Buzz! The Mega Quiz

Part fastest finger drill, part trivia test, Buzz: Mega Quiz is family fun on the PlayStation 2 console system. Why? Well, the title plays out like a game show, with several rounds, buzzer to frustrate your opponents and lock up elements for you to play alone, sarcastic game show host, phony prizes … well, the list goes on.

Buzz comes with a set of four buzzers, which hook into a common port that USB connects to the console. The buzzers have a large red button on top, and then four color-coded buttons that will correspond to answers.

SCEA is back at creating games and unique controller elements to up the enjoyment ante and Buzz! The Mega Quiz is a prime example.

The game begins with players choosing an avatar from a nice array, picking a color combination for the costume and then picking the buzz-in sound, which can go from a giggle to a burp, to an old-fashioned horn sound. There are two ways to play, as a single-player game and as a multiplayer, with up to four players involved in the action.

Single-player mode has two options – time builder (you answer questions correctly to build up points to gain time) and hot seat (you use the time accrued to answer as many questions as possible). Multiplayer is much more robust and part of the action even allows a player to act as the quiz master.

You can select the degree of difficulty of the game as well as the length of the game. Multiplayer modes also include the Quickfire Quiz for between 5 and 8 players, and the option to set up a custom game.

The multiplayer categories for round-by-round play are:

• Point Picker: Score points by answering questions in specified categories. This is not timed, and each correct answer yields points.

• Faster Finger: Buzz in fastest with the correct answer to gain points.

• Pie Fight: Buzz in fastest, get the answer right and you get to throw a pie at your opponents. Nail one of them twice and then are eliminated from the round.

• Globetrotters: Travel the world and answer questions about the country.

• Point Stealer: Buzz in fastest and answer correctly and you get points … from another player’s stockpile.

• Final Countdown: All points are converted into time and time ticks down while answering questions. The last one left standing wins. Answer incorrectly and more time comes off; answer correctly and time is added.

While most of the categories require quick fingers, having the right answer is more important. The questions themselves range from easy to hard, depending on the difficulty setting. The gameplay is basic and easy to understand for kids of all ages, though younger players may have a problem with answering some of the questions.

Graphically the game has fun animations and the prizes are silly but done with tongue in cheek. Post-game awards are also handed out, and this, too, is in fun. The music during the music questions is really bad, sounding more like poor elevator synthesized music and is somewhat generic in that it tends to sound the same. Only tunes with distinctive riffs stand out. But the commentary is light and delivered with the right amount of sarcasm.

While Buzz: The Mega Quiz is not a title that will set the world on fire, this is a fun party game that is best enjoyed by groups. The game boasts more than 5,000 questions in a variety of categories (sports, entertainment, science and so on).

Buzz! The Mega Quiz packs the fun of a game like Trivia Pursuit into an animated television-style three dimensional format that is great for families and parties. Releasing in late October, this is certainly a game to keep in mind when the family (or friends) gather for an evening of entertainment.

Gameplay: 7.5
A minimum of load times and a smooth flowing game with people yelling and pounding on buttons, groaning when they state they hit the wrong one … sounds like fun. The title has an easy learning curve.  

Graphics: 7.0
Nothing spectacular, but serviceable for the game’s content.

Sound: 6.8
The music played as questions is not well done, but there is likely a point to it sounding like it was done on a cheap Casio keyboard. The commentary is sarcastic and meant to entertain – which it succeeds at doing.

Difficulty: Medium
This really depends on how much trivia you have gathering dust in the old noodle.  

Concept: 7.5
A game show video game? Well, the concept is not entirely original, but that doesn’t mean this is not put together well.

Multiplayer: 8.2
This is the heart of the game and the most enjoyable element … unless you are like my family and are saddled with someone whose mind is a “junk heap of useless information” – which means that trivia games are often dominated.

Overall: 7.4
The game has a nice feel and is definitely the type of game you want to play with others. This is a solid multiplayer party game. The graphics are nothing special, nor – really – is the sound, but the game flows well and can present a challenge (depending on your difficulty level).