifts so does the direction you're going. So if the camera turns from a back to a side view, you have to switch from the 'up' arrow to the right or left arrow. Often you're pressing two arrows (like up and left) at the same time to make curves or turns. And, if you're running (which involves pressing the shift key as well) it makes it complicated and my keyboard tended to beep in protest. Also, when moving into a room you can lose sight of the character--especially moving through a portrait hole. Or tree branches getting in the way when you're dueling with a member of Slytherin house.

It also makes spell casting more difficult by selecting the nearest item available. If there are several things you can jinx, that becomes more difficult. Or suddenly the camera angle changes and you're facing Harry instead of the item you want to cast the spell on.

The music is very nice, very much in keeping with the movie. There are several cut scenes, but not so many to make it distracting. It sounds like at least the younger actors are lending their voices to the game which is good, although it gets really annoying when Hermione keeps bleating, "Let's find Neville," over and over as you traverse across campus. I also got sick of Nearly Headless Nick and Moaning Myrtle (clicking the left mouse button makes them vanish again.)

Also while you're solving problems for the DA members you've got to try and get homework assignments completed (yay) and can later go back to complete your O.W.L.S. if possible, I found this extremely frustrating again because of the camera changing angles and trying to highlight the correct item to cast in a timed test. There is one more Christmas visit at Sirius' and there are a few good battle scenes toward the end, but the ending is basically an anti-climax. You have one more search after the battles and you can wander around trying to collect all the points, but by that time you're probably ready to head back to the land of muggles.

For the second time

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 37 / 50
Date: June 25, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This review is for the PC demo-version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,
Pro:
Graphics is great,
Sound is good,
Cons:
Like Goblet of Fire the control-sytem is not designed for PC,
Here are list of problems:
1- keyboard and mouse not configurable,
2- Cannot use mouse to look around (ie control camera).
3- When turning mouse gestures off, there is no other functions will be assigned to it.
4- The camera does not follow behind the character (it is not the familiar third person camera).

Bottom line:
The control makes the game hard to play and take the fun out of it,
My suggestion is try the demo before you buy it.

Where Is That Harry Potter Magic?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 21 / 25
Date: July 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Like most players of the PC versions of this series, I absolutely LOVED the first 3 games. But when all the reports of how horrible the controls and game play was for GOF I was sufficiently scared away from buying it. For months that is. I did eventually break down and bought the game cheap after it had been out for a while. Expecting the absolute worst, I was definitely surprised at how much I actually liked it. It was different from all the previous games and did require the use of a controller which I had to buy to play it properly. But I did find I was happy with the game. It's because of that I did not wait for the reviews of OOTP but went ahead and preordered it. I just started playing it today, and I'm already thinking about puting it up for sale.
The controls on OOTP are absolutely TERRIBLE! Even with a controller. It's incredibly difficult to aim, cast a spell (especially Wingardium Leviosa) and even just to walk is a royal pain! You can't even look up or down, at least I haven't found a way to.
I tried using the keyboard after I found the controller so problematic, but that was even worse. So I went back to the controller.

Aside from the controlls, the game play is at times choppy even on a really fast comp. The characters are not impressive, the attempt to digitize the original actors, doesn't always work, like Hermione looks pretty bad. And watching the missmatched mouth movements on ALL the characters can make you cringe! >_<

But I suppose I could overlook all of that if the game were engaging. Granted I've only just started the game, and just got to the part where they have their first DADA Class, but so far I really haven't done anything. Swept a few patches of leaves and repaired a couple of things.....played a game of chess, and a card matching game aka "Exploding Snap" but that's all. Maybe the game play picks up as you move along, but at this point in the other games, loads of stuff would have happened by now. Moaning Myrtle keeps appearing talking about all the cool things in a hidden room, but so far I haven't gotten the sense of any place to really explore. There are some doors still locked, but the game play is such I don't even have the anticipation to know what's behind them as I would in any of the other HP games.

I'll play some more on it, since I went and spent the money, but I definitely don't see myself finishing this game as of right now.

Maybe this game is more fun on a console, but looks like the HP series is dead on the PC. :(

Moving Harry a BIG problem in this game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: July 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The graphics are excellent. They rendered it so close to the movie and the movie cutins are a nice feature. The game play is fine although not as creative as Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets and Azkaban games. After the central game is done, you can still run around making points and finding the things you didn't accomplish during the game.

The main negatives, and they are major which interferes with the enjoyment of the game, is that instead of designing it to use the mouse to move Harry around, you have to use the keyboard (either the ASDW keys or the arrow keys) and then move your hands to the mouse to case spells. You also cannot move Harry while casting a spell, he has to either cast a spell or move, which messes up being able to avoid being hit and/or aiming correctly. To make a combat spell, you have to use the mouse but the hold down the right button, which after a very short time gets to be impossible since those fingers are the weakest but in order to win combat you have to keep using those fingers. Combat was better when you used the mouse to aim and then the Ctrl key (or Alt key) to blast the spell (aka the first 3 games). Also, some of the things you should be doing are NOT intuitive; when Fred & George are flying around the Grand Stairway, not sure if I was suppose to be doing anything since nothing I tried seemed to make a difference but that sequence was so long, I'm pretty sure I was supposed to be doing something.

If they could design the games using the keyboard less, since most people these days use a mouse or touchpad (or the equalent thereof) for moving the cursor around, that would improve gaming about 5000% and make it actually fun to play. Trying to move Harry turned into a very frustrating experience and my Harry spent the whole game moving like he was either drunk or drugged. I was also a little disappointed I couldn't cast spells on Hermione and Ron who often would get in the way. It would also have been nice if they would allow the player to designate which keys did what (ala Azkaban). I was also disappointed that I could not use my Logitech Precision gamepad.

The magic is back... and it's not a bad attempt, for the most part.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: July 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'm surprised to see the extreme harsh reviews. Hmm... I know many complained about the controls for Goblet of Fire. I really didn't mind them; I actually kinda liked how you didn't need a mouse, and felt they were relatively self-explanatory. But for this game, the other reviews aren't lying... the controls take quite some getting used to. Overall, I still felt the game was quite fun, and worth the time to play. Also note that the exploration of the castle and the grounds from games 1-3 is back in full force, and the GoF set up is no more. Here's the breakdown review:

Graphics: + + + + + 5 stars easily. Gorgeous game, great resolution compatibility, and the magic is really there. Best part of the game.

Cutscenes: + + + 3 stars. They get their own category, because they were pretty much cut out of the last game. Back are the color cut scenes with the characters actually acting out the story. I like them, but they lost a star because they often look very fake. For instance, one character will be talking, and his mouth won't start moving until the sentence is over. Little things like that take away from the cut scenes a lot.

Gameplay: + + + 3 stars. I'm not going to go into much detail on this since I haven't finished the game yet, but from what I've seen it seems relatively fun with enough side adventures that you enjoy them but don't get distracted. I'm a little sad that they took away the ability to play as Hermione and Ron as that was one of my favorite parts of the game in GoF. Also, you spend so much time just getting to classes and running around the staircases... it gets quite annoying.

Controls: + 1 star. They really are the downfall of the game. You don't even use the arrow keys to walk, so to move forward you hit "w". Instead of just running by holding down the forward key, you have to hit and hold shift... so just to move Harry around, you are holding "shift w", not to mention when you want to shoot a spell you have to hit an arrow key to aim, then grab the mouse to perform the spell. Pain in the rear.

Fun: + + + + 4 stars. It's an enjoyable game simply because it's so exciting to see the magic of the fifth book on your computer screen. It's fun to be able to play through it as though you are Harry. The game sticks relatively close to the book plot, and probably insanely close to the movie plot. Oh, and shooting the spells is rather fun because you actually have to move your mouse in a way that makes it so they you cast the spell.

I really think the super negative reviews were way too harsh. The game isn't the most exciting, once you figure out the flow is goes by relatively smoothly. I'd say it's not worth buying, but probably worth getting in the holds queue line at your local library to try it before you commit your $30 to it. (Plus it will keep you entertained until Deathly Hallows comes out July 21st.)

If you learn the new controls, it's really fun!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: July 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I was looking at the reviews, and most of the reveiwer complaints are that it won't work on their computer. However, it clearly lists that the game only works on WINDOWS XP, WINDOWS 2000 and WINDOWS 1998. If you have one of those three computers, I strongly suggest this game. It is so good because the graphics are the best ever and so is the music. Another reason is that they always give directions when you need it. Even though the controls are a bit different than the first three games, once you get the hang of it the game is even better than the first three. If you don't like the first set of controls, you can always change them before you start your game. Even though the castle grounds and the castle itself are so big, if you get lost you can always press the TAB button to go to the Marauders Map. Once you open the Marauders Map, you can press the right arrow key to bring up people that you have to find to complete the task that you started. If you press the left arrow key, you will find a list of all the places in Hogwarts. To go to a place or person on the Marauders Map you select the place or person and press enter. Not only does it tell you where they are, it also shows you how to get there by showing a path of footprints in front of your character (instead of on the map). Another great thing about this game is that when you finish you can play again at a harder level, unlike the other games. If you play well, you can unlock scenes and pictures from the movie and you can see what the actors and the director have to say about the game. You can't play as Hermione and Ron, like in the third game, but they make it up by allowing you to play as Fred and George Weasley, Sirius Black and Dumbledore. I gave this outrageously fun game an overall FIVE star because all of the great things I have just listed. This review was by a 13 year old.

I flush this stuff every day

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 18 / 26
Date: July 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I played the demo and it never gave enough time to see how the game was. Although the graphics were good, the controls were a nightmare. "Intuitive" wasn't even on my list of adjectives for the controls. It also seemed extremely boring.

Now that I have purchased the game (I'm a HP fan, it's a must) I am even more disappointed. I cannot even get the game to run on Vista 64 Ultimate. EA has not been helpful in the least.

My recommendation? Even if it runs on your system, avoid this game like the plague, it's Sominex on a disc (dull and snooz-worthy).

A Disaster

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: July 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have been a fan of the Harry Potter game series since the beginning. While I quite enjoyed the first three games, the last two have been a let down. Firstly the biggest complaint I see is that the controls are awkward. I agree with this but when you are involved in the game it is easily looked over. The thing that really bothers me is the fact that if you are a person who has not read the book or seen the movie you will have no idea at all what is going on. Most times when an event happens it is assumed you already know the story. Nothing at all is explained and most things are left open-ended. There was no effort put into making the game understandable to those who have not read the book. Also in this version there are no classes to go to or mini-courses to complete, you just have a few O.W.L. challanges. If you are a fan, by all means buy this game, but if you have not followed the series, don't waste your money.

Umm....

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: July 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Probably the worst gameI've ever purchased, all you do is run around hogwarts trying to find your way lighting tourches. There's no action of any kind and all the puzzles are ridicliously simple, the game gets repetitve real fast. The few duels in the game that you have are totally ridiclious since you don't even have health points, so you don't die. It's simply a horrible piece of junk, don't buy it, its not worth it.

Oh, for the old controls!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: July 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I loved the first three, of course. I was disappointed and angry enough to write my first review for the fourth and here we are at the fifth. I guess I just don't understand gaming. I thought it was the fun of the adventure, not the expertise of the controls. I can't play it. If I could just get Harry to run in a straight line, I would be very very happy. I won't buy more of these games. I didn't grow up with gaming so my hand/eye coordination is not expert. I'm not even sure if it were, if I could play the game. I'm very disappointed. I even waited to read a couple reviews before I bought it. I confirmed it was an adventure game, not an action game, so I made the plunge. Com'n now. Who can use the controls? Oh, well. The graphics are well done. I agree the sound doesn't coincide with mouth movements which can be very irritating but,hey, I'm so irritated at my inability to move the characters, how can I be mad at EA for a synchronization problem? If you're good with controllers, you'll probably like this game. I'm not, sooooooo...

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