Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

 PlayStation 2
  • Publisher: EA Games
  • Release Date: Nov 15, 2002
  • Also On: PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 92 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 57 out of 92
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 92
  3. Negative: 11 out of 92
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. ReggieW.
    May 31, 2003
    10
    I loved this game. I gave it a 10, because the graphics, are great, the gameplay is great, the music is great, and the voices were great. Bad Things: Loading Time Short Easy Good Things: Fun It's more real(Day and Night) Quidditch Controls are Easy Overall, the game was much better than the first, but much easier than the first. I want to tell EA Games: Make the next Harry Potter I loved this game. I gave it a 10, because the graphics, are great, the gameplay is great, the music is great, and the voices were great. Bad Things: Loading Time Short Easy Good Things: Fun It's more real(Day and Night) Quidditch Controls are Easy Overall, the game was much better than the first, but much easier than the first. I want to tell EA Games: Make the next Harry Potter Game more harder than the first and the second combined.… Expand
  2. JonathanF.
    May 3, 2003
    9
    My best game for my PS2 (apart from Ratchet and Clank) because it has cool graphics, great gameplay but is a bit too short, easy and loading screens are horribly long.
  3. AndrewJ.
    Jun 30, 2003
    8
    I enjoyed this game enormously. The loading times are a pain, but you really feel like you're part of the movie, when you're at Hogwarts.
  4. ChrisM.
    May 10, 2003
    9
    Possibly the best book adapted game I've ever played! It really gives that feeling as if you're really at a school, and the new stealth sections are really fun, and I love being able to cast spells ON people! Only problem is the loading screens.
  5. LaurenB.
    Feb 24, 2003
    8
    I like it but the lessons are quite difficult. Especially Charms.
  6. JordanK.
    May 13, 2003
    10
    It is fantastic.
  7. Sarah
    Apr 16, 2003
    10
    its an excellent game and if it werent for the loading it would be perfect. i love it! it took me a little while to beat because of all the lessons to do. its challenging but not too challenging, and fun enough to play again.
  8. MartinL.
    Dec 17, 2003
    8
    This game is super fun. The loading can tick you of, especially for simple things, but it is very interesting and catchy.
  9. cbeers2513
    Dec 1, 2013
    9
    The Harry Potter movies have not gotten the treatment they deserve the world of video games. Both Deathly Hallow games were overwhelming failures, and the rest of the series seems to be characterized by subpar gameplay and an overall mediocre experience. That is, except for one. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the best Harry Potter game ever made, as well as possibly one of theThe Harry Potter movies have not gotten the treatment they deserve the world of video games. Both Deathly Hallow games were overwhelming failures, and the rest of the series seems to be characterized by subpar gameplay and an overall mediocre experience. That is, except for one. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the best Harry Potter game ever made, as well as possibly one of the greatest movie licensed games ever produced. But how could a video game series that seemed to have no ambition or critical success produce this PS2 masterpiece?
    For starters, the game plays like Zelda. You target object to and enemies with a button and then pick one of three spells to cast, with a grand total of around ten that can be swapped interchangeably. Using a Zelda formula is a fantastic idea and pays off when Harry is exploring Hogwarts and conquering dungeons that lie within certain classes. Unlike other games in the series, Chamber of Secrets has great gameplay and a fluid control system. In addition, the castle is, for an early 2000s game, enormous. This is the definitive video game Hogwarts, featuring all seven floors with secret passages, flying books, and an endless amount of secrets. The magical world feels alive just like the movie and there's always something to do when you're exploring the castle for quest items or lost belongings of your fellow Gryffindors. Even the dungeons are incorporated nicely, putting a Harry Potter spin on a typical Zelda level, lending itself to some engaging spell fighting (even though it is kind of horrific to think that a school forces children to go through a deadly catacombs full of evil creatures, gigantic spiked balls, and pits of fire just to complete a 2nd grade class). I also loved how detailed the game was, from complete texts to read in the library to 101 wizard cards to collect and trade, allowing for a lot of replayabilty once the main storyline is finally completed. Couple this all with some colorful graphics, a beautiful soundtrack, and an amazing sense of magical realism, and you have yourself a stellar experience.
    However, there are some flaws spread throughout the game but don't hinder the experience too much. For instance, jumping feels extremely awkward when in the middle of a dungeon. Like Zelda, when you reach the edge of a platform you automatically leap in that direction. However, this becomes frustrating when you're trying to get your bearings in a tight room and you end up falling from a ledge to either a health-depleting drop or back to the start of the level, forcing you to start all over again. In addition, there are so many loading screens in this game that it almost takes you out of the amazing Hogwarts atmosphere. I promise you that you will be met with a loading screen after you open a maximum of two doors in succession. I know it's a limitation of early PS2 technology, but it ruins the feeling of being a wizard in J.K. Rowling's universe.
    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a fantastic game that should serve as a benchmark for all movie-licensed games to come. The atmosphere is incredible, the gameplay is fun and relevant to the magical world, and every aspect of the game is almost perfect. Despite a few minor complaints, this game will forever be one of my PS2 classics, and is a must buy for anyone looking to relive that sense of nostalgia that only a good Harry Potter game can provide.

    9.2/10

    Follow me on twitter. @cbeers2513    … Expand
  10. awsomeaniacs
    May 25, 2014
    10
    Not just a great licensed game, but a great game on its own. Each part of the game is fun to play and even replay. Going in the different classes to get new spells never gets boring and neither does exploring the open world. 9.5/10 Probably my favourite movie licensed game I've ever played.
  11. michag
    Mar 16, 2014
    10
    It's a great game, I love it. Governs climate, humor and of course magic. We can cast spells, potions and fight weigh the known from books and movies characters. Glad that the game is designed not only for children. You have to play it in the end is a real miracle - dominate the great visuals, gameplay, music and .. everything! I recommend!
  12. Mav455
    Jan 5, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Magical. You get to roam around hogwarts and explore, find hidden objects and unlock new spells, there`s so much to do and you get to play as Ron, Harry and Hermione, and use their abilities to complete tasks… Expand
  13. MasonDavidson
    Oct 21, 2017
    9
    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a game that tends to be left by the wayside in discussions about great movie licensed games. This is fairly unfortunate given the fact that it's actually quite excellent and despite being a tie-in to a film it manages to feel like its own entity, borrowing content from both the film and the book the film is based on. The cartoonish graphics andHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a game that tends to be left by the wayside in discussions about great movie licensed games. This is fairly unfortunate given the fact that it's actually quite excellent and despite being a tie-in to a film it manages to feel like its own entity, borrowing content from both the film and the book the film is based on. The cartoonish graphics and playful atmosphere really makes this title feel distinct from its source material. Gameplay-wise you're given a lot to do and a lot of variety. Hogwarts is more or less fully explorable, there are secrets to be found, side missions to complete and items to collect and the school's grounds feel open and expansive and even years later it's fun just to explore and play around in it. The story missions tend to be more action based, the game's combat and spell systems are perfectly serviceable but in most parts of the game outside the story they take an appropriate backseat to exploration. Story missions also often include a surprising amount of stealth-centered gameplay and although it's no Metal Gear Solid, it's fun and rewarding and adds a degree of challenge and variety to the game. There are some light puzzles as well, though they aren't particularity challenging they effectively shake things up from time to time. Quidditch matches happen occasionally throughout the game as well and they offer a fun departure from the regular gameplay and flying with your broomstick around the grounds is a really fun feature that makes exploration more engaging and rewarding.

    Ultimately this is a really great gem in the PS2's library and fans of Harry Potter as well as fans of more open-ended gameplay with a fun fantasy theme will find a lot of enjoyment here, there's also a great amount of secrets and items for completionists to sink their teeth into. I still maintain that this is the very best Harry Potter video game and still feels fresh and fun 15 years after its initial release.    … Expand
  14. Sylictic
    Jul 8, 2023
    8
    The secret is: it was voldemort all along! A surprisingly strong follow up to the playstation 1 game, expanding hogwarts and the spells you can learn whilst having far superior character models and graphics thanks to the new ps2 hardware. You can actually lose the house cup in this game and quidditch feels like it's own thing in this game as apposed to flying through hoops.
    Harry potter    The secret is: it was voldemort all along! A surprisingly strong follow up to the playstation 1 game, expanding hogwarts and the spells you can learn whilst having far superior character models and graphics thanks to the new ps2 hardware. You can actually lose the house cup in this game and quidditch feels like it's own thing in this game as apposed to flying through hoops.
    Harry potter snd the chamber of secrets for thenplaystation 2 also has the return of everyone's favourite spell, flippendo.    … Expand
  15. kolarz3
    May 19, 2023
    8
    Better then a PC game. The graphic at that time was pretty nice. Finished game on the PS2 emulator on android
  16. NoahsNexus
    Apr 6, 2023
    8
    "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is an enchanting adventure game that takes you through the iconic Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The game follows the storyline of the second book in the series, where Harry Potter and his friends face the mysterious and dangerous Chamber of Secrets.

    The game's graphics and sound design are impressive, immersing you in the magical    "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is an enchanting adventure game that takes you through the iconic Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The game follows the storyline of the second book in the series, where Harry Potter and his friends face the mysterious and dangerous Chamber of Secrets.

    The game's graphics and sound design are impressive, immersing you in the magical world of Hogwarts. The characters' voices are spot on, and the game's music perfectly captures the whimsical and adventurous tone of the story.

    The gameplay is a mix of puzzle-solving, exploration, and combat, and it is well-executed. The puzzles are challenging but not overly difficult, and they keep the game interesting and engaging. The combat mechanics are simple, but they get the job done.

    One of the game's biggest strengths is the attention to detail put into the environment. Every nook and cranny of Hogwarts is beautifully crafted and bursting with secrets to discover. The game also features a robust collectibles system, which adds to the replay value.

    However, the game does have some flaws. The camera angles can be frustrating at times, and the loading times are a bit long. Also, some of the side missions feel repetitive and add little to the overall story.

    Overall, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is a fantastic adventure game that is sure to delight fans of the series. Despite its flaws, it offers a charming and immersive journey through Hogwarts that will keep you captivated from start to finish.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2002
47
#47 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2002

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. G4 TV
    80
    For Potter fans of all ages, Chamber of Secrets is a must-have.
    Read full review
  2. GamingWorld X
    69
    There is a glaring misbalance in the game progression, and additionally, the load times are almost grotesquely long, a fact that can lead to some unnecessary frustration.
    Read full review
  3. PSM Magazine
    60
    Another strange weakness is the storytelling, which glosses over key events and explains itself so poorly that if you don't know the story already, you might not figure it out. [Jan 2003, p.36]
See all critic reviews »