Review: Buzz! Quiz World
A new title in the Buzz! series promises a step forward, but can it deliver?Published 05/11/2009 at 8:00 by tom_lord
We have all played Buzz!, right? Over several iterations, on PS2 and PS3, Buzz has been a run-away success in both sales figures and creating a brand mascot for the PlayStation family and social gaming. Buzz! Quiz World is the latest in a long line of Buzz! titles on a PlayStation console and is the 3rd on the PS3. Over time, each Buzz! Game has stayed to the same knowledgeable quiz show format catering for 1 to 8 players. With the introduction of the PS3 came online play through the PSN and the ability to create your own quizzes through MyBuzzQuiz .com. So what is there that can be new on the latest game, having there been so many previous titles in the series?
Well, it turns out, quite a bit. Buzz! Quiz World is quite simply the most polished Buzz game by some margin and a definite step up from Quiz TV and Brain of the UK (the past 2 on PS3). One of the best features is actually one of the simplest. Buzz will now actually say your name during various parts of the game. You simply chose from a list of names when inputting a new profile, and from then on Buzz will verbally abuse you or congratulate you directly. It’s something that Codemasters have used to great effect in GRiD and DiRT 2 and something that is great to finally see in Buzz!
The actual phrases used by Buzz are now more intelligent and sharper, if not less crude, and his seemingly increased thinking power almost makes him human-like. The graphics have had an upgrade too. Buzz looks better, the contestants look better and so do the studio audience. The animations of Buzz and the characters you play with are also a step forward, providing something to laugh at in-between rounds. But, more importantly, the quiz studio has had a major re-work. There is a larger crowd which is more audible throughout the game and all contestants stand on a giant revolving studio floor which spins around depending on the type of round being played.
With the new studio, come more round types. There is Over The Edge, where for every wrong question you get wrong, your podium rises before you eventual fall in to a giant vat of gunge (just like the final round of Get Your Own Back!), Boiling Point, where there is a giant thermometer behind each opponent which rises each time you get a questions right (first to 6 correct answers wins the round) and On the Spot, where you place a bet on if an individual player will get a question right or wrong (bet correctly and you win the points while they lose the same amount, bet wrongly and they win the points and you lose).
Of course, old favourites return like Point Builder, Fastest Finger and Pass the Bomb amongst others, meaning that each game of Buzz will have a different selection of rounds to the last. This means greater variety and increased longevity. The final round is The Final Countdown, which is the same as the final round from previous Buzz! games (Your podium is higher depending on your points in the game so far, decreasing every time you get a wrong answer), only know they have the rights to the actual Final Countdown song by Europe. You can even create a custom game with the rounds that you want included, or chose from a list of pre-set games with certain rounds within them (e.g. a crazy round game, a 45 minute game or a quiz pack game).
It is also nice to see over 5000 new questions and I haven’t played the same questions twice yet. There also seems to be increased use of licensed video, pictures and music than in previous Buzz games too which all adds to the pseudo-TV game show feel.
But better than all of that is playing Buzz! Quiz World online over the PlayStation Network. You can now play with up to 4 people on your PS3 against another 4 people from around the world. You can player 4 vs. 4, or 2 people on your PS3 and 6 random people online. It all just works too. In an era where online modes are promising a lot, only to fall down due to complicated menu systems or broken laggy performance, Buzz Quiz World never ceases to impress. It is quick and easy to jump into a game (how many times have you heard that before and then be disappointed?), the games are well paced and you get a full 6 round game each time. You can also play using the brilliant MyBuzz user generated quiz questions. All in all, the online mode is highly accomplished, slick and great fun.
Local multiplayer has also had a bit of a spruce up too. In the past, if you played with more than 4 players (between five and eight) the game would be shorter and with limited round types. But now, you can play a full length game of Buzz with 8 people, which is a real blast. The front end menu is now easier to navigate (with descriptions beneath each game mode) and it all adds up to being a great night-in experience for everyone to enjoy.
Pros
- Improved graphics, animations and atmosphere
- Superb online modes
- Still great fun local multiplayer
- Increased question and round variety
Cons
- You either love or hate the character Buzz
- It’s yet another version of Buzz, so nothing ground breaking here
Every area of the game feels polished and complete. It remains great fun and competitive. With every element seemingly refined to television aping quality, it remains to be seen where else the series can improve further. It may not be not revolutionary, but Buzz! Quiz World is almost definitely the best and most complete Buzz game to date. 8/10
Comments
Please note that all comments are the opinion of the individual author and not TheSixthAxis.« Previous 1 2
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cleric20 | 05/11/2009 12:18
Member
78 TSA Points | Member since: Sep 2008
this is a must buy for me, the kids group I run at our church has just bought a PS3 slim and we use little big planet (sackboy jesus saves the world), Buzz (bible based quizzing) and Need for Speed Shift (fastest lap challenge) on the big screen in our church hall – so improved Buzz is a win!
- have also been known for a few of the ‘dads’ to use the ps3 / big screen combo for Killzone2, Tiger Woods and Borderlands… It’s the Lord’s will!?
Roynaldo | 05/11/2009 12:48
Member
2977 TSA Points | Member since: Nov 2008
Ive been wanting one for a while, didnt know which one though…..until now.
Great review Tom.
Cort | 05/11/2009 13:13
Member
348 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
Very helpful review. Just ordered Quiz TV so my increasingly pregnant wife and I can play more games together. As soon as we Platinum that – ;0) – I’ll trade it for Quiz World.
kevatron400 | 05/11/2009 14:05
Don't call him Kevatron400.
1756 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2008
Wow, I was just thinking about getting a buzz game (haven’t bought one since the original on ps2) – based on this review, I’m going to go for this one!
djkaty | 05/11/2009 14:09
Member
188 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009
I was lucky enough to meet the Relentless developers in London this summer and had a (very) minor influence over the design of this game, so I am a little biassed, but I actually do think it is a ground-breaking improvement over the original PS3 version. 8-player online with more than one person per sofa is massive fun, a few things you forgot to mention in the review are:
- Single player challenge modes (gunk tank and 30 questions rapidfire round), this was something requested as people wanted longer rounds
- Voice chat during online play, makes a big difference
- Trophies are alot smarter and better implemented and more thoughtful now
- You can choose to just play a single quiz pack without disabling all the other categories
- Online play lets you rematch against the same players after a game ends
There are however some problems:
- Slow menus
- Can’t customise non-quiz pack categories
- No ability to play quiz packs in single player mode
- No ability to create custom single player games
- You can no longer browse MyBuzz quizzes easily
- The sofa vs sofa leaderboards appear to have disappeared
However despite these niggles the new round types, online play enhancements and new game types make this a wicked upgrade IMHO.
iNsAnE_gAmInG | 05/11/2009 17:23
* Banned *
-1930 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
I would get Buzz, as I had the first one on PS2 and it provided a great bit of fun on Xmas, but then was packed away and never seen again bar one or two occasions but it was never the same as our initial play. I would get this, however my time spent with mates tends to be going out not sat playing games together (that is not a critical comment towards hardcore gamers).
gazzagb | 05/11/2009 17:54
Master of speling mitakse
2760 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009
Ive still got Buzz from the PS2, but i dont really play it that much, only when ive got mates around.
I think the Buzz games are brilliant, so may pick this up cheap in a few months
spooner_22 | 05/11/2009 18:17
Member
1167 TSA Points | Member since: May 2009
I think you may have persuaded me to get this! At some point anyway…maybe with my Cex credit. I have the first ps3 Buzz! and it’s pretty awesome. The additions to this sound like it makes it better. Good review.
By the way I got a buzz quiz from Sony the other day asking what I thought of Buzz games and all kinds, like what I want to see added or taken away and stuff…so I reckon its not long until there’s another even more improved Buzz game! Awesomes!