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 teenagers 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 Voldemorts 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 Umbridges 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 "Dumbledores 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: #2450 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Electronic Arts
• Released on: 2007-06-28
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Platform: Xbox 360

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

'Had so much more potential'
As others have said the graphics are really good and the castle is great to explore and easy enough to get around by following the footsteps to where you want to go.

It starts out good, recruiting Dumbledore's army I thought would be the first of many tasks but once you've done it the game is pretty much over. You then have to get Umbridge out of Hogwarts which is also quite fun but much shorter to undertake than the latter.

Then the disappointment REALLY begins....it seems as though one creator 'disapperated' leaving some numpty (lacking enthusiasm) to finish making the rest of the game! It is severely rushed to the finish with cut scene after cut scene and a few fights which don't even feel like you've taken part and then its all over.

There are more disappointing aspects...lighting the torches and mending flower pots becomes a bit repetitive, there are many doors which you cannot go through, you do get to go to grimmauld place and have a wander but there's not much to do there (again many doors which you can't go through), you cannot explore any of the ministry you just get cut scenes and have a couple of (very dull) fights, Hagrid's hut cannot be entered (plus Hagrid himself doesn't do anything), no Dumbledore's office, no broom stick flying (unless you count the ultra pointless Fred & George moment), no entry into the Divination classroom.

Actually the list could be endless, but one thing I found even more annoying than the above is that all you get is a trophy (that does nothing) each time you complete a side task which doesn't give you much incentive to complete the other tedious side tasks.

Overall I would say this is more suited to those wanting to explore the castle than wanting some serious roll play as actually playing the main game can be completed in an evening.

I've given this 3 stars.... 1 for the graphics, 1 for the castle and 1 for the recruiting of Dumbledore's army.

Enjoyable! Easy to get into.
The best thing about this game is just how easy it is to get into. It's really enjoyable. You can wander around the whole Hogwarts castle, casting spells, setting things on fire, solving puzzles and getting into some wizard fights with Slytherins. The main game follows the book, it's a breeze to get into casting the spells and the graphics are smooth and really high quality. The game is really playable and seriously addictive. There are lots of mini-quests so you could play it forever. If you've played any of the other Harry Potter games then this one is leaps ahead of the others. The extras have interviews with the cast that I thought were really funny (as a grown up Muggle!). Definitely worth it if you're into Harry Potter, a must for kids who are into the books.

They did nothing wrong
Ok, so the goblet of fire was... rubbish. Not the worst game in the world. But nowhere NEAR as good as chamber and azkaban. Then comes this. And it's even better! I can't think of a single bad point against it - Great graphics for every aspect (They even got the cast in for head scans) you'd think it was real life and for once, a game with voices - THAT ARE ACTUALLY THE REAL ACTORS! Unbelievable. :P The map of the castle is HUGE, and most of the rooms are identical. (They used the blueprints from the real castle and extra sets)
Loads of completely different missions and 3 mini-games - Gobstones, Wizards Chess, Exploding snap, oh and ... a fight with a passing slytherin whenever you want. Choose where you go, who you talk to, and what you do. A must buy for all potter fans and gaming fans alike!