
	Platform Xbox 360 Genre Action Publisher Electronic Arts Developer EA Games ESRB E +10 (Everyone) Released June 25, 2007

- Completely immerses Potter fans into the world of the young wizard and his Hogwarts world - Much, much more gameplay packed in (15-20 hours or so) than the previous Potter game (clocking in at about seven hours of gameplay) - Challenging spell controls go beyond the usual button-mashing one might expect - Footstep guides help take frustration of getting to next task

- Who’s controlling the frustratingly hexing camera with horrible angles throughout your Potter adventuring? Voldemort’s evil minions? - The enjoyable multiplayer from the previous Potter game, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is zapped away completely

Review: Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix (Wii) Review: Rainbow Six Vegas (PS3) Review: Bullet Witch (360)
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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Score: 7.5 / 10

The release of the latest summer Harry Potter blockbuster flick unveiled a new, more mature Potter character. That’s also true for the latest Electronic Arts Harry Potter game, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix . While still aimed at a younger demographic, the franchise takes a turn toward a older audience that’s grown from pre-teen to twentysomething in the decade since the Potter books became a worldwide phenomenon.

Yes, it’s essentially still a movie tie-in title, but Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix tries to please not only the young Harry Potter fan but the older ones, too, with a homage of sorts. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix brings the world of Hogwarts to vivid life under the guise of an action title.

But while fans will be in for a treat in being able to explore the realm of Potter like never before, the game becomes more of a chore, literally. You’ll go from point A

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to Z in Hogwarts, but you’ll need to do chores and tasks for teachers and students of Hogwarts alike, which becomes a lesson in tedium more than magical adventuring. That’s the brunt of the gameplay: errands like getting books for other students, sweeping up leaves, mopping up water spills, and doing classroom assignments.

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Other times, you’ll have to find students to join your quest or use your spells to uncover hidden items which release orbs that help to “level up” Harry to higher magic abilities.

It takes much longer to get through Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix , especially compared to other Potter games. The previous title, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, took about seven hours to finish. There’s nearly triple that in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix because there’s so much to do and see throughout Hogwarts (along with the fact that it takes a long time to get from one point to the next).

Getting to the next task is made easier by a “footprint” navigation system. Essentially, you can pick a next point of gameplay on the map, and footprints will show you the way. It certainly helps alleviate a lot of wandering around aimlessly, although sometimes the footprints blend too much into the environment.

Totally and helplessly lost is the game’s absolutely exasperating camera. You have no ability to swing the camera to a better vantage point, so often you’ll be stuck behind items that block your view of Harry and his two companions, Ron and Hermione. Those two fellow wizards in training spend plenty of time blocking your way, too, annoyingly placing themselves right in your path.

Gamers will be completing the adventure on their own, as the completely entertaining co-op multiplayer from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has been inexplicably zapped out. That was one of the best elements that the previous title contained, yet EA for some reason decided to leave it out here.

At least the spell controls, using a combination of twisting and turning of the controller’s analog stick, are easy to use. The more spells you learn, the more activities and tasks you’ll be able to complete. The spellcasting is the most entertaining facet of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix .

Despite a completely hexing camera that curses the gameplay, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be a revelatory experience for Potter fans, with a Hogwarts that comes alive like never before, and each and every Potter character imaginable making cameo appearances. The average gameplay can get tedious in its chore duty, so those who aren’t entranced by all things Harry Potter should be forewarned, but fans will have plenty of fun in the halls of Hogwarts found in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix .

- Lee Cieniawa

lcieniawa@armchairempire.com

(August 9, 2007)


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