Buzz! Quiz TV (Sony Playstation 3, 2008)

I have been looking for a good family game show type game for quite a while. I LOVED the EA game Twisted on the 3DO years ago. This is a genre that I have felt has been under explored. I toyed with the idea of purchasing Scene It! for the XBOX 360, but was concerened that the question sets would be limited to pop culture films and would keep my kids who are 10 and 6 from playing. I then stumbled upon Buzz! Quiz, which has been available for the PS2 for a while, but I missed the boat since my PS2 collects dust next to my next gen systems. The first time we played the game as a family, we absolutely loved it. We found that all members of the family could participate, and the kids loved the themes. They couldn't hang with the adults, but they still enjoyed the experience because they have opportunities to guess correctly, and the visuals are quite humorous. Another limitation of these games in my mind was repetition of questions, but the network capability of the PS3 allows for access to a quesion bank of user made questions. This allows fresh, free content. This is a huge plus in my book. We loved the fact that we could also select focused categories or have broad, all encompassing games. The kids kicked our butts on the Toons category. There is also a leveling feature built in where the person in last place gets to choose the category. There are also elements of the game that can be strategically utilized to take out stronger players to level the playing field. The game falls shy of an excellent rating in my book only because the formula of the game is fairly repetitive. The challenges of pie fight, fastest fingers, etc. are set in order and their are not new challenges that are interjected. This is a minor complaint, but I think the game could be much fresher if there were different challenges and order of the challenges were varied. After reading other reviews, apparently this is the Buzz! formula, and it works. I really do feel that this is a great game that brings the family together. It would be a great party game. This is the best game I have played in this genre to be sure.

I am usually very judgmental about party games. I always ask myself this question: Will people, drunk at a party, have fun with it? The answer is yes.

This game innovates over other party games because of the following:

1- ease of play and comprehension (Guys, the perfect game for your smarty-pants Girlfriend). The game controller is simple and easy to use.

2- Re-playability: Over 2000 questions in the Game package, PLUS, downloadable Playstation network packages for very cheap (5.99$ to 7.99$). Unlike other games, the content is renewable.

3- Graphically and visually interesting

4- Online gaming a breeze

On the Other hand, Some aspects of the game are deficient.

5- Lack of new downloadable characters, limited customization of the characters

6- Limited amount of game modes, I think that the developers should have created more game modes

7- Connection problems with controllers and MANDATORY Game buzzer purchase. You can't simply buy the game, you need the special controllers.

8- Expeditious explanation of the rules of the game prior to the round, The computer should take the time to explain the rules more thoroughly

IN RETROSPECT:

PROS: Re-playability, Comprehensibility, Graphics and Online modes

CONS: Needs more downloadable content such as New game modes and New characters, No Character Customization, Controller connectivity problems (personal experience), MANDATORY Buzzer Purchase (Doesn't work with the PS3 Controller), Speedy explanations before each rounds annoying to Newbies

Overall: A great purchase for parties, it's a keeper, not just a rental

I played this game at my daughter's house and really enjoyed it. My son plays too many video games in his room and I thought buying one of these would be a way for us as a whole family to join together in the living room and bond and have fun. Up to 4 players at a time get their own buzzers and you get to choose your player, their costumes, buzzers sounds, etc.... The current loosing player always gets to choose the next round topic. It has different rounds and they are each played different ways. Lots of fun and soooooo glad we own it now!!!

I decided to buy this item after viewing a commercial on TV. It looked like it had potential to be a great game for when my wife and I had friends over. After playing it for the initial time, I was immediately satisfied with my purchase. This has great potential, and being on the PS3 format – extra downloads and online play is right at my fingertips. The graphics are wonderful. It isn’t some mind-blowing visual assault like other games, but gives you an instantaneous feel that you are in fact in a game show, and not just playing a video game. The selections of questions are broad enough to entertain adults and teenagers alike. This is not just a teen or just an adult game. It is fun for the whole family and has online choices to be a great game against friends or strangers whom happen to have the same set-up. Has an option of 2-8 players without going online, but only four remotes/buzzers. I haven’t really looked into the booklet to figure if the additional 4 are playing in teams, or if four additional buzzers are required. This is a game that can end up being the highlight of the night when you have a group of friends over. I have yet to download additional content, but question packs are only 5.99 from the playstation store, giving you the opportunity to expand into the tens of thousands of questions. The game originally has a 5000 question bank, and we have yet to have a question repeated. The buzzers are ergonomic for those who haven’t played a lot of games or are first timers. The only downside is that if you are new to serious gaming, you will have to look at your controller to get the right color (this really pertains to complete first timers really). Buzz TV really is worth the price because it isn’t like your traditional game where you beat it than don’t end up playing anymore. It’s like Jeopardy of old, or Wheel of Fortune where you can watch/play repeatedly because the game and circumstances and players will be different. The set-up and routine is the same, but do not get confused it is a game show type game. If game shows are something that you watch religiously, or you have tons upon tons of worthless information stored in that melon of yours, then this is the game for you. It being on the PS3 just means that it will look and run better than any other gaming medium that is available at this time. It was 100 percent worth the price and I would recommend this game to anyone who likes game shows and play group games.

Buzz! can be played alone, with friends, or online.

The following categories are selectable for Buzz! games:
(1) All types
(2) Movies & TV only
(3) Brainiac only
(4) Sports only
(5) Lifestyle only
(6) MyBuzz! questions
For the single player, there are 3 rounds of "Stop the Clock" - the faster the player answers a question, the more points are awarded.

In multiplayer mode, a single game consists of 7 rounds:

(1) Point Builder - Players answer questions with a time limit, each answer is worth 250 points.
(2) Short Fuse - A random player gets a bomb and must answer a question correctly to pass it. The player holding the bomb when it goes off loses 300 points.
(3) Fastest finger - The player who answers a question the fastest receives more points.
(4) Pie Fight - Answering correctly grants control of the host to throw a pie at your opponents - if hit with 2 pies, a player is eliminated. Point bonuses are given for 1st, 2nd or 3rd place.
(5) Point Stealer - The player buzzing in the quickest can steal points from another player.
(6) High Stakes - Players are given a category description and bet from 100 to 500 pts - correct answers reward the bet value, incorrect answers detract the bet value.
(7) Final Countdown - All accumulated points are converted to the player's platform height. Questions are asked while the platform descends and players that touch the floor are eliminated. The last player left wins the game.

online game to support the Playstation 3 trophy system - an achievement-based incentive for online players.

If you only want to buy one trivia game for your Playstation 3, look no further.
This one takes the cake. I would tell anyone to buy it for sure!!!!
Well worth the money!!!!!