Buzz! Master Quiz Review

I can imagine the boardroom meeting Sony had with Buzz! developer Relentless Software. After hours explaining to the Sony execs that there’s only so much you can do with a quiz game, the idea of a PSP version came up. For a series focussed entirely on playing with friends, all huddled around the same TV, the idea of this being ported over to the PSP seems frankly ridiculous. Somehow though, Relentless has managed to make something pretty entertaining out of the idea, even though it always feels like an odd fit.

Core to the game on PSP is a single-player mode. Here you’ll face a series of quizzes as you attempt to achieve medals and progress across a quiz board. These 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 being revealed. It’s typical Buzz! stuff, except presented in a more traditional single-player structure – like what you’d find in a challenge mode in any one of EA’s many sports titles.

Strangely enough, this mode actually works and offers some solid entertainment. While Buzz! has traditionally been somewhat of a dull experience when played alone, on the PSP the new structure makes it ideal for short bursts of gameplay now and again. Getting all gold medals is a nice incentive and other trophies are awarded for achieving certain things during gameplay. Sadly these aren’t linked to the PSN trophy system that Sony recently introduced, but a nice incentive all the same.

As entertaining as solo play is, it’s multiplayer that has the most repeated play value. The game includes a number of multiplayer game modes which attempt to skirt around the PSP’s handheld nature and limitations. Game Sharing essentially gives each player their own screen, which makes for a game that plays very similarly to previous PS2 Buzz! titles. It works well enough for up to four players and will be the way to play if you’re with friends who also own PSPs.

Knowing that it’s quite unlikely that you’re going to get together with friends for a PSP Buzz! party, Relentless has also included two game modes that only require one PSP. The first requires you to pass the PSP around as players take turns to answer questions – with the option of easy, standard or hard questions. You can also customise the game length and choose which of the round types you want to play.

A number of these rounds have been designed to be played with only one player looking at the screen at once, such as a round which asks one player to choose part of a photo which the next player must guess. The classic Buzz! game Pass the Bomb also translates well to the PSP. In what is a neat idea, Weak Spot shows you a question before making you decide which player has to answer it. Although never really reaching the same level of fun as the home console Buzz! games, the collection of round types on offer have certainly been well thought out.

The second single-PSP multiplayer mode gives the quiz master role to one player, who then uses the PSP to keep track of what’s going on. The quiz master asks questions and selects who got questions right and wrong, with the PSP keeping score. It’s a neat idea and means everyone is involved all the time, rather than having moments of down time when the PSP is being passed around.

That is about your lot. The game features simpler presentation when compared to previous Buzz! titles, but it fits well on the PSP. Thankfully load times are quite brief and quizzes move along at a brisk pace. You’ll also avoid repeated questions thanks to the game keeping track of what you’ve been asked. There’ll come a stage when questions will reappear but it’ll take a while.

Should you buy Buzz! Master Quiz? It’s a hard question to answer. As fun as it is in short bursts, it’s nowhere near as complete and enjoyable as one of the home console games when played with friends. If you can see a time when you’d want to play Buzz! while out of the house, then Master Quiz is certainly worth a look, but for home dwellers there’s really no point.