Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | |
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Developer(s) | Griptonite Games |
Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
Director(s) | Phil Trumbo |
Designer(s) | Michael Humes |
Programmer(s) | Michael Dorgan |
Artist(s) | Mike Platteter |
Writer(s) | Michael Humes |
Composer(s) |
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Series | Harry Potter |
Platform(s) | Game Boy Color |
Release |
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Genre(s) | Role-playing |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (released in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) is a 2001 role-playing video game developed by Griptonite Games and published by Electronic Arts for the Game Boy Color. Based on the 1997 novel of the same name, the player controls Harry Potter, who must navigate his first year in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and eventually confront the villainous Lord Voldemort.
The Game Boy Color version was released simultaneously with the PlayStation and Game Boy Advance versions, and had the longest development cycle of the three versions. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the visuals and faithfulness to the novel, but had lukewarm reactions to the audio and criticized the standard battle system and lack of a map function.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a third-person role-playing video game (RPG) in which the player controls Harry Potter, guiding him through a narrative reflecting that of the novel. [1] Harry can move around and interact with the environment by conversing with other characters, opening doors, and collecting items. [2]
Harry is armed with a wand with which he can combat hostile creatures by casting an assortment of spells; an encounter is initiated by making contact with a spiraling effect drifting through the environment. Initially, only two spells are at Harry's disposal, though more can be learned over time. Using spells depletes Harry's Magical Points, the cost of which is displayed next to any given spell's name. Harry can achieve victory in an encounter by using spells to deplete the stamina of all on-screen enemies and forcing them to flee. In this event, Harry is rewarded with experience points, currency in the form of silver Sickles, and occasionally an item. [3] Equipping items can increase or decrease particular attributes in combat. [4]
More powerful spells can be learned by collecting Famous Witches and Wizards cards and combining them in combat to create an effect. [3] A deck of cards of the player's choosing is selected at the beginning of a new game, and additional cards can be found scattered around the environment or in the possession of other characters. Cards can be traded with other players with the use of the Game Link Cable. [2]
Harry Potter is accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and equips himself at Diagon Alley. On board the Hogwarts Express, Harry befriends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and is accosted by Draco Malfoy. Upon arriving at Hogwarts, Harry is sorted alongside Ron and Hermione into the Gryffindor house, where he resides and studies through the year. The houses of Hogwarts are engaged in a competition to win the House Cup upon the year's end, in which points are granted for satisfactory performance and detracted for infractions.
While wandering through the school halls one night post-curfew due to Malfoy's trickery, Harry and his friends happen upon a conversation between Professors Severus Snape and Quirinus Quirrell, which leaves the impression that Snape seeks an object known as the Philosopher's Stone. They subsequently discover a great three-headed dog, Fluffy, guarding a trapdoor. After Harry and Ron rescue Hermione from a mountain troll that had infiltrated the dormitory, they see Snape having been injured by Fluffy, and suspect that he engineered the troll attack as a diversion. They learn from groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid that Nicolas Flamel is involved in what is kept in the trapdoor, and Hermione determines that Flamel's creation, the Philosopher's Stone, is what is being guarded. On Christmas, Harry receives his father's invisibility cloak as an anonymous gift. Using it, he wanders into an abandoned classroom that houses the Mirror of Erised, which reflects a person's deepest desire.
Harry joins Hagrid in an investigation of an attack on a unicorn in the adjacent forest. Harry encounters a figure drinking a dead unicorn's blood, whose presence causes Harry great pain. He is rescued by a centaur, who explains that the figure — Lord Voldemort — is maintaining his life by drinking unicorn blood, and seeks the eternal life granted by an elixir derived from the Philosopher's Stone. The end of final exams and headmaster Albus Dumbledore's departure present the ideal opportunity for the Stone's theft, prompting Harry, Ron and Hermione to act. Passing through the trapdoor, they traverse through obstacles put in place by the school's professors, but ultimately only Harry can proceed. In the final room, Harry is surprised to find Quirrell standing in front of the Mirror of Erised. Quirrell reveals that Snape had been trying to stop him, and that Voldemort's face has manifested upon the back of his skull. The Philosopher's Stone — placed within the Mirror by Dumbledore — materializes within Harry's pocket. A final battle between Quirrell and Harry ends with Dumbledore's last-minute intervention.
Harry awakes in the school's infirmary, where Dumbledore discloses that Voldemort is still on the loose, reveals that he gifted Harry with the invisibility cloak, and explains that Snape's resentment of Harry stems from a life debt he owes Harry's father. Harry, Hermione and Ron's courageous acts win Gryffindor the House Cup.
At E3 2001, Electronic Arts showcased its license to publish video game adaptations of the Harry Potter franchise, with titles for the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation, and the PC scheduled for November 2001. [5] The Game Boy Color version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was developed by Griptonite Games, [6] under the creative direction of Amaze Entertainment's Phil Trumbo. The game was designed and written by Michael Humes. Michael Dorgan served as lead programmer and was assisted by Doug Schilling, Joshua Meeds, Steve Ettinger, and Steve Vallee. Mike Platteter served as lead artist, leading a team including Eric Heitman, Jerry Vorhies, and Robb Vest. The audio was created by Mark Yeend, Drew Cady, and Ian Rodia. [7]
The Game Boy Color version, along with the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation versions, was designed with input from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and the producers of the film adaptation to ensure that all three versions share a consistent presentation. [8] Although the PlayStation and Game Boy Advance versions feature the fictional sport Quidditch, Griptonite Games did not feel they could do the sport justice on the Game Boy Color, and instead included side-scrolling broomstick-flying sections. [9] The three versions were released on November 16, 2001. [10] [11] The Game Boy Color version had the longest development cycle of the group. [12]
Aggregator | Score |
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GameRankings | 73% [13] |
Publication | Score |
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AllGame | [1] |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8.5/10 [14] |
GamePro | [15] |
GameZone | 8.5/10 [16] |
IGN | 7/10 [17] |
Nintendo Power | 18.5/25 [18] |
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was met with mixed reviews upon release. Shane Bettenhausen of Electronic Gaming Monthly declared it to be one of the Game Boy Color's best RPGs. [14] The game's faithfulness to the book was commended, with Bettenhausen promising that players would be engrossed in the story's world regardless of whether they had read the book. [1] [14] [17] Hilary Goldstein of IGN , however, complained of the lack of narrative details for the benefit of those unfamiliar with the book or film. [17] Sky Champion Silver of GamePro concurred with this sentiment, saying that a lack of familiarity with the book could make locating certain characters and objects difficult. [15] Code Cowboy of GameZone and the reviewers of Nintendo Power regarded the title as an absorbing experience for any kind of gamer, with Code Cowboy emphasizing that his captivation was remarkable due to him not being an extensive RPG player. [16] [18] Sky Champion Silver, however, summarized the game as "delightful, if a little bland". [15]
Bettenhausen found the gameplay enjoyable but familiar, describing the dungeons as a mimicry of those in Lunar: The Silver Star and the battles (as well as Harry's hopping animation upon victory) as strongly reminiscent of Final Fantasy . However, he said that the action was slowed by Harry's sluggish walking speed and awkward collision, and warned that the difficulty level may overwhelm young players. [14] Code Cowboy was impressed by the amount of content, though he and Goldstein observed that the minigames were somewhat simple by a seasoned gamer's standards. [16] [17] Goldstein appreciated the gameplay variety, but considered the battle system standard for RPGs, and felt that it eventually became tedious. [17] Scott Alan Marriott of Allgame attributed this tedium to a lack of customization, explaining that experience points could not be distributed to specific attributes upon leveling up and that the variety in equipment was limited. [1] The lack of a map function was said to exacerbate the difficulty of navigating the vast environment of Hogwarts. [1] [15] [17]
The vibrant colours and detailed characters and scenery were praised, [1] [15] [16] but Code Cowboy considered the audio typical for the Game Boy Color's limitations, and said the music became mundane after a while. [16] Marriott remarked that the music "doesn't sound very mystical", but deemed the sound effects slightly above-average. [1] Sky Champion Silver described the music as "charming and catchy, albeit a bit monotonous". [15]
Severus Snape is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. He is an exceptionally skilled wizard whose extremely cold and resentful exterior conceals deep emotions and anguish. A Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Snape is hostile to Harry due to his resemblance to his father James Potter, who bullied Snape during their time together at Hogwarts.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the Harry Potter series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage on his eleventh birthday, when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry makes close friends and a few enemies during his first year at the school and with the help of his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, he faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents, but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fifth novel in the Harry Potter series. It follows Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the surreptitious return of the antagonist Lord Voldemort, O.W.L. exams, and an obstructive Ministry of Magic. The novel was published on 21 June 2003 by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic in the United States, and Raincoast in Canada. It sold five million copies in the first 24 hours of publication.
The Order of the Phoenix is a secret organisation in the Harry Potter series of fiction books written by J. K. Rowling. Founded by Albus Dumbledore to fight Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, the Order lends its name to the fifth book of the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The original members of the Order of the Phoenix include Sirius Black, Emmeline Vance, Benjy Fenwick, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Edgar Bones, Lily Potter, James Potter, Sturgis Podmore, Caradoc Dearborn, Alice Longbottom, Frank Longbottom, Dorcas Meadowes, Albus Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid, Hestia Jones, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Aberforth Dumbledore, Dedalus Diggle, Minerva McGonagall and Marlene McKinnon.
In J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, magic is depicted as a supernatural force that can be used to override the usual laws of nature. Many fictional magical creatures exist in the series, while ordinary creatures sometimes exhibit magical properties. Magical objects are also described. Witches and wizards refer to the rest of the population, who are generally unaware of magic, as "Muggles" in the United Kingdom and "No-Maj" in the United States.
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and produced by David Heyman, from a screenplay by Steve Kloves, based on the 1997 novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the first instalment in the Harry Potter film series. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. Its story follows Harry's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as he discovers that he is a famous wizard and begins his formal wizarding education.
Harry James Potter is a fictional character and the titular protagonist in J. K. Rowling's series of eponymous novels. The majority of the books' plot covers seven years in the life of the orphan Harry, who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard. Thus, he attends Hogwarts to practise magic under the guidance of the kindly headmaster Albus Dumbledore and other school professors along with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Harry also discovers that he is already famous throughout the novel's magical community, and that his fate is tied with that of Lord Voldemort – the internationally feared Dark Wizard and murderer of his parents, James and Lily Potter. The book and film series revolve around Harry's struggle to adapt to the wizarding world and defeat Voldemort.
The following is a list of magical objects used in the fictional universe of Harry Potter in the original book series, as well as in the adapted film series.
The following is a list of Hogwarts staff in the Harry Potter books written by J. K. Rowling.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a 2001 video game developed by Argonaut Games and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation. Based on the 1997 novel of the same name, the player controls Harry Potter, who must navigate his first year in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and eventually confront the villainous Lord Voldemort. The game received mixed reviews, with critics saying that the game's license would be the only thing to draw in fans. The PlayStation version sold 8 million copies by May 2003, which would become Argonaut's best-selling game and one of the best-selling PlayStation video games of all time.
Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling.
Rubeus Hagrid is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. He is introduced in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as a half-giant and half-human who is the gamekeeper and Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts, the primary setting for the first six novels. In the third novel Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Hagrid is promoted to Care of Magical Creatures professor, and is later revealed to be a member of the Order of the Phoenix. A loyal, friendly, softhearted personality who is easily brought to tears, he is also known for his thick West Country accent.
A Very Potter Sequel is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden. The story is a parody, based on several of the Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling, as well as their film counterparts.
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Professor Minerva McGonagall is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Professor McGonagall is a professor at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, the head of Gryffindor House, the professor of Transfiguration, the Deputy Headmistress under Albus Dumbledore and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Following Lord Voldemort's defeat at the hands of her student Harry Potter and the deaths of Headmasters Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape, McGonagall takes the position of Headmistress. McGonagall was originally portrayed in the film adaptations by actress Maggie Smith, and later by Fiona Glascott in the Fantastic Beasts prequel films The Crimes of Grindelwald and The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is an action-adventure video game based on the 2001 film of the same name. Developed by Warthog Games and released in December 2003 for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, it is the second set of games to have this title following a release of the same name in 2001.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a 2001 video game developed by Griptonite Games and published by Electronic Arts for the Game Boy Advance. Based on the 1997 novel of the same name, the player controls Harry Potter, who must navigate his first year in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and eventually confront the villainous Lord Voldemort.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, released in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is a 2001 fantasy video game developed by KnowWonder and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows. A version for Mac OS was developed by Westlake Interactive and published by Aspyr the following year. Based on the 1997 novel of the same name, the player controls Harry Potter, who must navigate his first year in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and eventually confront the villainous Lord Voldemort. Upon release, the game received mixed reviews; while critics dismissed the gameplay as simplistic, they commended the visuals, audio and faithfulness to the license. In the United States, the game was among the highest-selling computer titles released between 2000 and 2006.