Buzz: Master Quiz

Review from Carl - Saturday, 18 October 2008 @ 6:26pm

Little known fact about me: I am a creature of habit.

At the University of Newcastle, every Tuesday at one in the afternoon, I meander from one of my university lectures or tutorials and make my way across campus to the university bar. At quarter past I grab a sheet of paper from the bar and play the Tuesday trivia with my friends. I usually suck harder than a Shannon Noll concert, but I win prizes for my inventive team names, such as “Fast Cougars, Slow Children”, or “Whoops Nurse, I’ve Been Sick In Your Eye”.

While inherently fun, there have always been two downsides to this:

1. The set up isn’t very impressive. It’s a bald man (eerily reminiscent of Alf Stuart from Home and Away) on a stool. In shorts.

2. The bald man is not, and probably has not ever been, Jason Donovan.

However, videogame developers Relentless Software and Curve Studios has telepathically heard my prayers, and have thus created a product to whet anyone’s trivia appetite on the go, Buzz!:Master Quiz for the PSP. So, does it reach infinity and beyond, or should it just Buzz off?

Buzz suddenly realises that he has left his pants at home...

Like the other entries of the Buzz! series, Buzz!: Master Quiz has you answering trivia questions for points and nonexistent prizes. These games have always appealed to the kind of person eager to prove that they know a whole lot more random crap than you do. Y’know, that egotistical, pompous kind of jerk that like to think that he’s better than you. Thankyou to Matt and Yug for sending me this title, by the way....

The single player experience has been tweaked for the PSP, with the progression of rounds completely up to you. Initially allowed to choose between three round types, reaching certain criteria such as achieving base scores in individual rounds will unlock a wider selection of (you guessed it!) rounds.

Obviously influenced by the Beijing Olympics, the main criteria is to achieve a Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal score in each round. Unlike the Beijing Olympics, Buzz has not been replaced by a cuter host, nor have my high scores been beaten by a random Tunisian (Take that, Hackett!)

Added motivation is in the collection of trophies, with categories like number of consecutive correct answers, answering correctly in under half a second, getting high scores and other criteria. It’s an enjoyable challenge, and a worthy addition to the series. Sadly, my suggestion on electric shocks in response to wrong answers has not been taken up. Maybe next time...

Wow, the mime's losing! DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING!!!!

The greatest asset, and worst feature of this game (and all games in the Buzz! Series) is of course, the host himself. When I first booted up the minidisc, I was greeted with the boisterous tones of Mr. Jason “I’m Now Gay” Donovan. His character Buzz adds a bit of Larry Emdur-ish charm and humour to the series, and is one of the most enjoyable things about the game.

Then five minutes went by...

By then I was huddled into the corner, slowly rocking back and forth in the foetal position (ala The Craft) begging for him to stop. Buzz is one of those characters you either really love, or really hate, and by all means Jason Donovan is doing a fine job. But soon the jokes and comment start to repeat, and by then I’m all too ready to see at what temperature the minidisc will explode in the microwave, and that shouldn’t be happening. After all, it’s about the trivia...

And what trivia! Buzz!: Master Quiz boasts over 3000 questions, a sizable amount for a PSP game. There are also a wide variety of rounds present in this handheld entry into the Buzz! Series, with a combination of both old and new. Standouts include Virus (answer before the virus eats all your points away!), Pass the Bomb (Answer correctly or lose points via explosion!) and Picture This (Blatantly guessing the answer based on a partially revealed picture. There are many different types and everyone will have a favourite.

It is obvious that the developers had the multiplayer experience in mind. I myself approached this title with some trepidation. How could the Buzz! Experience be anything like it’s home console cousins? Would it be the black sheep of the family, never again mentioned or acknowledged?

Fortunately, no.

Buzz points out some of the uglier things he has slept with...

Master Quiz’s answer to multiplayer is the Pass Around mode, in which a single PSP is used to play. Catering up to a six player game, participants will “pass around” (geddit?) the device and play against one another in a variety of rounds. Truth be told, it works surprisingly well. Rounds like Weak Spot, in which a player will choose another player to answer a question in the hopes they get it wrong, help to create interesting rivalries between players and create a level of tension and attention to what is essentially passing round a PSP.

All the while, Buzz himself will continually urge you to take, grapple and hold him, in a tone that is reminiscent of a phone sex line operator......err, not that I know what that sounds like.

Still taking the mickey to the end, Buzz will even award trophies to various players based on how fast they answer, the smartest contestant, and won’t shy away from telling you when you are, and I quote “sucking like a baby whale” (wtf?). Sadly, I have received the Losers Medal more than once, but hey, should have seen it coming...

There are other multiplayer modes, including the usual game sharing, but there is the new addition of Host mode, in which Buzz rests his feet while you host the show. As the host, you control how many points for each round, what questions are asked and everything else a host does. It’s an interesting mode, but Pass Around mode is just more fun.

Buzz's hair is pointy. Pointier than Phils's. Cop that, Phil!!

I’m going to step up onto my soapbox here, if you don’t mind. Once again, a minor niggle has been brought to my attention, and while it pains me like a scythe to my cerebral cortex to complain, it must be said.

One of the selectable characters.............is a mime.

WHAT THE!?

Seriously, a mime on a game show? That’s like a quadriplegic contestant on Wipeout! It’s like a corpse competing in Survivor! It’s like...you get the idea.

Minor, but had to be said...

Ultimately, Buzz!: Master Quiz is an enjoyable romp for trivia fans, Jason Donovan fans, and gamers all around. The series has made the jump to handheld console with a smooth, clean title, and is perfect for those Tuesday trivia lovers who don’t want it to stop.

Pros

Enjoyable multiplayer Smooth transition from home console to handheld Simple controls Wide variety of rounds

Cons

Buzz gets seriously annoying

Summary

Buzz! Master Quiz is an engaging and enjoyable addition to the series, with a range of added features and round types. A must for any trivia go-er on the go!