Pong and Beyond

156th played so far

Genre: Party
Platform: Playstation 3
Year of Release: 2008
Developer: Relentless Software
Publisher: Sony

Our quest to fill our closet with gaming peripherals will have to end at some point… but not today!

In our eBay purchase of Buzz! Quiz TV we have become the proud owners of a set of four wired buzzers which will now sit between the DJ Hero turntable and Donkey Konga bongos as well as the Guitar Hero/Rock Band instruments. With the exception of the behemoth that is the Steel Batallion controller (which we are hoping to borrow rather than shell out £100) this will most likely be the last thing we stick in that cupboard where the water boiler used to be.

No matter how good or bad this was always destined for status as a Christmas game… which was why we got it in March.

Our Thoughts

A lot of gamers first experience with games are those that facilitate learning. I know my first experience was one of the Adi franchise (which was shortly follow by AstroFire) on my dad’s computer. Since then I have always somehow been in possession of trivia games such as PC versions of Trivial Pursuit but I have to admit that this is the first trivia game that actually worked up my lust for general knowledge the same way a pub quiz can.

Let’s get this started, this is not an amazing game. It isn’t amazing because, in the end, the scope on this game is fairly limited. There is nothing to be unlocked and the replayablity relies heavily on finding people to play with.

With that being said there is one thing that means that this game could be seemingly forever updated; customizable content. Whilst this is on a slightly smaller scale than Baldur’s Gate II there is a large number of people out there constantly making new quiz questions and uploading them to the official site. This means that as long as this community stays interested (and as long as PSN stays up) this game could remain fresh and challenging for many years to come.

I mean sure after 20 plays the presenter will begin to grate on you… he does a little after 3 plays… but as long as you are in good, fun-loving, competitive company then this game is a blast.

There’s really a few things that are a draw. The big thing is, obviously, the trivia aspect, something that are fun to do. This especially applies in a group, when you’re working against each other. It helps that it’s not straight up trivia – speed can matter and you tend to play against others – be fastest, steal points and so on, adding a slight fun dimension.

The other step, however, is slightly more about graphics and such. You select your own character and set up some things for them, and their reactions to events, however small, adds to the fun of the game. They’re not regular boring contestants (although some are close), but you get to play as evil villain, superhero or mime if you prefer. With their unique reactions, as well as unique voiced lines from Buzz, the host, it’s just that bit more fun. Yeah, cheesy, but still good.

Final Thoughts

For me the best Christmas games are trivia based ones so the fact that there is at last a series of fun trivia quiz games with a competitive makes me wonder how much this will be used in six months time… those buzzers may end up thrown through the TV someday.

I would add though, that while the game can be played single player, it is the most fun when played in a group. It supports up to four players, and you probably need at least three to make the most out of it. Go for it!