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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Impressions

By Justin Calvert, GameSpotPosted May 9, 2007 10:06 pm PT

EA shows off the latest build of its upcoming Harry Potter adventure.

Earlier today, at its Summer Preview event in San Francisco, Electronic Arts showed off the latest Nintendo Wii version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was only a few weeks ago that we last saw the game in action, but today's presentation still afforded us an opportunity to check out some new stuff and to see that progress has been made.

Unlike the build of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that we saw last time, this one didn't feature any of the usual cheats and debug options that are used to show off later areas, and so the Hogwarts that we were shown looked much as it will the first time you play the game. The school didn't look radically different, but there were a large number of locked doors with signs on them that, while not particularly pleasing to the eye, will save you the bother of trying and failing to get through them. We also noticed that most of the animated portraits, which we previously learned will offer quests and unlock shortcuts for you, were asleep, perhaps because you'll only be able to use their shortcuts to get to areas that you've already visited using more conventional means.

As we mentioned in our previous preview, Hogwarts is a large and confusing building that will certainly take a while for you to learn your way around. The promised navigation assistance option that will let you follow footprints to your chosen destination has now been implemented, and we're pleased to report that it appears to do its job both admirably and unobtrusively. After setting your destination, you'll notice a set of five or six dark footprints appearing at your feet and pointing you in the right direction--they vanish when you walk the right way but reappear anytime you stray from the most direct route to where you want to be.

We got to see a number of Harry's "charm" spells (as opposed to combat spells) being used during today's presentation, including accio (pull), depulso (push), reparo (repair), reducto (blast), wingardium leviosa (object levitation), and incendio (fire). Additional spells will be unlocked as you progress through the game, and we learned tonight that the pause menu will feature an option that reminds you which gestures you need to make to cast them. None of the gestures that we saw today were complicated--reparo is performed by making a clockwise circle motion, for example--but it's good to know that trial and error won't be your only option if you forget which gestures do what.

Our presentation came to an end in the area of Hogwarts known as the transfiguration courtyard, where Harry challenged a student from a rival house to a game of gobstones. A lot like marbles, gobstones challenges you to knock colored stones out of a chalk circle while keeping yours inside it. On the Wii, gobstones will be played simply by positioning the camera so that it's pointing in the direction that you want to roll your stone and then flicking the Wii Remote while holding and then releasing the B button. The minigame--which is one of three, the others being exploding snap and wizard chess--looked like it will make for a fun distraction from the regular game, and we're looking forward to checking the other minigames and bringing you more information on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix just as soon as we get our hands on a copy.

38 Comments

  • abeed_cool

    Posted Jun 16, 2008 5:13 am PT

    not very good game i hope harry potter 6 will be good

  • Dill-Man

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 11:03 pm PT

    i agree with the comment that they should make good spin-offs, like KOTOR or such, maybe an MMO, that'd be awesome

  • Dwaaskie

    Posted Jun 25, 2007 11:13 am PT

    Yeoman25

    buy it for the 360. the one for the wii is probably buggy AND with poor graphics. I'm fine with my 360 controller AND the quality graphics

  • Yeoman25

    Posted Jun 24, 2007 4:05 pm PT

    i have a 360 and a wii but im not sure which to get it on. I want it on 360 for the graphics and wii for the wand movements. what do you guys think?

  • lamdaica

    Posted Jun 18, 2007 10:09 pm PT

    i like the graphics of this game , the magical world is very exciting

  • bunty_007

    Posted Jun 15, 2007 9:01 pm PT

    Expecting a good taste this time

  • benleslie5

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 3:44 pm PT

    Hope this game will be alot better the The Goblet Of Fore I thought it was disapointing, but The Order of the Phoenix will be amazing to play hopefully.

  • hpfan32

    Posted May 30, 2007 8:15 pm PT

    Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on the Nintendo Wii looks amazing. I bought my Nintendo Wii this past sunday night and it is amazing. Harry Potter has to be amazing on the Wii. I am psyched to see the movie and by the game.

  • Carterman00

    Posted May 24, 2007 11:30 pm PT

    I wish that lucasarts would get the rights to harry potter, have a ton of spin offs of a wizard world ie the jedi world. where it wouldn't be harry potter, but a young rizard, like KOTOR you choose to be bad or good and have an array of wizarding attacks, and then the jedi academy games, where you are trained at hogwarts at first, then you go out on your own and do missions else where and hunt people as a wizard... just some ideas. Harry Potter is HUGE, billion dollar franchise, so where is the spin offs, and adventure games.

  • gamegirl55

    Posted May 22, 2007 11:38 am PT

    I'll be buying this game to play on the PC. I'd like to hear some impressions about the PC version of the HP&tOotP game.

    Just out of curiosity, how could the HP games be improved?

  • woofiny

    Posted May 22, 2007 6:04 am PT

    Meh, I'm A Big Fan Of Harry OPottter The Games Are Just Too Easy Really.
    If It Comes Out For The 360 I'll Get It.
    But Even now I Haven't Played Goblet Of Fire?

  • ash1966

    Posted May 21, 2007 9:15 am PT

    This looks okay might give it a try, cant wait for the movie and the new book

  • imperial_agent

    Posted May 20, 2007 12:34 pm PT

    the previous ones were terrible. I don't know how they racked up scores in the 7's on gamespot. If this one doesn't get an "8" and is more than $49.99, then FORGET IT.

  • caleythia

    Posted May 18, 2007 9:01 am PT

    Well, the graphics certainly looked improved from earlier HP games. Hopefully, the gameplay has improved as well. After the disaster that was the last game (Goblet of Fire), I don't hold very high hopes for the future of this gaming franchise. Unfortunately, they will keep putting out bad games because so many fans of the book will buy anything with the Potter name on it, regardless of quality.

  • dundee85

    Posted May 17, 2007 6:06 pm PT

    This looks okay might give it a try, cant wait for the movie and the new book

  • rogermao

    Posted May 16, 2007 1:26 am PT

    looks ok, all the rest were ones that looked like it should be played by a 5 year old, and just simply sucked

  • Vampire_Turtle

    Posted May 15, 2007 8:35 am PT

    The Games of Harry Potter have been very... very bad. However this one looks okay graphically/gameplay. I prefer the books to the games anyhow. ^^

  • imperial_agent

    Posted May 12, 2007 12:12 pm PT

    i like Potter, but the games have been really, really bad. i hope this one gets at least 7.1

    If it is a GTA styled (Bully, but only in Hogwarts), I'd totally get it.

  • Ir_Rana

    Posted May 12, 2007 11:28 am PT

    It has pottential, perhaps the best harry potter game ever(not such a feat though)

  • DepressionMoon

    Posted May 11, 2007 7:31 pm PT

    To KillaHalo2o9
    Then why the hell did you look at this article!?

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