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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
Encyclopedia
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, also known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in North America
, is an Electronic Arts
multi-platform action-adventure
video game developed by KnowWonder
, Warthog, Griptonite
, Argonaut
, Eurocom
and Westlake Interactive. Philosopher's Stone was initially developed for the PlayStation, PC
, Game Boy Color
, Advance
and Macintosh
, and was re-made two years later for the PlayStation 2
, Xbox
and Nintendo GameCube
.
The first version
of the game was released on November 15, 2001 in North America
, in Australia
and Europe
on November 16 and in Japan
on December 1, 2003. The second version
was released in North America on December 9, 2003, in Japan on December 11 and in Australia and Europe on December 12.
The story follows protagonist Harry Potter
, who discovers he is a wizard, and is sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he makes friends and receives magical training, and along with his friends stop Lord Voldemort
from returning to power. The game received mixed reviews. Critics commented on the game's simple game play and its poor graphics (2003 versions) while others said the game's license will be the only thing to draw in fans.
from a behind-the-character view.
and PlayStation versions, the game is played like a third-person shooter and puzzle game. It features combat with various creatures and bosses such as Lord Voldemort. The Flipendo Jinx is used on both enemies and objects around the environment. Many other spells are learned during lessons taught by the teachers around the school.
. The player controls Harry, starting from when Hagrid brings him to Diagon Alley. It strictly follows the story of the books, with all the scenes from that point on in the book being playable, except for the addition of bands of monsters such as rats, bats, and spiders roaming most of the locations. The spells are used for combat, rather than interacting with the environment.
, a mysterious giant, leaves an orphaned Harry Potter
, whose parents were murdered by the evil Lord Voldemort
, on the front door step of his bullying relatives, The Dursleys. Eleven years later, Harry received a letter inviting him to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and after buying his school supplies, at Diagon Alley, he boarded the Hogwarts Express on platform 9¾ with the other students. Once they arrive at Hogwarts, the first year students are sorted into one of four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Harry is sorted into Gryffindor, after pleading with the hat not to place him in Slytherin, notorious for being the house of darker witches and wizards. Once sorted, Harry meets Ron Weasly, a poor boy from a large, pure-blood, wizarding family and Hermione Granger
, a witch born to non-magical parents.
At school, Harry begins his training as a wizard and learns more about his past. After retrieving a rememberal while riding on a broomstick, for his classmate Neville Longbottom, Harry is appointed seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch
team. Tricked by Slytherin, Draco Malfoy
, Harry, Ron and Hermione, accidentally come across a huge three-headed dog on a restricted floor of the castle. After escaping they realise the dog was standing on a trap door which is guarding the Philosopher's Stone, a magical object which grants the user immortality. When Harry is almost killed during a game of Quidditch, by what appeared to be Professor Snape
uttering a curse at him, Harry concludes that he is after the Philosopher's Stone.
Harry, Ron and Hermione set out to stop Snape from retrieving the Philosopher's Stone by putting the three-headed dog to sleep with music and going through the trapdoor. The three face a series of obstacles that protect the stone which includes surviving a deadly plant, catching a flying key, playing a life-sized game of Wizards Chess and choosing the correct potion to get through a magical fire. Harry, now alone, expects to face Snape but instead finds Professor Quirrell, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Quirrell removes his turban and reveals that Voldemort was living on the back of his head. Harry retrieves the stone and Voldemort tries to get it from him but touching him burns Quirrell's skin. Harry passes out from the struggle of the battle.
He awakens in the school's hospital wing with Professor Dumbledore
, the headmaster, by his side. Dumbledore explains that the stone has been destroyed but it wouldn't stop Voldemort from returning. He reassured Harry that if their battles did no more than slow Voldemort's return then he may never come back.
When Harry returned for the end of year feast Gryffindor were announced as the winners of the house cup after last minute points were given for Harry, Ron and Hermione's heroics with the Philosopher's Stone. Harry saw it as the best evening of his life and one that he would never forget.
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
. The PC version was developed by software company KnowWonder and was built on the Unreal Engine
which allowed for it to play on both software and hardware
-accelerated
modes. The games executive producer
Chris Graham stated that the game was aimed at eight to fourteen year olds with its puzzle based gameplay. The PlayStation version was developed by Agronaut as an action
-platform
game which integrated a 3D environment into its gameplay. The Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance versions were individually developed by Griptonite Games
and Eurocom
.
Philosopher's Stone was first revealed on the PC
at the E3 expo in May 2001. A press release followed, months later, on 13 November 2001, days before the films 16 November release. The press release stated it would ship the game to coincide with the film adaptation of the same name.
The Philosopher's Stone remake was initially rumoured in June 2003 for next-generation
consoles. It was officially confirmed in July 2003 that EA was developing a new game for the PlayStation 2
, Xbox
and Gamecube console's based on a similar format as the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
game released in 2002.
The game was developed by Warthog Games
and set out to fix some of the problems encountered in the previous game such as loading time. The game uses similar set designs and graphics as the Chamber of Secrets game and the previous generation
consoles by making them 3D
. The game was released on 12 December 2003.
as Harry Potter, Harry Robinson as Ron Weasley, Emily Robinson as Hermione Granger and Stephen Fry
as the narrator for the PC, Playstation, Playstation-2, Gamecube and X-box versions. .
composed the music of Philosopher's Stone. The soundtrack was written by Soule before hearing the score by John Williams
for the motion picture version, and features original themes written for the game. The eponymous main theme is "Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone Theme", and is used throughout the score. The soundtrack was released digitally in 2006
.
listed it as the third top-selling PC game of 2001 after being available for only two months in North America
.
Both versions of the game received multiple nominations. The original version received three nominations from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
for "Best Console Family Game", "Best Original Music Composition", and "Best PC Family Game" at the 5th Interactive Achievement Awards. It was also nominated for a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award
in the "Favourite Video Game" category at the 2002 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
. The remake received a nomination for a Golden Joystick Award in 2003 for "MTV Film Adaptation of the Year" but lost to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
. The soundtrack received a nomination from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences for Original Musical Composition in 2002 but lost to Tropico.
game with IGN
saying the game was "[...] like the digital equivalent of a Ron Weasley
hand-me-down[...]" and GameSpot
saying the graphics "[...]doesn't look as sharp as Chamber [of Secrets][...]".
Worthplaying.com praised the games voice acting saying "Voice acting is probably the game's best aural aspect as the voice talent[...] deliver[s] their lines in a believable and fitting style." IGN found the voice dialogue to be "[...] well acted and very crisp." GamePro
said the game was "[...] more interactive and enjoyable[...]" than the PlayStation version.
ComputerAndVideoGames.com
commented on Hogwarts
saying it is a "[...]curiously flat experience, and not helped by the chronically jerky frame rate." G4tv.com
said the games camera angles were [...] the worst offender[...] It's a maddening and uncooperative a system." Soundtrack Geek's Jon Blough identified Jeremy Soule
's music for the soundtrack as too short. He also added that "[...] the menacing and relaxing cues [in the music] fail[ed] to provide anything definitive." GameZone
observed the tasks and quests and stated they [...] aren't as compelling [Chamber of Secrets], and the puzzles seem a little lacking."
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." It also praised the Playstation version for its "bedtime-story-style narration" and the character voice overs, but criticised the games lack of music. 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. The "fun to play" Quidditch matches were praised by Playstation Illustrated, who stated that the "matches were excellently done" and controlling Harry was easy. 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. The easy gameplay for the PC version was criticised by GameSpot, adding that the auto jump function removes any form of a challenge from the block puzzle and platform sequences. GameSpot described the score by Jeremy Soule as "enjoyable", but its repetitiveness and shortness made for less variety throughout the game. GameSpot praised Game Boy Advance
version for its well-animated graphics and environment, paying close attention to small details such as Harry's cape flapping while he moves and his spellcasting gestures. Game Vortex criticised the GBA version for its lagging graphics that occurs when casting the "Flipendo" spell, the repetitive environments for each spell challenge level. It also criticised not being able to jump over bottomless pits in the spell challenge levels, where falling down results in the level being played from the beginning. GameZone praised the overall gameplay, controls and graphics, for the GBA, commenting that it is "[...] a solid, enjoyable product[...]," but pointed out draw-backs like too simplistic puzzle solving. Game Vortex and GameZone both praised the Game Boy Color
version's well detailed environments, gameplay and colour usage, but was faulted for its lack of detail on enemy characters who appeared indiscernible to the main characters. IGN commented that those who had not read the books "may be left in the dark", as there is very little narrative in the game, and tends to be aimed at Harry Potter fans.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, is an Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
multi-platform action-adventure
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game developed by KnowWonder
KnowWonder
KnowWonder Digital Entertainment is a video game company that was founded in 1998, and was formerly owned by Amaze Entertainment. It acquired Griptonite Games in 1999, but got bought back by Realtime Associates...
, Warthog, Griptonite
Griptonite Games
Griptonite Games, is an American video game developer developer located in Kirkland, Washington. It is currently wholly owned by Glu Mobile, but was formerly a part of super-developer Foundation 9 Entertainment, where it was previously a studio of Amaze Entertainment.-History:Steve Ettinger opened...
, Argonaut
Argonaut Games
Argonaut Games plc was a British video game developer. Founded as Argonaut Software by teenager Jez San in 1982 the company name is a play on his name and the movie title Jason and the Argonauts. It had its head offices in Edgware, London....
, Eurocom
Eurocom
Eurocom is a British video game developer founded specifically to develop games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Since then Eurocom has expanded to several other platforms including handheld game systems and most major video game consoles.The company was once famous for its arcade to console...
and Westlake Interactive. Philosopher's Stone was initially developed for the PlayStation, PC
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
, Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
and Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
, and was re-made two years later for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
.
The first version
History of video game consoles (fifth generation)
The fifth-generation era refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at stores...
of the game was released on November 15, 2001 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
on November 16 and in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on December 1, 2003. The second version
History of video game consoles (sixth generation)
The sixth-generation era refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at the turn of the 21st century. Platforms of the sixth generation include the Sega Dreamcast, Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Microsoft Xbox...
was released in North America on December 9, 2003, in Japan on December 11 and in Australia and Europe on December 12.
The story follows protagonist Harry Potter
Harry Potter (character)
Harry James Potter is the title character and main protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The majority of the books' plot covers seven years in the life of the orphan Potter who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard...
, who discovers he is a wizard, and is sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he makes friends and receives magical training, and along with his friends stop Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort is the main antagonist of the Harry Potter series written by British author J. K. Rowling. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released in 1997...
from returning to power. The game received mixed reviews. Critics commented on the game's simple game play and its poor graphics (2003 versions) while others said the game's license will be the only thing to draw in fans.
Gameplay
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone gameplay is from a third-person perspective. The player controls the character Harry PotterHarry Potter (character)
Harry James Potter is the title character and main protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The majority of the books' plot covers seven years in the life of the orphan Potter who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard...
from a behind-the-character view.
PC and PlayStation
In the PCMicrosoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and PlayStation versions, the game is played like a third-person shooter and puzzle game. It features combat with various creatures and bosses such as Lord Voldemort. The Flipendo Jinx is used on both enemies and objects around the environment. Many other spells are learned during lessons taught by the teachers around the school.
GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox version
A new game of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was made for newer consoles in 2003 by Warthog Games, a couple of years after the original versions. Its gameplay differed greatly from the other versions and was criticized for taking all the spells from the Chamber of Secrets version of the game.Game Boy Color
The Game Boy Color game is a role-playing game, similar to games like Final FantasyFinal Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
. The player controls Harry, starting from when Hagrid brings him to Diagon Alley. It strictly follows the story of the books, with all the scenes from that point on in the book being playable, except for the addition of bands of monsters such as rats, bats, and spiders roaming most of the locations. The spells are used for combat, rather than interacting with the environment.
Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Advance game is completely different from the Game Boy Color game. The Game Boy Advance game is a top down puzzle game. The player explores Hogwarts, and must attend classes which often include a challenge of collecting a certain number of items, such as challenge stars or potion ingredients. This game features the familiar monsters from the other games in the series, such as snails and gnomes.Plot
Rubeus HagridRubeus Hagrid
Rubeus Hagrid is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. Hagrid is introduced in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as a half-giant who is the gamekeeper and Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts, the primary setting for the first six novels...
, a mysterious giant, leaves an orphaned Harry Potter
Harry Potter (character)
Harry James Potter is the title character and main protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The majority of the books' plot covers seven years in the life of the orphan Potter who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard...
, whose parents were murdered by the evil Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort is the main antagonist of the Harry Potter series written by British author J. K. Rowling. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released in 1997...
, on the front door step of his bullying relatives, The Dursleys. Eleven years later, Harry received a letter inviting him to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and after buying his school supplies, at Diagon Alley, he boarded the Hogwarts Express on platform 9¾ with the other students. Once they arrive at Hogwarts, the first year students are sorted into one of four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Harry is sorted into Gryffindor, after pleading with the hat not to place him in Slytherin, notorious for being the house of darker witches and wizards. Once sorted, Harry meets Ron Weasly, a poor boy from a large, pure-blood, wizarding family and Hermione Granger
Hermione Granger
Hermione Jean Granger is a fictional character and one of the three protagonists in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. She initially appears in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a new student on her way to Hogwarts...
, a witch born to non-magical parents.
At school, Harry begins his training as a wizard and learns more about his past. After retrieving a rememberal while riding on a broomstick, for his classmate Neville Longbottom, Harry is appointed seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch
Quidditch
Quidditch is a fictional sport developed by British author J. K. Rowling for the Harry Potter series of novels. It is described as an extremely rough, but very popular, semi-contact sport, played by wizards and witches around the world...
team. Tricked by Slytherin, Draco Malfoy
Draco Malfoy
Draco Malfoy is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. He is a Slytherin student in Harry Potter's year. He is frequently accompanied by his two accomplices, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, who act as henchmen...
, Harry, Ron and Hermione, accidentally come across a huge three-headed dog on a restricted floor of the castle. After escaping they realise the dog was standing on a trap door which is guarding the Philosopher's Stone, a magical object which grants the user immortality. When Harry is almost killed during a game of Quidditch, by what appeared to be Professor Snape
Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel of the series, he is hostile toward Harry and is built up to be the primary antagonist until the final chapters. As the series progresses, Snape's character becomes more layered and...
uttering a curse at him, Harry concludes that he is after the Philosopher's Stone.
Harry, Ron and Hermione set out to stop Snape from retrieving the Philosopher's Stone by putting the three-headed dog to sleep with music and going through the trapdoor. The three face a series of obstacles that protect the stone which includes surviving a deadly plant, catching a flying key, playing a life-sized game of Wizards Chess and choosing the correct potion to get through a magical fire. Harry, now alone, expects to face Snape but instead finds Professor Quirrell, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Quirrell removes his turban and reveals that Voldemort was living on the back of his head. Harry retrieves the stone and Voldemort tries to get it from him but touching him burns Quirrell's skin. Harry passes out from the struggle of the battle.
He awakens in the school's hospital wing with Professor Dumbledore
Albus Dumbledore
Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a major character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. For most of the series, he is the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts...
, the headmaster, by his side. Dumbledore explains that the stone has been destroyed but it wouldn't stop Voldemort from returning. He reassured Harry that if their battles did no more than slow Voldemort's return then he may never come back.
When Harry returned for the end of year feast Gryffindor were announced as the winners of the house cup after last minute points were given for Harry, Ron and Hermione's heroics with the Philosopher's Stone. Harry saw it as the best evening of his life and one that he would never forget.
Development
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard...
and through working with Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
the game also features the sets and environment from the film adaptation
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, released in the United States and India as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. The film is the first instalment in the Harry Potter film series,...
. The PC version was developed by software company KnowWonder and was built on the Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine
The Unreal Engine is a game engine developed by Epic Games, first illustrated in the 1998 first-person shooter game Unreal. Although primarily developed for first-person shooters, it has been successfully used in a variety of other genres, including stealth, MMORPGs and RPGs...
which allowed for it to play on both software and hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
-accelerated
Hardware acceleration
In computing, Hardware acceleration is the use of computer hardware to perform some function faster than is possible in software running on the general-purpose CPU...
modes. The games executive producer
Game producer
A video game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game.The earliest documented use of the term producer in games was by Trip Hawkins, who established the position when he founded Electronic Arts in 1982...
Chris Graham stated that the game was aimed at eight to fourteen year olds with its puzzle based gameplay. The PlayStation version was developed by Agronaut as an action
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
-platform
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
game which integrated a 3D environment into its gameplay. The Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance versions were individually developed by Griptonite Games
Griptonite Games
Griptonite Games, is an American video game developer developer located in Kirkland, Washington. It is currently wholly owned by Glu Mobile, but was formerly a part of super-developer Foundation 9 Entertainment, where it was previously a studio of Amaze Entertainment.-History:Steve Ettinger opened...
and Eurocom
Eurocom
Eurocom is a British video game developer founded specifically to develop games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Since then Eurocom has expanded to several other platforms including handheld game systems and most major video game consoles.The company was once famous for its arcade to console...
.
Philosopher's Stone was first revealed on the PC
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
at the E3 expo in May 2001. A press release followed, months later, on 13 November 2001, days before the films 16 November release. The press release stated it would ship the game to coincide with the film adaptation of the same name.
The Philosopher's Stone remake was initially rumoured in June 2003 for next-generation
History of video game consoles (sixth generation)
The sixth-generation era refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at the turn of the 21st century. Platforms of the sixth generation include the Sega Dreamcast, Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Microsoft Xbox...
consoles. It was officially confirmed in July 2003 that EA was developing a new game for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and Gamecube console's based on a similar format as the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a action-adventure game published by Electronic Arts and developed by both EA's internal development team and Eurocom for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance systems. It was simultaneously co-developed by Amaze Entertainment for...
game released in 2002.
The game was developed by Warthog Games
Warthog Games
Warthog Games Limited was a UK-based video game developer, located in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, with studios in Sweden and the USA.The developer later developed titles as Gizmondo Europe, before the company disbanded; and key staff formed Embryonic Studios which later became TT...
and set out to fix some of the problems encountered in the previous game such as loading time. The game uses similar set designs and graphics as the Chamber of Secrets game and the previous generation
History of video game consoles (fifth generation)
The fifth-generation era refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at stores...
consoles by making them 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
. The game was released on 12 December 2003.
Voice actors
The voices featured in Philosopher's Stone have a likeness provided by the cast of the film adaptation. The voice cast features Joe SowerbuttsJoe Sowerbutts
Joe Sowerbutts is a British actor who played the part of Thomas Mortmain in the 2003 film I Capture the Castle. He also voiced for Harry Potter in the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone video game and was used to re-dub two scenes for Daniel Radcliffe after Radcliffe's voice broke.-External...
as Harry Potter, Harry Robinson as Ron Weasley, Emily Robinson as Hermione Granger and Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
as the narrator for the PC, Playstation, Playstation-2, Gamecube and X-box versions. .
Soundtrack
Jeremy SouleJeremy Soule
Jeremy Soule is an American composer of soundtracks for film, television and video games. He has won multiple awards and has been described as the "John Williams of video game music" and "a model of success" for Western composers. He has composed soundtracks for over 60 games and over a dozen...
composed the music of Philosopher's Stone. The soundtrack was written by Soule before hearing the score by John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
for the motion picture version, and features original themes written for the game. The eponymous main theme is "Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone Theme", and is used throughout the score. The soundtrack was released digitally in 2006
2006 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....
.
Reception
Philosopher's Stone received positive sale figures, despite mixed reviews. From November 2001, to February 2002 it was listed as one of the top three highest-selling PC video games, and was the top selling PC title in December 2001. In February 2002, the NPD GroupNPD Group
The NPD Group, Inc. is a leading North American market research company. The NPD Group consistently ranks among the top 25 market research companies in the independent Honomichl Top 50 report, which the media and the research industry acknowledge as a credible source of information on the market...
listed it as the third top-selling PC game of 2001 after being available for only two months in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Both versions of the game received multiple nominations. The original version received three nominations from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences , founded in 1996, is a non-profit organization that promotes computer and video game entertainment with the annual D.I.C.E. Summit event, where its Interactive Achievement Awards ceremony has been held annually since 1998...
for "Best Console Family Game", "Best Original Music Composition", and "Best PC Family Game" at the 5th Interactive Achievement Awards. It was also nominated for a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids Choice Awards, is an annual awards show that airs on the Nickelodeon cable channel, which airs live and is usually held and telecast live on a...
in the "Favourite Video Game" category at the 2002 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
2002 Kids' Choice Awards
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2002 featured a musical performance from double platinum recording artist Pink. The theme music for the awards was a Nickelodeon instrumental version of She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby...
. The remake received a nomination for a Golden Joystick Award in 2003 for "MTV Film Adaptation of the Year" but lost to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a 2002 cross-platform video game based on Peter Jackson's New Line Cinema films The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers...
. The soundtrack received a nomination from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences for Original Musical Composition in 2002 but lost to Tropico.
Critical response
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone received mixed reviews. The game was compared to the Chamber of SecretsHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a action-adventure game published by Electronic Arts and developed by both EA's internal development team and Eurocom for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance systems. It was simultaneously co-developed by Amaze Entertainment for...
game with IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
saying the game was "[...] like the digital equivalent of a Ron Weasley
Ron Weasley
Ronald Bilius "Ron" Weasley is a fictional character and one of the three protagonists in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the best friend of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger...
hand-me-down[...]" and GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
saying the graphics "[...]doesn't look as sharp as Chamber [of Secrets][...]".
Worthplaying.com praised the games voice acting saying "Voice acting is probably the game's best aural aspect as the voice talent[...] deliver[s] their lines in a believable and fitting style." IGN found the voice dialogue to be "[...] well acted and very crisp." GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
said the game was "[...] more interactive and enjoyable[...]" than the PlayStation version.
ComputerAndVideoGames.com
ComputerAndVideoGames.com
ComputerAndVideoGames.com is the web-based successor to Computer and Video Games magazine, the world's oldest specialist gaming publication.- History :Launched in August 1999, CVG is one of the UK and Europe’s leading gaming web sites...
commented on Hogwarts
Hogwarts
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry or simply Hogwarts is the primary setting for the first six books of the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, with each book lasting the equivalent of one school year. It is a fictional boarding school of magic for witches and wizards between the ages of...
saying it is a "[...]curiously flat experience, and not helped by the chronically jerky frame rate." G4tv.com
G4tv.com
G4tv.com, also known as G4tv: The Show or simply G4tv, is a weekly video game talk show that aired on G4 and was produced by Laura Foy. The questions and polls used on the show were from the G4tv.com discussion forums live chatroom and were on any topic concerning games or the technology of gaming...
said the games camera angles were [...] the worst offender[...] It's a maddening and uncooperative a system." Soundtrack Geek's Jon Blough identified Jeremy Soule
Jeremy Soule
Jeremy Soule is an American composer of soundtracks for film, television and video games. He has won multiple awards and has been described as the "John Williams of video game music" and "a model of success" for Western composers. He has composed soundtracks for over 60 games and over a dozen...
's music for the soundtrack as too short. He also added that "[...] the menacing and relaxing cues [in the music] fail[ed] to provide anything definitive." GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
observed the tasks and quests and stated they [...] aren't as compelling [Chamber of Secrets], and the puzzles seem a little lacking."
GameSpot praised the developers efforts, for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
version, in re-creating the Hogwarts
Hogwarts
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry or simply Hogwarts is the primary setting for the first six books of the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, with each book lasting the equivalent of one school year. It is a fictional boarding school of magic for witches and wizards between the ages of...
castle and different looking characters, but said the game's graphics look like "extremely jagged polygons." It also praised the Playstation version for its "bedtime-story-style narration" and the character voice overs, but criticised the games lack of music. 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. The "fun to play" Quidditch matches were praised by Playstation Illustrated, who stated that the "matches were excellently done" and controlling Harry was easy. 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
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
to lag. The easy gameplay for the PC version was criticised by GameSpot, adding that the auto jump function removes any form of a challenge from the block puzzle and platform sequences. GameSpot described the score by Jeremy Soule as "enjoyable", but its repetitiveness and shortness made for less variety throughout the game. GameSpot praised Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
version for its well-animated graphics and environment, paying close attention to small details such as Harry's cape flapping while he moves and his spellcasting gestures. Game Vortex criticised the GBA version for its lagging graphics that occurs when casting the "Flipendo" spell, the repetitive environments for each spell challenge level. It also criticised not being able to jump over bottomless pits in the spell challenge levels, where falling down results in the level being played from the beginning. GameZone praised the overall gameplay, controls and graphics, for the GBA, commenting that it is "[...] a solid, enjoyable product[...]," but pointed out draw-backs like too simplistic puzzle solving. Game Vortex and GameZone both praised the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
version's well detailed environments, gameplay and colour usage, but was faulted for its lack of detail on enemy characters who appeared indiscernible to the main characters. IGN commented that those who had not read the books "may be left in the dark", as there is very little narrative in the game, and tends to be aimed at Harry Potter fans.