Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

"Harry Potter and the Must for all Fans"

This game, released with the movie, is based on Harry Potter's fifth year at Hogwarts.
I bought the game, after foolishly reading reviews for it on PS2 and found it hard to get my headround.

I was put off, almost immedietly by the lack of detailed instructions the game gives you. I know hard core gamers would protest that you dont need detailed instructions but the tasks given to you throughout the game, are so vague, that at points you just have to resort to trial and error.

But as soon as you overlook this major flaw, Harry Potter fans, like myself, will enjoy the beautifully mastered Hogwarts and grounds and detailed cut scenes. But for gamers, looking for an all action duelling extravaganza, im afraid you will be dissapointed at best.

The camera angles add an extra level of difficulty to the game, and Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley your two friends mostly just get in your way, rather than helping you out. The duels involving casting spells at enemy Slytherins are few and far between. And the final enemy to defeat, Lord Voldemort, is so easily beaten that you get a sense of anti-climax.

You will definitely need a Walk through guide as this game is very vague, but Harry Potter fans will enjoy exploring Hogwarts and look past some of the fundemental issues.

I sadly had to use a PS2 walk through, and although it did help me and was useful, I found that the PSP version has had to lose large amounts of plot/collectibles etc to keep the same large campus as the console game. This is sad as once I finished the game I would of had another several hours of gaming to complete the game on a console, and with no real challenges to play, I would have to give this game a low re-playablilty score.

Poor camera angles, unhelpful and vague instructions, and overall poorly laid out controls inhibit the experience of Hogwarts. And this will ward of all but the fans, who will enjoy the many good points the game has to offer. This is certainly a game that all Harry Potter fans must buy, as this in itself is a whole story all together.

For fans of Harry Potter I would give this an 8.5/10. But for gamers looking for all-action thrills, I give this a 7/10 and recommend that you look elsewhere.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/08

Game Release: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (EU, 06/29/07)