Buzz!
Encyclopedia
Buzz! is a series of video games originated by Sleepydog Ltd., developed by Relentless Software
Relentless Software
Relentless Software is a British video game company formed in 2003 that is based in Brighton. Following Relentless’ first title, DJ: Decks & FX it developed 12 games in the Buzz! franchise with over 10 million units sold in more than 15 languages...

 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

 and PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...

 consoles. They are quiz
Quiz
A quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which the players attempt to answer questions correctly. In some countries, a quiz is also a brief assessment used in education and similar fields to measure growth in knowledge, abilities, and/or skills.Quizzes are usually scored in points and many...

 games that see the players answering trivia questions while competing in the fictional game show, Buzz!. Created specifically with multi-player party gaming
Party game
Party games are games that some people play as forms of entertainment at social gatherings. Party games usually involve more than one player. There are a large number and styles of party games available and the one selected will depend on the atmosphere that is sought to be generated...

 in mind, the series launched in October 2005 and to date comprises 18 games; including 13 in the Buzz! series and five Buzz! Junior titles. The series made the transition to the PlayStation 3 with Buzz!: Quiz TV
Buzz!: Quiz TV
Buzz!: Quiz TV , developed by Relentless Software and Sleepydog, is the seventh game in the Buzz! series of quiz games and the first to appear on the PlayStation 3 console. It debuts new wireless Buzz! controllers, as well as new game rounds. It is the first Buzz! game to feature user created...

in 2008. The sixteenth game in the series Buzz!: Brain of the UK was released in March 2009. The latest Buzz! game is Buzz!: The Ultimate Music Quiz
Buzz!: The Ultimate Music Quiz
Buzz!: The Ultimate Music Quiz, developed by Relentless Software, is the tenth game in the Buzz! series of quiz games. The game is available for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles...

which was released in October 2010.

In 2006 the second game in the Buzz series, Buzz!: The Big Quiz, won the BAFTA award for Best Casual and Social game. Buzz!: Quiz TV has been nominated in the Best Social Game and Best Multiplayer Game categories for the 2009 BAFTA video game awards.

As with most TV quiz shows
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...

 the winner of the game is the player with the most points. The show uses a multi-round format with most games in the series featuring eight individual rounds. The exact rounds vary from game-to-game and more information about the rounds can be found in the individual articles. Each game is hosted by the titular Buzz (voiced by Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...

 in the English versions)

The games are played with buzzers - a set of four simple controllers that consist of four coloured answer buttons and a red buzzer. These are intended to replicate the buzzers often seen on TV quiz shows. The buzzers plug into a USB port and the game allows use of either one or two sets of buzzers allowing up to eight players in certain games. The games are usually marketed in two versions, a pack containing both game and buzzers for new purchasers or a game only version for players who already own a set of buzzers.

In January 2008 California-based Buzztime Entertainment
NTN Buzztime
NTN Buzztime is a company which produces interactive entertainment across many different platforms. Its most well-known product, simply called Buzztime, and formerly known as the NTN Network, since 1985, broadcasts trivia and other games via broadband over a national network to over 3,800 bars...

 filed a legal suit, in the Southern District of California, against Sony Computer Entertainment Europe alleging that Sony had violated several of its trademarks. The suit accused Sony of a "malicious, fraudulent, knowing, wilful, and deliberate" violation of its trademarks. In the suit Buzztime is seeking the recall and destruction of all infringing products and is asking the court for actual damages, punitive damages, legal fees and an order to the US Patent and Trademark Office not to register Sony's pending Buzz trademarks.

Buzz! series

The series was launched in October 2005 with Buzz!: The Music Quiz, which was followed by a general knowledge version Buzz!: The Big Quiz. The alternation between specialist subject and general knowledge continued for the next three games in the series, The sports based Buzz!: The Sports Quiz was followed by another general knowledge edition, Buzz!: The Mega Quiz
Buzz!: The Mega Quiz
Buzz!: The Mega Quiz was developed by Relentless Software and is the fourth game in the Buzz! series for the PlayStation 2, alongside Buzz! Junior: Robo Jam. Buzz! The Mega Quiz has over 5,000 questions...

, and then another single subject edition based around films, Buzz!: The Hollywood Quiz
Buzz!: The Hollywood Quiz
Buzz!: The Hollywood Quiz is the fifth installment in the Buzz! series of video games developed for the PlayStation 2 by Relentless Software. Players have to answer questions asked by the quiz master using the four Buzz! remote controls...

. The sequence was broken with the March 2008 release of Buzz!: The Pop Quiz
Buzz!: The Pop Quiz
Buzz!: The Pop Quiz developed by Relentless Software and Sleepydog, is the sixth game in the Buzz! series of quiz games for the PlayStation 2 console. The game features music from the 1990s to the present day...

. Buzz!: Quiz TV is a general knowledge quiz but allows players the option of quizzes on a single specific subject. Buzz!: Master Quiz is a general knowledge quiz with the addition of single subject rounds. In 2009, the newest game is Buzz!: Quiz World, expanding from Quiz TV by adding profiles to remember player's character & buzzer sounds, if you won or lost the previous game and call them by name. Quiz World includes both a PS3 & PSP version of the game. Buzz!: Quiz Player is a free downloadable game, and is essentially a Quiz World demo. Quiz Player can also play the PS3 downloadable quiz packs, and can be played with the buzzers or with a controller.

Buzz! Junior series

In October 2006 a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...

 series of games designed for children started with the release of Buzz! Junior: Jungle Party
Buzz! Junior: Jungle Party
Buzz! Junior: Jungle Party is the first game in the Buzz! Junior series of party games.Jungle Party comprises forty different mini-games...

with 40 mini games . A second game, Buzz! Junior: Robo Jam
Buzz! Junior: Robo Jam
Buzz! Junior: Robo Jam is a 2007 family game for the Sony PlayStation 2, and is the second game in the Buzz! Junior series of games. Robo Jam was co-developed by Magenta Software and FreeStyleGames. Magenta supplied the engine and nineteen of the twenty five mini-games while Freestyle supplied the...

, was released in May 2007 and has 25 mini games, and a third, Buzz! Junior: Monster Rumble was released in November 2007 and has 25 mini games. The fourth game in the series, Buzz! Junior: Dino Den
Buzz! Junior: Dino Den
Buzz! Junior: Dino Den is the fourth game in the Buzz! Junior series of party games, and will feature dinosaurs as players. Dino Den consists of thirty-five different mini-games, including ten new team mini-games...

, is based around dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...

s and was the first Buzz game to be developed by Cohort Studios and released in February 2008. The fifth Buzz! Junior game, Buzz! Junior: Ace Racers, again developed by Cohort Studios, was released in October 2008. Buzz! Junior: Ace Racers is a racing game where players race cars, boats and planes using their Buzz! buzzer.

Games in the Buzz! Junior series have been developed by Magenta Software
Magenta Software
Magenta Software is a Video Games Developer based in Liverpool, England.In October 2007, Magenta Software won the Children’s Jury Giga Maus award for Buzz! Junior: Robo Jam. In November 2007, Magenta Software won a British Academy Children’s BAFTA for Buzz! Junior: Jungle Party. It was founded in...

, FreeStyleGames
FreeStyleGames
FreeStyleGames Ltd. is a British video game development company with approximately 100 staff based in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. The company was originally formed by Ex-Codemasters and Ex-Rare staff in late 2002, and has developed over the last 5 years into a well-respected development...

 and Cohort Studios
Cohort Studios
Cohort Studios was a Scottish games development and interactive entertainment studio based in Dundee.Formed in 2006 by Lol Scragg, Darran Thomas and Bruce McNeish, Cohort’s first project involved being contracted by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe to assist on MotorStorm for PlayStation 3...

.

Buzz! buzzers

The Buzz! Buzzer is a special controller set designed specifically for the Buzz! game series. The controller features four handsets, each of which has a large red buzzer button and four smaller coloured buttons for picking the answer from the on-screen options. The buzzer set is a USB device, and connects to the USB ports on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3.

The Buzz Junior games came with a new set of Buzzers but like the PS3 games the old Buzzers can be used. These new buzzers still use wires and are not wireless. The only difference is that the buttons, are shaded that colour , instead of the outline.

Buzz!: Quiz TV saw the release of a wireless version of the buzzers. They connect to the PS2 or PS3 system via a USB dongle. Each dongle can support up to 4 wireless buzzers so this means another dongle is required for 8 player play with 8 wireless buzzers. The wireless buzzers can be used with both the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 and all previous Buzz! games.

Buzz! series

Year Title Platform
PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 PlayStation Portable
2005 Buzz!: The Music Quiz
2006 Buzz!: The Big Quiz
2006 Buzz!: The Sports Quiz
Buzz!: The Sports Quiz
Buzz!: The Sports Quiz for the PlayStation 2, is the third game in the Buzz! series and was developed by Kuju Entertainment. Players answer questions asked by the Quizmaster using their Buzz! buzzers.-Gameplay:...

2007 Buzz!: The Mega Quiz
Buzz!: The Mega Quiz
Buzz!: The Mega Quiz was developed by Relentless Software and is the fourth game in the Buzz! series for the PlayStation 2, alongside Buzz! Junior: Robo Jam. Buzz! The Mega Quiz has over 5,000 questions...

2007 Buzz!: The Hollywood Quiz
Buzz!: The Hollywood Quiz
Buzz!: The Hollywood Quiz is the fifth installment in the Buzz! series of video games developed for the PlayStation 2 by Relentless Software. Players have to answer questions asked by the quiz master using the four Buzz! remote controls...

2008 Buzz!: The Schools Quiz
Buzz!: The Schools Quiz
Buzz!: The Schools Quiz is an educational game based on the popular Buzz! series of games. The game was developed by Relentless Software in association with the UK Government's Department for Education and Skills...

2008 Buzz!: The Pop Quiz
Buzz!: The Pop Quiz
Buzz!: The Pop Quiz developed by Relentless Software and Sleepydog, is the sixth game in the Buzz! series of quiz games for the PlayStation 2 console. The game features music from the 1990s to the present day...

2008 Buzz!: Quiz TV
Buzz!: Quiz TV
Buzz!: Quiz TV , developed by Relentless Software and Sleepydog, is the seventh game in the Buzz! series of quiz games and the first to appear on the PlayStation 3 console. It debuts new wireless Buzz! controllers, as well as new game rounds. It is the first Buzz! game to feature user created...

2008 Buzz!: Master Quiz
Buzz!: Master Quiz
Buzz!: Master Quiz, is a 2008 video game developed by Relentless Software and Curve Studios for the PlayStation Portable, is the first game in the Buzz! series of quiz games to be made for a hand-held console....

2008 Buzz!: Brain Bender
Buzz!: Brain Bender
Buzz!: Brain Bender, developed by Curve Studios for the PlayStation Portable, is the second game in the Buzz! series to be made for a hand-held console. Unlike other games in the Buzz! series Brain Bender is a puzzle game rather than a quiz game...

2009 Buzz!: Brain of...
Buzz!: Brain of the UK
Buzz!: Brain of... is the eighth title in the Buzz! series of quiz video games.The game has 21 regional variations with the game's title being changed depending upon region, but the basic concept behind the game remains the same....

2009 Buzz!: Quiz World
Buzz!: Quiz World
Buzz!: Quiz World, developed by Relentless Software, is the ninth game in the Buzz! series of quiz games. The game is available for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles. It allows users to use question packs purchased for previous Buzz! games as well as supporting user created content...

2010 Buzz!: The Ultimate Music Quiz
Buzz!: The Ultimate Music Quiz
Buzz!: The Ultimate Music Quiz, developed by Relentless Software, is the tenth game in the Buzz! series of quiz games. The game is available for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles...

2010 Buzz!: Quiz Player

Buzz! Junior series

Year Title Platform
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...

2006 Buzz! Junior: Jungle Party
Buzz! Junior: Jungle Party
Buzz! Junior: Jungle Party is the first game in the Buzz! Junior series of party games.Jungle Party comprises forty different mini-games...

2007 Buzz! Junior: Robo Jam
Buzz! Junior: Robo Jam
Buzz! Junior: Robo Jam is a 2007 family game for the Sony PlayStation 2, and is the second game in the Buzz! Junior series of games. Robo Jam was co-developed by Magenta Software and FreeStyleGames. Magenta supplied the engine and nineteen of the twenty five mini-games while Freestyle supplied the...

2007 Buzz! Junior: Monster Rumble
Buzz! Junior: Monster Rumble
Buzz! Junior: Monster Rumble is the third game in the Buzz! Junior series of games. Buzz! Junior: Monster Rumble was released on 2 November 2007 in Europe. Monster Rumble was co-developed by FreeStyleGames and Magenta Software and is published by SCEE...

2008 Buzz! Junior: Dino Den
Buzz! Junior: Dino Den
Buzz! Junior: Dino Den is the fourth game in the Buzz! Junior series of party games, and will feature dinosaurs as players. Dino Den consists of thirty-five different mini-games, including ten new team mini-games...

2008 Buzz! Junior: Ace Racers

Other versions

On 24 November 2006, Eidos
Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....

 released Who Wants to be a Millionaire - Party Edition. This was the first third party game to support the use of Buzz! buzzers. The game features a single player game closely modelled on the original UK version of the TV show and a multi-player version with various modes like Multi-Millionaire where players take it in turns to answer questions with elimination the penalty for a wrong answer the winner being the last player left standing. Millionaire Party allows players to steal questions from rivals.

PlayStation Home

Relentless Software released a Buzz! themed space for the PlayStation 3's online social gaming network, PlayStation Home
PlayStation Home
PlayStation Home is a virtual 3D social gaming network developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's London Studio for the PlayStation 3 on the PlayStation Network . It is available directly from the PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar under PlayStation Network. Membership is free, and only requires a PSN...

 in the European and North American versions. The space is called "Buzz!: HQ". Buzz!: HQ is a lounge with seats for the user's avatars and the lounge is styled like a VIP room where outside of the doors, there is a red carpet with people standing on both sides and flashing cameras. The red carpeted area is not accessible. In the Buzz!: HQ lounge, there is an option called "Enter Buzz!: Studio" that takes users to "Buzz!: Studio". Buzz!: Studio is a "64 Player Buzz! Quizzing" with rewards. There are three different T-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....

s users can win for their avatars; a Single Win T-shirt, a 25 Correct Questions T-shirt, and a 100 Correct Questions T-shirt. There are four categories to choose from which change each game and a series of eight questions for each category. To answer the question correctly, the user must stand on the colored area that represents the correct answer. The original release date was 4 June 2009. Due to some technical problems of the Buzz!: Studio, the space was removed for fixing. The relaunch of the space happened on 16 July 2009. Another unique feature about the space is that the quizzes used for Buzz!: Studio are quizzes made by PlayStation Network users who have submitted their quiz via the MyBuzz! website.

As of 10 September 2009, Buzz!: Quiz TV fully supports game launching. Game launching is a feature that allows users to set up multi-player games in Home and launch directly into the game from Home. Buzz!: Quiz World supports PlayStation Home rewards by winning the quiz rounds in the game.

From 27 August 2009 to 24 September 2009, an event for Buzz! took place in a special PlayStation Events Space. The event was called the "Buzz! Tomato Challenge" and used the space, Events Landing. Exclusive footage from the Buzz! World Championships grand final at La Tomatina festival in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 was shown during the event. Users were able to take part in a virtual version of the real world event via the Buzz! Tomato Challenge pod in the re-dressed Events Landing. Users threw tomatoes at the enormous Buzz by answering quiz questions correctly. If they successfully hit Buzz ten times within the time limit, they were rewarded a Buzz! Tomato Head for their avatar. This event was only available to the European Home.

Cameos

Pain
Pain (video game)
Pain is a 2007 video game for the PlayStation 3, developed by games studio Idol Minds. It was originally released as a downloadable title available from the PlayStation Store and was first released in North America on November 29, 2007 and in Europe on March 20, 2008 and became the most popular...

- One of the downloadable add-on characters for the PS3 game Pain is Buzz, with 2 different costumes to wear in the game.

LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet, commonly abbreviated LBP, is a puzzle platformer video game, based on user-generated content, for the PlayStation 3 first announced on 7 March 2007, by Phil Harrison at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California...

- Buzz is an add-on costumes for the game's Sackboy character. It features a Buzz skin (for his red suit), Buzz hair, Buzz glasses, and a Buzz tie.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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