GENRE
	Sports
	DEVELOPER
	Full Fat
	PUBLISHER
	DSI
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	Yes
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	No
	MICROPHONE
	No
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The Harlem Globetrotters are one of the most historic names in professional basketball. Founded in the late 20s (ironically, in Chicago), the Globetrotters have been a mainstay of the sport for nearly a century, despite never having been officially affiliated with any professional basketball leagues or organizations. Known for their over-the-top antics and astounding skills, the Globetrotters have now made their first Nintendo DS appearance in Harlem Globetrotters World Tour, courtesy of DSI.

visuals

Graphics in the Globetrotters' world are sprite-based. The court setup and animations are eerily reminiscent of NBA Jam, although the characters are far more realistically proportioned. The Globetrotters themselves are based on real-life members of the team, but their opponents are far less diverse, as the uniform colors are practically all that distinguishes them from each other. The different arenas show even less distinction, as the only difference between each 15 or so courts across the world seems to be the color of the rim itself; otherwise, they are virtually identical. The top screen is used solely as a scoreboard, which works, as it keeps the numbers from cluttering up the action.

audio

It's hard to screw up basketball sound effects, and fortunately, that didn't happen here. The swish of a sunken shot and the familiar quarter-ending horn all sound authentic; and the ringing clang when the ball bounces fruitlessly off the rim is especially accurate. The real tragedy here is the absence of "Sweet Georgia Brown," the Globetrotters signature song for nearly half a century. While it needn't inundate every second of the title, a small whistled segment at the title screen would have been appropriate.

gameplay

Harlem Globetrotters: World Tour is divided into two modes: World Tour and a Quick Match. Once a mode is chosen, it's obvious that the similarities to NBA Jam don't end with appearance. The two-on-two action of Harlem Globetrotters: World Tour has many other similarities to Midway's arcade title. The strategy here is run and gun; no need to set up complicated plays or strategies. Of course, with two players per team, overly complicated plays aren't really possible anyway. Both the Globetrotters and their opponents can take high-flying leaps, sometimes from half court, in order to score. Dunking, and hanging on to the basket afterward, is the way to charge up the Special Bar, which gives the Globetrotters (or other teams which can be unlocked through World Tour) a temporary boost. The problem is that dunking is somewhat difficult to accomplish and seems to be tied to the top of the key or just past center court.

The AI isn't spectacular, either for allies or opponents. It's possible to win a game by scoring one basket, then recovering the ball and dribbling up and down the back court until time expires, since the shot clock and five-second rule aren't in effect here. The defenders will simply stay at half court, or a good distance away from the ball handler, until he crosses center court. Computer-controlled teammates are a bit smarter, but still occasionally throw away the ball or jump randomly. The teams seem to be original and hail from a mix of worldwide cities. Surprisingly, longtime Globetrotter rivals like the New York Nationals and Washington Generals don't make an appearance during World Tour mode.

Another major problem is the interface. There's nothing wrong with having a DS game completely controlled by buttons. Nintendo itself has released a few titles that don't primarily use touch control, most notably Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time and New Super Mario Bros.. With that being said, it's surprising that Harlem Globetrotters: World Tour completely ignores the stylus during play, but forces players to use it in its menus. The Control Pad is useless when navigating menus and between quarters, and the touch buttons are too small to toggle with a finger. An option to simply use the A button to advance would have been welcome.

multiplayer

Two players can go head-to-head in Harlem Globetrotters: World Tour, but two copies of the game are required. The match-up works like an exhibition game, but with each team being controlled by one player.

overall

There are a lot of problems with Harlem Globetrotters: World Tour, but the most obvious is the nature of the game: score the most points before time runs out. Sure, that happens to be the fundamental underpinning for basketball, but anyone who's seen the Globetrotters in action knows that fundamentals aren't at all what this historic team is about. The Globetrotters are about spinning a ball on your index finger, rolling it back and forth across your shoulders, distracting the ref with goofball antics, and tossing the ball through the hoop, catching it underneath and repeating the process endlessly, while still scoring two points for each basket. In short, the Globetrotters are about showmanship more than simply winning the game; although, they always do that, too.

The Globetrotter panache isn't completely neglected by developer Full Fat, but for the Globetrotters, flair shouldn't be something that's added on to the package. Instead, it might have been better to use basketball as a backdrop for a completely different type of game, like what Nintendo did with the Eyeshield 21 games in Japan. Something like a trick match or dunk contest in NBA Street would have been far more in keeping with the team's character than a run-of-the-mill two-on-two basketball game.

4.6/10