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> Results: Quidditch World Cup
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Harry Potter is huge and EA has the license to make the video games, since EA is best known for its dominant sports franchises, it was only a matter of time before they went for the Golden Snitch of cross promotion. Enter Quidditch World Cup, a marriage of EA Sports knowhow and presentation and everyoneﾒs favorite fake sport played on flying broomsticks.Rowlingﾒs Quidditch rules are odd. Hard to describe, hard to film, and itﾒs a game that probably wouldnﾒt work well as a real sport. But EA does a good job sticking to the rules and preventing it from becoming just a Snitch hunt every match. The rules are as follows. The game is played on a pitch, or rather above the pitch. For ease of play EA opted not to make the game full three dimensional. You have forward and backward, but you lack depth. You donﾒt have to worry so much about being above or below the opposition, just moving forward backward, left and right, and staying in control. There are three balls in play. The Quaffle is the scoring ball and two Bludgers can be used to smack an enemy off his broom. Each side defends three rings worth 10 points and defended by a goal-keeper and flying around is a tiny winged ball called The Golden Snitch. Snatch the Snitch and your team gets 150 points. This usually wins the game but EA has changed the emphasis a bit so you need to score as much as possible before the Snitch is snatched. It is possible to win and lose the Snitch. Basically you begin each game as a Chaser (a scorer) and, during key moments, youﾒll be allowed to control the beaters briefly. Eventually the Snitch is spotted and you get to go after it. Basically you have to follow the slipstream until you get close and then hit the button to grab it. The game has a terrific tutorial and ramps up the difficult gently. You can pick any of the four houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and RavenClaw. All your favorite players are here, including Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Cho Chang, and Ron Weasley (is our king). All look like their movie counterparts and frequent cutscenes help advance the story and celebrate particularly brilliant moves. Youﾒre also rewarded with collectible cards that can be used to unlock new brooms, special moves, and other goodies. The controls are good but things get very chaotic, very quickly. Most of the time youﾒre chasing, tackling (this is how you take the quaffle from a rival), stealing a pass, or trying to score, and the game plays a lot like hockey in this mode. But the control is spot on and becomes second nature fairly quickly. In multiplayer games can get as competitive as any well designed and balanced sports title. The graphics and sound are great and despite the fact that the game wasnﾒt made by EAﾒs Sports division, it has that expert presentation. Itﾒs a winner for Harry Potter fans and even those not initiated in the wizarding world will find something to like.  Kid Factor The game is simple yet deep, but itﾒs still aimed at tweens. Older teens will like it but younger kids will likely be confused by the fast paced action and the combo moves. It can be jarring when you suddenly change from chaser to snitch snatcher. Still, girls and boys alike will delight in playing Harry Potterﾒs game and riding a Nimbus 3000, or whatever the best broom is called. The action is also deep enough for older kids and moms and dads too. Making this an ideal game for Harry Potter fans and sports gamer alike. Reviewerﾒs Recommended Ages: 8+ ESRB: E-Everyone Developer: Producer: EA Reviewer: Andrew S. Bub Score: 4 of 5 Discuss this review in our Forums! (No registration required) 
Harry Potter is huge and EA has the license to make the video games, since EA is best known for its dominant sports franchises, it was only a matter of time before they went for the Golden Snitch of cross promotion. Enter Quidditch World Cup, a marriage of EA Sports knowhow and presentation and everyoneﾒs favorite fake sport played on flying broomsticks.
Kid Factor by Andrew Bub
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