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Harry Potter games

The beginning of that video just reminded me how much I hated sneaking past Filch in the library. I also used to get really nervous when sneaking around the sleeping troll (in the dungeons, I think?).

Gringotts was an absolute nightmare to play through.

Oh god yes! With the damned Peacock feathers? It was very difficult for a licensed kid's game tbf.

Another thing I liked about those early titles was they could have been about either the films or the books, so the world felt a lot more organic and new. Once they started using Dan Radcliffe's likeness it went a bit sour for me.
 

Not Spaceghost

Spaceghost
This video and it's sequel are one of my favorite things Harry Potter games have given me.

I remember renting chamber of secrets on the PS2 after watching the movie and the free flight on the broom was just awesome. Exploring all of hogwarts from the outside and just being able to fly around was the coolest thing for me as a kid.
 

Stat!

Member
Man, all I wanted was an amazing Harry Potter Universe MMO or RPG

Same here. Im a massive Harry Potter fan. Lego games are okay but not great. I want something truly amazing.

something that has all the locations, maybe a new story, but tons of things to do.
 

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
If you play the PC version with cheats, it becomes super hilarious, especially with the fast forward trick. Shit like Quirrel not stopping his headspin.
 
Oh god yes! With the damned Peacock feathers? It was very difficult for a licensed kid's game tbf.

Another thing I liked about those early titles was they could have been about either the films or the books, so the world felt a lot more organic and new. Once they started using Dan Radcliffe's likeness it went a bit sour for me.
And those super slippery floors!

I remember the first two games using the opening lines from the books, which made it feel much more a book adaptation. I think a few tasks in the games are also taken straight from the books, if I'm not mistaken.
 
Played the first 3 on pc but I stopped playing them after 3 for some reason, I heard that the ones after 3 weren't as good so I don't think I missed much.
I also loved the flying fuck out of that Quidditch game, that game was so much fun.
 
And those super slippery floors!

I remember the first two games using the opening lines from the books, which made it feel much more a book adaptation. I think a few tasks in the games are also taken straight from the books, if I'm not mistaken.

Super slippery floors? Hm my memory's fading me there! Might have to replay soon, you could beat it in a day.

"There was nothing about the starry sky that night to suggest that strange and mysterious things were about to occur"

Embedded in my memory forever!

Ha ha!!

I worked on Sorceror's Stone & Chamber of Secrets for PS1.

That's so cool! Thank you for contributing to one of the favorite games of my childhood. Did you write the "Snape gives me the willies" line?
 

Anoregon

The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
Due to the nature of the tech I suppose, Hogwarts was very quiet and isolated. It works to it's advantage though. I can't find a screen, but the parts where the hooded Quirrel/Voldemort just randomly showed up on a high up, out of reach balcony were nightmare fuel.

Also.... dem character models

tumblr_inline_n3bpou2TLc1r95s0o.jpg

tumblr_m5lm3rfXr01rvj7cto1_1280.png
 

Chris1

Member
Philosophers stone was amazing. Right up until my game bugged after the 3 headed dog and I never finished it because of that.
 

MidEvlDed

Member
I actually played a few of these games. My 2 favorites are probably Chamber of Secrets because the game is kind of like zelda-lite where you go into dungeons and you can map whatever spells you want to 3 face buttons.

And my favorite overall is Order of the Phoenix which is more exploration than actual game. They built an exact 3d replica of Hogwarts based on the author's drawings. You can run around the entire school and outside areas and you mostly collect items and stuff. It was a relaxing game and cool to be able to access all the areas of the school, particularly outside like the bridges and stuff.
 
Ha ha!!

I worked on Sorceror's Stone & Chamber of Secrets for PS1.
Awesome! Those were a big part of my childhood! :)
Super slippery floors? Hm my memory's fading me there! Might have to replay soon, you could beat it in a day.

"There was nothing about the starry sky that night to suggest that strange and mysterious things were about to occur"

Embedded in my memory forever!
Yep! You have to go around collecting forms, I think.
 

hie

Member
I loved that it had voice samples for the spells, I still remember the "Flipendo", "Alohomora", "Aviforce" and "Wingardium Leviosa". It was pretty good IIRC.

Thanks! I was actually responsible for most of the SFX in the GBC and the first 2 GBA games. Wasn't easy to get speech intelligible through such low sample rates and memory restraints, but it was a fun challenge! I've talked a bit about the sound in some previous threads here over the years. Cool to see people still enjoy these games!
 

Sami+

Member
Chamber of Secrets PS2 was my fucking jam. LOVED it as a kid, I swear I must have beaten it at least six times hahaha. I loved flying around Hogwarts on the Nimbus 2000 and crashing into people from hundreds of feet above ground lol.

The others I liked less. First was okay, I think I played on PS1 and PC. I don't remember if they were the same game or not. I remember drawing little symbols to unlock spells which was awkward and also collecting a ton of beans.

Azkaban was disappointing. I didn't beat it, u really wasn't feeling that game's vibe.

Goblet of Fire sucked. As an unrealistically optimistic kid I pushed through thinking free roam was an unlockable or something and never touched it again when I saw that wasn't the case.

Order of the Phoenix was cool - I loved the recreation of Hogwarts they did and I thought the battle system was really fun and definitely the best one yet. It's really a shame most of that game basically amounted to doing chores for people. I was also sad when I found out you couldn't fly.
 

Ninja Dom

Member
That's so cool! Thank you for contributing to one of the favorite games of my childhood. Did you write the "Snape gives me the willies" line?

I was in QA and spent around 12 months testing both games. I saw the games from empty roomed bug-filled messes to complete playable retail games.

We used the 'Croc' engine so the team had a little experience with 3D platformers. Remember the 'obligatory' mine-cart chase/race level that games used to have back then? It was a really good seller for us at the time. We made that "Harry Potter" money that was spent on a whole bunch of other unsuccessful games after that.

Interestingly, the Producer of the first two Harry Potter PS1 games is now at (and helped create) Rocksteady Games making the Batman Arkham games.
 
I was in QA and spent around 12 months testing both games. I saw the games from empty roomed bug-filled messes to complete playable retail games.

We used the 'Croc' engine so the team had a little experience with 3D platformers. Remember the 'obligatory' mine-cart chase/race level that games used to have back then? It was a really good seller for us at the time. We made that "Harry Potter" money that was spent on a whole bunch of other unsuccessful games after that.

Interestingly, the Producer of the first two Harry Potter PS1 games is now at Rocksteady Games making the Batman Arkham games.

Interesting! The game was really like a platformer without the jumping.
 

farplane02

Neo Member
Oh my!
First Harry Potter games were and still are one of my all-time favourite games!

I have:

HP1 - PC, GBC, GBA
HP2 - PC, GBC, PSX
HP3 - PC, GBA
Quidditch World Cup - PS2

And love them all, sadly they changed the formula after the third game on all platforms.

Do you remember those OST's made by Jeremy Soule?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEgLvaMDT4E
 
I was in QA and spent around 12 months testing both games. I saw the games from empty roomed bug-filled messes to complete playable retail games.

We used the 'Croc' engine so the team had a little experience with 3D platformers. Remember the 'obligatory' mine-cart chase/race level that games used to have back then? It was a really good seller for us at the time. We made that "Harry Potter" money that was spent on a whole bunch of other unsuccessful games after that.

Interestingly, the Producer of the first two Harry Potter PS1 games is now at Rocksteady Games making the Batman Arkham games.
Croc! Oh man, the same studio did these games? I never knew.
 

Quick

Banned
This game:

kXz1iVU.jpg

Loved this game, but it felt a bit restricted. I wish they'd make a sequel.

As for the mainline games, Sorcerer's Stone for Gameboy Colour and Chamber of Secrets of PC were awesome. I still have them each tucked away.

Prisoner of Azkaban for PC wasn't as great, but it was still okay.
 

Ninja Dom

Member
Interesting! The game was really like a platformer without the jumping.

Auto-jumping, yeah. It helped speed up the dev process as the team could control where and how far Harry could jump between platforms. The game had to be ready for a worldwide film release and Christmas Playstation release.
 

Fj0823

Member
I really loved 5 just because of how much of Hogwarts you could explore.

And it was almost a 1:1 recreation of the castle

The moving the joystick for casting spells was real shitty tho
 
As a child I loved the Chamber of Secrets game!
Played it on the GameCube from beginning till near the end without saving... Then my brother turned off the GameCube.
First and only time I cried because of a game.
Since this trauma I always save my games every time I can
 

Ninja Dom

Member
Any secrets/easter eggs you can tell us about?

No there was nothing I can remember.

I recently started to watch a Let's Play of the first PS1 game on YouTube and had to turn it off after a few minutes. It can happen when you work on a game for so long. You get to a point where you've seen it just too much in your life.
 

Skelter

Banned
Thanks! I was actually responsible for most of the SFX in the GBC and the first 2 GBA games. Wasn't easy to get speech intelligible through such low sample rates and memory restraints, but it was a fun challenge! I've talked a bit about the sound in some previous threads here over the years. Cool to see people still enjoy these games!

I really loved the GBC games. Now I want them to be released on the 3DS VC.

Awesome you were able to get actual speech on the GBC.
 

Grief.exe

Member
were the pc games different from the other games cuz i dont remember the stuff in these hp1 game

also quidditch world cup was great

There's a chart floating around keeping track of the differences between versions because it is quite convoluted.

I can't seem to find the chart right now, maybe someone in the thread will know what I am referring to.
 
Jamie Walker was our Producer on HP 1& 2 for PS1. We never did the PS2 version. EA got another studio to do that. At the same time, Sefton Hill was working on a game called S.W.A.T for Xbox which was going to be a technical showcase for the machine.

Jamie & Sefton went on to start Rocksteady Games.
This is some really interesting stuff. Thanks!

Now Rocksteady should make a Harry Potter game and everything will come full circle.
Interesting note; Flipendo is a video-game only spell.
Which they stopped using around GoF or OotP in favour of Stupefy, then brought it back for the Lego games.
 

elhav

Member
Ahh the memories. Back when I was a kid, these games were the real deal. I'm afraid to play the again because I'm pretty sure they are actually pretty bad, and I want to remember them in a good light.

That Quidditch game though
 
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