Harry’s first outing on the Xbox, Harry Potter™ and the Chamber of Secrets, was actually based on the second book in the series. When EA released that game in 2002, it made sure to include enough back story from the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, to keep newcomers from being confused … and hardcore fans from being disappointed.
Now, EA presents the new Xbox game Harry Potter™ and the Sorcerer’s Stone, an action-adventure tale that covers all the events of Harry’s first year at Hogwarts-plus a whole lot more. Taking its cues from the movie version, this title not only catches gamers up on how Harry got started, but it also gives them a fresh and detailed look at Harry’s early life as a wannabe wizard.
The game begins with one of the earliest scenes in the first book, when Hagrid the groundskeeper rides up on his motorcycle to deliver a certain infant bearing a certain lighting-bolt scar. Harry’s parents have been killed by the evil Lord Voldemort, and Harry is sent to live with his Muggle (non-wizard) relatives, the wretched Dursley family. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Cousin Dudley want nothing to do with magic, and they not only conceal Harry’s wizard roots, but also force him to live in a closet and generally treat him with abominable cruelty.
All this changes when Harry turns eleven and becomes eligible for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The game wisely skips over most of Harry’s unhappy time with the Dursleys in order to get to the good stuff as quickly as possible. Moments after booting up the game, you’re off to Diagon Alley to shop for school supplies and wizarding equipment.
The game closely follows Harry’s orientation and his first few weeks at Hogwarts. While there is a linear progression to Harry’s experience, players are free to explore as much of the academy grounds as they care to between scripted missions. There are plenty of students rushing around, on their way to class, the library, or the dining hall. Some, like the thoroughly unpleasant and potentially evil Draco Malfoy, lurk in dark corridors, looking to make Harry’s life miserable. Others, like best pals Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, will help Harry by steering him toward the right classrooms and offering up missions to be accomplished. There are classes to attend (each providing new challenges and missions), puzzles to be solved, and mysteries to be unraveled. Nearly all of the characters from the movie version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone made the leap into EA’s latest game. You’ll be menaced by Peeves the poltergeist, sneered at by Professor Snape, and offered wise counsel from the school’s headmaster Professor Dumbledore.
As the story develops, Harry learns that there is a dark plot afoot to obtain the Sorcerer’s Stone, a powerful magical artifact with wondrous restorative powers. While it seems that Professor Snape is out to get the artifact, it soon becomes clear that Lord Voldemort is ultimately behind the effort. Harry and his friends decide to get the Stone first, but to do so, you’ll have to:
Devise a way past Fluffy (the huge, three-headed dog that guards it),
Avoid being discovered and punished by Snape,
Keep up with the your schoolwork, and
Master the fine art of the wizard sport Quidditch.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone contains plenty of J.K. Rowling’s original plot, but it’s also got a wealth of side quests and supplemental details that the author only touched upon. Whether collecting every flavor of Bertie Bott’s beans or finding all of the collectible wizard trading cards, you can explore the hidden corners of Hogwarts while experiencing the plot of the novel, creating a new version of the story for yourself.
