GameSpy Review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

There have been multiple Harry Potter games so far, and although none of them have been offensively bad, none of them have been particularly great, either. Sure, the last game, based on the fourth HP film, Goblet of Fire, was pretty good, but it was more or less a straight retelling of the movie. It didn't allow gamers a chance to really immerse themselves in the world of J.K. Rowling's boy wizard, something that fans have wanted to do for a long time.

This latest adventure, which is based on the upcoming film (which is, of course, based on the fifth HP book), makes great strides to fix that by using the film's plot as an excuse to give you free reign to explore Hogwarts, the school for witchcraft and wizardry that Harry calls home for most of the year. After a short tutorial at number twelve Grimmauld Place, you (as Harry) are whisked away to school.

And boy, does it feel like Hogwarts. Working from the blueprints created for the movie, EA has done a stunning job in recreating the giant castle that comprises the school. Winding steps lead up from the boathouse to the main gates; spiraling staircases lead down into the dungeon where the Defense against the Dark Arts class is held; the lush greenery of the school grounds stands in stark contrast to the stony interior inside the school. As you climb the ever-moving staircases that lead to higher floors, multiple voice emanate from the magical painting that line the walls.

Obviously, Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione aren't the only kids on campus. Dozens of other students constantly scurry about, and you're bound to hear bits and pieces of random conversations. Each of your fellow classmates can be chatted with, and it's interesting to listen to what they have to say to you. Plot points follow, but if you're still in the dark about this four-year-old story, you deserve the spoilers. In Order of the Phoenix, Harry isn't quite as popular as he's been in previous years. After his confrontation with the dark Lord Voldemort, the Ministry of Magic has been working with the wizard newspaper, The Daily Prophet, to discredit Harry. Many people in the wizard community are falling for the paper's lies, so Harry is now seen as somewhat of a nutter. Hearing students badmouth the boy-who-lived along with his increasingly annoyed responses is rather amusing.

Grand Theft Hogwarts?

The game isn't simply about roaming around Hogwarts, of course. There are plenty of different tasks to complete in order to advance the story. Instead of solitary missions like you see in other "sandbox" style games, the adventure is broken up into multiple vague "story arcs," each with multiple tasks to complete before moving on to the next. For example, an early arc has you recruiting nearly 30 students to join Dumbledore's Army, a group that believes Harry's story about Voldemort's return and who wish to train to combat this new evil. The kids are scattered throughout the school, and some will join you simply by talking to them. Others will require you to complete subtasks in order to convince them to join. There are no time limits to these missions, and you can have multiple tasks active at once. This helps keep a good balance between being free to explore and always feeling like you have something to do. Hogwarts is a fairly big place, and due to its layout, it can be a confusing one as well. Fortunately, there are a few ways around this. Certain paintings in the hallways will open up to reveal shortcuts if you perform the proper tasks for them. Even handier is the Marauder's Map. When you open up the map screen, you have the ability to highlight individual characters or locations. When you close the map, a set of ghostly footprints appear on the ground to direct you to the target. It's a simple and unobtrusive method of dealing with the school's complicated design.

In between tasks, you can waste a lot of time by playing mini-games (like Wizard Chess and Exploding Snap) and looking for hidden secrets. By casting spells on various objects around the school, "Discovery Points" are earned. These points unlock behind the scenes videos in the hidden Room of Rewards. I have to give props to EA for including all these bonus videos. Nowadays, bonus content like this would usually only be included in a limited edition of the game for ten dollars more. Oh, poo. I just gave EA an idea for the Half-Blood Prince game, didn't I? Sorry about that, folks.

Make Ollivander Proud

Speaking of spells, you'll be doing quite a bit of wand work in this game. Spells are cast by moving the right analog stick in various directions. It's a simple and effective system, but admittedly, it's not nearly as fun as the Wii's "use the Wii Remote like a wand" control method. Still, it works quite well, and the 360 version's better graphics make up for the novelty control scheme.

Magic spells also come into play during combat. Now, the Harry Potter universe isn't set up for frequent battles, so there's not a lot of fighting in the game. Because of this, it seems like there wasn't much time put into developing a solid fighting system. Wizard duels are typically dull affairs where you move left and right to dodge incoming spells while countering with your own.

The combat isn't the only problem in Order. Despite the presence of several of the film's stars, the voice acting is often lackluster. Granted, these sub par performances mostly stem from the soundalikes, but even the real deals seem to be phoning a lot of the lines in. Staying with the characters, the in-game models can be downright creepy looking. Sure, they look like the film's stars, but there's a lot of that weird "uncanny valley" effect that often affects CG humans. It's their eyes, man -- their empty, soulless eyes. It usually looks like you're watching some great-looking Harry Potter action figures as opposed to actual people. This is especially evident during cinema sequences when you see the characters up close.

The cinemas also reveal a problem with the game's scripted camera. Oftentimes, when the action stops and characters begin to speak to each other, the camera won't always focus on the proper subjects. Two characters could end up speaking to each other off-screen while all you see are a couple of inert character models that are waiting for the conversation to finish. It's not just the camera that's dumb, either. In tight quarters, it's easy to get trapped behind dim-witted NPCs that refuse to move out of your way. If only I could figure out how to move the analog stick to cast Avada Kedavra, this wouldn't be a problem.

Sure, Order of the Phoenix is a little rough around the edges, but it's still the best Harry Potter game yet. Fans will get a huge kick over how well it recreates Harry's world. I know a lot of multiple system owners are wondering if they should get this version of the game or go for the waggle-enhanced Wii version. It's a tough call, really. The Wii controls are quite a bit of fun, but the 360 version looks quite a bit better. It's your call, I suppose. What's more important to you, graphics or interactivity? Whichever one you choose, you're going to have a great time.

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