Gettin' a Buzz On

The internet tells me there is a dearth of decent reviews of Buzz: Brain of Oz. Though on reflection this is hardly surprising, Sony seems to take perverse pleasure in screwing their Australian customers so most people probably haven't had a chance to play it yet. Even on their official website it is fairly well hidden.

Anyway, now that I have my very own shiny copy of the game I feel obliged to review it for the benefit of the unnamed masses... though no promises it will be decent. That's one thing Buzz: Brain of Oz definitely isn't... morally speaking not quality wise of course.

It's a fun game, I can't deny that. But I don't think I would let my young offspring play it. Though, since I am fortunate enough not to have any of my own I guess I can't say that with any certainty.

On first impression Buzz looks sweet and innocent. The colourful, cartoonish graphics and corny banter at the start of the game easily lull the player into a false sense of security. But Buzz, the puppet who hosts the game, has a wide variety of slightly smutty remarks to mutter throughout. It's quite hilarious, but definitely comes as a shock.

Not that there isn't a grand history of filthy mouthed puppets in the world.

So dialogue wise Buzz is fun. Corny, but fun.

Content wise Buzz: Brain of Oz also delivers. It is pretty much what you would expected from a quiz game; a range of topics, a variety of segments (point stealer and fastest finger are definitely my faves), with a fairly arbitrary means of determining a winner in the end. You can also make your own quizzes online, which is fun but so far my playstation3 has had serious issues uploading my questions.

At $109.95(aud) the game is definitely pushing the very top of the price bracket, but I managed to find it for less and at the lower price I would recommend the game as a definite purchase. The awesome plastic buzzers alone make it worth while. Plus it's a great party game. It is significantly more fun with four players then with two.

So if you are looking for a fun, casual game you can just pick up and play with friends you should grab a copy of Buzz. It's more fun then it the box makes it look.