You know we couldn't let the release of the final Harry Potter book slip by without some sort of nod in its general direction! Not only did we warn you, but we've indicated in the past that a few of us tend to be Potter fans around here. If you're not, please, bear with us, and we'll try to be a little less specific next week. But if you are, please join us in this presentation of Potter-themed Miis!
For those who, like us, have been avoiding anything about the series on the internet, we assure you, these Miis are limited to characters from earlier books -- so breathe a sigh of relief. We're safe.
You may not have noticed (because, uh, you apparently live under a rock inside a cave) that Harry Potter fans have a lot of reasons to be excited right now. There's a new movie and a new book on the horizon (ohgodnospoilersplz), and we thought it might be a good time to celebrate our Harry Potter love by dedicating this week's Mii Spotlight to all things Potter. So if you (or someone you know) has a Potter-themed Mii banging around the ol' Plaza, snap some pictures and send them our way at mii [at] nintendowiifanboy [dot] com. We will totally accept Photoshopped scars, too.
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.
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?
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 ....
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.
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.
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."
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.
It's all a bit hushed and secretive, but reports out of GDC say that the new Harry Potterand 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!
EA has announced a new Harry Potter game based on the upcoming movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The movie, which is based on J.K Rowling's fifth book, has Harry returning to Hogwart's only to be questioned about his previous year's encounter with Lord Voldemort. With the wizarding community questioning that Lord Voldemort has returned, as well as the Minister of Magic doubting Dumbledore, it's all up to Harry to set things straight.
In coming to the Wii, what should we expect? More than likely, mini-game scenarios where the player will use the Wiimote as a wand (maybe zapping bats coming at you?). Nothing specific has been said regarding the Wii version of the game, so it's all speculative right now, but we will update you as news develops.
Before we break out the goods, let's just clarify: these are launch window titles. Meaning they'll come out within the first few months of the Wii's release. They may or may not be taking up shelf space on launch day. That said, Electronic Arts is supporting the Wii launch window with six titles, including a few offerings from wildly popular franchises like Madden and Tiger Woods PGA Tour. These titles were already announced for the Wii, but EA confirmed all six for the launch window at in Leipzig.
