Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

The entire game will take you about 10-15 hours, but you may grow tired of running around in circles, completing menial tasks.

Is Harry Potter a good game? No, not particularly. The story's vague and badly realized; the characters aren't especially likeable, and the tasks you're given are tedious and involve a lot of plodding about Hogwarts. But does it capture the feel of the franchise? Absolutely, and if you really get involved in the game you'll forgive it its flaws.

What carries the game through some of its weaker moments is its charm and spirited embodiment of the movie.

Order of the Phoenix is the first movie game of the year that would be considered solid for a game, period. For a movie tie-in, it's spectacular.

Harry Potter fans can be sure that they will not be getting suckered in by another poor movie game, as this is one of the few movie titles I actually enjoyed my time with in a long time.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix presents a nice and flexible engine that produces a beautiful sandbox-ish Hogwarts. However, the trite and mundane missions and general flaws turn a potentially entertaining game into average licence fodder. [Aug 2007]

When Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix comes to a close, it's really hard to hold a grudge or feel disappointment, as there is no denying the energy, dedication and money EA have put into creating the greatest Harry Potter game yet.

Out of all of the books, games, and movies, it allows you to get closer to the school than ever before – all at the expense of actually enjoying your stay. It’s boring and tedious, just like a real school is. However, it’s also a place where your Harry Potter knowledge can bloom. On this note, only hardcore Harry Potter nuts should enroll.

I can't see shelling out $59.99 for such a poorly designed game unless again, you just love all things Harry Potter. [July 2007, p.66]

So if you’re a Harry Potter fan you’ll like this game and understand why everything had to be the way the way it is, but unfortunately, the game can become tedious and boring because action is few and far between.

But on balance, when there are many excellent, enthralling adventure games for both children and adults lining shop shelves, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix doesn't quite meet muster.

Phoenix has an unfinished feel, as though the game’s designers stuck in a placeholder for game play, planning to flesh it out later, only to run out of time.

But then this freedom is also the game's biggest flaw. Whereas Goblet of Fire is divided into levels, in Order of the Phoenix, you have to complete a number of mini-goals and quests as the story progresses. Hermione and Ron are your companions for most of the game and can sometimes offer advice about what you need to do next.

Most will find the experience too juvenile. [Aug 2007, p.86]

The PS3 version also offers SIXAXIS support, but like many other games that support it, it doesn't add all that much to the overall experience.

It has promise, but poor missions scupper the magic. Potter fans may persist, mind. [Aug 2007, p.72]

The video game version of Order of the Phoenix captures none of the magic in the Harry Potter books or films.