Wait…didn’t this game come out already? Yes, but that apparently hasn’t stopped EA from releasing a new version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the PlayStation 2. Why? Um…because it’s the holidays and there’s money to be made. Maybe that’s too cynical (and it’s only $30), but it’s hard to tell why this game exists, at least now—there’s no movie tie-in, and this story (the first book in the franchise) has been told in a PS one video game already. It’s not the same exact game, but the run-around-Hogwarts-and-collect-stuff gameplay is close enough to be a detriment. Among the new bits: button-assignable spells, optional side quests, a bit more variety to the gameplay and, of course, much better graphics throughout (which makes exploring fun—you really get a sense of the school’s scale). But the core still involves lots of non-skippable cinematic sequences, a fidgety camera (and finicky controls), overearnest voice acting, and tepid platform-style action (any game where the first true action sequence takes place in a room full of crates set up for jumping puzzles is trouble). It’s more interactive and enjoyable than the PS one game, but it still feels like a rehash. Since the old game runs on PS2 hardware, too, why not take a totally different approach to telling the book’s tale here? This is the game that should have come out first to launch EA’s franchise, but being so late and similar, it’s now for hardcore Potter fans only.
