Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup

"Sod off Umbridge--the game's on!"

Quidditch World Cup is a surprisingly good take on the magical sport of choice for witches and wizards. Now in-the-know Muggles who have dreamed for ages at getting a chance to experience it can finally do so, thanks to EA.

Now, you need not worry, whether you know your Bludgers from your Quaffle is of no importance, as the game gives a great tutorial of all the things you need to know to play. For those out-of-the-know, Quidditch is basically played like lacrosse on broomsticks. There are seven participants on each team and the goal is basically to get a ball, called the Quaffle, through three hoops on either side of the Quidditch field, or rather pitch as it's called. The three Chasers do this and are your primary players. You pass the Quaffle to your teammates and steal it from your opponent. In the game you fly forward and backward only, toward the goal hoops, and don't have to worry about rising and lowering over the pitch.

The other members of your team are also flying around trying to help you out. Two Beaters save you from balls called Bludgers that are enchanted to hit, indiscriminately, the players. The Beaters strike them away or can aim the balls toward an opposing team member, thus allowing you to retrieve the Quaffle. In this game, you wait for the message to confirm you can use the beater, then once you press the appropriate button the Beater hits a Bludger you control. If successful, you can knock the Quaffle out of the hands of the opposing chaser and take it for yourself. There is a Keeper who is the basic goalkeeper and who's job it is to stop the Quaffle from entering the goal hoops. And finally there is the Seeker, who's sole purpose is to catch the game-ending ball called the Golden Snitch (this is Harry's position, of course).

The Snitch is worth 150 points only, but once you get it it's game over. If your opponent has been scoring a lot of goals, at ten points a piece, you could still lose even if you catch the Snitch; you want to have a good lead if you catch it. Overall points, though, determine the winner of the Cups.

To get the opportunity to catch the Snitch, you have to build up a meter: at the top of the screen, on either side, lies half of a Golden Snitch ball. By performing tasks like passing, linking passes into combos, and scoring, the two halves inch closer to each other. When they meet and form a full Snitch, the race to capture it is on. Unlike in 2002's awful Chamber of Secrets, you don't fly through rings to follow the Snitch. Instead of that method, here you fly behind the Snitch, in it's trail. Again, you don't have to worry about control since you simply have to boost, and avoid the opposition's seeker, to get it.

On your way to building up your Snitch Meter you can also gain other maneuvers, aside from calling in a Beater for a Bludger attack. You can acquire a dodge ability--which is more like a boost--as well as obtain wicked over-the-top special single-player and team moves. The single player special move can be used for a special steal or guaranteed goal. You get treated to small cut-scenes of you stealing or scoring in unusual ways. The same occurs with team moves. I don't want to spoil what these moves are like, but as I said, they are wicked and over-the-top (and definitely a blast to watch). Some team moves even net you multiple points. Using these team moves can also raise your Snitch meter and lower your opponent's. This can let you rack up more points so games can last as long as you can manage.

There is also some minor side stuff to do if you feel like it as well, such performing specific tasks which allow you to un-lock Quidditch Cards. The collected cards un-lock arenas, moves, higher skill levels, and a team. Connect to the Game Boy Advance and you can trade cards, as well as play Co-op, aside from the regular two-player versus.

You can compete at Hogwarts School for the House Cup, or on various pitches around the world for the World Cup. Choosing from the house teams of Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, you vie for a chance to earn your House Cup. Choosing from the world teams of England, USA, Japan, Germany, France, Australia, Nordic Team, Spain, and Bulgaria, you vie for the coveted World Cup.

On these fields of play, the developers did a good job on realizing the arenas of competition, as they all have fantastic uniqueness. From the standard one at Hogwarts, to the imaginative ones around the world, there are many wonderfully realized settings for the games that include: a canyon arena in the Australian Outback, lotus blossoms blowing about over a water-bottomed arena in Japan, an indoor Spanish Cathedral arena, a Sleepy Hollow-like early colonial American arena with floating pumpkins, and a mist-bottomed Bulgarian nighttime arena. I must also say these pitches look absolutely wonderful. With the little touches like light rain falling, mist flowing, and the blossoms being carried in the wind, these arenas have atmosphere and charm. There is no slowdown to speak of, and the graphics are sharp with the only complaints being that the spectators are flat, and that the overall character models are a bit rough; they could use some smoother edges.

With the great look of the matches, come the great sounds. Lee Jordan and Ludo Bagman are the primary announcers for the game and do a good job. They are usually joined by another voice to offer color commentary. Yes, the announcing can get repetitive, but overall I found it does a pretty good job at getting you immersed in the game, along with the roar of the crowd and their chanting of your team. While the voices are good, some will probably strike a nerve as they seem to repeat...a lot. For example, I took the Spanish team all the way through the World Cup and it appears they can only say ''Si!'' after a goal or winning a bout. Also, I found a glitch where sometimes Lee Jordan's voice becomes mute. A cure for some, I found it annoying. The music is good though, as the game has a nice score as evident in the intro FMV. And the ability to play the game entirely in Spanish, or French, including voices, is a nice little bonus.

So, what of actually playing these matches? Thanks to easy control, it's pretty solid. Since you just fly forward and backward, not up and down, control of your characters is fairly easy. Moves are also easy to perform. From passing to shooting, it's all very well laid out. Simply aim for your teammate and press a button. Being able to use the C-stick as another way of passing was a welcome feature. I really had no problems playing the game, just in wishing it was more thought out, as there were some features I wish were present.

Oh, the game is fun, but not without its gnomes. I felt the overall flying speed was slow and could have been faster, and the gameplay could have been more intense with players really getting knocked around. You should have also been given more defensive moves. For example, when your opponent launches their Bludger attack you can't dodge--just zig-zag--so it can become annoying. Similarly, when the Quaffle is about to be stolen, you can only dodge, but only when you are allowed to, and pass it. How about a block next time? I would have also preferred to fly around the entire pitch, not just stop at the goal hoops. Finally, playing the same teams can get rather tiresome. More teams in the World Cup would have been welcome.

Overall, I was really surprised with this mostly well made game. I was fearing EA was going to do what they have done before and put out more mediocrity like Chamber of Secrets, and their James Bond FPS games, but the overall package convinced me otherwise. From familiar names like: Lee Jordan, Ludo Bagman, Cedric Diggory, Cho Chang, and Viktor Krum, to a special form of Quidditch that hearkens back to it's roots, the developers definitely did some homework. Though they did leave out Ireland, and team mascots. Fouls, a possible story mode, and
create-a-player would have been nice additions. Maybe it can be more sim-like next time, or just...more.

Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup captures the feel of the fantastic pastime wonderfully. If you are a Potter fan, you have to get this. Everything comes together to give the fictional sport of Quidditch a proper start at what I really hope becomes a new fictional sports franchise. If you aren't a fan I suggest a rental to see whether or not you care for this type of ''sport.'' It really is for fans, though I could see it growing on others given some arcade-like features. This game proves EA, internally, can make a good licensed game based off of a series people love if they really, really tried.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/14/03, Updated 06/04/07