Happy 20th Birthday Low-Poly Hagrid And PS1 Harry Potter
"You dun it nao, Arry Porrer". In a year that Skyrim turns 10, Resident Evil turns 25, and The Legend of Zelda turns 35, it's easy to forget the PlayStation One Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is celebrating 20 years of being in our lives.
Back when Daniel Radcliffe was just a nipper, the PS1 Harry Potter was a devilish title that had us flying around the grounds for Quidditch, catching keys, and playing Wizard's Chess. Although the beloved game was a faithful adaptation of the first book and the 2001 movie of the same name, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is largely remembered for Low-Poly Hagrid.
Happy Birthday Low-Poly Hagrid
Microsoft is also celebrating 20 years of the Xbox this week, but when you put down your controller from playing Halo Infinite, spare a thought for Low-Poly Hagrid. Let's be honest, none of the graphics in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone were exactly breaking boundaries, however, they really did the dirty on the video game version of Robbie Coltrane's gruff gamekeeper.
Of course, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is remembered for so much more than just a blank-faced Hagrid. The bulbous Malfoy sneering, "Nice earmuffs, Potter," somehow making Quirrel and Voldermort even more terrifying with their flat faces, and Dumbledore was all beard - coming off like a humanoid Mogwai.
The Legacy Of Low-Poly Hagrid
Horrifying renditions of the Hogwarts students and staff are all well and good, but it's Low-Poly Hagrid that stole the show. Notably, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was the last major seller of the PS1 before it bowed out of its life cycle. The platform also welcomed Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, however, that game is largely remembered for its PS2 version.
The franchise continued all the way through to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 on the PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360, with Hagrid looking a little different to his low-poly self. Ironically, one magic-loving gamer is trying to create their own game using original assets and Unreal Engine 5. This Hagrid is basically a monkey to man evolution of his PS1 cousin.
In today's society of remakes and remasters, how long until someone remakes Argonaut's Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets for new-gen console. Come on, it can't be a worse idea than the disaster of the GTA Trilogy? Either way, let's raise a glass to Low-Poly Hagrid.