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Let’s not beat around the bush. The Mac gaming world is thirsty and EA has promised to deliver sustenance in four handy little packages. One of those bits of Gamer’s Relief is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the latest video game adaptation of the juggernaut film and book series. Since you’re likely chomping at the bit for some awesome, quality, A-List Mac gaming I’ll tell you right away you’re not really going to find it here.Sorry. I know that's a sort of a kick in the pants. Order of the Phoenix (OOTP) is not really a bad game, but it’s not really a great game, either. Much of this, in my opinion, has everything to do with J.K. Rowling’s novel of the same title. The fifth book in a seven book series, OOTP is far and away the weakest of the series. You can tell me I’m crazy (my friend Abby says it is her favorite and she’s a die-hard fan), but I’m saying it. It’s the worst one. [Author’s Note: There will be some plot discussion in here, so if you fear spoilers, you have been warned.] OOTP is a book where Harry doesn’t really do anything, other than be sullen and irritable. The biggest sacrifices in the novel are made by his friends and compatriots. The downfall of the novel’s main villain is something Harry has very little to do with. There are a few moments where he can shine in the Department of Mysteries, but all together OOTP as a book was a plodding, overlong setup for books six and seven. This fact is massively apparent in the game, whose gameplay tasks are redundant, boring and seemingly of little real consequence. My time with OOTP consisted largely of running back and forth across Hogwarts on silly little gopher tasks. Anything that constitutes a plot point from the book is glazed through in the game via cinematics. But it’s not really the developer’s fault, because they’ve not been given tons to work with. However, they could have lessened the drudgery a bit. Okay, let’s get down to brass tacks. What is this game like? OOTP is basically Harry Potter: GTA, and as far as that is concerned, it works out great. Hogwarts is a fully realized 3D world for you to wander through. The detail and scope of the school is impressive, and was easily the high point of the game for me. You get a very accurate feel for the size and complexity of the campus, and that’s something that real fans will surely appreciate. There are sweeping vistas, grand courtyards, cramped stairwells, talking portraits, ghosts and students milling about everywhere. Hogwarts feels very alive. It helps, too, that the game looks good and runs well (I was able to do full graphic settings at 1024x768 resolution on a 15” MacBook Pro with absolutely no slowdown). Characters are at least competent approximations of their real-world counterparts (except for Colin Creevy, couldn’t they have at least tried to make him shorter than Harry?) and voices are a good attempt. Most are a bit off, but not so much so to be offensive. And the score for the game is really rich, taking advantage of some of the most notable themes from the films, which really helps to engross the player in the experience.
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