There's nothing quite like a good family trivia game.  These types of games are so sparse in the videogame world, and generally they're done extremely poorly.  The one that comes to mind that was even remotely entertaining was one called Twisted, which existed on the 3DO platform (some of you may not remember it, so here's a link for you to the Classic Gaming website). 

So pardon my skepticism when Sony published a new type of game for that genre called Buzz! Quiz TV. 

I will dominate you in movie trivia, but cry when it comes to science

Buzz! Quiz TV gameplay is particularly anything special in the genre of trivia.  It runs by the same concept having questions asked and contestants answer.  Where it separates itself is that it simply doesn't get you to answer them as the main purpose, it provides you with a challenge to answer them.  For example, there is a 'pie throwing' stage of questioning where whoever answers the questions before the other folks gets to throw a pie at a contestant of their choice (you have the ability to accidentally select yourself).  Once a contestant is hit with two pies, their participation in that round is over.  It's a simple concept, but is sure to cause some rivalry amongst friends and family.  Relentless has this type of gameplay throughout the game.  Sometimes it's about answering in a timely manner, sometimes it's stealing points, there's just a variety of ways to play the game.  Now this is the game's slight downfall as well, as these types of gameplay are limited.  Once you've played with friends on an offline basis, the way the game is played doesn't change. The offline play should have more than just four different ways to answer the trivia (just so someone doesn't ask later, yes there is a way to play single-player, but it's not as fun as sofa vs. sofa). Now, that changes when you go online (new ways to play, means more variety), but it would be nice to get just some more random variety in how online and offline is done. 

With that said, let's talk a little bit about online play.  Online play is flawless, no delays.  However Sony has there servers set up for online play it's working. Just like offline, you set up your characters the exact same way, and you go immediately into gaming.  There's little or no delay in this process.  Once you have two or more individuals ready for a game you can go straight into a match.  Any holes left over are filled by computer characters with randomly selected names (you don't know who they are unless you memorized the folks who were getting selected).  The way trivia works out online is different than offline.  You have gameplay types such as Apply to All, which allows you select multiple answers to questions.  You have a timed component that works the opposite of the timed matches in offline play, were it tallies the seconds left on the clock and converts them to points.  Again, it's a different, certainly shorter, experience online.  One neat feature that should make folks happy about the online play is the inclusion of 'trophies' for accomplishments.  I've never been a huge fan of trophies as it's probably one step away from boy scout badges (or girl scout), I find them useless and not really gratifying, but according to Steven Schardein (our other Editor-in-Chief) it's a huge deal with you all (the gaming community).  Kudos to the inclusion. 

Speaking of weird attachments, for some strange reason I love the Mime character. Doesn't make sense to you?  Let me explain. When you get start offline or online, you get to choose a personality of your own.  There are a variety of characters to choose from (male and female), with a variety of costumes to suit them up in.  Now, you'll get to offensively.... I mean.... creatively name these freaks and, this is the best part, apply an appropriate buzzer noise for them.  Ah, good times. 

Other aspects of the game which absolutely make me the happiest person in the world is that you can create your own quizzes and upload them to the PS3.  You simply logon to the MyBuzz.com website and start creating your quizzes.  It's a nice little community set up for people to share quizzes and rate them.  The creation process of the quizzes is very easy and the fact that you can upload them to your PS3 account and torture your friends and loved ones with your extensive knowledge (or sometimes lack thereof) is too good to pass up. Again, another plus for the game. 

Now, this game isn't perfect.  Like I stated before, the real downfall of the game is that it does seem to repeat itself (not with questions, but how the gameplay is done. There are plenty of questions with the initial purchase) and how the trivia is played offline and online.  It could have had a bit more variety to the process, but I'm praying that comes in a form of downloading.  Possible updates could make this already great game, even better. This is probably Sony's call, if they answer the phone for this issue it could mean a title that is respected for years to come.  If the title doesn't get updates and doesn't improve... well, it would be a real shame.  With that said, there are already different trivia packages available on PSN to bring a deeper experience to the game.  They don't cost much and they're wonderful add-ons. There's tons of potential for this game. 

Is it worth your brain power and money?

Now, let's talk about the hardware.  Most PS3 games are $59.99.  You suspect that if anything extra of substance were included with a game that it would be a bit more $$.  Not so fast! Buzz! Quiz TV's potentially coolest feature is that it comes with four buzzer remotes.  Sure they require batteries, but they're bluetooth and they work extremely well.  Would you rather pay money for more controllers or would you rather the $59.99 you pay for this game include these beauties? Exactly!  They are simple, though probably more complicated than a real Jeopardy! remote, but everyone can identify colors, so it shouldn't be a huge ordeal with non-video game type.

Like I stated above, the replay value varies with Buzz! Quiz TV.  There is plenty of trivia to be had here, more than enough for one human being, but the delivery system has to have a bit more variety.  While I haven't purchased one yet, there are add-ons available for the game itself on PSN.  That's a great option and a great use of SCEA resources.   

So yes, it is quite worth the $59.99 you would pay for such a good game.