| Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | |
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| Developer(s) | KnowWonder Digital Mediaworks (PC) Warthog (GC, Xbox, PS2) Griptonite (GBA, GBC) Argonaut (PS) |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Engine | Unreal engine |
| Released | November 2001 (PC, PS, GBA, GBC) December 9, 2003 (GC, Xbox, PS2) |
| Genre | Third-Person Action Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Ratings | ESRB: Everyone (E) |
| Platform(s) | PC (Windows), Mac (Mac OS 9), GBC, GBA, PS, Xbox, GameCube, PS2 |
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States) is the name of five distinct video games. The first four versions were released in 2001 by Electronic Arts for the PC, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and the Sony PlayStation. The PC version was ported to the Mac by Aspyr in 2002. Another version, for Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, and Microsoft Xbox, was released in 2003. The game is based on J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first novel in the Harry Potter series. Most reviews for the games were rather negative due to the simple game play making them only suitable for a younger audience, with the exception of the PlayStation 2 version, which is slightly more challenging.
Contents |
Overview
Playable characters
Harry Potter is a member of the house of Gryffindor, and is the only playable character. He has quite a lot of spoken dialog except in the PlayStation version and computer version in which he is a silent protagonist.
Non-playable characters
Students: Hermione Granger sometimes helps Harry find his classes. Ron Weasley also leads Harry to his classes sometimes. Fred and George Weasley are Ron's twin brothers. Known for their mischief-making capabilities, they teach Harry the basic actions of climbing and jumping in the beginning of the game. They also trade Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans for Chocolate Frog cards during the course of the game. Draco Malfoy is Harry's nemesis. Malfoy is usually seen with his cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Teachers: Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts. Dumbledore gives Harry some useful advice during the game. Professor Quirrell is the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Quirrell is controlled by Lord Voldemort. Minerva McGonagall is the Transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor House. Rolanda Hooch is the Flying teacher. Severus Snape is the Potions teacher and Head of Slytherin House. Professor Snape tends to favour students in his own House. Filius Flitwick is the Charms teacher and Head of Ravenclaw House. Pomona Sprout is the Herbology teacher and Head of Hufflepuff House. Others: Rubeus Hagrid is a friendly half-giant usually found in his cabin on the grounds. Lord Voldemort, also known as the Dark Lord, is the most evil person in the game. Harry has to defeat him at the end of the game. Peeves is a poltergeist that enjoys making chaos around Hogwarts. If Harry runs into him, Peeves will cause trouble for him until Harry has got rid of him. Argus Filch is the caretaker of Hogwarts and a somewhat nasty piece of work. He is a squib, which means he cannot perform magic, but he is always patrolling the corridors and the library for mischievous students with his cat Mrs. Norris. Madam Pince is the librarian, and can be seen patrolling the library during the daytime, making sure no books are harmed.
Plot
Harry Potter, an orphaned eleven-year-old boy living with his nearly evil aunt and uncle, learns that he is a wizard and leaves to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Over the course of the year, he learns the spells that will help him defeat the most evil wizard in the world, Lord Voldemort.
Differences between the book, film and versions of the game
| Item | Book | Film | PC game | Video game (PS1 and PS2) versions included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diagon Alley | Harry and Hagrid visit Diagon Alley once in chapter five. | Harry and Hagrid visit Diagon Alley once near the beginning of the film. | Harry and Hagrid are stated to have visited Diagon Alley, but their visit is not actually depicted. | Harry and Hagrid visit Diagon Alley twice (Once in the PS2 version). |
| Peeves | Peeves appears infrequently in the book. | Peeves does not appear in the movie. | Peeves appears on a regular basis. | Peeves appears on a regular basis. |
| Potions | Several Potions classes are depicted in the book. Harry never is trapped in the dungeons. | One Potions class is depicted in the film. Harry never is trapped in the dungeons. | During Potions class, Harry finds himself trapped in the dungeons. Harry has two potion lessons and neither result in being trapped there | Harry does not become trapped in the dungeons in the GBC version. |
| Quidditch matches | Professor Quirrell uses a jinx to try to knock Harry off his broomstick during a Quidditch match against Slytherin but Snape tries to use a counter-curse to help Harry. A Quidditch match against Hufflepuff occurs later without incident. | Professor Quirrell uses a jinx to try to knock Harry off his broomstick during a Quidditch match against Slytherin but Snape tries to use a counter-curse to help Harry. No other Quidditch matches are depicted. | All Quidditch matches occur without incident. | Slytherin game is played with a jinxed broom. (In the GBC version, no Quidditch games occur and all of them occur in the PS1 version). |
| The Forbidden Forest | Harry, Hermione, Neville and Malfoy enter the forest. Ron does not enter the forest. | Harry, Ron, Hermione and Malfoy enter the forest. Neville does not enter the forest. | The forest part is not included. | Draco Malfoy does not follow Harry into the forest. In the GBC version, Harry, Hermione, Neville and Malfoy all enter the forest and theoretically assume the same groupings as in the book. |
| Challenges | There are eight obstacles guarding the Stone, including Fluffy, the Devil's Snare, the Flying Key Chamber, the Chess Game, a Troll, a Potions Chamber and the Mirror of Erised. | There are five obstacles guarding the Stone, including Fluffy, the Devil's Snare, the Flying Key Chamber, the Chess Game and the Mirror of Erised. | There are seven obstacles guarding the Stone, including Fluffy, the Devil's Snare, the Flying Key Chamber, the Chess Game, a Potions Chamber, a Block Challenge and the Mirror of Erised. | There are seven obstacles guarding the Stone, including Fluffy, the Devil's Snare, the Flying Key Chamber, the Chess Game, a troll, a Potions Chamber and the Mirror of Erised. The potions chamber does appear in its proper place in the GBC version. There is only four in the PS2 game, Devils snare (fluffy is already asleep), Flying keys Chamber, the chess game and the Mirror of Erised |
| The Final Scene | Quirrell snaps his fingers to tie Harry up. | Quirrell snaps his fingers to conjure a fire surrounding the area. | Voldemort conjures a fire surrounding the area with his hands. | Voldemort does not snap his fingers or conjure a surrounding fire. He summons ropes to tie Harry up in the GBC version. |
| Harry Fainting | Harry falls unconscious while Quirrell is dying, but still alive. | After Quirrell has disintegrated, the spirit of Voldemort knocks Harry unconscious. | Harry faints from the explosion that destroys Quirrell/Voldemort. | Harry passes out from the impact of the green orbs that Voldemort shoots. In the GBC version, after Harry has defeated Voldemort in battle, Voldemort leaps at Harry, hand outstretched, and the screen greens out. |
| Timeline | 1. Diagon Alley 2. Transfiguration class 3. Snape's first class 4. Flying class 5. Charms class 6. Harry and Ron rescue Hermione from the troll 7. Quidditch match against Slytherin 8. Mirror of Erised 9. Quidditch match against Hufflepuff 10. Norbert hatches 11. Norbert is given to Charlie Weasley 12. Forbidden Forest 13. Harry battles Quirrell/Voldemort |
1. Diagon Alley 2. Snape's first class 3. Flying class 4. Harry and Ron rescue Hermione from the troll 5. Quidditch match against Slytherin 6. Mirror of Erised 7. Norbert hatches 8. Norbert is sent to Romania (not depicted) 9. Forbidden Forest 10. Harry battles Quirrell/Voldemort |
1. Diagon Alley (not depicted) 2. Defence Against The Dark Arts Class of 'Flipendo' 3. Flying class 4. Alohomora 5. Charms (Wingardium Leviosa) 6. Herbology (Incendio) 6. Fireseeds 7. Norbert hatches 8. Quidditch match against Slytherin 9. Snape's first class 10. Harry and Ron rescue Hermione from the troll 11. Quidditch match against Ravenclaw 12. Norbert is given to Charlie Weasley 13. Mirror of Erised 14. Harry battles Quirrell/Voldemort |
Almost the entire game is non-congruent with the book's timeline. For example, after the Mirror of Erised part, Harry battles the troll (as opposed to these events occurring in reverse order in the text.) However, this remains accurate in the GBA and GBC versions. |
Spells used
- Flipendo
- Alohomora
- Wingardium Leviosa
- Incendio
- Lumos
- Verdimillious
- Avifors
- Oculus Reparo
- Lumos Solem
- Spongify
- Diffindo
- Vermillious
- Mucus Ad Nauseum
- Locomotor Wibbly
- Locomotor Mortis
- Petrificus Totalus
Trivia
- Fans criticise the PS2, Gamecube and X-Box versions of the game for its lack of imagination since all the spells in this game are on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets .
- In the Xbox, Gamecube, and PS2 versions of the game, Norbert is not mentioned nor does he make an appearance.
External links
- Official website (UK)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) guide at StrategyWiki
