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Harry Potter Returns with an amazing gaming experience.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 25 / 25
Date: June 26, 2007
Author: Amazon User

It has been a while since a decent Harry Potter game has been released, the last note worthy game that came out was back on the xbox, Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets, the game played full out like a Zelda style of an adventure game, and had alot going for it in the fun gameplay department, Now we fast forward 3 years later to Potter's 5th year at Hogwarts.

Harry Potter and the order of the phoenix (which i will refer to from here on as HP:OOP) has taken a new step into the HP gaming franchise, the developers of the game EA have gone full on to make a virtual and near perfect rendition of the entire school of Hogwarts. Yes you can explore everything from the Library, to Hagrids Hut, or even Mertels Bathroom. There are loads of secrets to be found i the game through what is known as Discoveries. By simply using your Non combat magic you can clean up messes, fix things, move around furniture, start fires etc, there is so much stuff you can do its not funny.

At any point in the game once you start learning your Defence against the dark arts magic, you can approach certain characters and challenge them to a duel so to speak, you can recruit lots of people and have them trained into Dumblerdores Army, Which goes into the story line of the Order of the Phoenix, You can attend classes and learn lots of HP universe stuff, you can play HORDES of mini games, from Chess, to Memory Cards etc... The list goes on, Not to mention this type of game is PERFECT for the Xbox 360 Achievments, there is alot to do and achievments to push you to do them.

Graphically the game is quite impressive, there is excellent use of architecture throughout the game, the lighting and character models are top rate, and not to forget Its all in HD (1080p for me), The game has no loads times what so ever and never really has any problems with the framerate ever.

Sound is well produced with the already famous HP themed music, and all the voice acting is done professionally by the actual Movie Actors and Actresses. A very nice touch to the game original Authenticity. Everything is produced in a loud bass pumping Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, so crank it up and enjoy.

The games overall lasting value is quite high if your a Potter fan because you will want to collect and find everything the game has to offer and unlock all the extra content which is load upon loads of movies, story boards, pictures, interviews etc.. Now i see why they didnt' release a Special Edition of the game because they were smart and kind enough to load it all in the game as part of the accomplishments pursued in the game.

I highly recommned the game to anyone that enjoys a solid adventure style of game, as well as a great story telling or fantasy style of story.

Of course if you area Potter fan passing this game up is like passing on reading the last book. So if you have any doubts get it, if you see the movie and then play the game it will make it all that much better. But remember the game does reveal the story so if you don't already know what happens then be fore warned.

Pros:

+Graphics are well suited for a HP game

+The sound is Crisp and Well pronuounced in DD5.1

+Loads of things to do, Huge School to exlore

+Story holds true to the book and the movie

+No Load Times

+Lots of Unlockables

Cons:

-No Multiplayer

-No Xbox Live content to be found?

Almost Perfect

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: June 29, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Just got done with the game and if you like the books or movies you will love the game. Story and envirnoment are amazing, kinda of what you think it would be like to walk the grounds of Hogwarts. Minor problems with the camera sometimes but this is a must buy for any potter fan. No dueling online, too bad...

A game based on a movie that's GOOD!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: July 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Color me impressed.

There's not many games based off of movie adaptations out there that are worthwhile. For every Chronicles of Riddick, or Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (HP:OOTP) there's a 100's of Transformers or Surfs Ups. This is the rare gem that actually delivers.

First up, the games major selling point: Hogwarts. If you've ever dreamed of walking around the grand staircase, talking to paintings or heading to Hagrid's Hut, or thumping down to Potions class...this game will not disappoint. The castle is lovingly recreated, with direct access to just about all the areas you'd expect (with the only exception I can think of being Dumbledore's office...cut scene only on that one...at least 70% through the game, anyway). There's tons to explore, nooks and crannies to find, and interesting scenery all around.

Second, there's tons to do...not just in the main quest, but in interacting (mostly casting spells at) with the environment. The institution of "discovery points" (points recieved for finding new things, ways to interact with your environment, etc) being the way to level up really keeps in the spirit of the franchise. There's just a huge abundance of "neat" stuff to do in every area, from changing the house flags in the great hall to hunting down hidden plaques and statues, to finding painting passwords (which lead to shortcuts) to playing HP "lore" minigames like Wizards chess, gobstones and Snaps!.

Next up, the story is compelling (which is no surprise considering the source material). This is actually my ONE beef with the game,though I completely understand WHY they do it: The cut scenes give you snippets of the plot, but leave whole swaths of the story untold. If you're an HP fan, you won't really care because you've read the books (and seen the movies), so the "glossing over" is forgivable because you know the story already. If you're not as much of an HP fan, or your exposure to the material is limited (like, you've been living in a cave for the past 8 years or so), you might be a bit "muddled" until you see the next movie or pick up the books. It's not too bad, though...certainly not bad enough to lower my rating below a 4.

In addition, the graphics and sound are just stupendous. The music in the game is licensed HP stuff (including Hedwig's theme) from the movies, and sounds great. Voice acting is left to a LOT of the cast (though, noteably, Daniel does not do Harry and Emma does not do Hermione) from the movies, so sounds authentic. The quality of the sampling on the sound effects and voices is top notch, and the Dolby Digital does a great job of positioning the background noise where it should be in the 5.1 mix. The visuals are similarly well done, with so much detail added into the backgrounds, you'd swear you were at Hogwarts. The character models are well done, the skins look appropriately like the characters they're supposed to.

Control is tight, though there are some slight camera issues that will crop up (mostly when in tight quarters with "scenery" around you). Spellcasting is done with the Right Stick (with specific movements assigned to each spell....like a clockwise circle for "Reparo", the repair spell). Movement is done with the left stick. The buttons control running (A button) and "exploring" (X button to interact).

Ron and Hermione can be a bit tough to deal with when running around, especially in tight corners, because you have to maneuver AROUND them to get by them (rather than just shove them out of the way), but that's more of a nitpick than anything else.

I'd recommend this game to pretty much anyone, but ESPECIALLY HP fans. It's a good game in it's own right, but the ability it affords you to explore Hogwarts is going to be a Potter fan's dream...and about as close as you'll come to getting into the world of HP until Universal opens The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida around 2010.

Best one but...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

It's by far the best one yet but, I HATE THE CAMERA!! When you walk into a room sometimes the camera doesn't follow you right away so, you have to stop and wait for the camera to catch up with you.

I don't like going through some of the same rooms over and over again.

So, it's good but, try and rent it first. And on a good note...there are a lot of extras to collect and find. And I mean a lot!!!!!

A Fun, Challenging, Goal-Oriented & Character-Driven Immersion into the World of Harry Potter

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: August 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Having played each of the various video games based upon the first four Harry Potter films & books, it has been interesting to observe how each new game has evolved beyond the differences in each of the stories that each game is based. For example, the third game ("Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban") was the first to permit a player to play as a character other than Harry: in addition to Harry, the player could also play as Ron or Hermione and switch between any of these three characters at will at any point during the game. The third game was also the first game in which successfully finding collector cards had an overall impact upon game play. The fourth game ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") again allowed the player to play as Harry, Ron or Hermione, but unlike the previous game, the player had to remain as the chosen character for the duration of a particular level. Also, collector cards had a much greater impact upon the game as they defined what abilities or stamina the particular player would have based upon which three cards the player chose to use at a particular time. While the first three games had players wandering about Hogwarts (and sometimes other locations), the fourth game was more restrictive in that a player could not just wander anywhere.

What, then distinguishes the fifth game ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix") from its predecessors? First, it is the first Harry Potter game available for next-gen video consoles. Second, more than any previous game, the rendition of Hogwarts Castle is the most accurate to any of the films and permits a player to go anywhere within its walls. Third, no beans or collector cards: but not to worry: there are plenty of other types of achievements that impact game play. Fourth, programmers went out of there way to ensure that game achievements are very closely related to the film: so (for example) no battling of monsters that are unrelated to the film and/or book, and no unusual tasks for obtaining spells. In the fifth game, spells are learned as needed. Finally, the player cannot choose which character to play as. Though this sounds as though fifth game programmers went backwards, quite the contrary is true: for the first time, a player can play as characters that have never been permitted before: as Dumbledore, Sirius, or even as one of the Weasley twins; albeit, at precise moments during game play to match similar moments in the film and/or book.

As a very task-oriented game, a player will find himself (among other things) seeking out the Room of Requirement, finding secret passages, putting together & training "Dumbledore's Army", coping with Delores Umbridge, carrying out "OWL" tests for specific professors, battling students, playing a myriad of games (chess, gobstones and card games) against other students and cleaning up Hogwarts. Yes, in the fifth Harry Potter video game, you will find yourself making beds, sweeping, mopping, repairing broken objects and turning on lamps & heaters. Why, you may ask? Simple: to earn points & achievements. As you complete various tasks, you not only earn points and achievements, you increase Harry's magical powers. You also get to unlock hidden rewards that include interviews with actors who participated in the film & game, as well as other information about the fifth film. The rewards are made available to you in the "Room of Rewards" and you will be visited by Moaning Myrtle each time you earn another reward. You'll learn something about occlumency from Professor Snape and you might get to help create a bit of havoc around the castle to upset a certain woman in pink.

With superb graphics, fun & engaging tasks, a ton of interaction with lots of characters around Hogwarts (including the paintings), and more, the "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" video game is sure to please any Harry Potter/video game enthusiast. My overall rating for the game is 5 out of 5 stars and I highly recommend it.

Disappointed!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: September 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I am a huge Harry Potter fan. Read all the books, seen all the movies, played all the games. That said.
This was by far the worst HP game ever. (all the other ones were good just not this one)
In a nutshell the graphics, music and voice acting are all beautifuly done. Amazing even. What sucks about this game is that you spend all of your time cleaning up the castle or else searching for useless stuff. There is no health meter so Harry never has to really fight or worry about being in any danger. There are no big bosses to battle or even little bosses. You spend the majority of your time rehanging portraits, straightening up lopsided suits of armor or fixing broked statues. Essentially, Harry is a janitor. Or if you prefer, custodial engineer. Either way it is a waste of time.

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