Product 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #605 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Electronic Arts
• Released on: 2007-06-28
• Platform: Nintendo Wii

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

Customer Reviews

Ace!
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a good game so far but it is hard to do some stuff. Hogwarts is very big. I have only done 9%. But it is really, really good. I wish that the people could say more. If you do not like waiting a long time and exploring, I do not think you will like this game.

- Rose (age 8)

Got boring really fast.
A bit of a missed opportunity this game. I LOVE Harry Potter, and I LOVED the idea of using the wii remote to do magic, but the controls are a little off, and the movements a little unimaginative. That could be forgiven if the game behind is was good, but its so tedious, justing running around the castle collecting items and passwords. I think its probably good for the young ones, maybe up to age 8. But any older than that and they'll get bored fast. I traded this after just two weeks, as I 'd seen and done everthing I wanted by then. Not a good return on investment!

Throw Controller - - - - > Smash!
Great graphics and a huge amount of Hogwarts to explore however the clumsy way the Wii remote responds to spell casting is enough to make you throw the remote at the screen!
Basic gameplay seems to be one of trying to maneuver past Ron and Hermione who tail you around and always get in your way whilst on the way to do some mundane task. Dueling could be fun but trying to get 'Expeliarmus' to actually work is a nightmare and soon drains the game of fun.
I am not sure how this plays on the PS2 but i am going to buy it as i do like the game but the Wii version is destroyed through poor control response.
Only buy this version if you are a die-hard HP fan.