@MaszynowFebruary 03, 2025
Starting with the Philosopher's Stone up to and including The Prisoner of Azkaban, the three games were really special for a freshly teen me. They became memorable and special for me to this day, for what they allowed you to experience and it's not just because of the franchise, it's something that was less common on the market - to make you feel like a wizard. Not like a super powerfull legendary badass - simply a guy, who is also a wizard, just like anyone around him in this universe. Now sure there were games where you could play as a wizard, but they all were all soooo battle heavy, even if you were starting off as a runt, the final goal was to become some fireball and lightning spewing warrior (as an example) that battled evil on a battlefield.
These games in turn, maybe weren't mechanically the best, maybe they didn't follow the plot to a T and also have the cliche of having to defeat evil, they approached the subject more from a civilian perspective, if it makes sense. Sure we also encounter monsters and baddies, but also some mundane aspects like having lessons or exploring the castle in search of secrets (probably more if not for the limitations at the time), which helped make it feel more like a civilian would, in a society where everyone is a mage. Something like: "oh no, a gnome stole my shoe, guess I better pull out the slippery floor spell again", rather than "lightning bolt from the sky, NOW"
In tandem with the books, this gave you a feeling of simply "living" an ordinary school life of a fairly ordinary wizard boy and this I believe, is the biggest part behind the giant success of the latest Potter game - Hogwarts Legacy.
The first 3 games really captured that vibe for me and many others, as we can see now and that is why we want them brought back and I say this not as a Pottermaniac. I like the story and all, but to me the important thing about these games is not that you are Harry, but rather that you "live" in a magical world when playing them.