In the absence of a complete new Harry Potter adventure for winter 2003, both in video games and in the cinema, developer and publisher Electronic Arts has unleashed a Potter spin-off focusing exclusively around the magical sport of Quidditch for PlayStation 2. Armed with flying broomstick, you’ll control a team of seven players as you strive to defeat your opponents.
Seeing as quidditch is a fictional sport, let’s go over the rules and see exactly what you can and can't do. Each team comprises of three Chasers, two Beaters, the Keeper and the Seeker. Chasers are responsible for scoring with Quaffles, perhaps the easiest ball to control in the game. Beaters are charged with controlling the lively yet hostile Bludgers, and the Keeper guards the hoop goals. But the Seeker is the most important player in the game, charged with hunting down and capturing the elusive Golden Snitch. The Golden Snitch is the wildcard in the game of Quidditch. It’s a tiny winged ball that’s near impossible to see, and is agile and moves extremely fast. Catch it, however, and the game is over.
With such seemingly complicated game rules, we expected EA’s implementation of the fictional game to be extremely limited and difficult to learn. But this isn’t the case, and with five initial challenges included to teach gamers the basics, players will be armed with all the game knowledge they need to compete in the World Cup Tournament. Players can choose from a range of teams including the USA, Bulgaria and Japan. Regardless, players must then make their way up the gaming ladder by defeating the team ranked above them by a varying amount of points. That’s where the strategy element kicks in. You can either target the Golden Snitch as soon as the game starts, or try to amass enough points to overthrow your competitors first.
Quidditch World Cup isn’t by any means a cheap cash-in; it’s a good-looking sports game and a fine addition to the Harry Potter series.