Harry Potter Games

Harry Potter Games Overview

There are five Harry Potter games as of November 2005. All are published by EA (Electronic Arts) and were released to correspond with the movie of the same name (with the exception of Quidditch World Cup). The storylines of each game follow the books closely.

The overall theme is of exploration and action. Gamers control Harry through the trials and puzzles he faced in the books and a few new secrets thrown in for surprise. Spell casting is of course a large part of the experience and each game has a different repertoire for our hero.

Summary

Note: The U.S. version of the game is called the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

• Released: 2001 for the PC, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color, 2003 for the GameCube, Xbox and PlayStation 2.
• Received poor reviews for its awkward play mechanics and lackluster gameplay. The game was aimed at a younger audience.

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Released: 2002 for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, PC, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color.
• Was the last game released for the Game Boy Color.

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Released: mid-2004 for the PC, Game Boy Advance, Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2 consoles.

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Released: November 2005 for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, PC, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS.
• Features life-like character models closely resembling the movie actors.

Of A Different Kind

Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup was released in October 2003 for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance and PC systems. In a radical departure from the style of the other four games, Quidditch World Cup focused on the fictional game of Quidditch, leaving spell casting and the traditional stories from the novels behind.

Players assumed the role of broom-riding witches and wizards to chase the Golden Snitch, beat Bludgers and toss Quaffles to win the game. All four houses of Hogwarts are featured in the game, allowing tense matches between Slytherin and Gryffindor to be carried out in with your friends.

And the Goblet of Fire

A November 8 release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is scheduled for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and Windows PC. One week later, the PSP version will hit stores.

The games are released in conjunction with the movie of the same name. Harry is mysteriously selected at a competitor in the dangerous Triwizard Tournament and must confront horrible foes and finally confront Voldemort himself. The games feature the heart-pounding tournament along with the Quidditch World Cup and more spells than you can shake a wand at. Harry, Ron and Hermione are all playable characters in the games and are modeled after their on-screen counterparts!

In The Future

With the enormous success of the books and movies, you can be sure a new game will be released alongside the upcoming films. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and the yet to be released Book 7 are still to come in video game form. The surprises found in the books will be matched by the charm of the games. Keep watching for more!