Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #792 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Electronic Arts
• Released on: 2007-06-28
• Platform: PlayStation2

Amazon.co.uk Review

‘The boy who lived’ is another movie hero whose video game adventures never seem to have matched up to the quality of his films (or books). Rather than simply repeat the predictable third person action of previous games though, this is something a bit different. It’s almost a sort of Grand Theft Auto: Hogwarts (or a variation on The Simpson’s: Hit & Run for those that are too young to know about Rockstar’s naughty blockbusters).

What this means in practical terms is that you’ve got almost the whole of Hogwarts school to explore from the off, with different missions of varying degrees of importance available from different locations. You now control only Harry, with Hermione or Ron reduced to supporting roles, although there are some short sections where you can play as Fred and George Weasley instead. The re-focus on Harry is a result of the sheer number of magical spells available to him now, from standard offensive and defensive magic to summons and levitation spells that help you uncover and unlock the hidden secret of Hogwarts.

Casting spells isn’t as simple as just pressing a button though, as you’re made to actually trace out a magical symbol using the controller (something that works particularly well on the Wii), which adds greatly to the sense of immersion. There’s also a range of similarly controlled mini-games, including wizard chess and gobstones, which you can play either in or out of the game. It’s all a vast improvement on the previous titles, with similarly superior graphics and a general air of effort not usually associated with film tie-ins.
Harrison Dent

Manufacturer's Description:
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts and discovers that much of the wizarding community is in denial about the teenager’s recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort, preferring to turn a blind eye to the news that Voldemort has returned. Fearing that Hogwarts’ venerable Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is lying about Voldemort’s return in order to undermine his power and take his job, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, appoints a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the Hogwarts students. But Professor Dolores Umbridge’s Ministry-approved course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the dark forces threatening them and the entire wizarding community, so at the prompting of his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry takes matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a small group of students who name themselves "Dumbledore’s Army," Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead.

With the ability to play multiple characters, including Harry Potter, Dumbledore and Sirius Black, the videogame of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix offers fans the opportunity to wield a wand, explore all around Hogwarts, and experience one of the most exciting and dangerous years in the life of the Boy Who Lived.

Customer Reviews

Harry potter - An ok game
I bought this game close to when it was released and i thought it would be as good as the third harry potter game but not the same lay out as the fourth. It was great at first while in grimuald place as i like the way you get to cast spells because it's different than just pressing one button to cast. What i didn't enjoy about this game is how you spend alot of time running around the castle doing jobs for other people which can be pretty boring as the castle is so huge. There is not really much to do and i hate the fact that when ever you make a discovery and go up a level Murtle keeps appearing and stopping you from what your doing.
The game is overall a good game but the dueling is pretty hard and frustrating as you have to use protecto everytime you cast and keep getting hit without a chance to cast yourself.
If you enjoy doing tasks and quests and love harry potter than this game is good for you.

One giant item recovery quest.
Having played previous Potter games, and loving them (until the 4th one) i was looking forward to playing the game, especially after all the good reviews.

However, the game had none of the action and adventure of it's predecessors. No class challenges or puzzle solving. No sneaking around at night or flying around on your broomstick playing Quidditch.
The game has none of the spirit of the books, and there is basically no day/night format or storyline which makes the game hard follow.

The Hogwarts campus, although magneficent in itself, is huge. It is impossible to find your way around, and you have to put all your faith in the Marauder's Map, which incidently takes away all the fun of discovering new places in Hogwarts, because all the areas are mapped down for you.

The game is pretty much hours of wandering around, talking to characters and completing minor tasks for them. The spell casting is fun at first, but after a while it gets tedious and fiddly. I would much prefer challenges that require me to think about which spells to use as opposed to easy tasks that require frustratingly intricate wandwork.

One of the upsides of the game is the duelling, but it only takes up about 5 minutes of the game, and even in that short space of time, it failed to deliver all the anticipation and enjoyment that even just sneaking past a prefect did in the 2nd game.

The game also barely lasts long enough to be worth the money. It could easily be completed in under eight hours, leving the player with nothing but unfulfilled expectations. the ending is also quite useless. It doesnt matter whether you win or lose the final duels. the game still goes on, which kind of takes out the point of it.

however, the sound is truly magneficent and the graphics are very decent. I will still hold higher hopes for the next game, however.

Amazing, the best HP game yet! Really discover Hogwarts!
Definately the best Harry Potter game! Graphics are fantastic...almost film like!!! Loads of game play, from defeating other players in wizard games, obtaining all the portrait passwords, learn how to cast spells, search for discoverables and in addition to all of Harry's course work at Hogwarts, Dumbledore expects Harry to learn Occlumency! As well as all this there's the opportunity to wander around the school and grounds finding out where everything is by exploring all the knooks and crannies!Visit Hagrid! Go into all the rooms and corridors and courtyard. Chat with other students, interact with magical objects and the ghosts. Then teach all the students the defence Against the Dark Arts in the Room of requirement.! It's never ending...well almost!!! The characters are so real like with their own voices it's like taking part in the film!! Definately a brilliant game. Then there's the extra as you unleash advanced magic and play as Sirius and Dumbledore fighting the death eaters in the Ministry! This game has it all! As it states on the back of the game " relive the magic of the Movie". I'm only selling because I got a PS3 for Christmas and got order of the Phoenix for the PS3 too!
Definately recommend for all ages. Its classified as a PG.