Game Show Greatness
Buzz! finally makes its way Stateside, and we couldn't be happier about it.
Published: November 4, 2007
Confession time: I'm a huge Jeopardy! freak. Though I don't really get to watch the show as much as I should these days, I'm one of those guys that will sit there and answer every question as if I were playing. When Final Jeopardy comes around, I'll automatically pretend I'm the person in last place, wager it all and see how I do. I can't help it; I'm a factoid freak and with the death of the full-fledged You Don't Know Jack series (Jellyvision has recently launched a bunch of very short Flash-based games on their official site), the itch for a trivia game I can play at home with friends has turned into a flat-out rash.
Which is exactly why I was so psyched when the final version of Buzz! The Mega Quiz finally showed up at the office. Work immediately stopped as every grabbed a controller and we all went to town answering questions. After a few dozen games (with, I might add, very little in the way of question repetition, thanks Sony), one clear fact emerged: Buzz, the game's host, is a friggin' weirdo. That, and his assistant, Rose, isn't even 1/10th as hot with a dopey American accent. Oh, and the game rocks. Okay, so technically that's three clear facts.
It's actually a little tough to explain why Buzz! is so fun. After all, you're really just using the included controllers to punch in the right answer by matching up one of the four colored buttons (the top, blinking buzzer is rarely used) -- and usually trying to do it faster than everyone else to get the most points or lock them out, but that's really it. 5,000+ questions across music, movies, nature, sports, tv, general knowledge, and so on are available. All are thrown into a handful of modes that let you pick your category, be the fastest to buzz in, choose between two pictures with a wrong answer dropping you out until the next round, using a big globe to navigate to countries to pick region-specific questions, a little pie fight where the last person standing wins, a round where you can steal points and a final countdown that uses your points to determine how much time you have, then you're asked questions until there's only one person remaining (getting questions right gives you more time, getting them wrong chops off some time).
With the exception of a short game, which ends with the pie fight, all games more or less follow that flow in the mega-run-on I just typed up there. A long game just has more questions in each round, and what's truly great about The Mega Quiz is that there really is some strategy to how you play. By hanging back until the pie fight or points stealer rounds, you can lay low and let the people who rack up big leads get the brunt of everyone else's attacks, or you can just wait until the last round and start answering questions correctly. Or you can try to steamroll everyone all the way through. All are viable (and great) ways to play the game in addition to just trying to answer the questions, and means that anyone can play the game, but those that are especially cunning can walk away with a surprise victory, and the game's balance in that respect is fantastic.
Thanks to Buzz, the host's floppy head and borderline insane gyrations, the game's visuals really do have a lot of pop. EyeToy integration can throw everyone playing on the screen behind the in-game contestants, but for the most part it comes down to all the basic characters (cheerleader, mime, superhero, nerd, granny, etc.) all being animated well when they buzz in, and in this respect, the game handles itself wonderfully. The interface is clean and easy to understand and the game, frankly, looks rather impressive given that it's, well, just a game show.
Likewise, the audio keeps up nicely, with a general game show theme and little voice clips for all of the characters, not to mention a customizable buzzer sound that ranges from screams to yodels to horn honks and plenty in between. I know I mentioned it before, but changing Rose's voiceover was a definite mistake, as she sounded great in the older builds of the game, while the new actress just makes her sound... well, bimbo-y. Don't get me wrong, I like the bimbo look now and then, but a voice can make the difference between sexy and trashy. It's a weird gripe, I know, but it stood out. At least you can shut her up during her pre-round introduction in some absolutely hilarious ways by way of Buzz screaming at her.
A good game show comes down to a handful of things; a good way of equalizing all players regardless of skill (but still allowing those that are most knowledgeable to have some advantage), good question variety, engaging modes or rounds and a presentation that wraps it all up. Buzz! has all of these in spades. In fact, with the exception of Rose's voice actress, the only real complaint I have will be addressed with the PS3 version in that eventually you'll run out of questions (there is a Quiz Master Mode where someone can literally ask their own questions and people buzz in to answer like normal, but it's only for the hardcore), though next-gen Buzz! will let you submit your own questions and play against people online.
Which is exactly why I was so psyched when the final version of Buzz! The Mega Quiz finally showed up at the office. Work immediately stopped as every grabbed a controller and we all went to town answering questions. After a few dozen games (with, I might add, very little in the way of question repetition, thanks Sony), one clear fact emerged: Buzz, the game's host, is a friggin' weirdo. That, and his assistant, Rose, isn't even 1/10th as hot with a dopey American accent. Oh, and the game rocks. Okay, so technically that's three clear facts.
It's actually a little tough to explain why Buzz! is so fun. After all, you're really just using the included controllers to punch in the right answer by matching up one of the four colored buttons (the top, blinking buzzer is rarely used) -- and usually trying to do it faster than everyone else to get the most points or lock them out, but that's really it. 5,000+ questions across music, movies, nature, sports, tv, general knowledge, and so on are available. All are thrown into a handful of modes that let you pick your category, be the fastest to buzz in, choose between two pictures with a wrong answer dropping you out until the next round, using a big globe to navigate to countries to pick region-specific questions, a little pie fight where the last person standing wins, a round where you can steal points and a final countdown that uses your points to determine how much time you have, then you're asked questions until there's only one person remaining (getting questions right gives you more time, getting them wrong chops off some time).
With the exception of a short game, which ends with the pie fight, all games more or less follow that flow in the mega-run-on I just typed up there. A long game just has more questions in each round, and what's truly great about The Mega Quiz is that there really is some strategy to how you play. By hanging back until the pie fight or points stealer rounds, you can lay low and let the people who rack up big leads get the brunt of everyone else's attacks, or you can just wait until the last round and start answering questions correctly. Or you can try to steamroll everyone all the way through. All are viable (and great) ways to play the game in addition to just trying to answer the questions, and means that anyone can play the game, but those that are especially cunning can walk away with a surprise victory, and the game's balance in that respect is fantastic.
Thanks to Buzz, the host's floppy head and borderline insane gyrations, the game's visuals really do have a lot of pop. EyeToy integration can throw everyone playing on the screen behind the in-game contestants, but for the most part it comes down to all the basic characters (cheerleader, mime, superhero, nerd, granny, etc.) all being animated well when they buzz in, and in this respect, the game handles itself wonderfully. The interface is clean and easy to understand and the game, frankly, looks rather impressive given that it's, well, just a game show.
Likewise, the audio keeps up nicely, with a general game show theme and little voice clips for all of the characters, not to mention a customizable buzzer sound that ranges from screams to yodels to horn honks and plenty in between. I know I mentioned it before, but changing Rose's voiceover was a definite mistake, as she sounded great in the older builds of the game, while the new actress just makes her sound... well, bimbo-y. Don't get me wrong, I like the bimbo look now and then, but a voice can make the difference between sexy and trashy. It's a weird gripe, I know, but it stood out. At least you can shut her up during her pre-round introduction in some absolutely hilarious ways by way of Buzz screaming at her.
A good game show comes down to a handful of things; a good way of equalizing all players regardless of skill (but still allowing those that are most knowledgeable to have some advantage), good question variety, engaging modes or rounds and a presentation that wraps it all up. Buzz! has all of these in spades. In fact, with the exception of Rose's voice actress, the only real complaint I have will be addressed with the PS3 version in that eventually you'll run out of questions (there is a Quiz Master Mode where someone can literally ask their own questions and people buzz in to answer like normal, but it's only for the hardcore), though next-gen Buzz! will let you submit your own questions and play against people online.