Buzz: Ultimate Music Quiz 2011 Review

Unfortunately, announcements about various new handheld consoles from Sony and Nintendo over the last fortnight has meant that our hands-on with this game was unintentionally delayed. Nevertheless, the Mini Gamers blogsite has now tried and tested Buzz: Ultimate Music Quiz (PSP) in order to bring you the good and bad points of this music-themed game.

Firstly, fans of the Buzz series of quiz games will quickly notice that this game has been given a snazzy makeover from the previous PSP games.

The game features several different quiz rounds to test your music knowledge and two different single-player game modes - Chart Climber (in which players have to play several different quiz rounds in order to win points and gain their place at the top of the charts,) and Quick Quiz whereby players have to play a random quiz from one of the rounds in the Chart Climber section.

There is also several Multiplayer modes to be had in this game. As well as the usual Pass Around and Player-to-Player Wi-Fi modes, there is also an Online Multiplayer mode so that players can now test their musical knowledge with other people from all over the country.

The quiz rounds themselves are quite varied, and range from general knowledge about all diferent types of music,  to naming music stars or identifying various tunes, and even trying to beat the clock in timed quizes.

Buzz himself has also had a bit of a makeover. See the irrepressible host don a number of hairstyles throughout the quiz, from an Elvis-style Quiff, to a J.S. Bach wig. Buzz has the lot!

The usual Bronze, Silver and Gold awards have also been changed to Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum records, and the way they work has also been changed. Now, the awards are also given a points multiplier, which range from 1x to 4x your original score. The faster you correctly answer questions, the more of a multiplier you will gain.

One of the most impressive features in this game is Buzz's personal commentary, which allows Buzz to call you by name. This was originally featured in the Buzz: Quiz World game, but the names which were featured were very limited and meant that many people were unable to choose their name from the list.

 In Buzz: Ultimate Music Quiz (PSP) the 'Personal Commentary' feature has been enhanced, and it now features a wide range of nicknames and unusual names to choose from. Hearing Buzz call out your name at the end of the quiz is really satisfying and makes the game much more interactive.

So, what are the bad points?

Actually, there are relatively few bad points in this game. The main problem with quiz-based video games in general is that the questions can be repeated after a while. However, we played twenty different rounds of Chart Climber and only had three repeated questions during that time, which is a lot better than some other quiz games we could mention.

Online Multiplayer was also a bit of a problem as we couldn't find anyone to quiz with, dispite searching for players on five different occasions, nevertheless, this may not be the case for everyone.

Overall, this is a very entertaining and interactive game. The new format and style changes are very impressive. If you are a fan of quiz games, then this is definately the game for you. Overall rating: 9/10.

Buzz: Ultimate Music Quiz Delayed Until 2011!

Buzz: The Ultimate Music Quiz is to be delayed until 14 January 2011. The game was supposed to be released on the 17th of December 2010, but, like so many of the new PSP games that we have been promised this year, it has so far failed to reach the shop shelves.

Mini Gamers has reported on several different PSP titles which have been either delayed or cancelled without any apparent reason, including Patapon 3, which was supposed to be released in early November this year, but which for some reason has been further delayed until the 25th of March 2011 now.

The game itself is the tenth game in the Buzz! series, and is essentially a Music Quiz but with all the satirical humour of the rest of the Buzz Games Series. The PS3 version of Buzz: The Ultimate Music Quiz has already been released to the public and it would be nice to see the game appear on the PSP as well.

 Sony's overall decline of sales in Europe and the SCEE's decision to stop PSP Dev Kits earlier this year could explain why so many PSP titles have failed to reach their release date. Nevertheless, it has to be said that so many unexplained delays is both unsettling and annoying to the many gamers who have pre-ordered games only to be disapointed over and over again...

The 14th of January 2011 might only be about 3 weeks away, but the fact that Buzz: The Ultimate Music Quiz has already suffered from two release date delays already this year does not fill us with much confidence. Mini Gamers hopes that this and the other delayed games will soon be on the shop shelves, but at this moment in time, there is just no way to know for sure. Only time will tell.

More Delays For EyePet PSP and Buzz: Ultimate Music Quiz

EyePet PSP and Buzz: Ultimate Music Quiz are to suffer from futher delays it was revealed today. The news follows the SCEE's decision to stop producing PSP Development Kits on the 15th November this year.

Eyepet PSP was first announced at E3 earlier this year, and was originally given an late October release date. This was subsequently changed to the 5th of November 2010.

However, the game has once again been delayed without a clear reason. The new release date for Eyepet PSP is the 19th of November 2010, but there is no way of telling whether this date will be changed again between now and then, and to make matters worse, Eyepet PSP isn't the only PSP game to delay its release by a number of weeks.

Buzz: The Ultimate Music Quiz was also supposed to be released on the 15th of October this year. That date was then changed to the 19th November 2010. Now the game is set to be delayed until the 26th of November 2010.

These two games are sadly a further example of the PSP's overall decline in the gaming market. With the launch of the PSP Go console, which allows game media to be downloaded directly  onto its built-in hard drive, more and more video game retailers have chosen to only stock a limited amount of PSP games and peripherals. This is a trend which is set to worsen after the Development Kits have been discontinued.

                    

Several  popular PSP games have been delayed until next year, including Star Wars III: The Clone Wars and Patapon 3. Whilst an even greater number of  sequels to successful PSP games have failed to even been produced for PSP at all, including The Force Unleashed II, whose predecessor (The Force Unleashed) was a huge smash on PSP, and The Sims 3.

Speaking at E3 in June this year, Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO, Jack Tretton, promised PSP fans that an amazing 70 new titles for the handheld console by the end of 2010, but as the amount of delays increases, this promise is unlikely to be fulfilled.

In recent months, several rumours concerning new types of PSP console have emerged, including rumours of a new gaming device nicknamed the PSP 2, which Sony refuses to acknowledge, and a new mobile phone with PSP gaming capabilities, which is said to already be in development. Is this the end of the Sony PSP as we know it?

October/November Games Line-Up...

The handheld gaming market has suffered another 'drought' recently, with many big-name titles choosing to settle exclusively for the major consoles instead, but that is all about to end as the next two months promise some interesting games for owners of the DS or PSP handhelds. Here we look at a few new release and pre-order games that have managed to catch our eye recently:

 My Sims: Sky Heroes

The cute and lovable My Sims are back for another round on the Nintendo DS and DSi systems. This time, your chosen avatar will take to the skies in an all-new adventure. Take on Morcubus (the usual villain from the Wii version of the My Sims games) and his evil army to become the ultimate hero. Take part in high-speed dogfights, aerial battles and rescue missions with your chosen My Sims. Encounter some new faces as well as some very familiar ones.

As with the last few My Sims titles, this game is geared more towards males than females (but that should not prevent girls from having a go at it, I hasten to add,) however, the quirky characters and fun gameplay will be instantly recognisable to fans of the series.

Players start off as fledgling pilots and gain skills and experience to become heroes of the skies. Unique to this game, however, is an Upgrade System, whereby aeroplane parts can be upgraded to provide greater movement, speed or ability. This certainly makes the game more challenging in lots of ways and definitely adds to the replay value of the overall game.

This game will not be to everyone tastes (sugary sweet storylines mixed with aeriel assaults don't come along every day, people!) Nevertheless, it is a fun little game which will appeal to the casual gamers amongst you. Why not give it a try?

The game will be available in the shops from the 1st October 2010.

Professor Layton & The Lost Future

Professor Layton and Luke return in the final installment of their adventure trilogy on the Nintendo DS and DSi, but don't worry, as we already know that a new title Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle is being planned for the 3DS and we also heard a sneaky little rumour that a new 'prequel' trilogy was in the pipeline too, so fans definitely have not heard the last of this logical detective.

In this game, which is released on the 15th October 2010, Luke receives a mysterious letter from his own future, prompting the Professor to embark on another puzzle-solving mission.

With over 165 separate puzzles, this game promises us more brainteasers than ever before, as well as a  Super Hint system for when we really do not have a clue and have already purchased the three normal hints. However, as the new Super Hint function usually makes it so easy to solve the brainteasers, it will cost more hint coins to purchase one!

The Professor Layton games have always been a massive hit with us here at Mini Gamers, be sure to check in with the blog for a more in-depth review when the game is released.

Buzz: Ultimate Music Quiz

The new Buzz title does what it says on the box - it puts your musical knowledge to the test. As usual, this game for the PSP contains thousands of questions, so the chances of the same questions being asked twice are minimal. This game also features an ad-hoc wireless multiplayer mode so you can take on up to eight players and enjoy pitting your wits against your friends and family.

Fans of this series will already know what to expect. The single player mode consists of fifteen separate challenges filled with music video clips, photographs, audio excerpts and general trivia. Trophies and medals will be awarded for various accomplishments during each level, including getting the most amount of correct answers or answering questions in the shortest possible time.

However, there have been some minor changes to the PSP game which is refreshing for such a long-running games series. Firstly, the game now comes with a Personalised Commentary System, which means that Buzz can now call you by name!

Furthermore, there have been rumours that the game's irrepressible host, Buzz, has undergone a bit of a makeover  himself for this title, but the developers are being very tight-lipped about what that will actually entail.

The game was originally scheduled for release at the end of October, but this date has since changed to the 12th November 2010. If you like music trivia, then this could be the game for you!

Tron: Evolution

If you were a child growing up the 1980s then you will definitely remember the film TRON from 1982. The film broke new ground in its use of Solid 3D Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI). It was aimed at the new videogame craze and most of the film was set in a graphically-enhanced world.

Nevertheless, the film was a little before its time in its approach to computer graphics, and unfortunately the CGI methods used all those years ago were not as convincing as today's models, so TRON was infamous for being a Box Office failure. Nevertheless, it did gain cult status in the early 1990s. 

Now, twenty-eight years after the original film, a sequel called TRON: Legacy is in the pipeline, and of course where there is a major film, there has to be a major game title to accompany it.

TRON: Evolution is set during the era between the two TRON films.  It has been developed by Propaganda Games and Disney Interactive Studios. Essensially the game will help to bridge-the-gap between the main plots in both films and help fans old and  new to familiarise themselves with TRON mythology.

"TRON is the most revered video game-inspired film property of all time, TRON: Evolution, the video game, will enhance the TRON experience for existing fans of the franchise as well as an entirely new audience." [Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios.]

The game itself will be an action-adventure with elements of racing and role-playing games included in it and although TRON: Evolution is linked to the events in both films, it will also be a stand alone project, so no prior knowledge of TRON is needed to play the game. 

TRON: Evolution is set to be released on the 26th November 2010. It will appear on all major formats including the Nintendo DS and PSP systems. However those of you in the UK who wish to see the film sequel TRON: Legacy will have to wait  until the 26th of December 2010.

So there you have it - just a few of the games that we think are going to be massive hits over the next two months. Of course, October and November have many more brilliant games to offer us but it would take us a lifetime to include all of them in a single blog post.

However, Mini Gamers will endevour to keep you up to date with all the latest releases as they happen over the coming months and we look forward to hearing your opinions on new games as well. Watch this space!

Buzz! Embraces Its Childish Side...On PSP

 Jungle Party, which is due to be released in the UK on the 8th of October 2010, is the first Buzz! game in the PSP series to be aimed specifically at children. However, it must be said that this title already forms part of the Buzz Jr collection on the PS2.

Essentially, the game comprises of a set of mini games which are played against jungle animals. These include playing basketball with an elephant and even taming a lion.

Each game can be played by up to four players on one PSP using the 'Pass around mode' so brothers, sisters and Mum and Dad don't have to miss out on all the fun.

In Jungle Party you play as one of four cheeky little monkeys. You must complete a set of 15 challenges to be crowned King of the Jungle.

This is a cute little title with the emphasis on fun but for anyone over the age of ten it can quickly become repetitive. Everything is already unlocked at the beginning of the game and a lot of the features are very simple and easy to use.

Furthermore tasks such as throwing coconuts or completing daring tasks like stealing an ostrich egg to gain maximum points have already been seen in other 'party' type games (albeit with a different twist to the scenario).

Everything in this game title is colourful and bright, which will certainly appeal to very young gamers. This is definitely a family title, with traditional host Buzz being replaced by a sweet (and sometimes condescending) host, Becky Boxer.

However, that kind of hits the nail on the head really - in reshaping the Buzz! series for children, this title has lost the essence of  what the main series is really about. This could be one of the reasons why the Buzz! logo has been removed from the PSP version of the game's packaging...  

That is not to say that this title is not humorous or fun at all, just that it has not got the kind of energy and replay value of the traditional games.

Nevertheless, when you remember that the game's core audience is young children then Jungle Party makes absolute sense. It is just a shame that there could not be a little something included for older children or adults as well. 

If you know some 'cheeky little monkeys' of your own and want a quick way to keep them entertained during school holidays and at the weekend, then this game is definitely worth considering. Definitely one for the kids. 

However, if you are more a fan of  the traditional Buzz! games instead, then do not despair, as another title Buzz! Ultimate Music Quiz will also be coming to the PSP and PS3 on the 15th of October. Look for a review of it on Mini Gamers very soon.