Buzz! Quiz TV PS3

Buzz gets a few enhancements and new features for the PS3 version, but it’s the same game we’ve come to love and still the best quiz game around.

Ups:	Slick visuals, MyBuzz online community with up/downloadable user-created content. Sofa vs sofa mode. Wireless controllers.
Downs:	Although the questions aren’t all that taxing, you can’t set the difficulty level. Each game follows exactly the same format, with no option for a long or short game. Single player is still a lame and lonely experience.

Review

by Huntress (29/07/08)

7.5 / 10

"Can't go wrong with Buzz!"

Big hair, sharp suits, an entirely new arsenal of amusing insults and one-liners… plus a double helping of cheese. Yes, folks, the ultimate quiz show host is back for yet another season, with Buzz! Quiz TV coming soon to a PS3 near you.

There’s been a fair amount of advertising for Buzz! Quiz TV across various forms of popular media (we’ve even spotted an ad in a foodie magazine, of all places), so most of you will have at least a general idea of what it’s all about. For those who don’t however, the Buzz! franchise is a TV quiz show spoof, with purpose designed buzzers, stereotypical contestants, over-the-top rounds and silly prizes. The questions are serious however, and so is the entertainment value.

While it’s basically the same game in a new (tailored) suit, Buzz! Quiz TV packs a few notable enhancements over its PS2 predecessors; for starters it’s in glorious HD, and the buzzers are wireless. One of our pet peeves with earlier Buzz! games was the fact that, unless you’re one of those neat freaks who patiently winds up the cords and secures them with twist ties after each session, you will spend several frustrating minutes trying to untangle the rats’ nest of cables. Batteries are required but wireless is the way to go… and best of all they are compatible with PS2 Buzz! games.

The 5000-plus questions cover a broad selection of subject categories or ‘channels,’ as they are called, and you do have a say in which channels will be included in the game. The different rounds e.g. Pass the Bomb, Pie Fight, Fastest Finger and Point Stealer, are taken directly from earlier titles, with a new ‘High Stakes’ round thrown in to add some excitement into the mix.

During this particular round, contestants must gamble their hard earned (or stolen) points against each question. Since the subject is announced prior to each question you can elect to either play it safe by betting minimum points, or if you’re feeling supremely confident you’ll know the answer, wager the maximum in the hopes of a huge return.

The trend towards online functionality has opened a whole new set of possibilities for social gaming. We’ve already seen it with SingStar’s online community and store; it’s also a major feature – perhaps even the mainstay - of Buzz! Quiz TV. Not only can you upload and download user created/moderated quizzes from MyBuzz, but you can also compete against others online in the new Sofa vs. Sofa multiplayer mode. This sounds like the ultimate party mode but is something of a misnomer, since only one player at a time can compete from each ‘sofa’. Another drawback of this mode is not being able to taunt your online rivals (which, as we know, is half the fun of playing Buzz!); however it is a huge step in the right direction and we hope to see expanded online features in the future.

Incidentally, additional 500-question quiz packs can also be downloaded from MyBuzz… but of course you have to pay for those.

There is a token single player option included in Buzz! Quiz TV, although it’s only three identical rounds of ‘stop the clock’ questions, which quickly becomes tiresome. In other words, nothing has changed as far as the single player game is concerned. It’s really only useful for practice purposes. If you do have a hankering to play by your lonesome, we recommend selecting the multiplayer game and activating a ‘dummy’ contestant. That way, you’ll at least be able to try all the rounds… and have someone to throw pies at!

We did wonder what happened to Rose; there’s no sign of the glamorous assistant this time around. Perhaps she scored herself another gig on the game show circuit, or decided to pursue a degree in advanced physics? Whatever the reason, we do miss her… but there’s plenty of other eye candy to feast on. For example the excellent lighting effects and sweeping camera angles manage to reproduce the look and feel of a real TV set most convincingly (and we speak from experience here). The audience and contestant animations, which are very smooth and detailed, add to the game show atmosphere.

There’s even pyrotechnics and a smoke machine to ensure every entrance Buzz makes is a spectacle. Once again Jason Donovan supplies the voice talent and he does another great job of delivering his lines in character.

Sure, it’s a revamped version of the ‘same old, same old’; however there are enough new features in Buzz! Quiz TV to make it worth your while. It’s still a great party game and as always manages to poke fun at the entertainment industry whilst testing your grey matter and reaction times (and sometimes friendships) to the max. Buzz! titles have regularly rated highly with social gamers and braniacs, and we predict this one will be no exception.

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Want more? Then check out the Buzz! Quiz TV launch trailer in HD from GP Downloads.