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The Harry Potter franchise’s overall success is undeniable, with the popular books leading to the revolutionary movie series, and then so much more branching out from there. Naturally, video games were not only released for each of the Harry Potter movies but also covering other concepts and gimmicks within the Wizarding World.
With the impending release of Hogwarts Legacy, there is plenty of scrutiny and controversy in the air. However, it remains to be seen how Hogwarts Legacy compares to previous Harry Potter games, in terms of story, gameplay, functionality, and general entertainment value. Most of the previous Harry Potter games were released in an earlier era when technological capabilities weren’t quite there in wowing audiences and players with every release. Many players still enjoyed these games to a certain degree, but the critics have generally been much harsher over the years.
10 Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone Was The First Foray Into The Wizarding World
Metacritic Score: 65
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was the first book and movie of the Wizarding World series and subsequently got video game adaptations on multiple platforms. The original PlayStation version spawned dozens of memes with its low-quality graphics, but the PC version remains one of the most popular games in the series.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for Windows lies at a 7.7 User Score on Metacritic, but critics couldn’t quite see past its glaring faults. The game has fun mechanics and intriguing puzzles, but its value ultimately lies in nostalgia for those looking to foray into video game adaptations of their favorite movies.
9 Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince Had Little More Than Hogwarts Exploration
Metacritic Score: 66
The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince game followed in the footsteps of Order of the Phoenix, which actually had plenty of fun and redeeming features. Yet Half-Blood Prince offered little extra to stand out other than its various story beats taken from the movie.
Dueling and Quidditch are additional features and mini-games that help to bring this game together, but only real Harry Potter fans will stick around long enough to give it a proper chance. Anyone with even the slightest interest in Harry Potter will be hoping that Hogwarts Legacy blows this game out of the water in every department.
8 Order Of The Phoenix Introduced A New Level Of Exploration To The Harry Potter Games
Metacritic Score: 69
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was a more risky and creative jump from its predecessor in terms of gameplay and more open exploration of Hogwarts. This sandbox style of play felt like a treat to Harry Potter fans at the time of release, with plenty of locations dotted around Hogwarts to interact with for a decent level of immersion.
Most of the main story beats from Order of the Phoenix are re-imagined and recreated in this game, like Fred and George’s Hogwarts farewell being represented as a fun mini-game. Hogwarts Legacy‘s freedom in magical exploration will harken back to the days of this game, albeit on a much grander scale.
7 Quidditch World Cup Will Always Be Remembered For Its Focus On The Beloved Fantasy Sport
Metacritic Score: 69
Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup was released back in 2003 and offered players a more focused experience of the Wizarding World’s beloved sport. While it doesn’t hold up today in terms of graphics and seamless gameplay, it gives Quidditch more focus than the mainline games could ever manage.
Players can enjoy Quidditch from Hogwarts to the Quidditch World Cup itself, in spite of the gameplay that borders on a line of tedium and repetitiveness after a while. Yet Quidditch World Cup still holds a niche in fantasy sports video games, and will always be there as a focused alternative to the other Harry Potter games.
6 Prisoner Of Azkaban Came Up With Compelling New Twists On Previous Gameplay Options
Metacritic Score: 70
Just as the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie was a turning point in the series, sending it on a dark path to bigger and better things, the video game for Prisoner of Azkaban also played a similar role. Players would go on lengthy quests in the middle of a class to unlock new spells, but they generally involved fun puzzles to solve. For the first time in the game series, they could even take control of Ron and Hermione, which added some fun variety.
The Prisoner of Azkaban game had several moments taken from the movie, but with plenty of extra substance to it. A Metacritic User Score of 8.4 speaks volumes to how this game could be enjoyable if certain comical parts of facial expressions and voice clips were simply ignored.
5 Goblet Of Fire Will Always Stand Out For Taking A Different Approach To Its Adaptation
Metacritic Score: 71
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the only mainline Harry Potter game to be split into levels, accessed from a menu, as the games before and after allowed players to explore Hogwarts and beyond in some cases. Yet this change did not make Goblet of Fire worse by any means.
The levels were focused, graphics were generally better than previous iterations, and even the handheld versions for GameBoy and PSP left fans and players relatively happy with the results. Goblet of Fire even presented players with a local cooperative option on the PlayStation 2, a first for the series.
4 LEGO Harry Potter Collection Brought The Previous Two Games Together In A Remastered Combination
Metacritic Score: 73
The LEGO Harry Potter games are generally the most popular and highly-rated Harry Potter games among critics, with LEGO games generally being given more license for goofy twists on their target for adaptation. LEGO Harry Potter Collection is an amalgamation of both LEGO Harry Potter games, Years 1-4 and Years 5-7, into one accessible game.
Despite the newfound ease of having the entire Harry Potter saga bundled into one game, a remaster isn’t always necessary for LEGO games. Critics didn’t quite see it in the same light as the two separate games, Years 1-4 and Years 5-7.
3 Chamber Of Secrets Was The Perfect Mix Of Difficulty & A Fun Sense Of Immersion
Metacritic Score: 77
Chamber of Secrets is generally seen as the most successful and highly-rated of all the non-LEGO Harry Potter games. At its core, Chamber of Secrets was similar to its predecessor in graphics and restricted exploration, but with new and improved mini-games to enhance the experience.
Chamber of Secrets was much more refined and enjoyable on PlayStation2, XBOX, and GameCube, with the PC version even getting a completely different treatment. There were so many different developers working on these different forms, but most of the results came out positive and left Chamber of the Secrets as a collective success story within the franchise.
2 Years 5-7 Brought Lego Harry Potter To A Close In Style
Metacritic Score: 80
While the 2016 game LEGO Harry Potter Collection served as a stellar remaster of the LEGO Harry Potter games, it could never quite live up to the originals. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 rounded off the LEGO Harry Potter journey, going through the darker movies and corners of the Wizarding World.
Years 5-7 picked up right where its predecessor left off. It features the classically comedic twist that LEGO adaptations bring while adding more problem-solving and intrigue to the main plot points of the latter stories. However, Years 1-4 is generally remembered more fondly, across most of its platforms.
1 Years 1-4 Was The Perfect Introduction To LEGO Harry Potter
Metacritic Score: 87
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 was initially released back in 2010 across various platforms and is generally regarded as the best Harry Potter game of all time. The iOS version sits at a colossal 87 score by critics, even if Metacritic users don’t necessarily agree. However, from Wii to PlayStation 3, this game is looked back on with fond memories.
The LEGO treatment of a franchise works perfectly for the more light-hearted moments of the first two Harry Potter movies, with tutorial modes feeling more at home at the very beginning of a journey. Years 1-4 introduced LEGO Harry Potter as fun for the whole family, and set the precedent for Years 5-7 to pick up from. Only time will tell if Hogwarts Legacy can surpass Years 1-4 as the most popular Harry Potter video game among Metacritic critics.
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