Games for Lunch: Buzz! Master Quiz
In a nutshell: I'm the smartest guy in this whole plane!
1/10/2009 5:16 PM | 2 Comments | Page 1 of 3
Developer: Relentless Software
Publisher: Sony
Release Date: Sept. 23, 2008
System: PSP
ESRB Rating: E10+
Official Web Site
0:00 As a trivia nut, I was drawn to the PS2 and PS3 Buzz games. I could never get my friends to feel the same way, though. That doesn't matter for this PSP release, which I'm playing alone amidst a bunch of strangers on an airplane. What the designers intended? I doubt it.
0:01 A decent amount of loading precedes an intro movie, with blonde host Buzz sitting in a chair staring down at a PSP. Ghostly images of sports balls, musical instruments, movie props, etc. hover out of the PSP and dance around Buzz's head. Then a bomb hovers out, exploding and leaving Buzz blackened. HA! Quickly on to a simple title screen with sparse electronic music.
0:02 "Are you on your own, or do you have friends?" asks Buzz on the menu screen. Well, I DO have friends ... they're just not here. Buzz also pipes in on the options screen: "Load and savey-type stuff here!" His over-the-top voice is at least half the appeal of these games.
0:03 On to "Solo Quiz Challenge." I can choose from 10 appropriately stereotypical character types. I almost go for my old standby favorite, the Superhero, but I end up with Napoleon because, let's face it, how many games let you be Napoleon. OK, how many games that aren't in the Civilization series. "IT'S NAPOLEON," cries Buzz, apparently very excited.
0:05 "This is my show and it bears my name. This is Buzz, I am Buzz and soon you will be buzzing. Enough! Let's go!" I agree!
0:06 Instead of diving right into the show, I'm given a choice of three different Challenges. First up, I pick the Snapshot Challenge, where I have to guess as many pics as possible in one minute.
0:08 I quickly get a "Speedy Fingers" Trophy for answering a question correctly in under a second. It seems there's no penalty for wrong answers but the little bit of time that comes off the clock, meaning ringing in fast is the order of the day.
0:10 Every correct answer reveals one section of a 12-piece hidden picture. I attempt to solve the puzzle after only three of 12 sections. Going in, I think I'm looking at part of an elephant, but the picture asks what country the pictured statue is in. Well, it kind of looks like Rio's famous Jesus, so I guess Brazil. Correct for 500 points! I've already earned a Bronze medal! Hooray for educated guesses!
0:13 Yikes, my play falls off precipitously to finish the round ... guessing wrong regarding what city is near a rather generic roller coaster picture (San Francisco, apparently). I can't even figure out that polar bears eat seals! I end up with 1,900 points, just short of the Silver. "Welcome to the Bronze Edge. You deserve it," says Buzz. Huh?
0:14 On to the Top 8 Challenge, where I have to ... rank stuff, I guess? We'll see.
0:15 Yeah, so I have to put the four choices in some sort of order: chronological, dance speed, etc. I do badly until it asks me to rank them in "alphabetical order." I'm on the board with 300 points. "I knew it! You're not actually an utter simpleton." Har, har, Buzz. Har, har.
