Buzz The Music Quiz
The Ultimate Music Quiz is the first Buzz! game to feature support for PlayStation Move.[1] The move section of the game allows users to take part in a different style of quiz where they use the Move controller to select the correct answer. During this section the player is shown on screen and the Move controller is shown as a giant dart or a hammer or other object which the user uses to pop balloons or break block that represent the correct answer.[3]
Buzz The Music Quiz
Buzz!: The Music Quiz is a party music video game developed by Relentless Software and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is the first in the Sony's Buzz! series of video games, and it was released for the PlayStation 2 exclusively in Europe. In The Music Quiz, players answer questions asked by the host, Buzz, by using the four Buzz! buzzers.
Buzz!: The Music Quiz is a music quiz trivia game for up to four players. The game is set in a fictional TV studio, and hosted by the characters Buzz and his assistant Rose.[2] Each copy of the game comes with a total of four buzzer controllers, which are plugged into the USB slots on the Sony PlayStation 2 console. They feature a sizable red button on top and four colored buttons below, sorted in descending order.[3][4] Buzz can pick around 5000 questions from a 50-year period of pop music,[5] supported by 1000 music clips which represent parts of the original songs processed by a synthesizer,[2] and appear without any lyrics or vocal support.[5] The questions range from the name of the performer, title, or year of the release, to details about the artist.[6]
The players may choose the overall length of the game (15, 30, or 45 minutes)[7] and the type of questions being asked (older music, newer music, or both).[4] If there is a score tie by the end of the quiz, a tie-breaker round will start.[3] Besides the main game, there are other two modes: Quickfire Quiz and Quizmaster Quiz. Quickfire Quiz bypasses the rounds system, and instead, it will present questions where only the fastest responding player can answer by pressing the buzzer. Whoever manages to reach the target score first wins the game. In Quizmaster Quiz, one of the players becomes a quizmaster, who gets to choose the questions the others will have to answer. The buzzers will show the quizmaster who was the fastest, so he could distribute the points accordingly with a DualShock 2 controller.[5] Players are represented by their choice of 16 on-screen avatars who portray contestants on the game show, resembling musicians such as Elvis Presley, Geri Halliwell, Kylie Minogue, Billie Joe Armstrong, Noel Gallagher, and Barry White.[3][4] Once selected, the game starts with an intro sequence that is generated depending on the contestants, showing how they all arrive on the set in a black limousine while being cheered on by the crowd.[5]
After the success of EyeToy and SingStar, Sony intended to expand further into the social gaming market. A pop quiz game was a good fit with their plans, so they started collaborating with Sleepydog, who gathered the clips and designed the questions. Sony contacted Relentless Software and asked whether they'd be interested in making a title of that kind. About 30 developers worked on The Music Quiz, trying to create something that would be appealing without intimidating casual gamers. In order to reach their intended audience, Relentless sought the simplest possible interface for four players. They developed a design for a set of buzzers as a game controller, though they were concerned that it would be too expensive for the publisher. Sony provided the team with a prototype a few months later. The host, Buzz, wasn't inspired by anything in particular, but the intention was to make him more facetious and cheesy. Somethin' Else directed the game's audio.[9] Jason Donovan was chosen to portray Buzz through voice acting.[4]
Initially, the game was to feature a group of unconventional characters as contestants and hosts, such as a tooth, a clam, and a hot dog. Sony wanted Relentless to change these to make the game more accessible, prompting a design shift to music-celebrity stereotypes. Relentless envisioned around 30 different quiz games, which was pared to 8 by the end of development. The co-founder of Relentless believed that the buzzers included in the package influenced The Music Quiz's success, as they were simple and made the game stand out from competing titles.[10]
The Music Quiz was well received by critics. Kristan Reed of Eurogamer called it a "great new addition" to Sony's family-friendly genre and the "best quiz game ever released by a mile".[3] Randolph Ramsay of CNET noted that although it has certain flaws, it is a "fun game that will win fans of all ages and musical tastes".[4] Nacho Ortiz of MeriStation [es] called it "a different, innovative and fresh title".[5] Fabio Palmisano of Multiplayer.it [it] considered it "the best you could wish for from a trivia game".[6] Jeuxvideo.com thought that it managed to stand out in the genre of quiz games.[13] Paul Kautz of 4Players declared it a valid successor to You Don't Know Jack.[7]
The reviewers were disappointed with the quality of the music clips. John Hoogerwaard of Trouw called them "simple imitation",[2] and Reed felt that because none were sourced from their artists, they weren't initially recognizable.[3] Ramsey stated that the clips reminded him of low-quality muzak versions of songs.[4]
The game show motif is present at all levels of this game, with players being treated as if they're contestants on a real program. Starting Buzz sees you talking to the show's "producer", which is the game's way of setting up your preferences. Up to four people can play at a time, with players needing to choose the length of game (short, medium or long) and the type of questions asked (focusing on newer music, older music or both).
Before hitting the studio for the start of the show, players will need to choose an on-screen avatar to represent them. There are 16 different characters to choose from, each of whom are pop music stereotypes that many will recognise. There's the Elvis look-a-like, a Barry White, Kylie, Noel Gallagher and more.
Once in the game, the host Buzz takes over and guides players through several rounds of gameplay, with each round featuring different rules and objectives. There are eight types of rounds, including Point Builder (where every player receives points for correct answers regardless of their speed), Snap (where players are required to press the buzzer when the correct answer to a question is flashed on screen), Fastest Finger (first to choose the correct answer scores the largest points) and more. Some of the rounds even allow you to flick questions to other players should you be stuck for an answer (or if you're sure your opponent doesn't know either).
But despite the different types of rounds, there's a feeling of sameness to Buzz: The Music Quiz that sets in after a few sessions. Nearly every question in Buzz has the same format -- a short music is clip is played, then players are asked a question relating to that song while displaying four possible answers. All the various rounds really do is merely dictate the way you can win (or lose) points. It would have been nice to have a variety of games, such as identifying an artist from a picture, or naming albums after seeing the cover.
Another thing that becomes grating rather quickly is Buzz's commentary. While Donovan does a good job of delivering his lines, these Buzz comments happen altogether far too often. You'll find it endearing the first time as it fits the game show theme well, but you'll soon be skipping all of Buzz's in-game banter as it take too much time away from the serious business of music trivia.
But if you can get past the repetitiveness and the annoying banter, there are thankfully plenty of questions included in the game. More than 5000 questions and 1000 music clips are included (although some of the music clips seem like dodgy muzak versions as opposed to the real songs), which should mean plenty of play time before the same questions start popping up.
The game is certainly presented well, with all of the characters looking well defined and colourful. We did notice, though, that Buzz himself looks remarkably like Sesame Street quiz show host Guy Smiley. Coincidence?
Despite its flaws, Buzz: The Music Quiz is a fun game that will win fans of all ages and musical tastes. The inclusion of buzzers is a welcome novelty, although the game is best played in short bursts.
Four players battle it out over a eight rounds in a gameshow style environment. Other modes include a simple single player mode, a quickfire quiz mode and a quizmaster mode which lets you ask your own questions.
Four players battle it out over a eight rounds in a gameshow style environment. Other modes include a simple single player mode, a quickfire quiz mode and a quizmaster mode which lets you ask your own questions.
Most of the rounds are familiar fare, with the usual pie fight, point builder and fastest finger being present, but there are some new twists, such as the standout Tune Warp round, which plays back music tracks in a distorted fashion, altering tempo and using masking, making it difficult to recognise the track.
Move owners are likely to be interested in the Move-enabled content of Buzz!: Ultimate Music Quiz, but I fear most will find it a bit of a let down. The Move elements are found in a separate mini-game centric quiz mode. These special modes mainly involve the use of the Move controller to select answers, and the PlayStation Eye superimposes your living room on the screen, EyeToy-style.
Buzz!: Ultimate Music Quiz is a good addition to the series overall, and the core content found here is great. I did find some of the music samples a little poor, though, which can hamper things, especially in the Tune Warp round, and the Move component is little more than a gimmick. 041b061a72