Buzz! Quiz World was released for the Playstation 3 in November. Shortly after, Buzz! Quiz World was released on the PSP allowing people to take the newest version of the popular trivia game on the go. Buzz brings back all the classic challenge modes and throws in some extra content that the last portable rendition was lacking. So does the portable counterpart live up to expectations this series has continued to exceed?
Here are the HOTs and NOTs:
HOTs
Variety
Buzz! Quiz World sports an exceptional range of question topics and difficulty levels. You can expect to see questions ranging from “Which small French town attracts millions of Christians in search of a miracle?” to “Where was 50 Cent partying in 2002?” It really keeps the player on edge especially in the game mode High Stakes. Regret can set in quickly if you are close to achieving gold, but decide to bet low to play it safe only to be presented with a common sense question. Do not get too cocky though as the opposite will happen just as often. The collection of questions are varied enough so that whether children, adults, or both are playing together they are guaranteed to have an equal chance with a good amount of challenge.
New Media
Be sure to have your volume turned up since text is not the only thing filling up the quiz this time around. Video and music clips have been added to the challenge modes to help mix it up a bit. The sound and picture quality on both are are satisfying.
Trophies
The addition of a trophy system inside a PSP game is an interesting feature. The game rewards you for completing challenges such as having a flawless round or answering a question within one second. It is not a vital component of the game that should make or break your purchase decision, but it was a pleasant surprise worth mentioning.
Quiz Host
This new game mode might just be the most enjoyable multiplayer option. One person takes the place of Buzz, even though he pops in to instruct the host, and between two to six people are the contestants. The host reads the question and four possible answers. The host can see the correct answer highlighted in green. After each player has had a chance to give an answer the host can add or subtract points from players in denominations of fifty. It can be quite entertaining if you need to kill time while on a long road trip.
Single Player
Most likely this is where you will be spending most of your time. In single player you can choose from Challenges, Quiz Packs, or MyBUZZ!. Challenges is where the majority if gameplay will take play and it is composed of four quiz challenges that break down into a skill tree full of game modes. The available modes are Points Builder, Quick Fire, Snapshot, High Stakes, Time Challenge, Defuse, Virus, and Mystery. All have you trying to earn enough points to obtain the gold medallion whether you are racing the clock or wagering points. Depending on your results after completing all the challenges it will give you a set time that you must surpass a set point limit in order to defeat and unlock a character.
NOTs
Repetitive
The game has a vast number of questions, but it seems to repeat fairly quickly. Within the first hour of gameplay the video clip involving the Tour De France had already come up twice. The questions to the video were slightly different, but I found it odd that it already had to reuse the same clip. The same can be said about the normal text only questions. You will notice quite a bit repeating before you have even finished the first character’s challenge tree. This was very disappointing since it dissuaded me from continuing to play after a certain point. There are only so many ways a question can be reworded before it becomes uninteresting.
Incomplete Features
Instead of adding multiple NOTs I decided to create a broad category and break it down into subcategories. Here they are:
– Offline Multiplayer: Pass and Play has always been a nice feature, but in this game it can start to become a problem. The game does not ask you if you would like to remove the sound based questions, music and video clips, and it does not recognize if your volume is turned all the way down. Chances are if you have a PSP and have purchased this game for it is because you want to take it with you wherever you go to kill time. Unless you are in a place without much noise or do not mind passing headphones around this can become troublesome and annoying.
– Online Multiplayer: The last PSP version of Buzz Quiz did not have an online feature. This time it has been added. A step forward right? Unfortunately, no. Good luck finding a single person online to play with. After constant searching and hoping I have not been able to locate one available game online which, at this point, makes this new functionality completely useless.
– MyBUZZ: MyBUZZ is located in single player portion of the game. This allows the player to create new quizzes or play ones that others have created. The idea itself sounds like a great idea that would allow for extended play. Once again the reason the PSP was created was to take your games on the go. To play MyBUZZ you must be connected to the internet constantly. If you are on a trip or just out and about then you probably will not have a set internet connection to keep the game going. Also, there is not an option to download and save certain quizzes so that you can play them later. This is why it needs an internet connection required the entire time you are in this mode. So maybe you are thinking you will just use it at home while connected to the internet. In that case you might as well just purchase the PS3 version that takes use of all its features and feels like a more complete experience.
– Buzz’s Dialogue: Just like the games questions Buzz’s dialogue becomes very repetitive and starts to get annoying. I was hoping he would have more to say then the usual and predictable insults. Another part of his dialogue that is bothersome is the fact that if you have a losing streak going in Time Challenge and get one right he will give this semi-lengthy sarcastic remark about your abilities, but the timer is still running out! His remarks have been the difference in time needed to achieve the gold in some cases.
– Miscellaneous: When you are setting up your profile in the beginning you are asked to choose an avatar and a name from a given list. The list of names offers a vast selection, but I was under the impression that the reason I chose the name was because Buzz would say it like he does in the PS3 version. This is not the case. So I am curious as to why they do not let the player input any name they desire since there seems to be no special reason to choose from the presets. It is not a huge deal, but it does not make sense being in the game.
Verdict
Buzz! Quiz World for the PSP implemented in elements in hopes of creating a fun on-the-go trivia game. It fell short of its goal as most of the features on the PS3 were ported to the PSP without much consideration to the “on-the-go” part. The online and multiplayer features suffer since they are not exactly portable play friendly. Not only that but the game’s repetitiveness really starts to reveal itself shortly after starting the quiz challenges. Unless you plan to play solely single player or are not put off by the multiplayer shortcomings then I recommend you purchase the PS3 version or wait for the next installment.
