Monday, July 2, 2007, will go down in the books as one of the best days of my life, when one of my most difficult life-journeys finally came to an end: my search for a Nintendo Wii.
My search began two weeks prior, when I first saw a commercial for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" for the Nintendo Wii - the company's newest and hardest-to-find console.
Now, I've always dabbled in video games just because I have two older brothers, but I have never felt compelled to play much since I left home. That is, until I saw the "Phoenix" Wii preview on TV.
I don't know what came over me - I just had to have a Wii so I could cast spells, chat with Ron and Hermione, and shout "Accio!" at the television while my roommates call the psych ward.
And when I finally found my Wii on that fateful day and picked up a "Phoenix" game to call my own, I could hardly contain myself.
After setting up the console and figuring out how in the world to maneuver the cordless controller, I began my journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The first thing that immediately impressed me was the likeness the characters in the game have with the characters in the Harry Potter films. I wondered out loud what it would be like to have a video game character look just like you, to which my roommate responded no one would play that game.
I also marveled at the dialogue between the characters and the way they interact in the game; it's so similar to how I imagine the fifth film (released July 11) will look like.
Though maneuvering the controller to get the appropriate wand movements was a little difficult at first, after a few hours of play I had "accio," and "wingardium leviosa" down tight.
And while I'm still not sure (as a complete video game beginner) what the point of the game is, as a Harry Potter fanatic, I'm enamored with the characters, the scenery and the ability to roam about Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione on my heels. I'm sure that anyone who is a fan both of the Harry Potter franchise and video games would enjoy this game even more.
That's why I rate "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (the Wii game) four pitchforks out of five.
Reach the reviewer at: tara.brite@asu.edu.
