Four Harry Potter Games We Want

The saga of Harry Potter, a.k.a. The Boy Who Lived, is finally over. Potterheads have read all the books, seen all the movies, and played all the games. Trouble is, for the most part the games haven't lived up to their potential. It happens often with movie licensed titles: games are rushed out in order to be released in tandem with the movies. But now that there are no more movies, this is the perfect opportunity for developers to make a great Harry Potter game. This isn't to say that there weren't any good games (Half-Blood Prince was my personal favorite), but they could be so much more.

Fans are still hungry for chances to delve into this magical realm and a new, perfectly polished game could be an awesome solution. Officially, Electronic Arts' licensing deal with Warner Bros. ends this calendar year, so who knows if another Harry Potter game will hit store shelves. Since tossing ideas out into the ether of the Internet never hurt anyone, here are some games that we hope see the light of day.

Old 'Bully' Style, New Story

If only more wizards wore hats like that. And rode bicycles.

The Premise: Starting as a First Year, you'd be placed in a house via the Sorting Hat by answering a series of questions and go through your seven years of learning at the famous wizarding school. We don't actually need to be Harry Potter (his life sort of sucks); just being a student at Hogwarts is enough. For ultimate replay value, each house would have a different storyline and quests – all which would offer more complexity than Bully's missions. For example, as a Slytherin you could partake in harassing mixed blooded students or secretly practice Dark Arts in the Room of Requirement. You'd learn different spells as you advanced through your classes and be able to access new areas with every passing year at the school. To top it off, as a Third Year you could journey to Hogsmeade and shop for items to prank people or upgrade your wand.

While some of the Harry Potter games resembled Rockstar's open-world school adventure, none of them matched the quality in terms of gameplay or presentation. With a brand new storyline, different houses to explore, a polished presentation, and fun mini-games, this could be what Arkham Asylum did for Batman.

Potential Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii U

Going Global

I want to be the dragon!

The Premise: A major element that's been missing from the Harry Potter games of old is other people. Being the brightest witch of your age doesn't do you any good if there's no one but AI to see it. An MMO would fix that problem, and a franchise as popular as Harry Potter has a fighting chance in the growing market. Though most of the playable races would be humanoids – giants, leprechauns, veela, centaurs, house-elves, goblins, werewolves, etc. -- there's enough variety to make it work. Since the most popular option would be "wizard" anyway, the three major wizarding schools – Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang – could serve as starting areas (for people opting to be something besides a wizard they could start in wooded areas outside the schools). Transportation options are plentiful – Hippogriffs, Thestrals, dragons, broomsticks, Apparition (teleportation), or even becoming an Animagus (wizards/witches that can transform into an animal).

The great thing about a Harry Potter MMO is that it could balance fantastic and realistic environments. Keeping the game world confined to Europe, the MMO could include major cities like London, Paris, and Berlin. That's semi-educational, right? Right. Now, free-to-play MMOs are increasing in popularity and despite the deceiving name can rake in a lot of cash. This is the time to make everyone's dream to Avada Kedavra their friends a reality.

Potential Platforms: PC

Hogwarts In Your Living Room

Get lost on the staircases of Hogwarts.

The Premise: You know Kinect Disneyland Adventures? Someone needs to do that exact same thing with Hogwarts. There's even a theme park to copy now. While some gamers might cringe at the idea of another casual motion-control game, it would be a natural fit for the younger audience who wants to explore the happier parts of the Potter universe. People who can't afford the trip down to Florida could wander around the castle or village and participate in mini-games or meet Harry & his friends in the comfort of their home. Instead of limiting it to the Xbox and Kinect, the game could also moonlight on the PlayStation 3 with Move support and the Wii U.

Potential Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U

A New Old-School Adventure

Back off, Aragog!

The Premise: It's simple really – keep the original storyline from all seven books, but make a throwback to classic Japanese role-playing games like Final Fantasy. It would be an unexpected, but awesome surprise. Pixilated art, MIDI tunes, and closed captioning in place of voice actors would make everything feel new again. I mean, a pixelated Aragog? Adorable. Sure, it's random, but as a $15 downloadable title, it could be a success.

Potential Platforms: Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, PC