Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup

"And to think I actually liked the other Harry Potter Games"

This game has got to be the worst game in the Harry Potter series to date. The game itself didn't even have a good idea. I enjoyed quidditch a little bit in the first game where the main game was action and it had a quidditch mini game, but to actually think you could come out with a full game of quidditch and have it do good is laughable. I was extremely disappointed in EA, because I have never known them to produce such a bad game.

Graphics (8/10) - The graphics were the strong point in this game. Not only were they stunning, but every person in the game is always doing something different. It's not the repetitious, boring, same old moves all the time, and you'll always be surprised. The 3-D graphics, and movements in this game are as smooth as silk, and couldn't possibly get any better. There are no polygonal looking characters, like good old FF7, and the balls are clearly there, not just appearing out of no where.

Sound (7/10) - The sound was average, and therefore deserves an average score. They were ok, but soon got old and annoying. Luckily, the weren't bad enough to get stuck in my head, but it was still annoying. The sound effects were just what you'd expect from a quidditch game, a grunt here and there, and a scream every once in awhile, nothing to write home about. Overall, sound-wise, I wasn't too happy.

Controls (5/10) - The controls were pretty bad. There wasn't much to do. I think when I first loaded up the game, I could only do 2 things; shoot and pass. That's it. I discovered that in order to get more controls, you had to play single player and actually work to get them. Aside from that, you get tackled way too often, and it's pretty hard to get down field with all the interceptions going on. Although not the worst aspect in the game, the controls could've used a lot of work.

Gameplay (2/10) - There's only a few words to describe the gameplay, and if I said them, this review wouldn't be posted. The downfall of this game, and the reason I hate it so much, would be the replay value of this game. Sure the animations are good, and the controls are limited, but easy, but the replay value is squat. After you've played one game, you might as well stop because everything is the same. It's not like football games that involve strategy, or skill, it's just the same dumb controls and the people look the same, just with different uniforms. I got burnt out on this game in the first couple hours I had it.

Overall this game isn't that great. The only thing I could see making this game good, would be if you are between 3 and 6 years of age, or you are completely obsessed with the Harry Potter series. If you don't fall under these categories, please don't waste your money on this game. Don't even waste the 2 dollars it would cost to rent it. Just pretend you've never heard of it, and move on. With that said, why not buy a better game, such as Kya: Dark Lineage?

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/04