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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (PS2)

• Developer:
• Publisher: EA
• Genre: Action
• Official Website: http://www.ea.com
• Score: 3 of 5: Bargain Bin

I love adventure games. It makes me happy to know that I shouldn't eat the blueberry pie in King's Quest V. It wouldn't have shown up in my inventory if I was supposed to eat it. Figuring out which item to present to which character is oddly satisfying and solving puzzles without the constant threat of being sniped and tea-bagged is a treat that we gamers don't savor near often enough. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (OotP) is an adventure game at heart. There is magical combat, but it takes a back seat to the puzzles, character interaction, and massive visual scope of the game.

The lion's share of OotP boils down to Harry, Ron, and Hermione running around Hogwarts and recruiting students to join their Defense Against the Dark Arts study club, Dumbledore's Army (DA). In the book and the film, Harry's friends are eager to join. They all want to fight Voldemort and feel as though their current instructor is holding important lessons back from them. None of these feelings shine through in the game. More often than not, Harry has to bribe his classmates to join the DA by assisting them with their homework, hiding their contraband from the faculty, or retrieving their stolen property.

Fortunately, the exploration is wonderful. Hogwarts is designed from J.K. Rowling's own sketches and blueprints used in the movies. And it shows. The school is massive, and many of the areas accessible to players are never seen in the films. Fans of the books and movies that just want to wander around Hogwarts at their own pace will fall in love with the detailed environments. They'll also have a good time earning discovery points by mopping up spills, sweeping leaves, uncovering hidden plaques, meeting house ghosts, lighting torches, and searching for hidden statues. Console gamers can also try their hand at Wizard Chess, three variations of Gobstones, and two variations of Exploding Snap. There's a lot to do in Order of the Phoenix that is secondary to the plot, and all of them are fun.

Aside from exploration, you're probably considering OotP for spell casting. The Wii version is the most fun in this regard as the Wii remote takes the place of Harry's wand. Motions are responsive, and it's difficult not to get into things when you're actually moving a wand around (and if you're anything like me - shouting "Incendio" to set things on fire). The 360 and PS2 versions both handle spell casting with the right analog stick. While this method isn't as immersive as the Wii's, it is certainly competent. Spells are easy to cast, and the motions performed with the analog stick are reasonably converted to on-screen movements. The PSP lacks a second analog nub and it really hurts the experience because you'll be casting a lot of spells. Hold the right trigger and press a series of buttons to cast on the PSP. The scheme works well enough if you really need to play HP on the bus, but the targeting system is also a problem for the PSP. You'll find yourself targeting objects through walls while having a hard time locking on to an object right in front of you. The problem is only compounded in a cramped space (like the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom). Fortunately, the console versions don't suffer from the same flawed targeting as the PSP version.

If you approach Order of the Phoenix expecting a Harry Potter themed Zelda game (which we've received in the past) then you'll be disappointed. OotP more closely resembles an exploration sim with a touch of combat thrown in where there happened to be a fight in the movie. And the combat is clunky. Harry Potter isn't about combat. It's there to advance the story, and the way it's implemented I'm glad that I could count the number of fights throughout the game on one hand. It's much more fun (and relaxing) to wander around the school, complete homework assignments, and take in the magnificent views. If you're looking to pick up only one version of Order of the Phoenix then grab it for the left-most system that you own: Wii, 360, PS2, PSP.

Aug 17, 2007 | 0 comments
Justin Last