"Flying Broomsticks + Soccer + Basketball = Quidditch"

Introduction:

Qudditch, the famous sport of witches and wizards, now comes to life as a video game! if that wasn't enough to make you run out and buy this game, then hopefully this review will be!

Gameplay 10/10

This is one of the most intriguing fictional sports out there is Quidditch. There are 7 players on a team. There are 3 chasers, 2 beater, 1 keeper, and 1 seeker. The team captain can play in any position as he/she wishes. There are 4 balls in Quidditch. There is 1 quaffle, 2 bludgers, and 1 golden snitch.

The quaffle is used to score points. The chasers must pass the quaffle back and forth until they reach their hoops. They must try to get the quaffle through a hoop. Each score is worth 10 points. It won't be easy, though. There is a keeper guarding the hoops which do not belong to their team. The keeper must keep their team's opponent from scoring.

Bludgers are enchanted balls which try to knock other players off their broomstick. A beater can take control of bludgers. A beater can hit a bludger with a bat. The beater may aim at an opposing team member if they wish. Lastly, there is the Golden Snitch. The Snitch is a golden ball that flies around the stadium at top-notch speeds. The seekers must try to catch it. The team who's seeker catches the snitch earns 150 points. Once the snitch is caught, the game is over.

You start out as one of the 4 Hogwarts quidditch teams: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. As that team, you must win the Hogwarts House Cup. Once you win, you can play as an international team and compete in the world cup!

Graphics 10/10

The graphics are B-E-A-utiful! The characters look very real. The courses are also very well designed. You can see just about everything, from the commentator booth to the water glistening off of the characters broomsticks.

Sound and Music 8/10

The sound is nice. The commentator can tell you everything that goes on during the match. It does get a little repetitive, though. The music is rather nice, though.

Control 10/10

The control is very easy to get used to. A to tackle and pass. B to shoot. X to turbo boost. Y to smack bludgers. You get the picture.

Replaybility and Game Length 7/10

This game is fun, but it does get kinda boring after a while. The game does take some time to beat, though, since you have to face off with every professional quidditch team in the world.

Recommendations:

Fans of the Harry Potter Series would definitely like this game. Fans of basketball and soccer games would like this too, since it is a mixture of both. It also has the same style of gameplay as Sega Soccer Slam, so people who liked that game would probably go crazy over this.

Rent or Buy- Buy. If you want to be safe, then rent first. But you'll probably want to buy this game after the first 10 minutes of gameplay.

Overall 9/10

Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup is an unusual, but innovative sports game that all should enjoy.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/24/03