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Is it bad? Not really. Is it good? Not really.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 12
Date: October 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

As anyone reading this review is doubtless aware, this game is based on the third installment in the Harry Potter movie franchise, which is in turn based off the third book in the Harry Potter series. This one concerns the third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley as they attend class, learn new spells, fight various enemies, and - by the way - deal with the fact that the notorious wizard criminal, Sirius Black, has escaped from Azkaban prison with the intent to murder young Mr. Potter, and he is being pursued by Dementors, which are Ringwraith-like creatures that act as prison guards and they are intent on recapturing Sirius Black, and woe to anyone who gets in their way.

This is my second foray into the world of Harry Potter gaming. About a year ago I played Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which was a great (though not perfect) game with a well-realized, immersive Hogwarts, lots of challenging combat, fun sidequests and mini-games, Quidditch matches, good-looking graphics, and engaging puzzles. I went in to Prisoner of Azkaban expecting more of the same. I was rudely shocked, to say the least.

But before I get into the negative, let's talk about the positive. In this game, you control Harry, Ron, and Hermione at various times, and each of the three has different strengths and abilities. Harry has access to the Marauder's Map, which allows you to see mini-maps or the levels, complete with secret passageways and locations of other characters and enemies. Harry is also able to jump gaps, climb ropes, and is generally the most acrobatic of the trio. Ron can find secret doors and items. Hermione can access tight spaces that the others can't. In addition, though this game offers many spells to be learned and used, most of them can only be used by one or another of the three characters (though the basic spells are common to all three). All of this does make for a more varied gameplay experience, and adds a certain amount of depth to the (still too easy) puzzle-solving. Another positive thing about the game is the Expecto Patronus spell, which allows Harry to conjure up a Patronus to use against the Dementors. This is very well done and is the most enjoyable thing in the game, although controlling the Patronus effectively will take some getting used to. But that's about it as far as positives go.

Combat in this game is much easier than before. Your Expelliarmus spell for defense will almost never be used. The basic approach to any enemy is just cast Filipendo at it over and over again until it goes down. This is complicated by the fact that your lock-on targeting system in clearly flawed in this game, as many times you will attempt to target an enemy and lock on to an inanimate object instead. A couple of the enemies are slightly more challenging, but for the post part it is just point and shoot. This even applies to the several times you will encounter Draco Malfoy in the game. Malfoy is no more difficult to defeat than any other enemy in the game. This doubtless makes the game easier for young players, but it was a disappointment for me.

The puzzles in the game are very easy for the most part. They are made even easier by the fact that the characters will continuously shout out things like "I wonder what that button does, maybe you should push it!" or "Hey Ron, why don't you cast Lumos Duo on that object over there?" or other such things. So if you should ever experience some momentary hesitation about what to do next, don't worry - the game will spill the beans quickly enough.

The most annoying thing about the game is the fact that, whichever of the three characters you are playing, the other two will constantly run along behind you shouting unhelpful and annoying remarks. For example, when you have completed all the tasks assigned to you for a level, but you need to explore the castle a bit, the characters will gripe about how tired they are and how they want to go to bed approximately every 5 seconds. Or if you should ever deviate from the shortest path through a level, they will start spouting off about how you're going the wrong way. This will drive you insane in a hurry. I can't believe EA thought this was a good idea. At the least you should have an option to turn the voices off.

The mini-games in this game are dull to say the least. As I said before, there is no Quidditch, in fact you don't touch a broomstick in the game. Yes, you do get to fly Buckbeak aimlessly around the castle grounds if you desire, but this is a very poor substitute. The other mini-games are pointless and boring, and one of them, Owl Racing, was apparently deisgned as torture for your fingers, since you have to tap a button over and over again in a precise rhythm for several minutes in order to make your owl flap her wings and fly. I did it one time and never again, since I don't particularly enjoy finger cramping.

Graphically and sound-wise the game is also below par. Most of the characters look and sound nothing like their movie counterparts. The worst is Professor Snape. I don't know who did his voice acting, but they could have gotten the guy who does Spongebob Squarepants and it would have sounded better. Of course, you don't hear much of his voice anyway, since every time you encounter him outside of Potions class in the game, he will look at you and immediately go into a fit of coughing and hacking - bascially Snape has a year-long bout of emphysema in this game. What is up with that?

You spend far too much time in this game staring at loading screens. Every time you open a door, even to enter the tiniest room - loading screens. Running from outside the front door of Hogwarts to Gryffindor tower takes about 2 minutes of play time and about 90 seconds of staring at a loading screen. This is far too much, and EA really needs to fix this recurring problem in their Potter games. Other simiar games don't have this problem, why should this one? It certainly isn't the great graphics.

Outdoors is another disappointment. Yes, you can fly Buckbeak over a complete version of Hogwarts, but, except for the relocated front door, it is the exact same building and grounds layout as in the last game. In addition, in the last game, the grounds were inhabited by lots of students running around the castle, which did a lot for the immersion factor of the game. Here, there is no one outside at all. It's almost enough to make you feel lonely, running over the huge grounds all alone. Also, in previous games, exploring the grounds and castle had a purpose - there were secret items all over the place waiting to be found. Here, there is nothing beyond one or two chests with Wizard cards. Outdoor exploration was one of the best things about Chamber of Secrets, but in this game it is yet another disappointment.

Overall, this game let me down severely. It's like EA decided that, since the Harry Potter games were intended for younger players and Chamber of Secrets might have been too difficult for them, they decided to make Prisoner of Azkaban much easier and get rid of all the fun and challenge and, in the process, most of the "Hogwarts" atmosphere. (Although, young kids will probably have a lot of trouble with the Patronus spell). Unless you just have to play every game with the Potter name on it, avoid this one. Play Chamber of Secrets instead. Let's hope that Goblet of Fire is better.

Disappointment Compared to Harry Potter 2 Game

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: June 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game was a complete let down. All challenges throughout the game are exactly the same and did not vary in difficulty - i.e. moving boxes around and pushing buttons. Game play was only about 12 hours - compared to over 30 hours from the second Harry Potter. The story did not follow the book at all and it was irritating to have to switch between characters to use the various spells. Also, by only allowing two place holders for spells or objects, you have to continually switch back and forth to the menu page selecting the spell you want for that particular activity. Overall, this game was an utter letdown - especially after all the fun and challenge of the Chamber of Secrets game.

Good looking, true to the story, but definitely a rental.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 45 / 51
Date: June 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I'm going to start off by coming right out and saying that I played the first two titles in this franchise, and enjoyed them both. I've read the books, seen the movies, and have enjoyed (for the most part) the games. So as you read this review, appreciate that I'm not coming down on Harry Potter himself, nor am I slighting the world that Rowling has created in the books, and Warner Bros. have put to the screen. Nor am I even taking undo shots at the great and mighty Electronic Arts, although they deserve a few for getting a little lazy with this most recent addition to the line of Potter gaming titles.

First and foremost, let me air my chief complaint. You don't play Quidditch. Not once. In fact, you never touch a broom. The Quidditch matches are reduced to a static cut scene, where you're simply holding the Quidditch Cup. The cynic in me suspects that EA left it out to help drive sales of their stand-alone Quidditch title. But none of the speculation matters, it's simply not there.

My second issue is this game is exceptionally short. I'm not sure how long it took me to finish each of the first two, but it was longer (in each case) than the 5 hours or so it took me to play this one from start to finish. That's not braggadocio. I mean, for one, we're talking about a game in the Harry Potter franchise that has to be something that can appeal to, and be completed by, a wide age and ability range of gamers. So 'easy' isn't an issue here, particularly since a game like this isn't so much something you get for a challenge, but rather an opportunity to sort of live a little bit of Hogwarts. For another, I enjoy getting off the beaten path a bit in games. So this wasn't a case where I just raced through, I collected the pages, cards and beans (although there was really no point to it -- in the last title you spent beans on trinkets Ron's brothers had for sale, not so here). I played the side games, made sure I had A+ in each of the 3 'minigames', Buckbeak's bat chasing, owl racing, and dueling club. The point is, even if you allow yourself to be sidetracked, there will quickly come a point in the game where Dumbledore tells you to speak to him when you're ready to hear who won the House Cup. Make no mistake, that's the end. With no final cut scene, save a grimacing Snape as confetti falls, and some jumping around by the winning house, the game simply drops you out to the main menu. I'm not sure I've ever seen a more abrupt ending, it's a bit like the developers meant to do more, and simply ran out of time.

To wrap up my gripes, the control is a little wonky in this one, some sloppy camera angles allowing you at times to lose site of everything as you stare into the woodgrain of a bookcase, or a stone wall that has blocked your field of view. Games with this perspective have been around long enough that this should have been much cleaner.

I'm not all complaints though. This is, by far, the best visual presentation the franchise has enjoyed so far. There's a level of artistry in this game that really jumps out at you, and there are times when you'll find yourself admiring the composition of different scenes. They clearly went out of their way to make it look good.

So that's the quandary here. The game looks good. It plays adequately, and while brief, it's true to the story. So is it good? I'd have to shrug and say `yes', and I'll give it 3 stars for the sake of this review. It's certainly worth a rental, and while I know some will scoff and flap their Hogwarts robes in outrage at the suggestion that this isn't worth buying -- I think that's an important point to make here, and one that I wish I had considered before plunking down cash for this game. Really, don't buy it unless you're making a point to collect.

I sort of imagine the development team for this game sitting around a table some time ago, in a meeting intended to lay the groundwork for the game. And in my imagination, a lot of great ideas are tossed around, but then someone in a suit with insectile eyes speaks up and says "Look, that's all great, but toss it out. What's important is the cover. As long as it says 'Harry Potter Prisoner of Azkaban', it will sell. Make it look pretty, but don't spend just a ton of time on this. Create a linear gauntlet of 'Point A' to 'Point B' light puzzle solving, use the voices of at least some of the actors from the movie -- and it will sell, and sell well." I don't know if that's how it happened, but this game falls well short of expectations driven by the first two titles. It's always those people in the suits...

You do play as Harry, Ron and Hermione. There is "new" action, such as flying Buckbeak, and Hedwig. But there's no depth to any of that. Some of the puzzles are clever, the visuals are terrific, the sound is solid. It is, in the end, a Harry Potter title, true to the book and the movie, and for that alone, this game will find its way into people's libraries. I simply hope EA gets its act together and really does something with the next title, so that I don't again feel like the game was merely an afterthought. The first two didn't feel or play like that, there's really no reason the third one should have.

No Quidditch. How could they?

Love to hate this game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Sadly this game is not as good as the 2nd one < Chamber of secrets>

There is as equal good parts as negative parts in this game. For one I liked that we finally get a chance to play with 3 different characters < Hermione, Ron or Harry>. As great as this was I disliked the fact that the characters did not all have the same spells. It does get annoying having to switch between the characters but once you know how to switch its easy.

Some of the challenges I found to be too easy;however killing the dementors at the end of the game was almost to hard. It got to the point of frustration when I would have loved to kick the playstation even throwing the entire thing out the window.

There is a whole lot of mini games in this 3rd game which are fun. I also enjoyed flying Buckbeak < the backround music is beautiful when you fly him> but the challenges with Buckbeak were almost to easy.

Once again the spells have gained in strength which I liked. There is also alot of different spells than in the last game making it fun to obtain those. And once again you can collect wizard cards which is fun in any of those games.

A BIG BONUS POINT is for the eye toy mini games. My kids love this, since they are to little to play the actual game they still get a little fun out of this.

Sadly I only gave this game an overall of 3 points because its just to short. It took me about 5 hours to play to the point where you have to defeat the dementors saving Sirius Black at the same time. To beat the dementors took me another 3 hours < HAHAHAHA I admit that this was tough> but that was it.

It took me almost 4 days beating the 2nd game playing at the same pace I played this game. So before you go out and buy this game ask someone to rent it or so and make up your own mind if its worth your money!!!

half and half

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: June 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

well i thought it was pretty easy. I finished it in like 4 days(only cause i rented it). But in bits of it you keep dying so you have to do that bit over and over again. like when your trying to save sirius. The two player sucks and you dont play quidditch in this one. But buckbeack is cool to fly.

P.S.
Watch out for those pixies

Harry And His Friends Are Waiting For You!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: May 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Finally, the game Harry Potter fans have been waiting for has finally arrived. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" chronicles everyone's favorite boy wizard in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As most everyone knows, the original story by J. K. Rowling follows Harry on a deep and dark journey of discovery regarding an escaped convict and how his story intertwines with this mysterious new character. Along with the movie's release, I highly anticipated this game as well, as I would finally get to interact with some of J. K. Rowling's most memorable new characters.
I had played "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" for Playstation 2 prior to playing this third installment in the series. I have also played all four of the games for PC ("Sorcerer's Stone" "Chamber of Secrets", "Quidditch World Cup", and "Prisoner of Azkaban"), so I have something to compare this game too. This "Azkaban", for PS2, was thrilling. It's brand new look for the characters gave them all a sense of maturity, and more depth. The scenery was gorgeous, both outside and inside the castle. Despite the fact that the geography of the castle has been completely re-done (following its movie counterpart), it actually results as appearing more impressive and gives off a much more adventurous environment that you actually want to explore, just to see how everything looks, and not to find treasures or advance the plot.
Switching between, and playing as, Harry, Ron or Hermione at any point in the game was a huge plus. It really explored each character's potential and added to Harry's companions' roles in the story. There was even an awesome `call' function. This summons the other two players to you when the distance between you and them becomes too great for them to automatically know where to find you. Also, each character had their own individual spells, and unique wizard tools they could use. This proves interesting, but at times extremely annoying; because (as in the previous HP PS2 games) you must constantly return to the options menu to configure and choose which spell/action applies to which button on the controls. This takes up a lot of time if your characters are in rooms where many actions can be performed.
Though having two of the trio following you around can heighten the sense of being in the story at times, at others it is annoying. Though entertaining as it is to hear Ron and Hermione bickering about Scabbers' health, it does get old when you have completed a task and Ron and/or Harry and/or Hermione begins to complain that they are tired and are ready for bed, or say that they think you are going the wrong way. Unfortunately, there is no way to turn off the side comments without muting the sound.
However, I would never mute the sound, as Jeremy Soule's beautiful score makes its triumphant return to the series once again. The only downfall here, I'd say, is that the music does not come on a separate CD! Jeremy's music for this game sweeps you into Hogwarts with its John Williams style magic and its large touch of originality that seems straight out of the book series. Unfortunately, it can only be found in the files of one's computer if one owns any of the Harry Potter PC games. And even then, all of the pieces from the PS2 version are not available there. Aside from that, a beautiful job on Mr. Soule's part.
Is this game a challenge? Hardly. In fact, it's probably the most straightforward of the series so far. Plenty of direction is given in each of the teachers' class challenges and other such adventures (which, aside from what the teachers give, aren't in abundance). Where direction is scarce, little experimentation is needed to comprehend what to do. Spell casting is very easy, and even if this is your first time handling the PS2's controls, it becomes almost instinct to know where to place your fingers in preparation for the enemy's next move.
Speaking of enemies, who are they this time? With no Voldemort in this chapter of the saga, who's left for you to fight? You'll mostly find creatures originally mentioned in Lupin's classes from the original book, or straight from their descriptions in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (i. e. Chizpurfles, Salamanders, Hinkypunks, etc.). The infamous Dementors, of course, have their role as well. The Patronus spell, used to defeat them, proves to be the most interesting spell to cast, as it requires your guidance to find its soulless targets. Combat in general, though, is pretty easy. Don't worry about fainting too much. Besides, certain plot points have your friends dragging you out of harm's way if you faint anyway.
This game takes hardly any time at all. Though its cut scenes are much more original this time around (as opposed to the constant copies from the movie in PS2's "Sorcerer's Stone") they are much too quick and to the point. The ending is a good, but unfortunate, example of this. No hint to the future stories here. Just a quick cut back to the main menu, possibly making the game feel slightly pointless (unless you are eager to go back in for the replay value). The original story itself is kept fairly intact, with the basic elements that moved the novel along still included. Just don't expect to be blowing up Aunt Marge, riding the Knight Bus, wandering around Hogsmeade, fighting in the Shrieking Shack, or escaping through the secret passage under the hump-backed witch. Hogwarts, the grounds, and the exterior of the Shrieking Shack will serve as your only areas to explore and encounter danger.
You won't find long back-stories from the source material here, nor any deep conversation either. Involvement of characters outside the main trio is scarce. Hard core fans, like me, will probably find themselves squealing with joy to encounter Professor Lupin, Sirius Black, Parvati Patil, etc., but keep in mind that their parts are brief. It's lucky some of them were able to even weasel their way into having a short speaking role. It's equally amazing how some major characters got their sequences sliced from the story altogether. However, the minor characters are much more interactive than their "Azkaban" PC counterparts (who, in that version, don't make appearances outside of cut scenes at all).
Activities around Hogwarts (aside from classes) include flying Buckbeak the Hippogriff, racing Hedwig and other owls around the grounds, wizard dueling in the Great Hall, purchasing things from Fred and George Weasley's shop, finding lost objects for fellow Gryffindors, and fighting off the occasional flying book in the corridors. The former two are nice new features, though are present as obvious replacements for Quidditch, which (like in the movie) has its one brief moment of screen time, here as a cut scene. The Weasley twin's shop has become a little less exciting, despite its catering to each specific member of the trio. Dueling and object hunting haven't changed much at all.
Classes themselves are captivatingly horrifying. Harry and his companions go through complete madness that I would never subject anyone my age to (okay, I would, but that's not a lot of people). These challenges involved fiery lava pits, murderous cauldrons, and pushing the trio's physical talents to the limit, all usually with the goal to reach a simple spell book. Though interesting to look at and play in, the challenges are extremely straightforward and don't compare to those found in, say, "Chamber of Secrets" as far as length and quick thinking are concerned.
Overall, the game is extremely well done, though it does not compare to its predecessor, "Chamber of Secrets". Although it is quick and easy to navigate through (probably four hours...likely less), has only brief cameos of certain characters (Lupin, Sirius, Snape, Dumbledore, etc.) and at times strays far from the original plot (i. e. a new Polyjuice Potion incident, an attempted sabotage of the single Quidditch match, rescuing Neville from a ghoul, etc.) the game does give off a real high-quality atmosphere of Hogwarts like the books might do for you (it certainly did for me). The music is beautiful, the graphics are amazing, and the development of the major characters is brilliant. And now that it's come down a considerable amount in price, it's definitely worth buying, as it is not anything near a one-path game and definitely has replay value (especially if you're in need of a relaxing stroll around the virtual grounds). Now it's time for you to explore Hogwarts, take part in classes, and help Harry and his friends discover the mystery behind the "Prisoner of Azkaban".

Renting...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: July 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I'm incredibly bad at video games. No denying it. And I got about halfway through the game in five hours. No cheet sheets, no game hacks, no nothing. It's not a very difficult game. Each puzzle has at least some quirk to it that's right under your nose, and you pick up on the switches really easily. My complaints are the loading times, the camera angles, and the motions of the characters, particularly Harry. Jumps are especially annoying, because if you're a millimeter off, you'll fall and die. The puzzles took me at most about 10 minutes to work my way through. Some of them are really annoying, and if you die, you have to do them over.

However, the artistry is simply breathtaking. Flying Buckbeak over an icy landscape with the lake below you, the mountains ahead of you, and the Hogwarts castle behind you is beautiful. Many of the dungeons have a rotting, sort of sickening feel to them, which is absolutely perfect. I also enjoyed how you can swap between Harry, Ron, and Hermione, each with individual weaknesses and strengths. I loved the dementors, but I had the hardest time trying to figure out how to control my Patronus.

If you're a gamer, rent it. If not, this game is probably challenging enough for a beginner.

Great esp. with eye toy

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: August 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is great!!! My children have played the game and enjoy it but it also has after school games on the disc that can be used with the eye toy. You get to smack trolls, splat the chocolate frogs, catch the golden snitch, play exploding snap and a few others. The eye toy gets them off the couch because you actually have to jump around and use your hands to play the games. It's lots of fun and great excersize. I would recommend it to anyone who likes for their kids to get some exersize while doing something they think is fun.

greg potter

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 3
Date: August 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

My nephew loves this game. He cant wait to get to the next level. Wish there were spots for two people w/o having to use the mat.

Far Too Easy

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

This game was a lot of fun. All of the challenges were great, and so were the graphics. My only problem with this, is that it is far too easy. Although it is a great game, and fantastic in it's entirety, the average gamer would be able to beat it within 24 hours. A good gamer, 18. A great one, 10. The problem is it doesn't last long enough. The only good thing about it is that it doesn't last so long that you get immediately bored of it. Some minor parts aren't too easy to figure out, like how to defeat Hinkypunks the first time. But, you figure it out and finish the game. Easy as pie.

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