Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (360)

It surprises you to think that the Harry Potter movies are already up to the fifth book, it seems like only yesterday everyone was getting hyped up about the Philosophers Stone. So as Order of the Phoenix rolls its way into movie theatres it's once again time for EA to throw another movie tie-in at us. We've already had more this summer than we've wanted and we're not exactly thrilled at the prospect of getting another. So we approached this latest Harry Potter game with zero expectation, but even then it managed to disappoint.

The problem with Order of the Phoenix is that you don't feel like you're taking the part in this grand adventure. A lot of the game are boring missions given to you by your other classmates at Hogwarts. These are simple go here and collect this or find something for me type quests that get boring after the first five minutes. These missions aren't just side quests either, they're integral to continuing the story as later in the game you need to gather together the members of Dumbledore's Army.

Fans of Harry Potter will no doubt get a massive kick out of walking around Hogwarts. The school is certainly impressive with many places that feature in the movie as well as the same cast of characters. The problem is that graphically it's not exactly next gen. It's as if it was toned down to make the PS2 and Wii versions look good in comparison because there is nothing here that will make your jaw drop. Good news is that the downgraded graphics mean that loading is kept to a minimum and is only really apparent while waiting on a cut scene, the movement around Hogwarts is seamless.

In order to increase longevity not only have they added some extra side missions, but also put in a few mini games and other secrets. The mini-games are a mild diversion that don't really add to the gameplay, but the secrets are a major part of the game. Throughout Hogwarts you'll discover broken items that can be fixed with magic, talking statues as well as hidden items to discover. Finding these secrets will reward you with snitches that add to your total. Collect enough and you'll unlock secret videos which can be viewed in the rewards room, mostly these contain interviews with the cast and creators.

The addition of all these extra quests doesn't make the game any better to play. There are a number of niggling faults that don't seem very major until you actually play it. The most dominant of these is the way you can track other people around Hogwarts. Instead of having a simple arrow or line across the floor you have little footsteps that appear. These footsteps are incredibly small, so it's impossible to see them in the dark and worst of all they sometimes have trouble keeping up with you, so you have to wait before they catch up. It almost made us tear our hair out in frustration trying to follow them. Then you get the brainless NPC's that wander the halls aimlessly and constantly getting in your way. Hermione and Ron who follow you throughout the game will also manage to somehow obstruct you, which is irritating.

On the positive side of things EA have tried to recreate the feel of the film as much as possible. So the majority of the characters have the same voice as in the film (although this doesn't stop the dialogue sounding incredibly wooden, much like the films then) and the characters do look like the real life actors. The magic in the game is also impressive. Using the second stick you wave your wand around to produce magic. Each one has a different way of moving the sticks. For example to fix broken objects you need to move the stick in a complete circle, and to push objects away you need to push the stick up twice. Unfortunately it isn't as fun during the battles which are incredibly slow paced, but does manage to make the puzzles slightly more interesting.

It's hard to actually recommend Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to even Harry Potter fans, because despite it recreating the world of Hogwarts perfectly for consoles it still lacks that magical touch. Tedious puzzles and boring 'go here and collect this' missions destroy what could have been the most interesting Harry Potter title to date. So, it's another average movie tie-in then. What a surprise.

Rating: 4 / 10

Words by Adam Gulliver