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Great game, way better than the first!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 38 / 42
Date: November 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Picked up a copy of this game for PS2, and while I can't comment on the other platforms, I can say that this game is a lot of fun.

It does play similar to Legend of Zelda in that you acquire things and spells as you move through the game to help out.. lots of side games and other tasks included to give you a breather from regular gameplay and rack up points for Griffindor.

The only downside to this game (and the reason it gets 4 instead of 5 stars) is the frequent and lengthy load times as you move between parts of Hogwarts.. sometimes 15-20 seconds of loading for every couple minutes of moving around. A "warp" feature similar to Zelda would have helped out here and taken away the need to always go back and forth through frequently-used parts of the castle.

Great graphics, good level of difficulty and LOTS of fun.. highly recommended!

Extremely fun, nonviolent, and well-planned game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 21 / 22
Date: November 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

OK, so Iam 31. But I did get this for myself and my nephew & niece to play together over Thanksgiving. I intended to play it for a little while, and ended up playing for hours over a few nights. The game itself unfolds well, with Ron Weasley or other chracters providing suggestions of things you need to do when you take too long exploring or doing things other than what you're supposed to. There are quite a lot of opporutnities to explore the world of Harry Potter, and although you might think it is nearing its end, it seems to find a new thing to challenge you with. Children and adults both will find it entertaining, graphically sharp, and interesting enough to keep them occupied for quite a while. You never see anyone die, only a character comes back to a previous starting point. In all, I would have no problems letting younger children play this game. The big test will be when I see my niece and nephew in a couple days, and then they will have to decide who gets to play and who gets to watch. In short, a very good game for anyone.

Highs and Low's for HP2

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 18 / 18
Date: May 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

After having played the Harry Potter games first on the computer, I have to say that the Gamecube/PS2 versions are SOOO much better - graphically, interaction and depth of interaction between Harry and everyone (or every monster) that he encounters.

As a novice gamer (I'm 24/female.. yeah, I know) - this game was great in difficulty and challenge. I would recommend it to any beginner/medium gamers or any kids/young teens. While a number of reviewers were upset that the storyline didn't totally follow the plot of the book, I don't think that is something to be expected. It's too difficult to make it a "choose your own adventure" and expect to follow a novel precisely. I definitely feel like I was experiencing Hogwarts throughout the gameplay.

Ok, now the Pros and Cons:

Pros:
- Amazing graphics, everything is stunning
- Seeing the Burrow and Diagon Alley (it's nice they included both of these places, although your interaction there is limited)
- You have access through most of Hogwarts and various parts of the grounds. This is more accessible if you win your Nimbus 2001..
- Free Broomstick flying/competitions and of course, Quidditch.
- Gnome Throwing Games (you get wizard cards for winning)
- Trade-in's using Bernie Botts beans at Fred & George's shop for tools like stink pellets to help you on your quest.
- Using of different spells to complete your tasks and challenges. This is fun since you have to figure out how to defeat certain monsters.
- Potion vials to increase stamina (get this the very 1st thing if you can at Fred & George's shop!!)
- Dueling (take that Draco!)

Cons:
- Camera angles. This drove me insane. The view would go in crazy angles at the slightest bit which can totally throw you off if you are jumping, fighting an opponent (to the point I can't even see where I'm shooting at) or trying to watch for Prefects!
- Yes, loading time... everyone else has mentioned it on here so I guess I should too. Well, at least you can take bathroom breaks in between.
- No skipping cut scenes. This is a pain, especially if you are starting over on a certain level.
- Only 6 days at Hogwarts? That's pretty short for a school year.
- Broomstick racing/Quidditch is too smooth/angular on screen, it doesn't really feel or look like you're flying. (the computer version was much better)
- Characters look nothing like the ones from the movies... but guess that's a trivial thing like the storyline.

This may be a silly thing to note but it's helpful - if you get hit during your tasks, you will lose a number of Beans and you WILL need them. I recommend getting the beans at the end of the day when you're back in the castle, then go to Fred & George's shop at night for your purchases.

Well, I rented this and loved the game so I do plan on buying it. Since I'm recommending this on Amazon.com, you will get it cheaper here than anywhere else.

A wild ride through Harry's world!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 24 / 28
Date: November 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I previewed this game recently and I am astonished at the quality of the graphics! I reviewed the game on three different platforms (PS2, Gamecube and XBox) and the graphics engine is exceptionally good. Gameplay is challenging, and although younger kids will no doubt have some problems with many of the button sequences, I think any child five or older will get something out of this game. There is no question this will be the hit of the holiday season so order now!

kool but definately could be better

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 19 / 21
Date: January 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game has it's good points
-Amazing Graphics
-Flying around hogwarts
-secrets, hiddenpassages
-all real voices (No characters just have typing)
-hogwarts itself was pretty amazing (the castle)
-mini games
-Fred & George's joke shop was neat

Now here are the bad points.....
-First off they chopped the story into soo many bits even I (a huge potter fan) got confused what was going on.
-1 class per day???? ummm....
-too many dungeons...I quickly became tired of the teachers sending me into holes in their walls to retrieve spells.
-Load times....urg
-Hagrid? where's Hagrid? you hardly see him, and you can't even go inside his hut. =(
-short. the game is way too short.

Basicly I suggest you rent, not buy this video game, but it IS worth renting...well worth it.

Dare to Return to Hogwarts???

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 22 / 28
Date: November 16, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is great! Explore and buy things in Diagon Alley or save Ron at the Whomping Willow! I was NOT impressed with the first game however. I loved to buy Stink Pellets and The Standerd Book of Spells (Grade 2). Find Ginny's stuff that she lost while at Diagon Alley. It was hard to seek past the owner of The Magical Mengirine. Battle creepy monsters and magical plants at the Whomping Willow. Watch out for whomping branches as you complete this level! At the beginning of the game, you land at the Burrow. You have to help Ron, Fred and George Weasley de-gnome their garden. Knockout the gnome then spin it all around and THROW! Try to beat Fred's score, 128! If you toss it and it does not go far you will be lowered to 3. After de-gnoming their shed, you have to duel their washing machine! "Dad tried to charm it, but now its everything BUT charming!" Fred said. Pretty soon you're not going to duel some puny little washing machine! You will be dueling real people! Of course, you get to explore and play in Hogwarts after completing early levels. You have your very own Rememberball! You can check it for new tasks or look at a map of Hogwarts, the Whomping Willow and Diagon Alley. At the second level, you land in Borgin & Burkes! You have to hide from Malfoy's dad then sneak past the creepy hand guarding the Lumos book! Retreive and get yourself out of there!!! In some places such as Borgin & Burkes, the floor is brittle and if stepped on BREAK and you'll have to find your way back up on the floor you were on (HINT DOWN BELOW!)! This is a Harry Potter Fan dream! It's worth all the money!!!

NOTE: This may give part of the game away!!!

Brittle Floors: When you think your on a brittle floor, cast Lumos. This will make the brittle spots of the floor glow. This is not a cheat code. In fact, thats how you get past them. Also, before you climb a ladder look up on the ceiling. The brittle floor will be gray while the strong floor is yellowish.

NOTICE: Nothing will glow if nothing is brittle.

i wish i could live in this game...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: December 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I am NOT a gamer. In fact, i have the attention span of say maybe a 2 year old when it comes to video games. Die 3 times on a level, i get bored. Anyways...I LOVE this game. Despite the fact that the game is probably geared towards younger players, i have found it very challenging as I am not terribly skilled at video games. It's just...well....wicked to get to run around and pull bertie bott's beans out of bookshelves and buzz hogwarts on your nimbus 2000. Only problem might be the view-point can get annoying (it is very hard to control) but overall I have spent way too many hours enjoying this game. Kids are probably way better at video games than me so would probably enjoy it even more. I also liked that the gnome throwing was in the game even though it got left out of the movie. Hours of enjoyment for children and grown people with overactive imaginations (like me).

Never seen nothing better!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: December 21, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is totally awesome. Way better than the first. In this game, you(Harry) have to sneak past Hogwarts students(which relates to Metal Gear Solid a lot) which makes this game harder. But don't worry. You never die. They just take 5 points away from Gryffindor.If Ron and Hermione didn't set you to do certain tasks every night you wouldn't have to worry about them taking 5 points away from Gryffindor. But that just get's some of the fun into the game. I rented this game somewhere around October 15th. Now, I have it on my Christmas list. I think the hardest part of this game is dueling.(Dueling is a way to have fun, by casting Exspelliarmus, a spell, at one another until it hits one of you.) I think especially Draco Malfoy is the hardest person to duel against. He always cast Exspelliarmus back on the spell. About after 5 times of casting Exspelliarmus it'll come back to him and knock him off his feet! But watch out, you have to cast Exspelliarmus too.However, after you collect 10 Witches and Wizard cards your energy increases. You also need to collect Bertie Bott Every Flavored Beans. If you collect enough you can go to Fred and George's shop.(If you go during nightime you need to sneak past Percy in the Reading Room.) Anyway, the way to get in there is to go through the Poatrait. I bought a balloon with Bertie Bott Every Flavored Beans at their shop, and it wasn't worth a thing. All you can do with it is throw it in the air and wait until you can't see it anymore.You may think this game is easy. Not so fast though. Like I mentioned before, Dueling is pretty hard. Especially Dueling with Draco Malfoy. But a part I didn't mention was doing a task for Hermione. You have to go to the Restricted part of the Library, to get Hermione, Hogwarts the History. You might think that sounds easy. Well, the bookcases will block the way you came from. So you have to find a different way to get out. You have to climb ladders over and over and over until you get to the top of the room. Then you have to fight a bookcase(using your spells of course.)When you get back to Hermione the night ends. Next day you do the usual, have class, have a Quidditch Match and Ron goes to bed. That night you have to drink the PolyJuice Potion (which transforms you into Crabbes) to see if Draco Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin. Now I've said enough, but write this game down on your Christmas List or Birthday List NOW no matter how far your bithday is or Christmas is.

A beautiful game to look at....but not exactly to play.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 30, 2002
Author: Amazon User

First off, let me say it: I AM a Harry Potter fan! I am. I recieved the game for Christmas and had played it for several hours by the end of that night. I was surprised by how remarkably the graphics of the game had improved compared to the first game. There are however, SEVERAL problems:

The Camera: VERY difficult to control. I failed several challenges dozens of times simply because i could not even see what was going on. The camera stays with Harry and only by positioning him correctly can you see in front of him.

The Loading Times: OMG! The amont of loading it takes to change between areas of the game is almost revolting! You could take naps in between!

The Challenges: I know this is a kid's game and it's supposed to be fun, but several challenges in the game are so ridiculous that even in the Hogwarts setting they become unbelievable. For example, one "night" Neville Longbottom gets trapped behind a rug? (I won't even touch on that) and Hermione sends Harry out to the greenhouse to fetch a spell. Along the way you have to sneak past some guards and fight some evil plants...which isn't particularly bad....but you would think with a world like Harry's the makers could have come up with slightly more imaginative and entertaining challenges.

Overall, not a terrible game. One neat aspect fo the game allows you to fly freely around the exterior of the castle and roam the interiors as well. ...

Best of the 3 so far

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: January 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Ths game is the best of the 3 Harry Potter games so far. (For PS2)

The first game (Sorcerer's stone) is ridiciously stupid and hard, 9for the first game). I bought it and when I got up to the winged key, I couldn't get it. I searched the internet and couldn't find a good cheat. I brought it to a store and got trade-in dollars for that stupid game. Ill use that cash for a game that i'll actually want to play. Although, up to that part was a good, challenging, but beatable game. As of Richt now, the S.S. is more expensive than this game.
If you are going to buy The Sorcerer's Stone, buy it for the pc It is easier and loads quicker.

The third one (Prisioner of Azkaban) is ridiciously easy and short. I beat it 3 times in a month and a half! I still have that one, because its better than the first. And, it needs to load almost every time after you walk through a door. Oh- NO QUIDDITCH IN THIS GAME. A MAJOR draw back.

Sorry if I got you mixed up. Now, about THIS game:

It is still challenging, but beatable. The graphics are good, and the game play is great. Gameplay is the same as the other 2, but, still, this game is overall better.

Now- I just want to say a bit about why i give the game these ratings:

Fun: 5 stars- As i said above, challenging but beatable.

Educatonal Value: 1 star- What can you learn from a Video Game? Unless you have one of those math cd-roms, I dont think you will get much from this game. I would give it 0.5 or 0, but those aren't options.

Durability: 5 stars- The disk may scratch, but as long as you take good care of it, the game will last. Keep it in the case when you are not playing it. I would give it a 4.5, but that is not an option.

Overall, I would give this game 5 stars. As i said above, the S.S. is more expensive. You will pay more money for a stupid game.

Thanks for reading my review, and I hope you buy this game.

The 4th movie and game (goblet of fire) are coming out in November 2005, The dursleys won't be in it, I heard.

A tip: Got to gamesfaqs.com or uhs-hints.com to get game hints or cheats.

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