 Review By: Andrew Joy |
Developer: | EA UK |
| Publisher: | EA Games | |
| Genre: | Action | |
| ESRB: | Everyone 10+ | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | HDTV 720p |
Now, some of you may be saying, "Hey, wait a minute, the PS3 version has motion controls, too!" And that’s true, but so is this: they suck. I hate to be so blunt about it, but it is the simple fact of the matter. In fact, with the exception of Wingardium Leviosa, I rarely used the motion controls at all, simply because they are so similar and hard to use, even more so then the Wii controls. The SIXAXIS simply lacks the range of motion of the Wii Remote, and it shows. While you may confuse a spell here or there on Wii, the same thing seems to happen with even more frequency on the PS3...if you can even get the spells to register at all without shaking your controller like a can of spray paint (which made me regret Sony scrapping the original boomerang design of the PS3 controller, as it would have been nice if it at least returned to you when it inevitably flies out of your hand). Thankfully, you don’t have to use them, and you can fall back on the normal controls, which like the graphics and almost everything else in the game, are identical between the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Much like The Legend of Zelda games, 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 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 found in all three "next generation" versions.
Going into this, I naturally expected the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix to be leagues beyond the Wii in terms of graphics, but I was actually quite surprised. While the Wii version might actually be one of the better-looking games on the system, the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are actually a bit disappointing. In fact, in some respects, they are identical: no matter whether you are using the Wii, PS3, Xbox 360 or even the PSP, the cutscenes appear to be exactly the same in every version. Even during the game itself, things are still comparable, with the Wii being able to match the PS3 and Xbox 360 on many levels and none getting the clear advantage. However, that is not to say that there aren’t any noticeable differences, as the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions have some better defined character models and a few odd details, like the ghosts passing through the Grand Staircase, and don’t suffer from some of the muddy textures as the Wii. For the most part though, it is just a matter of the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions being 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 already 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 the player must interpret, such as when characters clutch their side and drop to one knee, or fall to the ground when they are injured, and the same goes for 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 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 a seamless feel to 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. 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:
After playing a number of different versions of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I have to wonder just what we’re being asked to pay an extra $10 for on the PS3 and Xbox 360 (price of the actual consoles aside, that is). The graphics aren’t so improved that, in a side-by-side comparison, people would be drawn to these versions like a moth to a flame. Since the PS3’s SIXAXIS controls are busted and the Xbox 360 version offers no alternative, casting magic becomes a matter of jostling the analog stick back and forth, and that spells boredom. And the story remains as butchered and rushed as it was on the Wii. This is not to say the game is without its high points, though, as the rush of exploring a living, breathing Hogwarts (and its many bugs) is still very much intact...I just wouldn’t recommend it over the Nintendo Wii version. However, assuming you don’t have access to a Wii at the moment, the PS3 or Xbox 360 versions of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will undoubtedly scratch that itch for true fans of the series.
Since the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 offer essentially the same experience, if you have to choose between the two, the deciding factor of which version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to get may come down to how you feel about Achievement Points. If you don’t care about them either way, any version will do. If all you want to do is wave around a fantastically large number regardless of what you had to do to earn it, this title belongs on your shelf right beside Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (which can earn you a full 1000 points for a mere 9 Achievements). But, if you care not so much about the score, but the actual accomplishments, this may not be the game for you. Frankly, the Achievements here are a joke, as you’ll unlock them for completely mundane tasks. Some you’ll get for the expected things (like completing the game), others you’ll get for things you’re already being rewarded on (like one for every trophy in Room of Rewards), and others are pretty out there, but still just as cheap, goals (like "Walking the Platform," which you’ll get after you traverse 9 and ¾ miles in the game). All in all, they are a little underwhelming but also completely optional, so they don’t particularly raise either version to a new level.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 7.5 |
Posted: 2007-09-03 17:04:22 PST