Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

June 28,2007 - With a franchise like Harry Potter under your wings, it's almost impossible to fail at creating a successful title, even though the past games proved themselves as annoying fetch-quests. EA has done a spectacular job re-inventing the series, making it clear that staying true to the source material is the best way to go if you want even the uninitiated muggles to drop their pounds.

Following the plot of the movie almost exactly, Order of the Phoenix sees Harry Potter starting his fifth year at Hogwarts. With Voldemort regaining power the previous year and half the wizarding community thinking Harry is a liar, year five at Hogwarts is no stroll in the park. To make things worse, a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor makes Harry’s life a complete nightmare all year long. Until Harry decides to take matters into his own hands. For those of you who have not yet read the book, our description has been kept vague in order to risk spoiling any of the key plot twists. Even if fans of the book already know what happens in the movie, trying to follow the story in-game is a grueling task. The plot can become convoluted, jumping from section to section in a matter of seconds, and unless you have subtitles turned on, it might be hard to decipher what everyone is saying. Still, fans hoping to catch an early glimpse of the movie will not be disappointed by the amount of content available throughout.

Hogwarts has been beautifully re-created entirely from the ground up, and the overall result makes the latest game feel almost like Grand Theft Auto: Hogwarts (sans the violent crimes, etc.). Harry is free to roam the school at his leisure throughout the game. While some scripted events happen occasionally throughout the story (usually to move things along so you just don’t waste your time doing mindless tasks), there are really no boundaries. Every corridor, classroom, dormitory and staircase has been depicted to near perfection as modeled from the movie sets. This is truly the most open and worldly atmosphere of any Harry Potter game to date, and even the most specific details, such as students yelling at Harry in the hall or portraits that move independently along the grand staircase, add a sense of excitement for fans who will try to name every person and thing they come across.

Combat in Order of the Phoenix is probably the biggest change in the series, and-surprisingly-the best. Instead of hack and slash battles as in the previous titles, wand commands are now directed onto the right analog stick. By moving the analog stick in different directions you can then cast corresponding spells. For example, tapping the analog stick twice will cause Harry to move objects towards him, while tapping in the opposite direction moves things away. Dueling is also an important factor in this version as well since almost every person at Hogwarts hates Harry on some personal level. Dueling will happen often, and while the same basic rules apply to the other spells, it feels as though everyone takes turns casting magic rather than the frantic, colorful battles as seen previously. With the action mapped mostly to the analog sticks, combat is easier, and feels intuitive, sometimes as if the wand were in your very hands...

Once Harry starts learning new moves, he can use them any time he wants. While wandering around Hogwarts, there are many secrets to unravel, such as broken objects, hidden statues, and talking portraits. By utilizing everything you have learned through the course of the game you can ultimately uncover new secrets and earn rewards. The more magic you perform around the school, the higher your discovery rank will rise. Discovery ranks not only make your spells more powerful as time goes on, but they also unlock special goodies that can be viewed anytime in a cleverly titled “Room of Rewards.” Such special rewards include interviews with the cast from the films, new costumes and outfits, and even some hidden spells.

As you roam freely around the grounds you will come across an assortment of tasks in which to participate. The usual story-related affairs are plentiful, as well as minor tasks that don’t follow the story at all. There is also a wide assortment of minigames to partake in if you happen to be in the mood for a slight change of pace. Wizarding chess, gobstones, exploding snap, and more delightful games mentioned throughout the series are all faithfully re-created and are available to play at any time. Challenging champions from different houses and working your way up the ranks to become the ultimate Hogwarts victor at every specific game can be incredibly addicting, but the spotty AI is a bit frustrating.

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