Undeniably, Buzz! became a firm family favourite right from the beginning when the first of the series, Buzz! The Music Quiz was launched back in 2005. It didn’t take long for the series to get into its stride and offer up versions with questions in all fields.
Now Sony and Relentless Studios are polishing up their valuable franchise for two brand new versions, which are, for the first time, available on the mighty PlayStation 3 and PSP respectively.
Lucy Garnett, product manager for Sony, tells MCV about the importance of the brand: “Buzz! is a major franchise for us on PS2, and as a brand, encapsulates the social gaming aspects, alongside SingStar, that continue to ensure healthy sales for the platform as a whole.
"With releases covering sport, pop music, Hollywood and general knowledge, consumer awareness for the brand is very strong, which is why we expect the move onto both PS3 and PSP to be very successful.”
First up is PS3 exclusive Buzz! Quiz TV. Buzz! Quiz TV includes over 5,000 questions, but in keeping with Sony’s online vision, there is the option to download more.
“We’re excited about a number of new features in the PS3 version, Buzz! Quiz TV, and believe this anticipation and excitement has filtered through to both consumers and retail,” enthuses Garnett. “With online support via the PSN, the developer Relentless Software has added a new ‘Sofa Vs Sofa’ mode, allowing families to compete against each other, from anywhere in the world.
"In addition to this, we have the potential to offer an ever-expanding catalogue of content, including user generated and premium question packs, which will keep the brand and franchise at the forefront of buying decisions.”
New to PS3, Buzz! Quiz TV brings a new Whole Quiz TV network to the Buzz! experience, which is a clever feature that allows players to ‘hop’ between quiz categories. Cunningly, this means there are a variety of quizzes to suit all players, all easily available.
Also new to Buzz! Quiz TV are new buzzers, as Garnett reveals: “Up to eight players can grab one of the game’s four all-new wireless buzzers and get involved. The new peripherals, which come bundled with the game, free up Buzz! and leave your front room cable and clutter free.”
Not content with a new PS3 version, Sony has gone one step further this time and provided Buzz! Master Quiz for their über-powerful handheld PSP.
“Buzz! Master Quiz on PSP will offer a totally new gameplay experience, by allowing consumers the opportunity to challenge and entertain each other, on the move,” Garnett explains.
“With the option of brushing up on your general knowledge in the single player mode, or flexing your cerebral muscles in a group with Pass the PSP, there’s a host of new gameplay modes to keep everyone from commuters, gamers, students and families, entertained at home, or even on the move.”
There are plenty of new features for the PSP version including ‘Virus Challenges’: “The player has a virus, which makes their score tick down as soon as they start scoring. They answer a set number of ‘text only’ and ‘text with picture’ questions. Answering correctly earns 250 points. There is no timer. The player is awarded on their final score.”
There are other new features for PSP, as Garnett explains: “There are four Quickfire challenges, based on four of the eight question categories in the game, like the ‘Quickfire Sport Challenge’. The quicker the answer, the more points they receive. Each question has a 15 second timer. The player is awarded on their final score.”
As you might expect, marketing will be supporting the Buzz! brand, as Garnett explains: “We have adopted the same marketing approach for Buzz! as we have with SingStar, in so much as we’ll be running a consistent large scale brand campaign, instead of separate promotions for each individual release.
"However, now that Buzz! has made a transition onto two new formats, PSP and PS3, we’ll be doing some press and online activity at launch for both, focusing on the new innovations that each title brings to each platform.
“Following on from the launch activity, there’ll be a much bigger push for Buzz! in the summer, focusing on wide ranging sampling activity, as we did for SingStar last year with the very successful SingStar Studios. Our experience from this activity has taught us that the best way to educate, enthuse and attract new consumers, is by offering as many people as possible the chance to get hands-on with the brand.
“Finally, with our move to a networked platform on the PS3, we are keen to build the Buzz! community and keep them at the heart of our activity.”
So, with the arrival of one of the original social family gaming skus on next-gen PlayStation 3 and formidably powerful PSP all in the space of a few weeks, it’s time for gamers to brush-up on their general knowledge and open those purse strings. Buzz! is shaping up to continue as a gamer favourite.
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