Harlem Globetrotters: World Tour review (Game Boy Advance)

It's shameful to see just how little care went into putting the game together. There are only two play modes, world tour and quick play, and progress is tracked with passwords instead of by an automatic cartridge backup. The gameplay isn't simply dull; it's also broken. Frequently, when you press the shoot or pass buttons, the ball will sail toward the wrong basket or an empty corner of the court. As for the CPU, it attempts full-court shots after every other rebound and will completely ignore you if you stand on the lower edge of the court and let the clock run out. The game doesn't support link play, so you have no recourse against the brain-dead CPU.

You won't find much solace in the presentation, either. The player graphics are large and the courts look stunning, but the animation is so choppy and bizarre that it's impossible to follow what's going on. Jump shots and layups seem to teleport, dunks go in after the fact, and shot takers somehow materialize under the hoop to catch their own three-point attempts. Audio consists of a few generic sports anthems, some chirpy sneakers, and short recorded clips of children cheering. When you're not taking shots, all you'll hear is silence broken up by the intermittent chirp of those squeaky shoes. Incredibly, the Globetrotters' own theme music, "Sweet Georgia Brown," is nowhere to be heard!

Hardly any effort was made to incorporate the Globetrotters license into the game. There aren't any wacky plays or halftime sideshows. You'll never see a Globetrotters player hurl a bucket of confetti at the crowd. The titular team does include 26 actual players from the past few years, which is nice, but the roster doesn't include legends like Meadowlark Lemon, Fred "Curly" Neal, or "Sweet" Lou Dunbar. Those guys appeared in the 1970's cartoon series and in multiple Scooby-Doo! episodes! It's also disappointing that all of the 15 other opposing teams are fake squads populated by fictional players. They didn't even bother to include the Globetrotters' current or classic rivals, the New York Nationals or the Washington Generals. Harlem Globetrotters: World Tour for the Game Boy Advance is a complete letdown in every way. It's a crummy basketball game and an insult to the Globetrotters' legacy.