Video Gaming News - March 2004

Redwood City, CA (March 16, 2004) - Electronic Arts announced today that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban will utilize the EyeToy for the PlayStation 2.

From EA:

With the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban videogame, Harry Potter™ fans will experience the magic and peril of Harry’s third year at Hogwarts™. For the first time, gamers will play as friends Ron Weasley™ and Hermione Granger™ as well as Harry Potter, switching between characters and utilizing their key attributes and skills to resolve challenges and overcome enemies. Players will unravel the mystery surrounding Sirius Black™ and his escape from the infamous wizard prison Azkaban, as they take part in the most exciting and challenging Harry Potter videogame adventure yet.

Now, with the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban videogame for PS2, Harry Potter fans will be able to enjoy a uniquely entertaining gaming experience as the player’s image appears on the television screen via the EyeToy camera, enabling them to actually participate in the Mini-Games themselves. Up to four players can compete in a series of Harry Potter themed games offering hours of fun for the entire family.

To utilize the EyeToy feature, players start out by donning the Sorting Hat™ and are sorted into their respective Hogwarts house. In addition, gamers can experience a variety of Mini-Games, including:

§ Chocolate Frogs: Clap your hands together to catch a Chocolate Frog and make a nice, chocolaty mess!

§ Exploding Snap: A popular pursuit of Hogwarts pupils, Exploding Snap requires players to match their cards with the snap card to create explosions and increase their score. Chaining correct matches together produces even more explosions!

§ Seeker Practice: Now everyone can improve his or her seeker skills by attempting to catch the ever-elusive Golden Snitch™ – just watch out for the Bludger!

§ Zonko’s Joke Shop: There’s only one way to stop Dungbombs! Use Frog Spawn Soap to explode all Dungbombs onscreen; Hiccough Sweets causes them to jump and Stink Pellets slow them down.

Licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is under development by EA’s UK Studio, the team behind the worldwide success of the Harry Potter library of games that have sold over 20 million copies worldwide. The game, which ships under the EA GAMES™ brand, is scheduled for release in May 2004 for the PlayStation 2, the Xbox® video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube™, Game Boy® Advance, and PC. EyeToy functionality will only be available for the PlayStation 2 platform.

« Back to last page   ·   News Page »