Customer Reviews

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just got this game today, and one for the first things that struck me was that this game's "fun factor" greatly depends on what type of gamer you are. If you prefer games with a clear storyline, then mabie you should consider other Harry Potter titles (I would suggest Prisoner of Azkaban). But if you LOVE to explore, especially Hogwarts, then BUY THIS GAME! I like exploring a lot, and have been waiting for a game where they make Hogwarts as accurate to the movie/books as is possible, and now they've finally done it! The Hogwarts in this game is big, it's accurate, and honestly a bit confusing. I find myself lost at times in Hogwarts, saying "I don't think I've ever been here before." The graphics for the enviorments are very good, the floors are shiny in parts, and if you look closely, you can actually see parts of the rest of the castle through the windows (it's hard because a lot of them are stained glass). I was however dissappointed with the graphics for the people. They aren't very good compared with the castle. DO NOT GO BY THE VIDEO ABOVE FOR GRAPHICS! The video on this page is a preview of the Wii version, and the people in the PS2 version DO NOT LOOK LIKE THAT! I agree with other reviewers, so far as I've gotten the story isn't very obvious.

Pros: ~Hogwarts is big and confusing, as it should be
~The enviornment graphics are fantastic
~Hogwarts is an explorer/Harry Potter fan's dream!

Cons: ~Story not very good/clear
~People graphics aren't that good
~Navigating Hogwarts can be time-consuming

Overall: This game is pretty good, Hogwarts is fun to explore, though fun at first it can be time-consuming to go to places (but a good marauder will find that there are many time-saving passages ;) ). The music is pretty good here, though much of it is recycled from old games, however, whatever music has been newly composed (about 40% of it) is beautifully done. I like the new way of spellcasting much better, I think it really makes the whole magic experience more authentic.

If you are a true explorer, or one who has always wished to explore Hogwarts, BUY THIS GAME! For everyone else, atleast rent it.

NOTE: If you are worried about the complexity of Hogwarts, don't be. By pressing "select" you bring up a very simplified map of Hogwarts. The map has a function that allows you to select a specific location/person, and the map will lead you to it (little Marauder's Map footprints appear in-game, and you follow them down stairs and through halls to your destination).

I'm a casual gamer, playing games that might interest me only, not really on the lookout for the latest and greatest. I'm also a big Harry Potter fan. In past years, I avoided the Harry Potter games merely because of some of the other movie tie-in games that I've played were basically on the intelligence level of an eight year old and rather silly indeed. But with the new book coming out this week, and the movie as well, I was sucked into purchasing this game, and have been pleasantly surprised.

Order of the Phoenix follows very closely the book and the movie, starting with a quick Dementor attach, to learning spells in Grimmauld Place, to quickly landing at Hogwarts. In the game, you are required to assemble the new D.A. by performing tasks, and to train the army with Defence spells. Along throughout the castle, you are asked to use your wand to repair things, clean up things, and discover many secrets hidden in the castle to earn more magical power for Harry.

Now, as a serious, challenging game, this isn't it. I've been finding it fairly easy to complete the tasks. In some occasions which the game required magic to complete a task, I found it easier to hold the controller with one hand while operating my wand with another. It was great fun to use spells to make things fly across the room, make carpets shake, and set lights on fire. Again, not challenging, but fun.

Let me say that the visual representation of Hogwarts is magnificent. It really is very complex, many leveled and layered. The details put into each room is just like being on the movie sets. The Grand Hall is beautiful, the Gryffindor Common Room has lots of little details, and even the journey to Hagrid's Hut is long and breathtaking. It really does simulate Hogwarts beautifully, and with the amazing ability of having NO load times between rooms, you really feel like you are there!

The pitfalls I've found are thus. You do bump into Ron and Hermione frequently., especially if you are in a small room and need to get out. In several of the rooms. In one occasion, a student was stuck partially through the ground. The biggest issue is the sound. In several rooms, I keep hearing this grating, grinding noise that doesn't seem to have any part in the story. In some cases, it is so loud, I cannot hear the characters speak. Occasionally, characters voices would cut out or sound fuzzy or buzzy. I would restart the game, and most of the problems were solved.

But overall, I do feel like I'm really getting my money's worth. Just by feeling like you are in Hogwarts is an amazing feat. This will be one game, after I've finished the tasks, that whenever I feel like visited the old magical school, I'll return to time and time again.

This game was fun but it took a lot of work to cast the spells. Unlike previous games where a person could just press the square, triangle, or circle buttons to cast a spell, they now have to move the left analog stick in the different directions, or a series of directions to cast different spells. This is hard at first and it was hard to remember what ways you need to turn your analog stick, but I have found as I played the game more, it became more enjoyable. Althought I like this game it seems like it was made for the Wii system, because of the way you have to cast your spells.

Overall: Being a huge Harry Potter fan, I naturally loved the game. This one really brought the characters and the settings in the books to life. It even refers to things that happened in previous books. Whoever wrote the script for the characters must have really studied the book. They are all so true to their personalities and the game has witty conversations between all of the characters that are very humorous (particularly Collin Creevy bugging Harry and also Ronald & Hermione's constant bickering). The portraits talk to you as you walk by and the students shout their greetings (although they're not always pleasant ones). Along with the characters and dialougue, the castle makes you feel like you are really at Hogwarts. You can freely explore the grounds from the owlery to the gryffindor boys dormitory. There are many passages and other secrets to discover as you learn more spells to help you find them!

Graphics: When I first popped in this game, I was immediately dissapointed by the awful graphics of the characters. They just look so flat. Perhaps this is becuase I just got done with Final Fantasy XII and the graphics were beyond brilliant. Hogwarts castle, however, was beautifully done and I soon learned to look passed the strange looking characters when I got into playing the game.

Game Play: Like I mentioned, you can freely roam the castle and do the tasks pretty much in whatever order you feel like. You have tasks you must complete, but you can do them in your own time and take a breather whenever you like to play wizard chess or work extra hard to get an O in all of your subjects. The only thing I missed from the GOF game is being able to switch between characters and having the option to play with two players. The spells can also be a bit annoying to cast (especially Wingardium Leviosa which you use the most) but once you get the hang of it, it's quite fun to control the magic. The combat spells, on the other hand,
drove me absolutely insane and seemed pointless in battles (I aways just used Protego) but it's fun to pretend they actually do something.

Storyline: The main story was hard to follow (and I've read the book twice!) as it left a lot of details out and what it did include went by incredibly fast and it was hard to catch everything that was going on. If you've read the books, you will find the character's comments throughout the castle familiar, funny and true to character (that's the best part of the game in my opinion). But once you're done with storyline, you are still able to freely explore the castle and complete any side tasks that you desire.

Price: I rented this first and completed in within a few days. I can't see paying full price for something I may only pull off the shelf a few times and be done. So I reccommend renting first and if you really enjoy it, purchase it when the price goes down and take Harry on one of his most exciting adventures again and again!

I'm a great Harry Potter fan and I think this is the best Harry Potter game. I was disappointed by the Goblet of Fire game but I was really satisfied with this one. Hogwarts is so beautiful, so realistic, it really looks like the film's Hogwarts ! It is so immense you get lost in the many corridors and staircases at first, but you can also use the Marauder's map to find your way ! There is no load time between rooms, so you feel that Hogwarts is real. You have to fix things with your spells, you interact with the objects : armours, portraits, carpets, and even the golden snitch ! It's really nice to discover Hogwarts as if you were there ! And you earn points and rewards ! The storyline is OK, it's not great, but I think it's enough to understand the story. Spellcasting is really fun. You get to learn moves with the controller to cast spells.
It's definitely the best Harry Potter game !

For Potter fans, this one doesn't disappoint. The spellcasting interface is a nice touch. It takes some getting used to, of course, but it feels like you're actually CASTING the spells, rather than pushing a button. It's probably more like that on the Wii, but us PS2 adherents will take what we can get. My chief irritations about PoA (Ron & Hermione blurting out puzzle solutions before you even get a chance to look, and that silly & unadjustable backward reticle) have been excised.

Hogwarts looks great, and you get to interact with a wide variety of minor characters who don't get much attention outside the novel(mostly DA members)I feel I must point out that Ginny Weasley, my favorite character, has perhaps her largest role in an HP videogame yet. Huzzah!

The graphics are great, and this one deserves a whole extra star just for including so many of the movie actors in the voice cast. Playing, you will really appreciate the touch. However, there's little for those not familiar with the story. Half the charm is exploring Hogwarts and immersion within the wizarding world, which won't mean much to those merely looking for a good game.

The other problem is that without prior knowledge of the book/film, OotP lacks a coherent story. Even those familiar with the story will struggle to keep up as cut scenes stop and start suddenly and flow into one another. Harry is kissing Cho in one scene, then a quick, spooky disolve and he's dreaming of snakes and wakes up in his bed. It happened so suddenly I half-expected Cho to be in there with him! (Scandalous!)

The other irritation I have with this one is the dueling. You've got no lifebar, so it doesn't much matter what you do. If you're supposed to win, you eventually will. If not, you won't. The actual dueling itself is a blast, but playing in a fixed match kind of takes the kick out of it.

In the end, lots of stuff for HP fanatics (Gobstones, Wizard Chess, Class Assignments, the DA, etc). Another fun installment.

Anyone who has played more than two HP PS2 games know that they are each very different from each other. "Order of the Phoenix" is no exception, and that's a good thing; there are so many elements in this game that would have made the other games greater.

It is harder than any of the other games. You have a Room of Rewards, where points and goals get you Behind the Scenes Footage with Tom Felton, Rupert Grint, Matthew Lewis, and other film cast members who voiced characters in the game. You gain points by discovering things in Hogwarts, or by completing goals (for example, moping up messes or finding portrait passwords). None of it is required to play the game if that's not your kind of thing, but it is very fun.

I don't get why this game has such a low score; I loved it. It guarantees many hours of gameplay if you complete all the tasks, and is very challenging.

Pros:
-No waiting time
-Getting to play Wizard's Chess and Exploding Snap
-Flying as Fred and George, and fighting Voldemort as Dumbledore
-Getting to explore Grimmauld Place
-Getting to cast spells with the right analog stick
-The Marauder's Map guiding you around
-Finally! Getting to utilise the invisibility cloak!

Cons:
-No Quidditch
-A very complex castle, impossible to learn your way around; you need the Marauder's Map
-Unable to skip cutscenes
-Some tasks/mini-quests are pointless

so honestly, i didn't like this game as much as the others. It felt to me like there was less to do with the plotline and more to do with random side quests. you spent most of the game going and doing random side quests to get the members of the OOTP to meet in the room of requirement, then once you've done that once you go back to grimauld place for a short bit them come right back to the school and do the same thing. it just got really old after a while. That and the way you cast spells isn't my favorite either. instead of pressing a button, you move the two joysticks certain ways to cast specific spells which in some ways makes the game more realistic(or as realistic as a game about wizards and magic can be...) but on the other hand it led more to mindlessly moving the joysticks around and not really knowing what you're casting. Some people may like that but to me it seems more like random movements that are completely devoid of any skill whatsoever. The marauders map was a cool feature though, you could choose exactly who you wanted to see or where you wanted to go and these little marauder footprints would guide you to where you need to go. I though this was a great idea by the creators however the footsteps were kinda a pain in the butt to follow because unless you were in a well lit area without many people you couldn't really see them, especially in the dark parts of the castle. Another thing i loved about the game was the castle, It was absolutely huge and honestly, pretty confusing. there were alot of times i'd be walking and have absolutely no idea where i was or where i was going. so if you like to explore, then you'd love this game. The last thing i liked was the ability to discover "secrets" of hogwarts which ultimately made your spell castling stronger. These secrets were mostly things like finding crests on the ground and sweeping leaves off of them or reparing various items around the school. Overall, if you like to explore hogwarts, you'll really like this game but if you like a crystal clear plotline and lots of diverse things to do than maybe the first or second harry potter games would be more to your liking.

I love this game, i like the new game better, but this is really cool. The only prob is its kinda hard to fallow along what taks ur suppose to do all the time but non the less i enjoy playing this game :) Shipment was VERY fast

i just got the hp and the otp game for the ps2 for $9.95 at the flea market. i'd pretty much given up on the hp videogames after the third one...i usually can't stand them. the third (for game boy) was almost exactly like fire emblem / zelda, except it was 100% magic and no weapons. the battle modes and health potions were the exact same! it was crazy. the first, for mac, was probably my favorite because it was more problem-solving and strategy instead of rapidly pressing buttons and hoping you don't die before your foe. even so, the flying techniques are so miserable that i never got past the flying keys on my way to the sorceror's stone. it's a miracle i passed quidditch practice.

ANYWAY. hpotp is AH.MAZE.ING. everyone online was raving about hogwarts, but i didn't understand until i actually started playing the game (it starts out with the dementor attack, then you go to grimmauld place for a bit and THEN you arrive at hogwarts). the creators actually took apart all five movies and all six (or seven, by that time?) books to make a hogwarts EXACTLY as it would be. it's HUGE. i'm already 24% of the way through the game and i've only seen about 12% of the castle. there are times when i'm completely lost, and the graphics are jaw-droppingly, mind-numbingly amazing (not with the characters so much as the scenery and surroundings).

the one thing that keeps it perfect (and not just a dauntingly impossible prospect) is the marauder's map: you can do a search for specific people (like angelina johnson, to ask about quidditch practice) or specific places (like umbridge's office, to do your detention), and little footsteps appear before you to point you in the right direction. you can turn them off at any time, though. AND there's an invisibility cloak!

it's evident that the game was originally designed and made for the wii. you can definitely tell that when playing it on the ps2...instead of pressing a button for a spell and another button for another spell, you use the r analog stick in different movement combinations to cast different spells, almost like the wii remote. incendio is up down up down, wingardium leviosa is up left right left right, accio is down down, protego is up up, reparo is counterclockwise rotation, stupefy is clockwise rotation, etc. it would be SO MUCH COOLER with a wii remote!

anyways...hogwarts really is stunning. the game is based so much more around exploration and tasks than simple dueling, although there is dueling as well. every single tapestry and painting and broom cupboard and student can be interacted with, and i've even learned how to play wizard's chess (but am still losing miraculously. i'm quite good at exploding snap, though).

instead of corny little mini-tasks used by most games (i remember in ps2's hp and the cos game that ginny "lost her quill and cauldron while using floo powder to get to diagon alley"--which was obviously a complete waste of my life and just a desperate attempt by the creators to keep the player occupied for just a bit longer before arriving at hogwarts).

each task is relevant to the game and is rather fun to carry out...they require thinking and careful tactics. for example, in order to recruit ginny to the da you have to get a bottle of doxy venom fred and george were using to make skiving snackboxes. the problem? it's been confiscated and is in umbridge's office, which is guarded by umbridge on the inside and by two students outside. how do you distract them long enough to slip by while wearing your invisibility cloak? hm...

anyway, this is easily my absolute FAVORITE hp videogame, and possibly one of my favorite videogames of all time. i'd recommend it for people looking to have a storyline and a great time manuevering throughout the game, who AREN'T just looking to throw spells around.