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, released for the PlayStation 2. In The Music Quiz, players answer questions asked by the host Buzz by using the four Buzz! buzzers.
| Buzz!: The Music Quiz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Relentless Software |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment Europe |
| Designer(s) | Paul Woodbridge |
| Programmer(s) | Paul Brooke |
| Artist(s) | Greg Sue |
| Series | Buzz!  |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Party, Music |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gameplay
Buzz!: The Music Quiz is a music quiz trivia game for up to four people at the same time. Taking place in a fictional TV studio, it is hosted by Buzz and his assistant Rose.[2] Each copy of the game comes with a total of four buzzers, which are plugged into the USB slots on the console. They feature a sizable red button on top and four colored buttons below, sorted in a descending order.[3][4] Buzz can pick from around 5000 questions related to the period of more than 50 years of pop music,[5] supported by 1000 music fragments. They 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 the ones involving some details about the artist.[6]
The players may choose the overall length of the show (15, 30 or 45 minutes)[7] and the type of questions being asked (old music, new music or both).[4] If there is a score tie by the end of the quiz, a Tie Breaker 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 give out questions where only the fastest one 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] The on-screen avatars are represented by 16 different contestants reselmbling various musicians such as Elvis Presley, Geri Halliwell, Kylie Minogue, Billie Joe Armstrong, Noel Gallagher and Barry White.[3][4] Each start has 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]
Rounds
Once the game starts, Buzz begins leading through several rounds, and each of them contain different objectives and rules. There are eight types of rounds:[3][4][8]
- Point Builder - The goal is to select an answer before the time runs out, and anyone who answers correctly receives the points.
- Snap - The players need to pick a right solution from options that randomly appear on screen.
- Fastest Finger - It requires the contestants to answer as fast as possible, as the first person to have a correct answer gets the most points.
- Pass The Bomb - In order to pass the bomb away to someone else, the players must achieve a correct answer. The one carrying the bomb when it gets blown up loses a certain number of points.
- Offloader - Each player has to decide which of the other participants will get the right answer on the current question, and get extra points accordingly.
- Buzz Stop - It has a same concept as Snap but without specific questions.
- Point Stealer - The players that make a correct answer will take points from a selected opponent.
- Look Before You Leap - In this round, the questions and their answers are progressively revealed.
Development
After the success of EyeToy and SingStar, Sony intended to expand further into the social gaming market. A pop quiz game ended up a good fit with their plans, so they started collaborating with Sleepydog, who gathered the clips and designed the questions. Sony contacted Relentless 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, yet not intimidating for a casual gamer. In order to reach their intended audience, Relentless thought that the simplest possible interface to let four players play was a must. They came up with a design for a set of buzzers as a game controller, but feared it would be too expensive for the publisher. In the end, Sony provided the team with the first prototype, just a few months later. Buzz as a host 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]
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 said to Relentless to use different characters in order to the make the game more accessible, prompting a design shift to musical stereotypes. Relentless envisioned around 30 different quiz games, but by the end of the development that number was cut down to just eight. The co-founder of Relentless believed that the buzzers included in the package did an influence on The Music Quiz's success, as they made the game stand out from other titles in stores, and were much more simple compared to other controllers around.[10]
The game was announced on 18 May 2005 with a scheduled release date of October 2005 in Europe.[11] After that, it was showcased around the same time at E3 2005.[8][12] Jason Donovan was chosen to portray Buzz through voice acting.[4]
Reception
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Critical response
The Music Quiz was well received by the critics. Kristan Reed of Eurogamer said that it's a "great new addition" to the 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 still a "a fun game that will win fans of all ages and musical tastes".[4] Nacho Ortiz of Meristation called it "a different, innovative and fresh title".[5] Fabio Palmisano of Multiplayer.it considered it as "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 presentation, particularly the character designs and the display of the game show itself, mostly received positive reactions. Reed wrote that The Music Quiz managed to replicate all game show clichés with an over the top and self-mocking tone. He added that the cheesiness bundled with an "irritating host" turned out well.[3] Ramsay named the characters "well defined and colorful", comparing Buzz with Guy Smiley.[4] Ortiz noted that the game contains retro influences with a lot of atmosphere and immersion.[5] Krzysztof Gonciarz of Gry Online found The characters relatively pretty, but nothing special in terms of design.[14] Kautz thought that while the characters were animated in a funny way, the game needed more enthusiasm in terms of acoustics and the host.[7]
The reviewers were disappointed with the quality of the music videos. John Hoogerwaard of Trouw named them as "simple imitation",[2] and Reed felt that because none were sourced from their artists, they weren't recognizable at first.[3] Ramsey stated that the clips reminded him of low-quality muzak versions of songs.[4]
Reed found the buzzers comfortable and easy to use with just one hand, albeit insubstantial,[3] and Ramsay named their inclusion as a "welcome novelty".[4]
Sales
Upon its release, the game debuted among the top 20 in the United Kingdom's video game chart. Shortly after it managed to rise to the top 10, a steep decline caused it to leave the charts. Relentless was at that point working on Buzz! The Big Quiz, and they received a call from Sony saying that The Big Quiz could likely be the last in the series. However, during the holidays period, The Music Quiz returned back to the top 20 and didn't leave it for a while. According to Amor, the week after Christmas was the peak sales wise.[10]
The game received a "Platinum" award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[15] indicating at least 300,000 copies sold in the United Kingdom.[16]
References
- PlayStation Games & Media - Buzz: The Music Quiz
- Hoogerwaard, John (10 November 2005). "Niet voor solitaire zombies". Trouw. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- Reed, Kristan (17 October 2005). "Buzz: The Music Quiz: Your living room may never be the same again". Eurogamer. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- Ramsay, Radolph (21 October 2010). "Buzz: The Music Quiz review". CNET. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- Ortiz, Nacho (14 April 2012). "Se acabó el 'pasapalabra'". Meristation. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- Palmisano, Fabio (21 December 2005). "Cuffie in testa e mani sul pulsante: è ora di giocare a Buzz! The Music Quiz". Multiplayer.it. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- Kautz, Paul (26 October 2005). "Test: Buzz! Das Musik-Quiz (Musik & Party)". 4Players. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- Nix (19 May 2005). "E3 2005: Buzz: The Music Quiz First Look". IGN. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- "Buzz Relentless Q and A". Thumb Bandits. 25 October 2008. Archived from the original on 24 January 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- Boyes, Emma (26 July 2007). "Buzz! dev: We need to make games for Miyamoto's wife". GameSpot. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- "Fingers on your buzzers... 'Please welcome your host, the music maestro, the man with the questions, the one, the only Buzz!'". GamesIndustry.biz. 18 May 2005. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- Calvert, Justin (18 May 2005). "Buzz! The Music Quiz E3 2005 Preshow Impressions". GameSpot. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- Dinovan (25 October 2005). "Test: Buzz!". Jeuxvideo.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- Gonciarz, Krzysztof (22 December 2005). "Buzz! Muzyczny Quiz - recenzja gry". Gry Online. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- "ELSPA Sales Awards: Platinum". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
- Caoili, Eric (26 November 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017.