Xbox Dad:
Harry Potter Mania
Published February 29, 2008
Along with millions of kids and adults, this was a very "Potter-filled" summer for me. In preparation for the new movie, I watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at home then went out to the new movie, by myself since my kids are too young. A few days later, I picked up the new book and read it through within a couple of days. After all that, you might expect me to be done with the characters, but it was just the opposite. I picked up the Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix™ game for Xbox 360® as quickly as I could. And within moments, the spell of Harry Potter fell upon me again.
Xbox 360's Magic Wand
Speaking of spells, I've played a few games with magic in them before, so I was expecting the standard type of button assignment—X becomes Wingardium Leviosa, for example. But in this game, you move your right thumbstick like a wand to cast all of the spells you need. While a button-mapping system might have been more comfortable, casting a spell in the Harry Potter books was always something that took some finesse, a bit of practice, and the ability to stay focused and calm under pressure. Just pressing a button wouldn't give you the same feel as gently moving the thumbstick up and back to levitate an object. Thankfully, the first few sections of the game quickly teach you how to cast the various spells you'll need for both combat and non-combat situations.
And now I push the thumbstick just so.
The tutorial sections worked well, but didn't seem to integrate well with the story. In the first few examples at least, Sirius Black walks Harry through the steps and the correct wand movements of spells, some of which Harry has known how to cast for four or five years. Later, the Weasley twins do the same with combat spells, even though a key fact in this story is that Harry is already very familiar with these spells.
I'm not Harry Potter though, so I definitely needed the lessons, but perhaps it would have been better if the game had me play the part of Neville or some other student during the learning section. Still, learning your spells is a minor part of the game. Once you've arrived at Hogwarts, the real fun begins.
Welcome to Hogwarts
If you've read the books or watched the movies, you've probably been impressed by the sheer size and complexity of Hogwarts. There are rooms of all shapes and sizes, staircases that don't have the decency to stay in one place, ghosts roaming the halls, and paintings that can move and talk. One of the cool features of this game for me was that Hogwarts is an open environment, where you can roam freely. You get to go where you want, talk to any one of a huge number of students, and explore a variety of side missions throughout the school grounds.
Hogwarts is a big place. Take the time to explore.
Sometimes you are moving with a purpose, getting to class or completing some other mission, but there is a lot of free time to explore at your own pace. After a while, I started to feel like a "magical janitor" as I roamed the halls, using my wand to fix broken pottery, put pictures back into the right place on the wall, and even to light torches all over the place. You can also climb onto ledges high above the ground, and move furniture around to solve puzzles, and more. There's a lot of things to see and do in Hogwarts.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good"
The Marauder's Map will help you navigate that big maze of a school. Throughout the game you'll use the map to find both people and places, and even the most dedicated fan will find it a necessary tool. Along the way you'll get help from other people and things, including your friends, other students, paintings and even ghosts. One ghost in particular, Moaning Myrtle, has taken a bit of shine to Harry, and acts as a guide to many of the game's features and missions.
The battle is on.
Is this game suitable for my kids?
This game is rated T (Teen) which certainly makes sense considering the subject matter. Each successive book in the Harry Potter series has seemed to aim at an older audience. The level of danger for the characters has increased and the entire story has been getting darker all the way along. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix continues this trend, although the open-ended nature of much of the game means that the player doesn't spend every moment in conflict and danger (definitely a plus in my mind). My general rule is that if the movie was OK for your child, then the game should be fine.
That knocks this game out of the running for my six-year-old son, who has been reading the first Potter book with us, but who I definitely feel is too young to see the movie. At some point in the future (perhaps when he has read his way up to this book this game was based on) it will be a good game for him, but for now, it's a Daddy-only title.
This is certainly not the first Harry Potter game, but until recently I had ignored these games as too old for my kids and too young for me, so this is the first one I've had a chance to play. As it turns out, I'm not too old for it at all. In fact, I'm looking forward to playing it again as soon as I'm done writing this article!
Mischief Managed!
Article by Duncan Festive Turkey Mackenzie
