 Review By: Andrew Joy |
Developer: | EA UK |
| Publisher: | EA Games | |
| Genre: | Action | |
| ESRB: | Everyone 10+ | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | Nunchuk, HDTV 480p | |
| Buy Now: |   |
One of my major gripes with the control scheme is Wingardium Leviosa; while it is easy enough to cast (simply raise both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk into the air), controlling the levitated object often proves to be nearly impossible, as they tend to zip off in the wrong direction, drift around high above you and otherwise generally go everywhere except where you actually want them to. Sometimes the Wii Remote also has a bit of trouble recognizing what spells you are trying to cast, especially if you do it too fast or are trying to cast spells that are very similar, like Reparo and Reducto (which require either a clockwise or counter-clockwise spin). However, if this happens, just follow the advice of another famous book: Don’t panic. Instead, just slow down (when possible, which it may not be in combat situations...but those can usually be won just by waving your hands around like you’re being attacked by invisible bees) and calmly make very pronounced gestures. If you do, you should be able to get the desired reaction with no problem at all. If you don’t, you’re libel to end up in a situation like mine, where books were zipping off shelves, catching on fire and flying around the Gryffindor common room like bats out of hell...though even that may have its advantages. Surprisingly enough, even with these problems, I still found the Wii control scheme to be the best out of all the versions I tried. Sure, it had its problems, but it was also more engaging, more immersive and, most importantly, more fun than simply pounding a button and jostling the analog stick.
Much like The Legend of Zelda series, the graphical approach to the Harry Potter series has been all over the board. In the beginning, the games had more of a cartoon-like style with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, but as the series matured so did the look. This is something we really started to see around Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix takes it to the next level - revisiting our comparison, if the third game was Ocarina of Time, the fifth would be Twilight Princess. Rather than artistic license or even exaggerated features, the characters in the video games look closer to their on-screen counterparts than they ever have before, even switching between their school uniforms and Muggle clothes, just as they might in the movies. The spells are also more dazzling in effect, though there is nothing too over the top and they tend to match the darker tones of the film. But perhaps the most amazing re-creation in the entire game is that of Hogwarts. The school is, as it never was before, a giant, seamless...organism, crammed with all the details you’d expect: living portraits covering every foot of the walls and hiding several secret passages, moving staircases constantly change the layout before you, the house ghosts pass through the walls in full period regalia, and your dignity slowly inches towards the door as you realize you know exactly what I’m talking about. Unfortunately, this does present a problem: since the game doesn’t load between each room, sometimes it will suffer from some severe slow down, even forcing Harry to walk until the next area has been accessed, a bizarre quirk that was not unique to the Wii version.
Going into this, I simply did not expect the Wii to provide the same level of detail and polish we’ve seen attached to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game, but frankly I was quite surprised. As it turns out, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is actually one of the better-looking Wii games released thus far, and it is not far off from the other next generation versions of the game. In fact, in some respects, they are identical: no matter what version you have, whether it is for the Wii, Xbox 360 or PSP, the cutscenes appear to be exactly the same, giving none of them a clear cut advantage in that capacity. However, even during the game itself, the Wii is still comparable on many levels. One of the better examples of this is the lighting – if there was any doubt that the Wii has failed to make an architectural leap from the GameCube, you need only bask in the beauty of the clock tower window to be quieted. That is not to say that there aren’t any noticeable differences, however, as the other versions have some better defined character models and don’t suffer from some of the muddy textures as the Wii, but for the most part, it is just a matter of the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions seeming brighter that makes the most difference and there is nothing that will make you want to spend an extra ten dollars (or a few hundred more, depending on what systems you have) in order to experience it.
And, speaking of similarities, all three "next generation" versions (at least) do away with your typical HUD. Since there are no gauges of any kind, the characters themselves will act as a health meter that you must interpret, such as when they clutch their side and drop to one knee or fall to the ground when they are injured, and the same goes for your opponents. While that is a nice detail, I have to say one of the best things about this game is the way EA implemented the Marauder’s Map: once you select a location, small footsteps appear on the ground to lead you to your destination, rather than having to constantly consult a map or having one permanently plastered to the screen as you try to navigate the massive school. There are a few other things that will appear from time to time, such as the name of a room when you enter it (though it happens on a small scrap of parchment in keeping with the Marauders’ Map) and small notes, such as when a new quest has been added or when you earn some more discovery points, but, with the exception of the Wii version, which includes a crackling ball of light to represent your cursor, that is the most you’re likely to see at once. All in all, really, it is a lot like you are really "living" the experience or watching a movie...until you get to the cutscenes, that is.
Though not a deal-breaker by any stretch, one of the most annoying things about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has got to be the cutscenes. Rather than use footage right from the movie, someone decided to try and compile them with in-game graphics (or something very close) with just a bit of extra polish. In theory, you might think this would help keep the seamless feel of the game...but you’d be wrong. Actually, it might have worked that way if it weren’t for the fact that the cutscenes start and stop so jarringly and suddenly, far from the smoothness you find in most games. It also comes as a disappointment that many of the actors from the films did not reprise their roles for the video game. You’ll hear the occasional familiar voice, to be sure, but some of the most noticeable absences are the people you’d expect to hear, like Harry, Hermione and Dumbledore. The audio isn’t quite so off-putting in other areas, such as the sound effects, which make the school come alive with all sorts of school chatter and other ambient noise (not to mention the whooshing of spells and that sort of thing that come out of your Wii Remote speaker). The music is also quite noteworthy, having been recorded by a full orchestra and sounding just as you remember it over the years, especially the sort of surrogate theme song that is the ever-reoccurring Hedwig’s Theme.
In many ways, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is like a good book: once you pick it up, you just can’t put it down. Even though the story itself takes only a little while to get through, I’ve spent well over twenty hours playing the game. For the average gamer, though, picking up this game to relive the license (whether it is a book, movie or, in this case, both), this game will only disappoint. While such a lackluster and short-lived game is a pity under any circumstances, I find it to be particularly reprehensible when such rich source material is available, and I can’t say whether it is the fault of EA (for developing it), WB (for shoehorning the books into movies) or even Rowling (for licensing the property in the first place). But, in the end, I’m not sure it really matters; even though the game fails to deliver in the same way the book does (and, yes, even though it is my least favorite, the book is still quite good), for the right kind of person - that is to say, someone like myself, who looks proudly upon the hundreds of hours spent in a Grand Theft Auto game like some bizarre badge of honor (we need help, I know) – this game might hold value far beyond whatever you’re being asked to pay. It is no treasure of a time sink, that’s for sure, but you can certainly lose yourself within the walls of Hogwarts and, even having completed it to its fullest, I know I’ll still return to its hallowed halls often, if only for a game of Gobstones.
Bottom Line:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is to the Wii what Motorstorm is to the PlayStation 3: It’s not the reason to own the system, but if you own it already, there is no reason this game shouldn’t make it into your library. Taking into account that the game could use a bit more polish (namely on the controls and camera) and a more fleshed-out story (which the book has), one cannot deny that the game has its problems, but they all seem more than worth it just to try out controls we’ve all been dreaming of since Nintendo’s new console was first unveiled. That’s not to mention the fact that its graphics surprisingly turned out to be some of the best on the system so far, though again not without a few problems. Unfortunately, I also have to admit that I found it a little disconcerting that the console versions don’t include any sort of multiplayer, and not necessarily letting your friends take control of Ron or Hermione, but even just letting you challenge one another to a game of Wizard’s Chess and that sort of thing. However, given the sheer number of activities and discovering you can do on your own, even the solo experience makes this game worth a try. And, if you do, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is bound to cast its spell on you.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 8.0 |
Posted: 2007-08-14 19:07:46 PST