Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone

by Electronic Arts

Product Features

• 1 Player
• Analog Control Compatible
• Vibration Function
• Win House Points for Gryffinder
• Lead Gryffinder to Victory in Quidditch

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005NCAY
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: November 16, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,396 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Platform: PlayStation

Amazon.com Review

The history of video games is littered with translations of films--most of them bad. This game, while decidedly based on the feature film's visualization of the Harry Potter story, is actually very good in its own right despite being too easy for most experienced gamers. It's a fun, colorful experience even for the few of us on the planet who have neither read the book nor watched the movie.

Electronic Arts thankfully bestowed a lot of production value on this release rather than trying to cash in on a quick buck. Aside from the occasional pop-up problem that makes walls vanish quite unmagically, the graphics are beautiful and fun. Chocolate frogs (an appropriate health power-up) and other elements and characters from the book and film are wonderfully animated. The sound effects and, particularly, the voice acting are top-drawer, which helps suck the player into the Potter experience. Also, the gameplay is nicely varied throughout. Players go from learning a new spell in class to retrieving fire seeds for Hagrid to participating in magic fights against the Slytherin bully Draco Malfoy to riding the broom--which is especially fun. There's even a Quidditch level early on, but there's little to do and it's over very quickly.

On the downside, the game suffers from some really odd controls. Like many adventure games, jumping is really important, as many levels require you to clear obstacles or reach out-of-the-way items. But, unlike in nearly every other game in the genre, there's no jump button. Instead, players automatically jump from the edge of a platform from either a full stop or while running. It takes a lot of getting used to; if you're not at full run or full stop, it's easy to just walk right off the edge and fall. And, like too many other games, you can only save your progress at predetermined locations.

Another fault of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is its lack of challenge for experienced gamers. It's nice that the developers are trying to make it accessible to the entire cross-section of PlayStation-owning Harry Potter fans, but without varying levels of difficulty, it's less of a game than a tour through Potter's magical world. Still, it is an interesting world, and even though it's easy, the action is still varied enough to be fun. --Porter B. Hall

Pros:

• Good use of characters and plot elements from the story
• Varied gameplay
• Great production value
• Broom riding is really fun

Cons:

• Very little challenge
• Odd control scheme
• Lethargic camera movement makes it sometimes hard to see what you're doing

Product Description

Harry potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not what i expected!, March 11, 2002

By 

Franch (cr) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone (Video Game)

Many games based on movies are just bad. For example, the game of Tarzan for psx [stunk] big time, or the Emperor's New Groove, or the Fifth Element. When i heard of Harry Potter coming out for the psx, i tought it was going to be as bad as any game based on a movie. I was a bit wrong. This game is very fun...while it lasts! Check out the good and bad things about it below:

The Good Things:
-Somethings are based on the book
-The characters are just the same as in the movie
-Hogwarts is huge, there is plenty to explore
-You assist all classes including the quidditch practice
-You fight against Voldermort and Quirell
-The magic spells are amazing: Incendio, Alohamora, Wigardium Leviosa, etc.

The Bad Things:
-There are too many things that are not in the book
-Harry Potter doesn't talk
-The conversations between characters are briefly
-The battle against Voldemort is quite pathetic
-The end is very bad
-Many things are briefly described by the narrator in a book

-The forbidden forest is not scary
-Voldemort appears frequently using a green magic
-All the magic used by Harry is basically following the order of bottoms. Example: Press X then O and finally X again: very simple
-Very short and easy

Overall, the game is a worth buying game for any Harry Potter fan.

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a masterpiece, but fun, November 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone (Video Game)

The main action of the game is a lot like Tomb Raider, but simplified and with more variety. You control Harry in a 3-D world (Hogwarts) and explore and collect items. You also interact with lots of characters from the books, who will often give you little quests to do. You can attend classes to learn spells. There are also parts where you have to fly on a broomstick, and so far these have been the hardest parts for me. It's tough to get the hang of contolling the broomstick. The game moves along really quickly, roughly following the book. It's fun enough to play - they certainly could have done far worse with this game. But don't expect the same kind of experience (or quality level) as the books give you or you will be dissapointed. I didn't expect this game to be very good, and it's better than I expected. Exploring Hogwarts is fun. The graphics and voices are a little weak (the graphic of Harry in the hospital wing after you get a game over, for example... if you showed that one to me without telling me who it was supposed to be, I'd never guess it was Harry Potter!), but at least the Brittish accents don't sound fake. :) The gameplay is pretty easy, but once in a while a mini-game (like flying) will be frustratingly hard. If you're a Harry Potter fan then give this game a try.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK for the Kiddies, November 25, 2001

By 

"merrimac13" (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone (Video Game)

I recieved this game about four days ago. I opened the package and began playing it for about three hours. After that time I was about 40% done with the game. The next day, I played a total of three hours, and I was about 75% done. On the third day I played about two hours and completed it. Do you catch my drift?
Now, I would classify myself as a very experienced gamer and have played a number of very difficult games. I would classify this as the easiest game I have ever played on the Playstation console(next to Ridge Racer). I will give it credit, however, the castle and the surrounding area was very well designed, the interactions with other characters is very good, and the levels are fun and interesting.
If you parents are looking for a good game for your 7-12 year old, I would suggest this game. If you are looking to buy for 13+, I would continue my search elsewhere. Overall, this was a very fun and interesting game, but it wasn't very challenging.

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