Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001 video game)

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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
HarryPotterPhilosophersStoneGameEuroArtwork.jpg
European PlayStation cover art
Developer(s) Argonaut Games [1]
Publisher(s) Electronic Arts
Composer(s) Jeremy Soule
Series Harry Potter
Platform(s) PlayStation
Release
  • WW: 16 November 2001 [2]
Genre(s) Action-adventure
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 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.

Contents

Gameplay

The player controls the character Harry Potter from a third-person perspective. The game is split into seven sections, four of which can be revisited freely and explored to find collectables. Collectables in the game are either Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, which can be traded with Fred and George Weasley for the password to a portrait guarding a special collectable, or Famous Witches and Wizards cards, which can be found throughout the castle or in exchange for completing mini-games.

Plot

A giant, Rubeus Hagrid leaves the orphaned infant Harry Potter with his maternal aunt's family. Eleven years later, Harry is invited to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Upon his arrival, Harry is sorted into the Gryffindor house, where he resides and studies through the year. Harry befriends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and they partake in a competition between the houses of Hogwarts to win the House Cup upon the year's end, in which points are granted for satisfactory performance and detracted for infractions.

While sneaking through a forbidden corridor, Harry witnesses Professor Severus Snape conversing with Argus Filch about an object being guarded in the corridor he has been eyeing intently. Harry subsequently happens upon the Mirror of Erised, in which he sees his parents. The headmaster Albus Dumbledore appears and explains that the mirror reflects a person's deepest desire. He says that the mirror will be moved to a new home shortly, but adds ominously that Harry will be prepared if he sees it again. Harry, Ron and Hermione learn from Hagrid that Nicolas Flamel is involved with the object in the forbidden corridor, which is guarded by a giant three-headed dog named Fluffy. Harry later joins Hagrid in an investigation of an attack on a unicorn in the adjacent forest and encounters a figure drinking a dead unicorn's blood. He is rescued by a centaur, who explains that unicorn's blood can maintain the life of someone close to death, and Harry realizes that the figure is his parents' killer, Lord Voldemort.

Hermione's research reveals that Nicolas Flamel's creation, the Philosopher's Stone, can produce an elixir that grants immortality. She suspects that Snape is after the Stone and discloses rumours that Voldemort is also involved, prompting Harry, Ron and Hermione to act. Harry soothes Fluffy to sleep with a flute gifted to him by Hagrid, and the three friends make their way past 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 once more finds the Mirror of Erised, which materializes the Philosopher's Stone into his pocket. He is confronted by Professor Quirinus Quirrell under the command of Voldemort, who has manifested as a face on the back of Quirrell's head and tries to kill Harry for the Stone, but the final battle ends with Voldemort's defeat.

Harry awakes in the school's infirmary, where Dumbledore discloses that the Philosopher's Stone has been destroyed, but shares Harry's concern that its loss will not prevent Voldemort's return. At the school's end-of-year banquet, Dumbledore announces that Harry's acts of nerve and courage have won Gryffindor enough points to win them the House Cup.

Development and release

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is based on the story of the same name and through working with Warner Bros. The game also features the sets and environment from the film adaptation. [3] EA was granted rights to the Harry Potter games in August 2000. [4] The game's executive producer Chris Graham stated that the game was aimed at eight- to fourteen-year-olds with its puzzle-based gameplay. [3] The PlayStation version was developed by Argonaut as an action-platform game which integrated a 3D environment into its gameplay, [5] using the game engine they had previously developed for the Croc games. [6]

Jeremy Soule composed the music of Philosopher's Stone. [7] The soundtrack was released digitally in 2006 [8] but has since been withdrawn from sale.

Reception

Critical response

GameSpot praised the developers' efforts for the PlayStation version, in re-creating the Hogwarts castle and different-looking characters, but said the game's graphics look like "extremely jagged polygons." [13] It also praised the PlayStation version for its "bedtime-story-style narration" and the character voice overs, but criticised the game's lack of music. [13] PlayStation Illustrated noted that the PlayStation version has poor camera angles, adding that only the use of the 'L' and 'R' buttons can fix the problem, as it is not angled in the direction Harry is facing. [16] The "fun to play" Quidditch matches were praised by PlayStation Illustrated, who stated that the "matches were excellently done" and controlling Harry was easy. [16] Jeremy Conrad from IGN called it "one of the best-looking PS One games" for its graphics, but said that this can cause the frame rate to lag. [14]

Sales

Philosopher's Stone received positive sale figures. The PlayStation version sold eight million copies, making it one of the best-selling PlayStation games and one of the best-selling video games of all time at the time of the release. [17] The PlayStation version of The Philosopher's Stone received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), [18] indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom. [19] ELSPA gave the game's computer version a "Gold" certification, [20] for sales of at least 200,000 copies in the region. [19] The game generated $500 million in revenue. [21]

Awards

The game received multiple nominations. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone received three nominations from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences for "Console Family Game of the Year", "PC Family Game of the Year", and "Outstanding Achievement in Original Musical Composition" at the 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. [22] It was also nominated for a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award in the "Favorite video game" category at the 2002 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. [23]

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References

  1. ↑ "Games developed by Argonaut Games". IGN . Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  2. ↑ Ahmed, Shahed (13 November 2001). "Harry Potter games ship". GameSpot . Retrieved 13 November 2001.
  3. 1 2 Sulic, Ivan (9 August 2001). "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". IGN . IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "EA Awarded Worldwide Interactive Rights for Harry Potter Books and Films in Agreement With Warner Bros. Consumer Products". Cision. PR Newswire. 10 August 2000. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. Retrieved 11 June 2019– via Yahoo.com.
  5. ↑ IGN Staff (19 May 2001). "E3: Harry Potter Hands-on". IGN . IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  6. ↑ "Remembering Croc: An Interview With Lead Designer Nic Cusworth". TheGamer . Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "Jeremy Soule doet de muziek in Neverwinter Nights" (in Dutch). Gamer NL. 16 March 2002. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  8. ↑ "Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone: Original Video Game Soundtrack". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  9. ↑ "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Critic Reviews for PlayStation". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  10. ↑ EGM staff (February 2002). "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (PS)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 151. p. 170.
  11. ↑ Helgeson, Matt (January 2002). "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (PS)". Game Informer . No. 105. p. 88. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  12. ↑ Air Hendrix (16 November 2001). "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 Villoria, Gerald (13 December 2001). "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Review (PS)". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  14. 1 2 Conrad, Jeremy (9 November 2001). "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (PlayStation)". IGN. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  15. ↑ "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (PS)". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine . February 2002. p. 118.
  16. 1 2 Paddock, Matt. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Playstation review)". PlayStation Illustrated.(Game Vortex). p. 1. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  17. ↑ "All Time Top 20 Best Selling Games". 21 May 2003. Archived from the original on 21 February 2006. Retrieved 1 December 2006.
  18. ↑ "ELSPA Sales Awards: Platinum". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association . Archived from the original on 15 May 2009.
  19. 1 2 Caoili, Eric (26 November 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status in UK". Gamasutra . Archived from the original on 18 September 2017.
  20. ↑ "ELSPA Sales Awards: Gold". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association . Archived from the original on 19 March 2009.
  21. ↑ Wong, May (19 August 2003). "The art of the game". Miami Herald . p. 194. Retrieved 27 February 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ AIAS Staff. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone nomination details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  23. ↑ Kids' Choice Awards, USA: 2002 Archived 27 November 2004 at the Wayback Machine , IMDb

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