With EA's latest entrant in the Harry Potter series of games, they've decided to welcome fans back to Hogwarts - quite literally.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (OotP), gamers are put smack dab in the middle of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The attention to detail is absolutely astounding and for this reason alone, it will be worth it for fans to buy.
Though Order of the Phoenix (OotP) isn't without its flaws, it's a very well-made Harry Potter game, and still a well-made game on its own.
OotP consists of you - as Harry of course - running around for much of the game in and
around Hogwarts castle, where the young witches and wizards get schooled on how to be
all they can be.
The plot takes us of course after the events of the fourth entry in the series, 'Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire.' Voldemort is back and both him and his very nasty band of
Death Eaters are gaining strength and numbers. Worst of all, the Ministry of Magic is
denying that any of this is going on, so while they sit around doing nothing, a group lead by Harry and his friends
Hermione and Ron known as Dumbledore's Army are secretly learning how to fend for
themselves in the event of an attack.
The Order of the Phoenix is also a secret group of good guys lead by Hogwart's
Headmaster Dumbledore, and includes favourites such Sirius Black, Mad-Eye Moody, Professor Severus Snape, and many others.
The game itself does have some problems, namely in terms of camera control, and
character control. No matter how much you run around with Harry, his movements never
quite feel smooth and fluid. Worst of all, Hermione and Ron follow Harry practically
everywhere he goes in Hogwarts and they can be a royal pain in the butt when
you're in a cramped quarters such as the Gryffindor's boy's dormitory.
The quests are for the most part simple, yet numerous and involved enough to
be truly addicting.
One of the best reasons for Potter fans to get the game and in fact complete as much of
it as possible is that the game contains some of the best extras in recent memory.
There are numerous videos that Electronic Arts made, featuring interviews with several
characters from the movie, talking about the game itself. This is stuff you won't find
anywhere else and it really gives a glimpse into what is involved in the making of the
game.
Twenty two different actors from the movie signed on to appear in the game. They naturally sound fantastic, though it's quite obvious when a character is using a voice stand-in.
In many ways, this is the best Harry Potter game yet and if EA could just focus on fleshing out the controls in their games, this could be something truly special for the future 'Half-Blood Prince' and 'Deathly Hallows' games.
WHAM! Rating: |
7.1 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
E (Everyone 10+) |
Official Web Site: |
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