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ESRB: 
Platform: PSP
Category: Miscellaneous
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Graphics 7.5 |
Sound 7 |
Gameplay 7.5 |
Tilt 7 ||
Overall 7.2
Author: Frank
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Developer: Relentless Software
Publisher: Sony
Features
1 player (single player mode)
1-6 players (multi-player mode)
Packing over 3000 questions on topics including music, celebrities, TV, sport, science, nature, movies and more, BUZZ! Master Quiz for the PSP puts one's knowledge to the test at home or while on the go. With six new round types specifically designed for Sony's handheld machine playing with friends on the road is now possible. That being said, for a series focussed entirely on playing with friends all huddled around the same TV, the idea of doing such on the PSP seems to be a tall order, but Relentless Software has managed to make this game even though it feels like an odd fit.
Graphics
Buzz has been optimized to fit into the tiny PSP’s screen, so when looking at the game it features a simpler presentation when compared to previous Buzz! titles on the home consoles. The game is quite bright and colorful, with plaesing to the eye graphics throughout. Buzz! seems to run a rock steady framerate. Although the game has hundreds of picture and video clips, along with a lot of text, I don’t think the game really pushes the PSP’s hardware too much. For some, Buzz! will remind you of a typical game show set-up. Thankfully load times are quite brief and quizzes move along at a brisk pace. Gamers who have played Buzz! before may notice some of the changes to the game, but most newbies to the series won’t be able to dicern anything at all.
Sound
Jason Donovan is back as the role of Buzz, our game show's host. Given that he is from Australia his accent lends a bit of an international flair to the game, along with his perfect game show quirkiness. His script is well written and can be funny at times, but it does tend to repeat now and then. His job is to set–up the various modes and stages, while another unnamed voice narrates the actual questions. It’s a great production as it pulls off the game show feel to a tee. Along while the dialogue is the pretty standard game show pops, buzzers, bells and whistles. Some are used within the game as cues to intros and while others are used for "time-up" markers. In my time with the Buzz! I found the production values to be top notch which really lends to the overall feel of the game.
Of course listening to all of the various sounds and effects can be a bit of a hit and miss affair. The PSP’s external speakers were pushed to the limit at times, especially when having more than one of them in play. You can opt to use the headphones, but that defeats the whole multiplayer aspect of having friends over. Still, the headphones do sound very good and all dialogue is somewhat easier to understand when using them.
Gameplay
I must admit I was sceptical of seeing a game like Buzz! being ported to the PSP. It’s not the hardware issue, as the PSP is a pretty powerful little machine, but it was more like trying to make the right software work on the wrong hardware. A game like this is most likely to be enjoyed by a group of people sitting in a living room in front of a larger TV. A home console just seems more suited to a game like this.
For anyone not in the loop of what the game is about Buzz! is a series of quizzes based on various subjects. As you answer these various quizzes you achieve medals and progress across a quiz board. The quizzes range from answering as many questions as possible in a set time to answering a set of questions based on pictures that are gradually revealed. For veterans of the series it's typical Buzz! stuff, the main difference is that it is presented in a more traditional single-player structure. For the most part, and strangely enough, the single player mode actually works and offers some solid entertainment. While Buzz! has been somewhat of a dull experience in the past when played alone, the new structure makes it pretty ideal for short bursts of gameplay now and again. The key is that you have some incentive along the way such as trophies, unlocks and other things. To be honest I played for a good 30 mins or so before I began to have any other thoughts of anything else. Being able to play that long without the need or desire to play with someone was somewhat impressive. That being said, after some ‘alone time’ you really do start to miss the party theme of the game such as vying with others for points and rewards or having others just sit watch you.
As entertaining as solo play is, it is the multiplayer mode that has the most replay value. Buzz! includes a number of multiplayer modes which attempt to skirt around the PSP's handheld nature and limitations. The most successful multiplayer mode in Buzz! allows four PSP owners to link up wirelessly and view the same screen via the PSP's excellent game-sharing feature. This method of play is closest in play to the home consoles, but it's far less entertaining without the buzzer controllers. I really like having the actual "buzz-in" controller feature as it adds to the game as it gets the competitive juices flowing. That being said, it is nice to have an option for each PSP owner to play in a game like this using their own PSP.
It's quite unlikely that you're going to arrange a get together with friends for a PSP Buzz! party, so Relentless Software has also included two multiplayer game modes that only require one PSP. The first requires you to pass the PSP around as players take turns to answer questions. This mode has built in options such as easy, standard or hard questions and you can also customize the game length and choose which round types you want to play. Some of these rounds have been designed to be played with only one player looking at the screen at one time. For example, the first player is asked to choose part of a photo which the next player must guess. The second single-PSP multiplayer mode allows for one gamer to take on the role of quiz master who then uses the PSP to keep track of what's going on. The quiz master asks questions and selects who got the questions right and wrong. The PSP is used to keep track of the score. I like this mode as it is rather neat idea allowing everyone to be involved all the times rather than having moments of down time when the PSP is being passed around.
Along with individual scoring throughout any mode in the game, each round also has three possible ranks in the form of Bronze, Silver and Gold. The game records the player's best score in each round, so there is plenty of room for improving your performance. However, this is all rather moot because fans will happily inform you this is essentially a social game that only really comes to life when other players are involved.
When thinking about the PSP Buzz! experience as a whole there is one nagging question: What exactly are the chances of tracking down multiple friends willing to participate in such a gathering on a regular basis? Here the simple logistics of the home version wins out. From the actual Buzz! controllers to the games overall experience on the PSP being hampered by being played on the tiny handheld system, the portable machine just can’t keep up. Overall multiplayer can work well enough, but to get a group of friends to play this nature of a game on a PSP is not going to occur on a regular basis.
Conclusion
For short spurts Buzz! Master Quiz on the PSP can be entertaining and fun. Relentless Software has tried to stick handle around the systems shortcomings and have done an admirable of job of doing so. The single player can be good in small bursts while the multiplayer games for one PSP between friends is quite compelling and entertaining. But it is the multi-PSP modes that are the saving grace as they mirror the console experience the most. At the end of the day Buzz! Master Quiz is a pretty well put together package of gaming, but the marriage between hardware and software is never fully realized.
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