Joystiq hands-on: Buzz! Quiz TV

Similarly to Singstar, the Buzz! series hasn't really hit its mark in the US. In Europe, however, the series is a big hit. With PS3 versions of both franchises heading to America this year, Sony plans on using the internet to expand the feature set into something much more appealing to American tastes.

At first glance, Buzz! Quiz TV looks just like any other Buzz game on the PS2, but watching the game on a 40 inch TV really shows off how much of a facelift the game has undergone. Due to the relatively simple nature of the scenes shown on screen, the game's transition to Hi-Def looks great. All the characters have been remodeled for their HD debut and as a result the game is much more pleasing to the eye. Not that it's what Buzz! is really about.

Gameplay-wise everything's the same (just like Singstar) with the biggest change being the buzzers; Buzz! Quiz TV will ship with wireless controllers. Other than being wireless, they're no different from the PS2 versions with the big red buzzer on top and four colored buttons below. Classic gameplay modes are still around, such as "Pass The Bomb", and are mixed in with new variations exclusive to the PS3 version.


Whereas previous Buzz! releases were split between different genres (Buzz! The Music Quiz, Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz, etc) Buzz! Quiz TV will include questions from a wide range of genres, which can be chosen at the beginning of the quiz and between rounds. This makes the game more fun because you're no longer locked into a specific question set and people can play to their strengths. Mind you, if your knowledge doesn't stretch beyond the intricacies of marine biology, for example, you could encounter a very low-scoring round.

This is where some of those online features mentioned earlier come into play. Question packs will be downloadable from the PSN and players can make their own. User generated question packs are rated by other players online in the vein of LittleBigPlanet. We've learned that a Video Game question pack will be available for download shortly after launch, though we're curious to see exactly how Sony can get past any obvious licensing issues. Perhaps the questions are all based on Sony properties?

Buzz! Quiz TV is playable against your friends online but, without voice chat support, we're left wondering what the point is. Buzz! has always been made for a party environment, so removing that social interaction just turns that aspect of it into a glorified flash game. Better to invite your friends to the physical couch, we think.

Buzz! Quiz TV is currently aiming for a Summer release in Europe, with no word yet on an American release.