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emwearz

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    [13/3/08] Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [Wii]

    in 1Emulation.com Reviews [/reviews]

    Posted · Edited by emwearz

    Im not going to even explain the history of Harry Potter, we all know where it came from and the media darling that it is today. As is the case with pretty much any worth while movie (and many not so worth while) a game is not far behind to cash in. Usually these games are just horrible, and EA has a long list of horrible movie tie-ins. So does the latest Harry Potter game installment follow this trend? Lets find out.

     

    System Tested On

    PAL Wii displaying at 480p over component cables on a EDTV (100hz Progressive CRT)

     

    Gameplay (7 out of 10)

    Now to be honest, I hate all the Harry Potter games, they are just boring and make you want to fall asleep with there cliche's left right and center and boring game engines.

     

    EA has finally done something right, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a worthwhile game, never thought I would say it about a Harry Potter game, but they have completely revamped the way the games engine is set out. The easiest way to describe it is like the. Grand Theft Auto : Hogwarts. You follow a similar style of mission progression as the GTA games, look on your map, find somebody, get a mission and off you go. I didn't think it would work, but they have mixed it up enough to feel original and not a GTA rip off. It is so free roaming its not funny, you are literally discovering new things every time you walk through a hallway (and believe me there are a lot of hallways).

     

    I wont go into the story line, as I'm sure most of you know it, but if you don't, pick up the book or watch the movie because you wont find out about it here. I will go into the what I will call 'Wii-Wand' the wiimote as the wand adds an awesome feeling to play, and works fairly well, there are a set of 6 (if I remember correctly) hand patterns (which are just pulling back, circle motion, etc) that do either 6 combat spells (if you in combat) or 6 non-combat spells (For exploring the castle, etc). I do have one problem and its always with the same spell (Forgot its name but its the Fire spell) it at times can take as long as 5 or 6 shots at the spell to cast (it involves waving the wand left and right with lamps, etc selected) and can get frustrating, but other than that, the wii-mote to wand is awesome.

     

    Sound (9.5 out of 10)

    The sound in this game is something that is just amazing, they have got many of the actors from the movies to do the voice acting, which is awesome as it makes it feel a lot more universal. The music has both tunes from the music and its own music which are really amazing and breathtaking to be created for a video game (Think Lord of The Rings / Harry Potter style tunes that are created for a game). Every character, no matter how small seems to have a voice of there own. The environmental sounds are great as well, walking past portraits hanging on the walls you can hear them having conversations. The same goes with students, before you know it you will be up to date with all the Hogwarts gossip. Really top notch sound here, no complaints from me at all.

     

    Graphics (7 out of 10)

    The only downfall in this game is of course its graphics, its character models are fairly basic and there are more jaggies than you could pock a stick at. Then why did I score it so high your asking? Because theres more to graphics than poly counts and AA levels. The lighting used in this game is great, when you walk through a hallway with light shining in through the windows, it just looks beautiful, the entire castle looks beautiful, I will go on with that now.

     

    The castle, first and foremost, is HUGE, its just massive. If your not following the footsteps of your map you will find yourself getting lost quite often. There are no, I repeat, no loading screens at all. When you walk though a door the hallway behind you fades away and you walk around the castle without single load, it really is great. The entire game looks like a piece of art, it is just beautiful to look at, despite it high amount of jaggies ,etc

     

    The games cut scenes use the next gen versions engine with pre-rendered scenes (If you have played Call Of Duty 3 you know what im talking about)

     

    There is one thing I disliked a bit, was the stiff animation in Harry's walk, its the character we are going to see walking in front of our camera for the entire game, he really should be animated nicely, but he just looks a bit stiff and when your on a long walk it can really annoy you.

     

    Replay Value (7 out of 10)

    When you finish the game you are greeted with 'The Never ending Day' in which you can walk around the castle and finish any of the side missions you didn't finish while playing the game through as well as unlocking Videos (Which have interviews with the cast and game crew of the game and movies) and trophy's in the room of rewards, so once its finished, there is still quite a bit to do. There are also a few mini-games through out the game such as its own version of marbles, snap, memory and a few others, though you wont play those for long other than to get another trophy in your rewards room. So theres no brick wall on gameplay one you have finished the main story.

     

    Overall (7.625 out of 10)

    Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was a curve ball I never expected to play, I purchased it for my 12 year old sister, after watching her play for awhile I tried it out and was surprised, it is a solid game and to get this form a movie tie in, one that has a horrible game past as Harry Potter, and its from EA. I found it amazing the game turned out the way it did. Im no massive fan, I have read the books and watch the movies when they come to dvd, thats about it. If you have been looking for a Harry Potter game but the past releases have turned you off (as they did to me), this is the title for you. Even if you just like a good adventure, I would recommend this game. If you can look past the shotty models and the problems with the spells every now and again it is a fairly amusing game. Surprisingly (Didn't think it would happen when I first heard of another Harry Potter game) this gets the thumbs up from me.

     

    harrypotterandtheorderofh3.th.jpgharrypotterandtheorderogt8.th.jpg

    [13/3/08] Mario Strikers Charged [Wii]

    in 1Emulation.com Reviews [/reviews]

    Posted · Edited by emwearz

    When Super Mario Strikers came out on the Gamecube in 05/06 it was hardly a 'must own' title with many people either not buying or not even knowing it was out. It was a plan arcade style soccer game with the normal Mario world twists such as using powerups ,etc. Wifi is something that every Wii user has been waiting for since they unrapped there little white box. This year Europe's first game to make use of the system Wifi capability's, falls somewhat short in both single and online play. Read on to find out why.

     

    - System Tested On

    Played on a PAL Wii with a PAL version of the game at 480p over component cables

     

    Gameplay (Score 6 of 10)

    Well I don't really know what to say about the gameplay, its a simple 4 a side soccer team with one of the Mario world stars as captain. There are powerups such as shells, hammers,etc. And every character has there own unique special attack and special defense move, but in reality thats where the games depth ends. Once you have played through your first match, you will feel like you are watching a video on repeat. With a wide range of levels I expected they would hold my interest for slightly longer however it was not the case, its pretty much a simple swap of the background and course and a change of the levels hazard and you have a new level. The game just lacks the depth of some form of leveling system, you end up playing the same levels multiple times over to win a new trophy for your cabinet, when it comes to rewards I find trophies to be somewhat lacklsuter. There are some new additions to the game which make it a big up from the GC original such as super shots and the new and improved control of the goalie where you control the goalies hand as balls fly towards you. As for the super shots once you have them mastered and figure out all you have to do is shoot a shell then a super shot form anywhere and your pretty much guaranteed a goal the game becomes somewhat boring. Well with such a average single player experience I was expecting the online to make up for it, it seems the Wii's first online title is a fairly big let down, even by Nintendo's standards of poor online interactivity. There are also single player challenges that place you in situations where you are a man down or 2 goals down and you must try to win the game, honestly I found this to be the most entertaining point in the entire game.

     

    Sound (Score 8 of 10)

    Good sounds that suit the game well, theres really not much to be said about it.

     

    Graphics (Score 6 of 10)

    Now some people might say I have been harsh only giving a 6 out of 10 for graphics. While they do what they are there for, its graphics we could have expected on the GC. Theres only so many times we can see Mario and his friends on new systems looking slightly 1 up'ed from there last gen counter parts. Graphically its nothing special, but does it job.

     

    Replay Value (Score 6 of 10)

    First the single player, with the amount of trophies and challenges you can do the game should keep you playing for awhile, that is of course if you can stomach playing it that long without being bored to tears. Now onto the online play, the thing many people bought the game for. Well in 1 word. Disappointment. Being on a Nintendo console no one expected voice chat or even talking via a on screen keyboard, but this game has no interaction at all. You can either play with your friends, or a random stranger (Who you can't talk to or play again or add as a friend), the only community feeling it has is where you score points and go on a scoreboard. The online in reality feels like you are just playing a harder version of the CPU, I really hope future Wifi titles are not this much of a let down.

     

    Overall (Score 6.5 of 10)

    While it is a step up from the Gamecube outing Mario and his friends still deliver one of the least entertaining ways to play soccer, with the single player portion of the game feeling like a broken record repeating itself and the online play feeling barely online I would suggest you not to waste your hard earnt dollars on this unless you either are a soccer fan or just want to play your Wii online. Perhaps after some price drops and you find it in your local targets bargain bin would I suggest this.

     

    250pxmariostrikerschargnv4.th.jpguapwopouiofo7.th.jpg

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