Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (PS2)
- Publisher:
- EA Games
- Developer:
- EA Games
- Release Date:
- 25.06.2007
- Number of players:
- n/a
- Type:
- Action Adventure
- Age:
- Modern Times
We play Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix...
Here we are once again, another book another film and of course another game. For those of you who aren’t up with the story so far, Harry has just returned from the unexpected death of one of his peers, an arduous encounter with Lord Voldemort, and a long hot summer spent penning correspondence to friends who appear to be ignoring him. Not the most relaxing of summer holidays I grant you. It is no surprise then that Potter is a little crabby on his return to books and study and intrigue. What’s more, Professor Umbridge (the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher) is giving Harry more than his fair share of attention, both disbelieving his suspicious about Voldemort and detaining him after class.
You would think he may have gotten used to the rollercoaster ride by now. Things haven’t slowed down since he first stepped into the school all those years ago. So putting aside Cho, his love interest, he makes a start at conjuring up a secret sect of students to defend all that is good in wizardry.
Although for many Order of the Phoenix is the dreariest of the books, both the film and the game have managed to shake this off and deliver one of the better Potter experiences we have so far come across. It remains to be seen how well the film will do at the box office, although it is safe to say they won’t be making a loss. Its performance will obviously effect how well the game is received and sells. One thing is clear however, they haven’t hedged their bets when it came to investing in the development, both the production values and the breadth of platform coverage are equally impressive.
After you work your way through some decent tutorials that equip you with a small stock of spells, it is off to Hogwarts to start the game proper. The lessons continue as you quickly discover that much of the game play is driven by locating and interacting with particular people. The open environment, which we will discuss shortly, could have been hard to navigate particularly for younger players. However the game pulls a master stroke of providing in world guidance by implementing the Marauders map. This is both a thoroughly authentic and appropriate solution to the navigation problem, as well as adding a sense of magic to being guided around the place. You simply select the character you wish to locate and foot steps appear on the floor for you to follow right to their door.
The main protagonists are all provided in the game. You can take control of Harry, Ron or Hermione. But the biggest start of the game is Hogwarts itself; exerting its much loved and now well known personality. The game captures both the look as well as the feel of the old school. It has benefited from having its assets shared with the projects on other platforms, as this has made it appropriate for more time and money to be invested in getting the place just right. It really does become a character in its own right. Not only is it huge, but all the features are present and in the right proportions and locations; the Gryffindor Common Room, the Grand Staircase, the Dungeon Corridor, the Clock Tower, the Viaduct and even Hagrid's Hut are all rendered in impressive form for the PS2.
Whilst the quality of the graphic textures and modeling is top notch, there has had to be a few compromises when it comes to frame rate. Although things never get overly choppy, the screens refresh hovers around the 30 frames per second band, which does make some of the faster pans and animations a little jerky.
The controls are well implemented and whilst there are obviously no motions sensitive gestures for spell casting, like on the Wii, you are able to achieve a similar effect by using the second analogue stick. Once you have got used the slightly unusual configuration this really does work pretty well. This is something that is important as the majority of the game comes down to getting to the right place and knowing the right spell gesture.
As you play on through the game it does an excellent job of conjuring up a feel of being part of Harry’s world. The combination of graphics, interesting quests and great menus and options all work together to deliver an experience that will make you want to go and watch the films again. For anyone who has even a passing interest in the book and films there are many hours of gameplay here.
Although there are not too many down sides, Harry does seem to meander a little slowly (even when running) as he heads towards his next objective. This slowness is not helped by the slower frame rate, or indeed a slightly fiddly camera. If you are happy to take your time with things then this isn’t a problem, but if you are looking for fast paced action game then you should probably look elsewhere.
The game delivers as you would hope the franchise to deliver. As is not always the case, the investment of time, money and intellectual property really pays off and results in a pretty good game. For fans for the series this is a real treat. For those not yet hooked maybe this is a nice easy introduction to the world that the majority of the world know and love.
Top Game Moment: The first time you start exploring Hogwarts, you really to get a shiver down your spine. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to walk the halls that have been the place of so much conflict, love and hope for the little bespectacled wizard.
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 |
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| Hogwarts, our reliable old friend | Spell casting 101, point and twirl |
You would think he may have gotten used to the rollercoaster ride by now. Things haven’t slowed down since he first stepped into the school all those years ago. So putting aside Cho, his love interest, he makes a start at conjuring up a secret sect of students to defend all that is good in wizardry.
Although for many Order of the Phoenix is the dreariest of the books, both the film and the game have managed to shake this off and deliver one of the better Potter experiences we have so far come across. It remains to be seen how well the film will do at the box office, although it is safe to say they won’t be making a loss. Its performance will obviously effect how well the game is received and sells. One thing is clear however, they haven’t hedged their bets when it came to investing in the development, both the production values and the breadth of platform coverage are equally impressive.
After you work your way through some decent tutorials that equip you with a small stock of spells, it is off to Hogwarts to start the game proper. The lessons continue as you quickly discover that much of the game play is driven by locating and interacting with particular people. The open environment, which we will discuss shortly, could have been hard to navigate particularly for younger players. However the game pulls a master stroke of providing in world guidance by implementing the Marauders map. This is both a thoroughly authentic and appropriate solution to the navigation problem, as well as adding a sense of magic to being guided around the place. You simply select the character you wish to locate and foot steps appear on the floor for you to follow right to their door.
 |
 |
|
| The likeness, while a little scary, are pretty true to life | Girl power, in the form of Hermione |
The main protagonists are all provided in the game. You can take control of Harry, Ron or Hermione. But the biggest start of the game is Hogwarts itself; exerting its much loved and now well known personality. The game captures both the look as well as the feel of the old school. It has benefited from having its assets shared with the projects on other platforms, as this has made it appropriate for more time and money to be invested in getting the place just right. It really does become a character in its own right. Not only is it huge, but all the features are present and in the right proportions and locations; the Gryffindor Common Room, the Grand Staircase, the Dungeon Corridor, the Clock Tower, the Viaduct and even Hagrid's Hut are all rendered in impressive form for the PS2.
Whilst the quality of the graphic textures and modeling is top notch, there has had to be a few compromises when it comes to frame rate. Although things never get overly choppy, the screens refresh hovers around the 30 frames per second band, which does make some of the faster pans and animations a little jerky.
The controls are well implemented and whilst there are obviously no motions sensitive gestures for spell casting, like on the Wii, you are able to achieve a similar effect by using the second analogue stick. Once you have got used the slightly unusual configuration this really does work pretty well. This is something that is important as the majority of the game comes down to getting to the right place and knowing the right spell gesture.
As you play on through the game it does an excellent job of conjuring up a feel of being part of Harry’s world. The combination of graphics, interesting quests and great menus and options all work together to deliver an experience that will make you want to go and watch the films again. For anyone who has even a passing interest in the book and films there are many hours of gameplay here.
Although there are not too many down sides, Harry does seem to meander a little slowly (even when running) as he heads towards his next objective. This slowness is not helped by the slower frame rate, or indeed a slightly fiddly camera. If you are happy to take your time with things then this isn’t a problem, but if you are looking for fast paced action game then you should probably look elsewhere.
 |
| Well rendered main protagonists abound! |
The game delivers as you would hope the franchise to deliver. As is not always the case, the investment of time, money and intellectual property really pays off and results in a pretty good game. For fans for the series this is a real treat. For those not yet hooked maybe this is a nice easy introduction to the world that the majority of the world know and love.
Top Game Moment: The first time you start exploring Hogwarts, you really to get a shiver down your spine. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to walk the halls that have been the place of so much conflict, love and hope for the little bespectacled wizard.
