Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Score: 80% ESRB: Everyone 10+ Publisher: EA Games Developer: EA Games Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Action/ Adventure
Graphics & Sound: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix takes Harry through his fifth year at Hogwarts and through another twisted adventure of magic and mayhem. One of the most notable aspects of Order of the Phoenix is the game's ability to duplicate the look and feel of the Hogwarts depicted in the films. Between the huge ceilings and narrow hallways, this open-world feel will please any Potter fan. The characters also look like their silver-screen counterparts. The most noticeable of these are, of course, Harry, Ron and Hermione. Along with the graphics, the audio isn't all that bad. While not everyone lends their vocal talents to the film, the major players do. Unfortunately, some of the replacement actors don't sound quite right and, at times, sound fairly stiff.
Gameplay: When we last left Harry, he had been forced to take part in the Tri-Wizard Tournament and witnessed the rebirth of Lord Voldemort. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like this year at the school will be much easier. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix starts off with Harry being attacked by a pair of dementors outside of school. After his hearing for using magic in the presence of muggles, it becomes clear that the Ministry of Magic is refusing to hear that The Dark Lord has returned, and all that becomes even more obvious when classes start up. With a new, Ministry-appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Harry, Ron and Hermione decide that they aren't getting the quality of education they need to go up against the real-world issues they will all soon be facing. So they start up a secret club called Dumbledore's Army. Most of the game centers around scavenger hunt missions designed to convince fellow students to join the DA. There are a few duels scattered throughout the story, as well as the eventual hunt for whatever his hidden at the Ministry that Harry keeps dreaming about. The game takes place in two locations: Hogwarts and Number 12 Grimmauld Place, though you'll eventually venture to the Ministry of Magic. With the exception of the Ministry, each location is a semi-open world in that you can roam around the place. You can go wherever you like, though a few areas are locked off until you find a password or a story segement happens. As you explore, you will earn Discovery Points. These points basically reward the player for interacting with objects and recognizing familiar elements from the game and movie. As far as the exploration and discovery aspect of Order of the Phoenix, this is great for fans. Unfortunately, the gameplay aspects (the hunts and duels and mini-games) aren't all that interesting, at least not after the dozenth time you've done one.
Difficulty: As for the gameplay itself, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix isn't all that hard. What will be difficult is fully exploring the locations of the game and getting all of the Discovery Points. What will be easier than expected are the duels and missions that are required to actually progress in the story. Maybe it is because this game is geared towards a younger audience, but I just found it really easy to plow through the game's story. In any case, while the story itself is short, you put real time into the game when you try to collect all of the Discovery Points. This can only be accomplished by repairing broken objects, winning all of the mini-games (and actually the Wizard Chess does pose a bit of a challenge) and discovering all of the twists and turns found throughout Hogwarts and the other locations in the game. Of course, you will only attempt this if you are a completist or an enthusiastic Harry Potter fan.
Game Mechanics: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a fairly easy game to pick up and play. While it doesn't have the special Wii-mote wand controls of the Wii version, the 360's use of the analog sticks' ability to translate spins and twirls into wand waves feels pretty fluid and effective. Using the right analog stick, Harry will pull out his wand and mimic your movements on the screen. Twirling your wand back and forth will cast Wingardium Leviosa and cause your target object to float in the air and, with the same stick, you can move it around the world. Tapping down twice pulls the item towards you with Accio and spinning the stick clockwise casts Reparo. Though casting spells won't be quite as intuitive with the analog sticks as they are with the Wii, it is still really easy to get into. While Order of the Phoenix feels like a better game than the last couple of titles, as far as actual gameplay goes, it isn't spectacular. The game's focus of making Harry Potter fans happy with tons of in-jokes and little details doesn't quite make up for its lack of a challenging story. If you are a fan of the books/movies and want to explore Hogwarts, then Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is definitely worth looking into, but if you are trying to find a good action/adventure game, then look somewhere else.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
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