Despite Harry Potter's success in books and movies, everyone's favorite wizard has stumbled in the video game arena, thanks to a series of boring, uninspired cash-ins, courtesy of Electronic Arts. With the upcoming game, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the publisher aims to provide a fulfilling, wondrous experience, one that'll (hopefully) do the series justice. While the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions sport gorgeous visuals, the Wii edition packs motion sensitive controls, which makes it stand apart from its cousins.
Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts proves to be his most challenging. His nemesis, the evil Lord Voldemort, has officially returned. On top of that, the wizard community doesn't believe him, and to keep an eye on the academy's headmaster, Dumbledore, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has appointed a new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. Taking matters into his own hands, Harry and friends (Ron and Hermione included) teaches a small band of students, nicknamed Dumbledore's Army, how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts. A battle ensues, during which (supposedly) a main character dies.
The game closely follows the film, though developer EA UK also includes locations and instances from the book. Furthermore, instead of following a linear mission structure, Order of the Phoenix includes open-ended play, allowing gamers to dismiss the story and explore Hogwarts at their leisure. Because EA has access to the film materials, it captured the essence of the academy, offering would be wizards the opportunity to walk through the hallowed halls.
For the Wii version, players cast spells by waving/flicking the Wii remote. In addition, they can levitate objects and put them in pre-determined spots to solve puzzles. However, it remains to be seen whether or not these items can be used as weapons.
Finally, gamers will play as numerous characters, including Harry, Sirius Black and Dumbledore. Unfortunately, EA has yet to reveal how they differ from another, though gamers can expect varying degrees of power and different spells, which makes playing as each a unique experience.
The rest of the game remains under wraps, a shame since the game debuts on June 25. Thus far, however, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix looks intriguing, and the option to cast spells using the Wii remote seems like a great idea. Expect detailed coverage in the near future.
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