Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz

8.1
Great

Gameplay	7.0	"It's Buzz: The Mega Quiz, but it’s about movies."
Graphics	9.0
Sound	9.0
Value	8.0

By Liam O'Connor

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A while ago I wrote a review for Buzz: The Mega Quiz. In a nutshell, I said:

“Relentless Software has not rested on its laurels, and has overhauled the Buzz experience to bring one of the most refined and enjoyable party games ever.”

I was surprised at the fact that Relentless Software hadn’t simply rehashed the previous Buzz games by simply including a whole bunch of new general knowledge questions. This, I cynically mentioned, was against the standard business model for video game sequels.

Unfortunately, it seems that lightning doesn’t strike twice. While Buzz: The Hollywood Quiz is certainly a refined, enjoyable experience, it is essentially Buzz: The Mega Quiz except with a bunch of questions about movies and celebrities and a couple of features removed.

Now, if you’re the kind of person who keeps up with the world via E! Television, this game is definitely up your alley. For a start, the presentation of the game definitely reflects the red carpet obsession that comes with Hollywood. The new characters are parodies of famous characters or actors, the game stage looks like it has been transplanted from the Oscars, and a lot of Buzz’s generally obnoxious commentary is broken up with famous lines from the biggest Hollywood hits.

Additionally, the questions are likely to be the kind of thing you can answer. Don’t know who first split the atom? No problem, you do know that Hilary Duff was Lizzie Maguire and that’s going to give you the advantage in this game.

The game itself is set up like The Mega Quiz. You pick the length and difficulty of your game, and decide how many people you are going to play with. Up to eight players can once again partake in the madness. You then start off the round by selecting categories from which various questions will be answered. These might be broad, such as questions about Science Fiction films, or more focused, such as questions about Johnny Depp. Indeed, this range sets the tone for the rest of the game.

Although not as inclusive as previous versions, the questions themselves are varied in terms of the target audience – it’s not all going to be about the latest Hollwood gossip, so even parents can get in on the fun by answering questions about All Quiet on the Western Front.

However, the questions never get terribly obscure – the Dolph Ludgren section will choose to ask you about his time in Masters of the Universe rather than his degree in nuclear physics. So at best, you movie fanatics reading this might not find yourselves challenged and at worst, hated by your peers for constantly winning.

In terms of features and rounds, it’s business as usual. Old favourites like Fastest Finger and Pie Fight return, but this is at the expense of new rounds, which is disappointing. Also disappointing is the removal of the random round that helped vary long games in The Mega Quiz – every game now feels a little too much like the one played before it. The bonus modes return, such as Quiz Master, although they still don’t offer the excited and controlled experience they should do – be prepared for lots of comments about how wrong you really are.

The sole new round, Roll Over, isn’t really as impressive as it should be and very rarely results in fights over massive accumulations of points. While it breeds a familiar experience that is easy to launch yourself into, it does all feel a little stale. Really, there’s not a lot here to entice you unless you’re dying to have a Buzz game about movies.

In terms of presentation, the game is generally a winner. There aren’t nearly as many video clips are you would expect in a game about Hollywood, but for the most part the game stands apart from its peers. The graphics are refined and fit well with the theme; the sound is well done, and although some of it is repeated, the voice acting is still great; and the menus and options are all slick and gel well with the overall experience.

Ultimately, however, Buzz: The Hollywood Quiz falls into the SingStar trap: alter some presentation, slap in some new, themed content and you’ve got a new game in a big brand to shove out the door. It’s still a great game and if you are the kind of person who watches E! Television’s Daily Ten rather than 3 News, it’s a perfect purchase. However, those who are looking for a more balanced and more inclusive affair would probably be better off buying The Mega Quiz instead.

NZGamer.com - Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz Facebook