OrderOfThePhoenix
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Format War: Interactivity vs HD supplements
Next Tuesday, the biggest dual format HD release since 300 hits the streets; and once again, we just can't wait to compare red vs blu. For the most part, Warner has always offered the same content on both format, and if anything, Blu-ray fans have complained that Warner doesn't take advantage of Blu-ray's extra capacity. Well, with Order of the Phoenix, Warner has pulled out the stops and has pitted interactivity vs HD supplemental video, because while the HD DVD version includes Warner's IME and web content, the Blu-ray version includes HD supplements and a 44 minute high-def TV special called, The Hidden Secrets of Harry Potter -- that was left out of the HD DVD version completely. The other big difference enabled by Blu-ray's additional capacity is an extensive list of foreign language surround sound tracks and sub-titles -- at the same time the HD DVD is a combo disc without the $10 premium. So dual format owners will have to choose between interactivity and HD supplements -- or maybe they'll just choose to save $5 and go with the Blu-ray version. We don't know about anyone else, but we can't wait to see what Nielsen VideoScan results have to say about this.Read - HighDefDigest HD DVD reviewRead - HighDefDigest Blu-ray review
Harry Potter and the Order of the Dweebs
Not a day passes without some poor sap's waggling image being posted on Flickr or YouTube, their awkwardness immortalized for the world to see. Today's Penny Arcade comic is a cautionary tale for all the gamers out there who lose themselves in the Wii's heightened brand of immersion, flapping their hands and dressing in costume for that authentic experience. With Harry Potter mania being at an all time high -- several video games, a new movie, and the final book all within a few weeks' reach -- we're at our most vulnerable. Guarding ourselves against these embarrassing exposures should be priority one. Remember that the next time you start riding your mother's broom during a mock Quidditch match and notice a red light blinking in one of the room's air vents.
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
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 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.
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.
Order of the Phoenix going next-gen
In what can be called the most unsurprising announcement this week, Warner Bros Interactive and Electronic Arts has announced that it will be making a game adaptation of the film adaptation of the book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Electronic Arts has previously made every single Harry Potter game for every single console in existence.If that wasn't enough for you, the title will launch on or around the release of the film version of Order of the Phoenix, July 2007, just to make sure it can capitalize on the massive success of the film franchise without worrying about pithy things like game quality. With the exception of Chamber of Secrets, which managed a metacritic score of 77, all of the Harry Potter game adaptations have scored in the mid-to-high 60s.The Order of the Phoenix game will come out for three Nintendo systems (DS, GBA, and Wii), three PlayStations (PS 2, 3 and P), and two Microsoft formats (Xbox 360 and Windows PC). Both the GameCube and original Xbox are now officially forgotten.A new 20-second teaser for the film can be found -- for some reason or another -- at the website for Warner Bros.' Happy Feet. [Via 1UP]
