Harry Potter Video Games

[Schlubalybub]

My boyfriend bought DHP2 for the PS3 for me yesterday- it's OK so far, but I really have trouble with the PS Move- it takes me ages to get used to it every time I play. But it's not that bad a game, although I've only actually got to Hogsmeade in it, I only had a quick go on it last night. I get really confused with switching my spells around and keep casting Stupefy instead of Expelliarmus. It does help that the orb at the end of the Move changes colour for Expelliarmus, but I still get confused about it...

[dmeagher101]

Because we muggles are not graced with the gift of magical powers, we must try harder to find ways to engage our desires for supernatural action and adventure. Fortunately, video games of the past few years have helped bridge the adventuring disparity between us and our magical brethren.

Unfortunately for those of us muggles wishing to experience the adventures of Harry Potter interactively, the video games featuring his name have been quite subpar. However, games like Batman: Arkham Asylum show us that a licensed game developed separately from a movie and given sufficient development time, talent and resources can turn out pretty well. So here are some of my ideas for what form a Harry Potter video game could take.

*Note on the Story*
I have yet to decide whether the game should be set during the events of the books or have an new storyline. One of the reasons games adapted directly from books or movies don't work very well is because video game plots (in order for the game to be good) need to accommodate exploration and non-linearity and plenty of action sequences, and sometimes the plots of books of movies don’t have this and therefore need to be altered significantly. To paraphrase a developer, most movie or book plots don't involve people jumping around and collecting power-ups. If the game were to be adaptation of the books, then it surely would not do justice to the plots. So do you think the game should be adapted from the books, or have an original storyline?

Traditional Role-Playing Game à la Final Fantasy
Harry Potter, with its magical fantasy setting would perfectly suit this genre. The player could grow and develop their party of Harry, Ron and Hermione (plus a few other characters maybe). They can teach the characters spells and moves as they go along, and eventually make them uber powerful in the turn-based combat system! This type of genre is known for its good story telling, and therefore may be preferable to those looking for a good adaptation of the book.

Dungeon-conquering action-adventure à la Legend of Zelda
The first three Harry Potter games were sort of like this, but due to subpar developers and a rushed schedule, didn’t turn out to well. This is an opportunity to do it right. Imagine Harry running around the world collecting new spells and items to help him along the way. Dungeons could be both inside and outside of Hogwarts, in order to give us a wider view of the wizarding world (I’d also like this game to be an opportunity to expose more about the workings of the Harry Potter universe, perhaps through "lore" scans like in Metroid Prime). Along side the dungeons there could be a vast overworld for the player to explore and undertake side-quests.

Third Person action game à la Gears of War
The last two Harry Potter games used this idea, but again, they didn’t do it right. I thought this style was perfect for the frantic duels of Harry Potter, with the ability to run to cover, then pop out and shoot your enemies. A well staged campaign could show the tales of Harry’s first days as a Auror. Seal the deal with a multiplayer mode so we can pit our dueling skills against our friends. Those expeliarmus-fests we enjoyed on the playground as kids are no longer limited to our imaginations. Show your fellow muggles whose really the best duelist.

Moral Decision Game à la BioShock or Fable
Given the light vs. dark theme of the Harry Potter universe, you could easily create a game where you play as a young wizard, and then must make a series of moral decisions that determine your alignment with either good or evil. You could also use this as an opportunity to present some of the more ethically grey areas of the Potter universe, such as house elves.

[Trent]

The only thing I don't understand is why this series never got a proper MMORPG. I've wrapped my head around this countless times...there's just so much content and expansion that could be made. The fan base is there, I just don't know why any game developer hasn't seen the gold mine that's there (possibly Rowling's fault?).

[HPfan42]

ok I must confess that I did end up buying the deathly hallows 2 game for the WII and loved it. the tasks were easier and a lot of different settings. plus you unlock free play and can play the levels over. I loved that part of it. I still have yet to get the HP lego 5-7. I plan to soon.

[Basilisk37]

I would love a great Harry Auror game if its done correctly and actually makes sense with the existing canon. Although it might be slightly outdated, I still think the Chamber of Secrets is one of the best movie-based game of all time. The PS2 version, I mean.

[RikuStark]

I remember when I was really little I had the Harry Potter SS PC game. I had a lot of fun with it, but would always get stuck at one part. The only other HP games I've played are POA and Lego HP, Lego is pretty fun, and POA I haven't really gotten much into it.

[dmeagher101]

I liked how the first three games were modeled after The Legend of Zelda. It felt right. I can just imagine Harry running around in dungeons collecting items and spells. I was throughly disappointed when they abandoned that approach for the fourth game. I'm a firm believer that licensed games should be based on gameplay concepts from other games, because that way they can work on the story and atmosphere to get them just right.

[HPfan42]

just got the Harry Potter lego years 5-7 game for the Wii and it is fun. unfotunately my console gave out on me and I had to send it in to nintendo. i hope they fix it and don't lose my memory.

[Basilisk37]

The "Lego" games are really good, but very glitchy and they like to freeze A LOT! Also, 5-7 was lacking the "load old save" option that the second Star Wars game had that unlocked all the characters from the previous game. I hope they find a way to make a "Years 1-7." Oh, and did anyone notice how "DH Part2" is considered a "Year 8" in the trophies list?

[ArryGrotter]

Originally Posted by Basilisk37

I hope they find a way to make a "Years 1-7."

I doubt this will happen to be honest. In the interviews for 5-7, the game makers continually were saying how the struggled to fit the game onto the disc. Together, 1-4 and 5-7 are about 13GB. Star Wars: Complete Saga is only 4GB... (This is mainly because of graphics differences, but they all required a DVD). Until Blu-ray is more common for PC games, 1-7 is almost impossible to make.

(this is all PC data, I don't know what it would be like for consoles...)

[Potter_fan]

Originally Posted by HPfan42

just got the Harry Potter lego years 5-7 game for the Wii and it is fun. unfotunately my console gave out on me and I had to send it in to nintendo. i hope they fix it and don't lose my memory.

that's what I hated...I 1-4 using my (at the time) girlfriend's Wii system...she broke up with me and I got my own Wii but had to start all over

[Westyane]

First game: Haven't played.

Second game: I disliked all the adventures they just HAD to have outside the dormitory at night. I kept getting discovered Part of me loved it though. Very mixed feelings...

Third game: Sneaking around at night got a bit more action in it and a lot easier here since they had the marauder's map... Thumbs up for that. I liked this game and the structure a lot. It's that cozy kinda half-old game, you know, where the graphic doesn't suck so much it gets difficult to see what you're doing, the game doesn't have a million bugs and there's a bit of problem solving.

Fourth game: I remember liking this one, but mine doesn't work anymore... Therefor, I haven't played it in a long while and can't remember enough to comment much on it...

Fifth game: This one was very nice in general and I like the pranks they did to ruin for Umbridge. It was a bit frustrating to have to click away Myrtle everytime I upgraded though, especially in the beginning when it happened more often!

Sixth game: I can understand that HBP can be a bit more difficult than the other books to get properly done in movies and games, but I was very disappointed at how little the story got to be in it. It was all very cold and emotionless, also it was badly explained, pretty much like the movie. At least that is my opinion. But the thing with the clubs was a great add and the thing I wish the most is that they would've made more potions to do

DH1: I was extremely disappointed. DH might be hard to make a videogame for, but please gamemakers, for the love of god, use your creativity! They could had played a little outside the story, had something with them going to look for food or something, letting the effect of wearing the necklace be part of the gaming, etc. I didn't pay approximately 85 USD for a few hours of shooting deatheaters.

DH2: A tad bit better but still not really worth the money for me... If I wanted to shoot people for a while, I could've just played the japan-level of Tomb Raider Legend. Japanese badguys, deatheaters... whatever, they both wear black.

[slegary]

Heyy, I am thinking of buying one of the video games for PS3, and I am just wondering if you guys could tell me which one is best? I was thinking of getting half blood prince, yes? No?

Thanks