Electronic Arts proved the power of the movie tie-in today, shipping Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to retail outlets in North America just in time to capitalize on the movie's opening.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban includes a lot of firsts, both for the "Harry Potter" franchise and for the PS2. For starters, the game marks the first "Potter" game in which players can play as Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger as well as Harry Potter, switching between characters to resolve challenges and overcome enemies.
In addition, the game is the first third-party title to support Sony's EyeToy peripheral (read DailyGame's review). Using the peripheral, up to four players can compete in a series of Potter-themed games, including Zonko’s Joke Shop, Exploding Snap, Chocolate Frogs and more.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is available for the PS2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and Windows.