Order of the Phoenix The Video Games Review
OK first off I need to mention that I am 36-years old and a guy. I have read all the books and I hated the last one for so many reasons I don’t even want to get into it. Now I hear that it is going to be split into two movies, yeah JK milk it for all it’s worth you ghost written hack. What I mean by that is I refuse to accept that she wrote that last book, it was just wasn’t her style plus it was too well written for her and yes the ending sucked the feathers off a chicken thank you very much.
That being said I have both games for the Nintendo DS and the Wii. Now the reviewers did not give either game a very high score and that to me is not fair. I will agree that there are parts that get so tedious I want to scream but really what game doesn’t after a while? Even my most beloved game Guild Wars gets that way (review to come soon.) OK so back to the games, first I want to mention that the characters in the Wii version are a bit off, yet on the DS they are very life like but they are stills not moving breathing pixels like on the Wii; I guess the 3D world didn’t work out so good but then again it rarely does with real people but the voice acting is of the real actors so that is a nice trade off; no crappy seconds except Serius but who expected Gary Oldman to voice a game anyway? I need to mention that I have not finished either game yet so this is a review in progress and I got both games for twenty or less dollars.
The Wii Version:
The first thing that I have to mention is the music, it is exactly like it is in the movie and it sounds like if it is not actually John Williams. The second thing is I liked this book a lot as I did the sixth book and the movie was great in my opinion. Now the game is a set of tasks more or less, fist of course is how to cast spells. I have to use the Wiimote and the nunchuck in certain movements to cast some spells. I will say that for a year five game it was a bit silly to have Serius Black Harry’s blooming uncle teach him the first year spells but it was a new way to do things on the Wii after all so that is forgiven. So after some noobish spells the story moves to Hogwarts and that is where all the fun starts, well it did at least for me. The game lets you crawl all over Hogwarts and see it all for yourself, to me that is just flat out awesome and it’s about time no less. There are some games to play like Wizards Chess, and some game similar to marbles where the Wiimote is just to push the ball in the circle. I am rather fond of mini-games myself; they always seem to be a healthy diversion from the game.
OK here is annoyance point number one: Hermonie is actually more annoying in the game then in the movies, meaning she never shuts the #@%& up. She is constantly pestering me about gargoyles or some other task at hand, plus when you need to help another student they never shut up either so I found it best to just mute the game and call it a task finished. I do not think that this spoils or detracts from the game whatsoever but it is rather annoying at times. As for the tasks I have to do everything for everyone, which is more or less expected at this point in my gaming career of over thirty-years. This version was also the first Harry Potter game I have ever played so I have no real reference point as to the past games nor will I ever being I lack interest in them over all.
Now how the castle is navigated is rather ingenious if you want to know the truth. I simply open the murders map and click the person or place I want to go and footsteps appear on the floor when I close it to follow and thankfully I can run everywhere and not walk. I like the environments, the gardens, trees, the moving paintings and stairs all of it. I really feel like I am in Hogwarts and not just some game; the whole game just breathes and moves like a real castle should. The graphics are lush and full of eye candy and for the Wii it looks great. Although running from one end of the grounds to another just to help some other student out so they will join the DA gets a bit old at times. I think the worst was Luna’s task of rolling an egg uphill, and yes it is true Hermonie and Ron are as worthless a lump on a log most of the time; or they just stand there like they are drugged or something. This can get frustrating at times being they are all over me like white on rice the whole game, but I am playing as Harry not them so this is to be expected. Like I said some of the tasks are just flat out annoying but in the end I feel this game should have gotten a 7.5 or better and that is my final score.
The DS Version:
First off there are no voices outside the giggles of the paintings in the staircases that move, yes they do move in the DS version as well. This means there are a lot of lines to read in the stills of the story, no movies or as the industry calls them cut scenes. This game is also more kid friendly being Umbridge’s cruelty is absent and Quiddich is still on although I have not played it yet. I think that the music could have been a whole lot better looking at some other games like Mario64 DS and Animal Crossing : Wild World (or as I call it digital crack cocaine.) That said the game really uses the touch screen well for what it is trying to do. Casting spells is as simple as making a shape and then hitting moving dots on the screen or in the case of a duel tracing the red dots or making a shape. I really like this aspect of the game.
I have one huge complaint though: I am not allowed to save when I want to, it does it for me when I finish a task and sometimes that isn’t always clear, but I am starting to get the hint that whenever I am put back in the Griffendor Common Room I finished a task and it saved. There is no lag in the game whatsoever and although it is like reading a book at times the stills are nice, crisp and represent the characters better then the Wii does. I actually like these stills to be honest but that is me I guess. My only other gripe is that I have rather large hands and I have to use the D pad to move Harry around and at times it is not so easy for me to accomplish; but well I guess that is the price of playing a DS. I just think it would have been way easier to use the stylus like a lot of games are bad EA bad. As for the graphics, they are nice for the DS; I can clearly see the details and the little things so I am never looking at the screen wondering what I am looking at, a real nice touch I think.
So here is the coolest part at least for me, I yet again get to run all over Hogwarts and it all fits in my pocket, I mean how cool is that? As for the navigation of the castle again very cleaver of EA I just get a hand that points to my next to finish a task, follow the hand and I am there. So here comes the zinger in my opinion: I had to take a history of Hogwarts test and I have no idea how I even passed being some of the questions were from all the books. I was kinda taken back by that but again it was very fun at the same time. There are about seven classes and I think seven levels per class but I lost count and I can do them from the common room if I choose to. Trasfiguration is the funniest; I have to more or less color a shape like the stylus is a crayon, a real hoot.
Overall I like the game, and if you like the books get it or the Wii version for that matter. I would assume that the PS2 looks worse, and the Xbox360 looks better and the PS3 the best but the Wiimote really makes the game fun on the Wii and the stylus on the DS. I will give the DS version a 7.0 for its flawed save system, so-so music and that annoying use of the D-pad to move Mr. Potter around.
