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Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup Impressions

One of EA's next games is based on a sport from the Harry Potter books and films.

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At the recent Camp EA press event, EA Games showed off the PlayStation 2 and PC versions of Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup. The game is based on the sport featured in the Harry Potter novels and films in which participants ride broomsticks in an attempt to put a ball through the opposing team's goal. Those that aren’t entirely familiar with the game of Quidditch will have an opportunity to learn the basics, thanks to a tutorial mode that offers a series of challenges based on the core mechanics of the game. You'll learn how to pass, shoot, and tackle other players so that you can steal the ball.

However, once you start playing in the World Cup portion of the game, the basic mechanics become a little more complicated. Your team and the opposing team can start using special maneuvers and combinations as well as varying types of passes and tackles. In addition, you have to decide on a certain type of strategy. One of these strategies is to be incredibly aggressive and try to score as many points as possible, while the other is a little more calculated. This calculated approach is beneficial because there's a higher chance that the Golden Snitch will be released, and if it is, you can send your seeker to capture and receive 150 points. You can manipulate your strategy by taking control of various positions on the team. There's the aforementioned seeker, but there are also two beaters, who are responsible for stealing the ball from opponents; a goal keeper; and three chasers, who are the primary scorers on the team.

There are a number of different teams to choose from and play against in Quidditch World Cup, including the Gryffindor team, which features Harry Potter. There are three other Hogwarts teams as well as several international teams--USA, Bulgaria, England, Japan, Germany, France, and others--each of which has unique AI and will play differently from the other teams in the game. To move up through the tournament, you'll be required to beat these teams by a certain number of points, which also ultimately affects the strategy you might use.

Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup is scheduled for release this fall.

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