The Half-Blood Prince film and video game are quickly approaching their November releases, and another preview of the game is now online! This one is about the Nintendo DS version, courtesy of IGN:

Most of the Hogwarts school is represented in an isometric world. Players control Harry and can explore the grounds of the wizarding school. Numerous students litter the halls and courtyards, offering friendly challenges.

The first portion of the game we tried was the Wizard Duel. Players face off in one on one magic fights with fellow students. Players use the touch screen to attack and defend. The touch screen is split into two sides to switch between attack spells and defense spells.

Read the full report here!

The E3 Media and Business Summit opened its doors this week in Southern California, and developers from all major video game companies are there to demo their upcoming products.

Electronic Arts is one of those present, and one of the games they are showing off is Half-Blood Prince. A few new photos were revealed at E3, and they can be viewed over at GamerShell.com.

The game is "scheduled for release in time for the movie launch this fall."

EA, the makers of the Harry Potter video games, have now released a short trailer for the new Half-Blood Prince video game on Yahoo. You can watch the trailer to the video game, set to be released in November, here.

In addition to that, EA will officially launch the official Half-Blood Prince video game site tomorrow, July 4th.

Thanks to Kalynn for the tip!

Kotaku.com has made a blog post about their recent experience with the upcoming Half-Blood Prince video game for Nintendo Wii. Their preview talks about how the controls worked for a duel between Harry and Draco:

We faced off at either end of a long room, and you hold up the Wii remote to charge your wand for a powerful attack (leaving you undefended), or simply shake the remote in your opponent's direction to fire off a series of quick bursts.

You use the Nunchuk to move side to side, and swinging both Wii remote and Nunchuk across your body causes you to produce a deflection shield that can send your opponent's projectiles right back at him. Shaking both produces a special attack that can knock your opponent down or stun him.

Electronic Arts Russian website has been updated with a new photo from the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game. The photo depicts Harry staring into the pensieve with Dumbledore looking over his shoulder.

An official press released by EA back in April stated that the video game is set to be released sometime later this year, most likley around the release of the sixth film. Thanks to Leaky for the tip!

UPDATE: PocketGamer.co.uk received a sneak peak at the Nintendo DS version of the game and their review is here!

Electronic Arts, makers of every Potter video game to date, has announced that production of Half-Blood Prince is underway. The release will coincide with the release of the film, and EA is thrilled about this next installment:

“We believe that the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game represents a milestone in the movie tie-in genre,” said Harvey Elliott, Head of EA Bright Light studio in the UK where the Harry Potter franchise has its home. “Building on the technological advancements of previous games in the series and with a particular focus on the unique control system of Nintendo’s WiiTM, the team here is working closely with the filmmakers to create an immersive interactive experience that captures the story, the action, the excitement and, above all, the fun of the film.”

The game is scheduled to be released on Wii, PS2, PS3, PC, MAC, X360, DS, and mobile devices. Thanks to Jamie for the tip, and we'll update you with more information in the coming months! For more information on the other Potter video games, click here.

A PC demo for the new Order of the Phoenix game is now online. You can find it via the UK section on the right hand side. The video game will be released tomorrow.

MTV News is running a two-part piece on the Order of the Phoenix video game. Click here to see what the U.K. EA Games crew has to say about their role in creating what has been called the most realistic game yet.

Starting today, Harry Potter fans have the chance to win a free copy of the game for the Wii by signing up for the Harry Potter newsletter through the EA.com homepage. To enter, find the Harry Potter promotion in the main flash box, and click "Sign up" to enter your information.

Also, IGN has posted a video of several OOTP cast members recording audio for the in game dialogue. Thanks to everyone who emailed.

MuggleNet's own review of the video game will be released shortly. The video game will be released on June 26th!

Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution have announced a Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix video game specially designed for mobile phones. The game is being developed at EA Mobile's UK studio and is expected to be available from UK cell providers beginning on June 15. The game won't be available in the US until June 26.

"We're thrilled to deliver Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for mobile," said Travis Boatman, vice president worldwide studios at EA Mobile. "Our teams worked diligently to create a visually rich, immersive mobile game that is faithful to the Harry Potter universe. We believe our consumers will love taking the experience with them wherever they go."

You can read the official press release here.

Order of the Phoenix video game developer Electronic Arts has released a new website to promote the OOTP game! Guided by Moaning Myrtle, you can find a story overview, downloads, pictures, and much more! The video game will be released on June 25th.

On a small side note, the website was designed by Lightmaker (the same company that created JK Rowling's official website).

Part II of the EA Fansite Day coverage is now online. Please check back this coming Friday, May 18th, for a full review of the videogame itself!

On April 26th, EA Games invited several Harry Potter fansites to their headquarters in Guildford UK to analyse and play the fifth Harry Potter video game, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I went along to represent MuggleNet and had a fantastic time. I am going to be releasing all the information I received on the day, including a detailed review of the game itself, over the next few weeks. To start with, here is my report of the visit itself, along with two screenshots taken directly from the game (1, 2).

For further details, check out the main fansite day page.

Another new trailer has been released, but this time it is for the upcoming Order of the Phoenix video game! You can download a QuickTime version of it right here [5.1 MB, MOV] thanks to Electronic Arts. The game will be released on June 25th.

Check out this fantastic new picture of Hogwarts in the Order of the Phoenix video game. One of the exciting new features about this game is that you'll be able to explore the entire castle whenever you please. Thanks to UniversHarryPotter.com for this!

Xbox360.com has received five great new screencaps from the Order of the Phoenix video game. They depict the trio throughout various parts of the school, Dumbledore and Voldemort in the final battle, and the grand staircase within Hogwarts.

Additionally, EA's French division has updated their website with the cover art for the French OOTP video game. You can see that right here in our gallery. Thanks to UniversHarryPotter.com for the tip!

EA has sent us this new screenshot of Sirius Black from the upcoming Order of the Phoenix video game.

The Order of the Phoenix video game is slated for a release one week before the July 13th release of the movie. The game's senior designer has said, "You're going to see all of Hogwarts based on the blueprints from the movie. It's all there and it streams without loading. We're showing some places that have never been seen before like Grimmauld Place where Sirius Black lives."

CBBC has opened a new contest giving the winner a chance to see how the Order of the Phoenix video game is made. To enter, simply answer two questions and fill in the form here. Good luck!

EA has sent us two new screencaps from the Playstation 2 Order of the Phoenix video game. Each provide a glimpse of the exterior of Hogwarts. View them here in our gallery!