The game is now installed and working. It’s definitely the best one yet. I’ll post a real review once I finish the game.

By the way, if any of you Windows XP users are having the installation quit with this error message, here’s the solution:

“With DVD in the disk drive, open My Computer.
Right-click your DVD drive and choose Explore.
Right-click Autorun.exe and choose Properties.
Select the Compatibility tab.
Click once in the box next to Run this program in compatibility mode for:
Select Windows 2000 from the drop down menu.
Apply changes.
Once you have set Autorun.exe to run in Windows 2000 mode, double-click Autorun.exe and the installation will start. Follow the instructions given and the game should install properly.” - EA Tech Support

Yeah, I’ve got a copy of the new Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix game (which came out yesterday).

The problem? I can’t install it. Though my computer exceeds the system requirements, it won’t let me.

The installer launches, I type in the serial number, then I get to the EULA page (which is blank for some reason). I click “Accept”, despite the EULA not coming up. The installer closes with the following error:

What the heck? I have DirectX 9.0c! I try reinstalling DirectX. No change. No matter what I do, the installer halts before it even gets a chance to copy any files.

Currently I’m waiting for a reply from EA’s tech support guys.

MasterTheMagic.com, the site for EA Games’ Harry Potter games, has been updated for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix game. To be released on June 25th, the game will undoubtedly be the best of the Harry Potter games….and one of the best games this year.

The site now includes info about the game (and the different platforms), screenshots, desktop backgrounds, and a few other things.

While not the most cutting edge game, even when it came out, the game that really got me interested in computer games was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by EA Games.

Back when I was ten, I got the game after reading all of the Harry Potter books. If your a Harry Potter fan, you’ll probably like the game, while others may not.

The game has a few innovative concepts, but nowadays I’d say it’s too linear. The sequels, Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban were much better (though Goblet of Fire was horrible). From what I’ve seen, Order of the Phoenix, the newest of the Harry Potter games, will not only be the best of the HP games, but one of the most innovative games in general. (more…)

Lego Racers is one of the few good racing games. I know what you’re thinking. “What?!“, right? I’m serious. Unlike most racing games, it’s not a simulation. It’s Lego, which means cartoon-y, basically.

Instead of just driving, there are shortcuts, a wide array of power-ups, and other features that set it apart from the rest.

Lego Racers has the best power-up system I’ve ever seen. There are four classes of power-ups, each a different colored Lego Brick. You have the red Attacks, the green Boosts, the yellow Hazards, and the blue Shields. Then there are the white Modifier bricks, that change what the base brick does. For example, you pick up a green brick, which is normally a five-second (about) speed boost (a jet engine appears at the back of your car). If you collect two white bricks before releasing the power-up, you get two jet engines, wings, and like 15 seconds of ultra fast boost time. If you collect the maximum of three white bricks, you go into hyperdrive, teleporting way ahead.

If you get hit with a cannon ball (the base Attack power-up), your car flies into the air, and lands hard…giving the other cars a chance to speed ahead. There are worse power-up than that, believe me. There’s the Curse, which reverses your steering temporarily, and there’s the MagnaBeam, which holds your car back for 5 seconds. That’s just a small sampling of the vast array of power-ups.

It’s really fun in two-player mode, where you race another person (just plug in an extra controller).

Even though the game is no longer available in-store, you can buy it used. Lego Racers works on Windows XP, though I’m doubtful about Vista compatibility. Then there are console versions available used as well (Playstation 2, Gamecube, etc).

Lego Racers is my favorite racing game, seriously.

Stop laughing! I’m serious; Lego Star Wars the Videogame and the sequel, Lego Star Wars the Videogame 2: The Original Trilogy, are great games.

If you’re a Star Wars fan, or a Lego fan, you’ll like these games.

Here’s the general idea: The Star Wars movies with a Lego twist. Think Star Wars, but a lot funnier. When players/enemies are killed, they collapse into a pile of Lego bricks. You can use the force to build things out of Legos, you can fly Lego spaceships, you can fight with ligtsabers/blasters, and more.

You play through the trilogies with Lego versions of the characters, finding bonuses along the way. After playing a level, you can do it again in “Free Play” mode, where you get to pick the characters you want to bring along (even from other episodes). The developers obviously wanted the game to be funny, as there are tons of hidden jokes throughout the whole game. It’s not just in-game things either, the cutscenes are even funnier.  One example is the part where Luke buys R2-D2 and C3P0 from the Jawas. After the sun sets, they come back, you see silhouetted Jawas running into the building…and running back out with the droids. Luke runs into Kenobi when he goes to find them (a little different from the movie, I suppose).

The Jawas cause mischief during actual gameplay as well. When you’re in the Mos Espa Spaceport, they run off with your landspeeder if you leave it unattended (you just chase after them on foot and kick them out of it if it happens).

Lego Star Wars is a very enjoyable, long, game with plenty of replay value. The game is really funny as well. I highly recommend it, just keep an eye on the clock…or you could unknowingly spend six hours playing it.