"Quidditch at it's finest"

Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup is the latest in a series of Harry Potter theme games put out by EA Games. However unlike it's two main predecessors, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Quidditch World Cup is actually fun and very interactive. It truly surprised me how good this game is compared to the two previous EA Harry Potter games which may not mean much, but trust me, if you try any Harry Potter theme game on GBA, let it be this one.

Graphics (9/10)

Overall pretty well done. During the actual Quidditch matches the graphics used for the players and the stadium are quite good which makes this game able to be played. I've heard some rumors about this game having bad graphics however once I played it, there are far worse. These are on the upside of GBA graphics. The one possible exception to this is if you select Gryffindor as your house team, you get to see a horrible looking Harry follow you around on each menu screen. Overall, some pretty good graphics on Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup

Storyline (10/10)

Why on Earth am I giving this game a perfect rating for storyline? Well let me tell you, especially the people who are playing this game as Harry Potter fans. It's a sporting game yes, but the system for the Quidditch Cup (Hogwarts League) and the World Cup is identical to those described in the books. Thus Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup actually FOLLOWS THE BOOK. I was actually quite shocked to find this, as other Harry Potter games by EA have been butchered into something far from the Harry Potter universe.

Gameplay (10/10)

I cannot find any flaws with the game system at all. Passes work, all the options work etc. The game is also exactly what its title says. Quidditch World Cup. You play Quidditch starting from your very training and proceed to winning the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup. From there you go on to the World Cup. That may not have much to do with the gameplay, but honestly you play the sport in the game like any other sporting game, in this case being something from the Harry Potter universe. It's very well done on top of it all.

Controls (10/10)

Amazing! Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup has simplistic controls that are not hard to learn or to use. Even special moves can be done quite easily ensuring younger players will catch on quick and have the maximum fun with this game. I wouldn't know where to start if someone asked me to improve the controls for this game. Very good job, EA.

Music (6/10)

If there was a dark side to this game, this is it. The menu music is very repetitive and will get on your nerves quite quickly. It is seriously a plain loop, with a couple seconds of no sound before the music begins playing again. Pretty sloppy work there. The music during the actual Quidditch Matches is what I would expect from any sports game, with a cheering crowd background noise and the usual sound effects. Had they spent a little more time on the music before releasing this it would have been perfect.

Overall (10/10)

I still cannot say how much Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup surprised me. Undoubtedly many gamers will shrug this game aside due to the fact it has the name ''Harry Potter'' in it. Little do they know how much fun they're missing. This game is one of my favorite GBA games I've played and surprisingly one of the best on the handheld system right now.

Harry Potter fans will probably want to buy this game especially if they have a friend to play against with the multiplayer features in this game. Non-Potter fans will probably want to rent it to try, and though it is a good sporting game they just wont see the same fun in it I had.

Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup is a great game and should be one of those games you want to try. Don't be scared of the Harry Potter title, just go out and give it a whirl and catch a few snitches.

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