The gimmick for Buzz is the fact that the player feels like they are on a quiz show. Every copy of the game comes with four bzuzers that connect to the one USB port on the Playstation 2. Each buzzer has four colour coded choices on it, and a big red buzzer on the top that glows at the beginning of the game.
There is the lovable fella himself
The buzzer system works fairly well. A question will display on the screen with four possible answers that are colour coded. It is as simple as pressing the colour corresponding to the answer that you think is correct. This isn't a hard concept to grasp but it is ingenius.
Overall, the game is very simple to get into, and it is possible to start a game without having the analog controller plugged in. The main mode in the game is the quiz mode; starting a game is as simple as selecting the amount of players playing the game, choosing your name, selecting a buzz noise and customising your attire. After these simple steps are done the fun begins. It is possible to choose a short game, medium game or long game. Each game consists of a certain amount of rounds, with mini games such as "pass the bomb", "fastest finger" and "look before you leap". Thankfully there is a diverse range of mini games which utilise all aspects of the buzers. In total, there are 5000 questions set over 6 decades, and the game has also made it possible to choose to answer questions about older songs or newer songs.
Aside from the main mode, there is also a quickfire option and a quizmaster game. In the quickfire mode you choose a number of questions to display (up to 100) and keep answering them. The quizmaster game allows you to be the quizmaster, but you have to make up your own questions, so it isn't as interested and it would be far easier to just test your friends without using the game.
It's not advisable to answer this if you cannot hear the music
Unsurprisingly, the game is at its best in multiplayer. Whilst there is an option to play single player, it just (understandably) isn't as fun. It is also better to play with four people over two, as the game is once again catered towards playing with four players. Sony have done well to minimise loading, so the game flows really well. It is also possible to skip instructions after you've heard them once, so there is no real waiting around.
The sound can be a bit of a hit and miss at times as well. With a music quiz you would expect the sound to be nearly flawless, but this unfortunately isn't the case. Sometimes the songs are really difficult to distinguish, because not all of them are licensed. This is made harder by the fact that most of the songs have no vocals either, so it may be your favourite song playing but you just won't get the answer.
Buzz himself is fairly good though and doesn't repeat himself too much. However, in two player games he will still make comments like "player two likes to be different to the other players" which is a bit disappointing when there is only one other player playing. Whilst this isn't a sound issue, we cannot help but feel a little disappointed that there are no video clips, we're hoping that they make it into the inevitable sequel.
Graphically, the game is fairly simple, and Buzz and crew don't look anything special. The whole design of the game is very cartoony, btu this is isn't the type of game that needs to look good. Just like the Eyetoy games the simple look works in the game's favour, and definitely makes it seem more appealing, it also helps to keep the loading down which is a worthy trade off.
Elvis makes a cameo!
One of the most appealing parts of the game is that it has countless replayability options. We cannot see there being much lifespan in single player mode, but in multiplayer the game has the potential to be dragged out time and time again. Buzz isn't really the type of game that you play for days on end, it is more of a title that is likely to be dragged out every now and then when you've got friends over or just want a quick fun and easy to setup multiplayer title.
The diverse selection of songs ensures the game will appeal to all ages. Whilst there are 5000 questions they do occasionally repeat, and we can imagine that the more the game is played the more repetitive the questions will become.
Obviously, the team behind Buzz! know they are onto a winner. A short teaser video can be found in the extras menu and serves as an introduction to future Buzz! titles such as Buzz! Uber Quiz, Buzz! Sport's Quiz and Buzz! Movie Quiz. It is clear that this isn't going to be the last we see of Buzz, although if you have this title then you won't have to pick up the buzzers next time. The potential for this series is exponential and it seems like Sony are ready to fully exploit that cute character.
Buzz! The Music Quiz is an enjoyable game. The concept is just brilliant and thankfully it works just as well in practice. Whilst the game is good (and brilliant value at $99.95 with the included buzzers) it isn't amazing. Some of the sound files are a little off and the game feels a little empty without video clips. However, Sony have once again managed to release a game that will appeal to those who would normally avoid a gaming console; and that is immerasurably hard to do.
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