Fuzion Frenzy
Encyclopedia
Fuzion Frenzy is a launch title for the Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...

 Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...

. At its core, Fuzion Frenzy is a four-player party game
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...

 featuring 45 different mini-games (not including the titular Fuzion Frenzy). A demo of the game was included with some other launch titles in the US, including Halo
Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo: Combat Evolved, frequently referred to as Halo: CE, or Halo 1, is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The first game of the Halo franchise, it was released on November 15, 2001 as a launch title for the Xbox gaming system, and is...

, Munch's Oddysee
Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee is the third game made by Oddworld Inhabitants. Originally announced as a title in development for PlayStation 2, it was instead released exclusively as one of the launch titles for Microsoft Xbox. It is the second chapter of the Oddworld pentalogy, following Abe's Oddysee...

and Amped
Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding
Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding is an Xbox exclusive snowboarding video game. It is the first of the Amped video game series....

. The title was among the first to be released as a part of the Xbox Originals program.

A sequel was later released for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

, entitled Fuzion Frenzy 2
Fuzion Frenzy 2
Fuzion Frenzy 2 was universally not as well received as its predecessor. Many felt that Hudson had taken the series in an unwelcome direction, providing a "value title" at nearly full price...

.

Gameplay

Up to four players can compete in two different game modes: "Tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...

" or "Mini-Game Frenzy". Mini-Game Frenzy is the simpler of the two, involving players selecting individual mini-games while an ongoing tabulation of wins per player is maintained. In contrast, the Tournament mode is the core game mode, where players attempt to earn the highest number of points after playing through two or more play zones.

22 different game modes.
  • Coliseum - Rolling Ball and Ice Car mini-games.
  • Downtown - Fireworks and Music mini-games.
  • Outlands - Demolition and Tail-bone mini-games.
  • Military Base - Pod and Tank mini-games.
  • Power Station - Hopper and Splat mini-games.
  • Waterfront - Jetboat and Orb mini-games.


During game setup, players choose from one of six characters (the differences are cosmetic only), with extra player slots being filled by computer AI. The number of zones to play through is also selected (2, 4, or 6). The exact zones which are used during play (if fewer than 6) are determined randomly, in addition to the order in which the zones are played. Unlike other party games such as the Mario Party
Mario Party
is a party video game for the Nintendo 64 game console, developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on December 14, 1998, in North America on February 8, 1999, and in Europe on March 9, 1999...

series or Sonic Shuffle
Sonic Shuffle
is a video game for the Dreamcast and was Sega's answer to the Nintendo party game, Mario Party. The game was developed by Hudson Soft, who also developed Mario Party, and co-developed by Sonic Team.-Overview:...

, Fuzion Frenzy has no overarching game board; rather, players proceed from one random mini-game to another, and from zone to zone, in an order determined without player input. The traversal between zones is depicted as a route on a map which never crosses itself, limiting the possible transitions between zones.

In each zone, three random mini-games are played. For mini-games which are team games, players are paired randomly. Some mini-games are timed, and some are not. Mini-games that are timed usually have a time limit of 60 seconds (1:00) or 90 seconds (1:30) to play, though some even have a time limit of 2 minutes (2:00). At the conclusion of each mini-game, players (or teams) are awarded a number of orbs (6, 4, 2, or 0) proportional to their final standing (1st through 4th) in the event. If there is a tie for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place; the orbs are split proportionally.

Once the third mini-game is finished, the zone ends with the special "Fuzion Frenzy" mini-game. Each player must decide whether to bank their orbs (converting each orb directly into 10 points), or put them into play for this Fuzion Frenzy. Each player may risk any or all of their orbs, but must risk at least 3 orbs.

The players are then put in an arena, where glowing orbs appear at random. Some of these orbs are colorless, while others are the colored orbs wagered by the players. Within 80 seconds (1:20), each player attempts to grab orbs and deliver them to the goal zones in order to score points. A player can only pick up colorless orbs or orbs that match his color. However, once a player picks up an orb, it becomes colorless, and others players can steal it by attacking the carrier. Players can carry more than one orb at once, and delivering more than one orb at a time provides a score bonus.

When the 80-second (1:20) timer ends, the points earned in the Fuzion Frenzy are added to a player's total, and it is this total which actually determines the winner of the zone. Thus, a player who didn't finish first after the three mini-games may still win the overall zone if he performs well in the Fuzion Frenzy. If there is a tie between two or more of the players at the end of the final Fuzion Frenzy, a tie-breaker mini-game is played to determine the winner.

Popular Culture

Fuzion Frenzy Drinking Game, also known as Fuze, is a drinking game in which players attempt to earn the highest number of points after playing through four or more play zones in Tournament Mode. The game is typically played with three or four people; each player has their own half full cup of liquid (usually a shot glass). The winner of each mini-game is designated to pick another player to consume the contents of their respective cup. Alternatively, the winner of the mini-game may choose himself/herself to drink, in which case all the other players must drink their cups as well. The winner of the "Fuzion Frenzy" mini-game at the end of each zone must choose a player to drink a full cup, or choose themselves; in which case all players must drink a half-cup. The object of the game is to win the tournament. The Fuzion Frenzy Drinking Game has recently spread in popularity among college campuses across America.

Reception

The reception of Fuzion Frenzy in the media was generally positive, with reviewers enjoying the colorful visuals and fast-moving mini-games. While most of the mini-games were well liked, a few were noted as being little more than "push the buttons" activities. Additionally, detractors noted that the title had only limited single-player appeal, requiring multiple players to get the most out of the game. Nonetheless, most agreed that the title was solid fun, even if only as a "rental title" for those who require more depth.

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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