harry potter RPG, would it be good?

[coopie1]

While being brought up in a british, middle class family I have been almost forced to read(or listen) to every harry potter book at least 2 or three times. And looking at some of the reviews for the new harry potter game, it doesn't look hopeful that it's going to be much better than some of the previous ones(Some had promise I agree, but never achieved their full potential). I've always thought that a proper, bethesda scale RPG could be made out of its universe, having the school as a sort of very long tutorial for what could be a very complex offline RPG. Just as long as it wasn't terribly dumbed down for children, and you don't have a mmo style of combat, I think it could work.

What is the Escapist's view on this, do you think it would/wouldn't sell because of the demographic or is there something else that I'm not thinking of?

edit: I know this sort of thread has been done before, but I'm more interested if a big game dev would make it because of the risks taken in the process as no game would be made like it really

 

[LightOfDarkness]

Welcome to the escapist, you must be a blessed person since you joined on my birthday

On topic: Anything can work with almost anything as long as it's handled correctly. I suppose it could work well, although the mythos doesn't have much wiggle room, so to speak. Everything happens within a set time, and nothing out of the ordinary is hinted at by the end.

I guess it could be set during the time Lord Voldemort was still terrorizing the wizarding world.
As for mechanics, I think what would work better is that the tutorial and main quest intertwine from almost the beginning.
You start off at Hogwarts or another one of the wizadry schools, complete a tutorial on basic magic.
Then it's summertime! During which you are contacted by Voldemort and seen as a recruit for the Death Eaters. At the same time, one of the other side contacts you (don't known what to name it) and then a fight breaks out. Who you help is the side you choose, do some quests for the side you chose which outline how they work.
Back to school, learn more magic, if you are a secret Death Eater you could be doing quests to spy on the inner workings of the other side.
Repeat until after the 7th year of school, then you get to join whatever side fully. It would be like the Alliance and the Horde in WoW.

 

[Link XL1]

happy birthday

pretty much anything CAN work if its done right, and an idea like an RPG in the Harry Potter universe is not that crazy at all. the biggest problem would be getting the rights to do anything other then a movie-game (and as we all know, all movie-games suck).

however, for a good example take a look at Rockstar's Bully. they did a pretty good game in the school setting and i think this HP RPG would be similar to that. the biggest problem would be creating the story and how much freedom of choice you'll give the player. unfortunately games with moral system these days tend to have nothing but good vs evil, and the HP universe doesnt help with that problem.

 

[CarpathianMuffin]

Happy birthday~
I thought much the same, actually, not too long ago. Though not in great detail, I think that it could definitely work if handled properly.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

only if bioware did it

 

[Judgement101]

Welcome to:

(Yes, I made that myself and don't say its poor quality, I had to make it in MS Paint)

OT: It could to appealing to some people.

 

[The Stonker]

Welcome to the escapist, you must be a blessed person since you joined on my birthday

On topic: Anything can work with almost anything as long as it's handled correctly. I suppose it could work well, although the mythos doesn't have much wiggle room, so to speak. Everything happens within a set time, and nothing out of the ordinary is hinted at by the end.

I guess it could be set during the time Lord Voldemort was still terrorizing the wizarding world.
As for mechanics, I think what would work better is that the tutorial and main quest intertwine from almost the beginning.
You start off at Hogwarts or another one of the wizadry schools, complete a tutorial on basic magic.
Then it's summertime! During which you are contacted by Voldemort and seen as a recruit for the Death Eaters. At the same time, one of the other side contacts you (don't known what to name it) and then a fight breaks out. Who you help is the side you choose, do some quests for the side you chose which outline how they work.
Back to school, learn more magic, if you are a secret Death Eater you could be doing quests to spy on the inner workings of the other side.
Repeat until after the 7th year of school, then you get to join whatever side fully. It would be like the Alliance and the Horde in WoW.

Nobody loves you....

Oh! Just kidding, happy birthday mate.

But it's based on a movie, name one freaking game which can stand on it's own and be made from a movie.

 

[NezumiiroKitsune]

It would certainly have to be very liberal with the story, single the lore is based solely on the 7 books which provide minimal indication that besides preforming magic, the magic community live much differently to muggles. I doubt anyone would be interested in playing a long tutorial to eventually end up working a 9 to 5 job at the ministry. It would also almost definitely be marketed to children, or at least young adults, since that's who the books were written for.

Harry Potter has never lent itself well to games, the games have always had to take the story of the books very broadly and apply a lot of non-canon and gameplay fodder to fill this void of suitability. The market for people who want to sit in the Gryfindor common room for hours reading, then watch there character go to bed, get up, eat breakfast, and go to class is too small to build a game on (thus these watery half-games that are only any good when made into straight forward adventure games). The Gameboy colour adaptation of the first 2 games was by far the closest we'll ever see to a proper harry potter RPG (if you haven't played them, you should they were awesome).

The only way I've been able to come up with to make a seriously good Harry Potter BASED game, was some kind of Teen - Mature rated game in which you play a Deatheater carrying out Voldemorts orders. This is the only idea I could come up with that seemed to have some potential to me, since the deatheaters are the only characters that work beyond the normal routines of the wizarding world and aren't constricted by story arcs. It'll never happen though, Harry Potter games are made to appeal to the spectrum that the Harry Potter books appealed to, with a focus on younger gamers and families.

If you think it could be done though, by all means I'd love to read a detailed outline of how one would propose this. I'd be stumped to make a true Harry Potter game in this image that isn't only loosely affixed with the Harry Potter badge. It would have to be made better for it, rather than hindered by it (for example, a game where you hunt evil wizards would be better with complete creative freedom rather than working within to constraints of the limited Auror fluff we have). I'm rambling.

I liked the Harry Potter Gameboy Colour RPGs though (Philosophers Stone and Chamber of Secrets), they were really fun. Nowhere near the scale your suggesting mind

 

[x0ny]

Welcome to the escapist, you must be a blessed person since you joined on my birthday

Ooo! Ooo! Does that mean I'm blessed too? =D And Happy Birthday!

On topic, I wouldn't mind playing a Harry Potter MMORPG, if it was just an RPG then it's a "meh". Always need more WoW clones in this world, there simply aren't enough ^^.

 

[Wayneguard]

I think it would be kinda cool. The HP series has all the hallmarks of good fantasy RPG - you choose your house, your gear, your pet, and after a while, your area of magical concentration. I think as a casual, fable-esque rpg it would be great.