Ps3 Buzz Quiz World

[Marguerite Gilbeau]

BuzzQuiz World, developed by Relentless Software, is the ninth game in the Buzz! series of quiz games. The game is available for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles. It allows users to use question packs purchased for previous Buzz! games as well as supporting user created content and online play. Unlike the previous PSP Buzz!, Buzz: Quiz World (PSP) supports DLC. As with all previous Buzz games the game is available in a game only (Solus) version or in a bundle which includes 4 wireless Buzz! Buzzers and a USB dongle for wireless connectivity (each dongle can connect 4 buzzers to the PlayStation 3).

In late-March 2010, Sony and Relentless released a patch for Buzz!: Quiz World that added a feature to allow players to post to Facebook from within the game. According to the companies involved,[5] this made the game the first in the world to offer such functionality. The patched Facebook features allow players to post details of the game session just played, including the in-game names of those who took part, and who won.

Point Builder - Points are earned for each correct answer. It doesn't matter how long one takes to answer, so long as it is within the given time limit. In Multiplayer, this is always the first round.[6]

Fastest Finger - Similar to Point Builder, but players are awarded different amounts of points based upon who was the fastest to give the correct answer. The first player to answer correctly receives 400 points, then lesser amounts are awarded to each other player who also gets it right.[7]

Stop the Clock - Similar to Fastest Finger, but the number of points earned is based upon how quickly correct answers are given. The less time taken to answer, provided that the answer is correct, the more points are awarded to the player.

Pie Fight! - When a question is asked, the answer choices slowly appear, letter by letter. The first player to answer the question correctly gains control of a pie. Each player is sequentially targeted by a cross-hair and the pie is thrown at the highlighted player when the player controlling the pie buzzes, causing the targeted player to lose a life. Each player can be hit twice before they're out of the round. Points are awarded based on how long players were able to survive.[7]

On the Spot - One player is chosen to answer an upcoming question. After being shown a vague subject for the question, each other player votes on whether they think the currently active player, i.e. the one who gets to answer, will get the answer right. That player then receives a stake worth points depending on how the other players thought they would. The less favorable the opinion, the more points are added at stake. The player must then answer the question and if they're right, they get points equal to the stake, otherwise they lose those points.[7]

Short Fuse (also known as Pass the Bomb) - A bomb with a lit fuse of unknown length is thrown to a player. That player must answer a question correctly and fast to throw it to the next player. Incorrect answers will force them to keep it, wasting time. The player holding the bomb when it explodes loses points. Three consecutive incorrect answers from the same player also causes the bomb to explode.[7]

Over the Edge - A vat of green goo is revealed below the floor. The answer choices to each question slowly appear, letter by letter. If the first player to answer the question answers correctly, every other player's podium rises one level. However, if the first player to answer gets it wrong, their podium rises one level. Once a player reaches the fifth level, they are flung into the slime and out of the round. Points are awarded based on how long players were able to survive.[7]

Boiling Point - In this round, each player must answer questions to raise a thermometer behind them. Each correct answer raises the thermometer one point higher and earns players points at the end of the round. The round ends when a player has correctly answered six questions, earning them bonus points.[7]

Point Stealer - In this round, the first player to get the answer correct chooses an opponent to steal 300 points from. If the player answers incorrectly, they're out until the next question.[6]

High Stakes - The players are shown a vague subject for an upcoming question. Each player then bets a number of points on the question. If they answer correctly, they win the same number of points they wagered, otherwise those points are lost.[6]

The Final Countdown - The final round of the game. Each player's points are converted into time by raising their podium off the ground depending on how many points they've scored. Every time a question is asked, the podiums start to lower towards the floor. The first player to answer correctly gets a podium raise boost while the other players who also get it right simply stop their podium. Each wrong answer drops the podium slightly. The podiums lower faster as the round progresses. When a player hits the floor, they are eliminated from the game. The last player standing is the winner of the game.[7]

The game was well-received critically, achieving a Metacritic score of 80 based on 33 reviews,[8] and being described as 'hands-down the best party game experience of the year' by TotalPlayStation.com.[9]

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?

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).

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.

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

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For the first time Buzz addresses contestants directly by name but, although there's a method to the available names, many are bound to be disappointed. Dereks, Alberts and Sharons will either have to find nearby approximations or make do with nicknames, like Hotty, Macka or Shiela. Non-Anglo-Saxons are catered for, with the likes of Ibrahim, Hyun Woo and Hriday part of Buzz's lexicon, and those named Anzac and Prawn may be happy for the first time in their lives.

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