harrypotter
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DS releases for the week of July 9th
It's been a while since we've seen anything from the GBA, but it's back with a new game -- the latest Harry Potter installment, just in time for the movie. Other than that, it seems like a pretty light week (outside of Japan), though Europe is finally getting a piece of the Elite Beat Agents pie. DS AniMates Vegas Casino High 5! GBA Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Loads of new game trailers on XBLM
If you haven't powered on your Xbox 360 today, you're missing out on a boatload of new trailers. In all, we've got Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (girlish squeal!), Overlord (which we can't download for some reason), and a trailer for Conan. Conan, perhaps, deserves the most attention. Unfortunately, that's not because it's the best of the three (far from it, in fact). Not to be confused with the Age of Conan MMO from Funcom, Conan, quite frankly, just looks awful. The gameplay looks decent enough, but the graphics lack anything even resembling polish. Seriously, it's like they decided to release a trailer of an alpha build (which may be exactly what it is). The character models themselves look alright, but they seem completely separate from the environment, like they're really in front of a green screen. Joystiq seemed to be impressed by the game back in March, so we remain hopeful that the final product will be a solid experience.
Shipping this week: eat your heart out edition
Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, squirrels and hamsters, it's a big week for our beloved Xbox 360. Not only do we finally get to sample the heart-eating goodness of The Darkness (a game we're giving away, by the way), but we also have a plethora of other games arriving as well. In fact, there are so many games coming out this week, we're going to whip out (that's right) a bulleted list. Behold: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix The Bigs Hour of Victory The Darkness Overlord Transformers: The Game Ratatouille That's a lot of games. We're particularly excited about Overlord, which has been sitting patiently in our rental queue for some time. Are you planning on picking up any of these titles?
DS releases for the week of June 25th
We can only guess someone has designated this the official week of licensees. Two movie-based games are hitting shelves, along with remakes, remixes, and redux titles. What a weird week! But how can we complain when there are several new games on the shelves? Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth Remix Nervous Brickdown Ratatouille Touchmaster DS Vegas Casino High 5! Hit the jump to see what's out this week in the rest of the world.[Update: Now with the actual Japanese releases.]
Harry Potter Achievements magically appear
Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix Achievements have shown up in a puff of smoke. Despite that two of the secret Achievements haven't been uncovered yet, the other 39 look pretty straightforward, making this game appear to be an Achievement Whore's dream. A good portion are devoted to completing tasks throughout the game, though we're not certain if those directly related to the main campaign or if they're extracurricular. Do you plan on playing around in Hogwarts with this game upon release?
Worldwide PlayStation 3 releases for the week of June 25th
Another Sunday, another release list. Let's see what's out in the next seven days.US Games The Darkness Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix The Bigs Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent Transformers the Game EU Games Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas Asian Games Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas Quite a well populated list. There's no real way anyone can complain about this week's releases. Unless you're a European The Darkness fan. Don't forget, though. If there's a game that's only available in another region, then feel free to import it. Your PlayStation 3 won't care. Release dates are subject to constant change, so give your local game shop a ring before walking down there.Which of this week's releases will you be picking up? We've already got our copies of The Darkness ordered.
Harry Potter website unleashes a little magic
EA has just launched the official website for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix videogame. While we only grudgingly admit our penchant for Potter and pals, this latest game looks like it might contain real magic after all. Sandbox-style mission-based gameplay "inspired" by GTA lets you explore Hogwarts on your own schedule, reliving moments from the book along the way. The Wii version of the multiplatform game looks especially interesting with its motion-sensitive spellcasting. The website features a trailer, fact sheets, and a fistful of screenshots from several platforms. The Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix game is set for a June 25 release in the US.
Harry Potter and the Gallery of Screenshots
We were taken aback by these screens of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. They look fantastic. It could be using prerendered backgrounds to display these artistic views of Hogwarts, but whatever it is, it's working. Whenever Harry is walking around the (strangely empty) building, it's breathtaking, and one of the nicest-looking adventure games we've seen on any platform.And then we see the other screenshots. The combat-- for which you apparently rotate the DS Brain Age style, and the magical minigames. They might be fun, but they don't quite evoke ICO in the same way as the environments do. Oh, well, this is still amazing for an EA licensed game.
Harry Potter game comes with free movie ticket
For those who get most of their games from GameStop or EB Games, there's a deal going now where purchasers of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on the Wii or DS receive a free ticket to the movie. According to our calculations, the free ticket comes in at a value of 27.98% of the Wii game's cost. Of course, we don't think you should pick up the game solely for the free ticket, but we won't lie and say that the game doesn't look fun.So, were any of you planning on picking this up before the news? Has the news brought you down off the fence?[Via Digg]
Harry Potter and the Free Movie Tickets
Accio free tickets! GameStop and Electronics Boutique are both offering a free Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie pass with every online purchase of the film's Nintendo DS and Wii games. Due for release this June 25th, the action adventure title tracks the hocus-pocus hijinks of the lightning-scarred brit and his friends' fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Though we can't reveal whether or not Hermione dies in this one, we can summon up the console-universal trailer that Electronic Arts released not too long ago. Head past the post break to Platform 9¾ for the embedded video.
Mii Spotlight: Pop culture goes Mii
The best sort of Miis seem to be made from those people who already look like walking caricatures -- the kind of people who have such distinctive features that you could guess their identity from seeing only their left eye, perhaps, or their signature grin. So it follows, of course, that iconic characters also tend to make for good Mii material, though not always, as we here at the Fanboy learned ourselves to our great chagrin ....
Today's most multiplatformtastic game video: Harry Potter Wii
An extended Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix trailer for WIi is our video pick for the day. Watch Harry and friends swing their wands around, seemingly in coordination with the Wii Remote. Or so we hope. The game is set for release on eight platforms next month, and like other multiplatform titles, the Wii version is the biggest unknown.See the video after the break.
Take a walk with Harry Potter and his developers
In a brief glimpse into Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, we're shown a few of the spells at Harry's disposal, as well as how interactive the sandbox world is. Tables are levitated, chairs are tossed about and we imagine any JK Rowling fan is trying to roll their tongue back into their mouth right about now. This could very well be the most accurate representation of the films around, which might not be the most accurate representation of the books. Apples and oranges aside, the game looks like a blast.Head past the break for the embedded video.
Order of the Phoenix looking good
Three new videos of the forthcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix have gone up on IGN. The videos demonstrate a few of Harry's spells and give us a look round Hogwarts. We'll be casting the spells with a flick of the Wiimote, and maybe even incanting them through the mic.Like Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, the Harry Potter games have been a bit of a mixed bag in the past; Goblet of Fire, for instance, was very much a bogey. This one, however, is looking and sounding very promising. If EA can capture the feel of Hogwarts in the game and get that elusive sandbox gameplay working, then this could be a real treat.
Harry Potter fans get a wand in the Wiimote
Of course, we already knew that gesture-based gameplay was going to be incorporated into the latest Harry Potter game for the Wii, however we had no idea how it would work. Surely, one can easily imagine flicking the Wiimote right or left to perform any number of magical tasks from Harry's incredible repertoire of spells. EA has finally commented, however, to some degree on specific movements and how they'll perform in-game actions.The gesture-based gameplay, which naturally suits itself to spell-casting we believe, isn't only going to be limited to Harry and his wand, as it will be incorporated into other facets of the game as well. EA Executive producer Harvey Elliot reveals that one aspect of the game will have ask players to "slide the Sixaxis or Wii Remote from side to side as though you were lighting a match," choosing to leave us in the dark on the specifics of what this will actually do in-game.Elliot does, however, explain a bit as to the difference in controls between all systems it is set to grace. Elliot says "So if you want to use 'depulso' to push an object away from you, you press the right analogue stick forward on the 360 and PS2, you push the Sixaxis controller away from you on the PS3, and, of course, you flick your 'wand' away from you on the Wii."
New Harry Potter screens put the PS2 back in the PS3
With a new movie and a new book hitting this Summer, Harry Potter mania is in full swing. Taking advantage of that momentum, EA released 3 new screens to the muggle world today, including one from the game's climatic battle with "he who must not be named." While we were mildly excited by the trailer, our hope has been dashed by screens that look like they're from a mediocre PS2 release (at best). Of course, EA knows that they don't have to put their best foot forward here... anything with the Harry Potter label is going to sell well.[Via Gamers Hell]
Harry Potter 5 trailer will only break your heart
You can't keep doing this to us Harry! Don't just waltz into our lives with promises of magical adventure, only to fly out the window with our hearts in tow. It wouldn't be so bad if you made good on your promises, but your games somehow always manage to be magically repellent. Well, you can just fly right off, Boy Who Lived. We're not falling for it this time. In fact, check it out, we're going to start calling you "He Who Shall not Be Gamed." Ooh, burn. What? A trailer for Order of the Phoenix? ... Fine. But that's it. One watch and we're gone. For-ev-er.Oh my, look at those character models ... they look a lot like their on-screen counterparts, don't they? And hey, what's the deal with that massive wizard-on-wizard battle? That looks rad ... Gosh, it's a bit chilly in here -- oh, wear your scarf, you say? Y-yeah ... that works. What's this? You also have a high-res version? Okay. Well, we guess one more look wouldn't hurt.
Avada Kedavra! New Harry Potter screens
Harry Potter fans area dedicated bunch. They've already locked in their orders for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the 7th and last book in the series. The movies and games, unfortunately, lag far behind their literary brethren thanks to very long production schedules. As such, we're just now rolling around to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -- the 5th book -- on the big screen and in video game form. Still, if the early screens (courtesy of X360 Daily) are anything to go by, the game looks to be shaping up quite nicely. The character models are very detailed, and the spell effects look decent too. We also know that the game is getting a sandbox-style makeover, so fans should really get a kick out of exploring Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hit the "read" link to check out more screens.[Thanks, Pete]
Grand Theft Potter
No, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is not really going to feature murder and robbery. That's just a bit of fun sensationalism from your responsible journalist friends at Wii Fanboy.We're really invoking the GTA name because EA UK's new game is going to feature the sandbox-style gameplay made famous by Rockstar's series. Mission triggers will be hidden all over, and you are free to explore and take on side missions. This means that you'll potentially have more choice to explore Hogwarts and the surrounding areas than Harry Potter ever did, as he seems to get railroaded from situation to situation without any choice at all. Uh, not that we ever read ... or saw ... any Harry Potter stuff. Oh, never mind-- we're all about children's books. That's right.Also, one of the most obvious Wiimote uses ever has been implemented: Wiimote as wand. Wiimote gestures will allow you to cast spells and manipulate levitated objects. No word on any microphone stuff, though.
Rumor: Wii mic to increase wizardly immersion
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Rumor_Wii_mic_to_increase_wizardly_immersion_get_more_into_the_game'; It's all a bit hushed and secretive, but reports out of GDC say that the new Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix game will use the upcoming Wii microphone attachment in some fashion-- the most obvious use we've heard is incanting spells. People are under non-disclosure agreements about some aspect of this game, but not the microphone. People are getting really excited about the Wii mic, it seems. Excited enough to forget that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban covered the mic thing back on the PS2. This one will just be better anyway.We're just glad the Wii mic is getting use outside of licensed Disney karaoke games. It's covering the whole range of licensed games![Via digg]
