With the original Buzz trivia games on the PlayStation 2 being so heavily focused on multiplayer, you might expect a portable rendition with an emphasis on solo play – but with some multiplayer competitive elements – to be a little wishy-washy. Fortunately, the PSP version of Sony’s questionnaire franchise, titled "Master Quiz," is a worthy addition to your portable collection. While it definitely doesn’t achieve the excellence of its console cousins, you’ll still enjoy sitting on the bus as you Buzz your brain with tidbits of completely useless information about George Clooney. Gameplay
The interface of Buzz is something you might take issue with if you’re familiar with the big-button controllers that accompany the PS3 and PS2 versions. Since it’d be ridiculous to pack in even a single separate controller for a portable game, answer inputs are tied to the PSP’s face buttons. Since the answers to the often-easy, rarely-challenging bits of trivia are set in a column of four to the right of the screen, it can often be confusing when quickly trying to beat the ticking clock and buzz in your answer; the placement of the answers is logical, however, though it’ll undoubtedly have you mashing the wrong button when solving the posed question about a geographical landmark. The triangle and square button make up the first and second answers, respectively, and both circle and X the latter two – mind boggling in execution, despite a relatively solid concept.
Once you get a grip on that, though, you’ll be set to bomb through a huge number of questions ranging from celebrity-specific anecdotes to various films, pop-culture and loads of totally uninteresting topics that seem more like classroom education than fast-paced portable fun. No matter the question though, trying to rack up points and score gold medals is insanely entertaining no matter how much the questions at hand appeal to you. Everyone loves being correct, and doing so here continues to unlock plenty of new modes, such as pictures-only, sixty second countdowns and more.
It’s wild fun solo, but playing in longer spurts increases your likelihood of repeat-questions. If you’ve got a road trip ahead, definitely spread out your playtime, as after an hour or more of solid straight trivia-ing, you’ll have burned out a large portion of the portably-minded question list. Sessions are intended to be short, and it works incredibly well in that regard, but booting up the multiplayer after extensive time will have you soaring in to an unfair victory.
The multiplayer modes are slim, but definitely worth checking out. Whether you’re sharing a copy of the UMDs knowledge with a wireless friend or passing the PSP between a bunch of local players, the experience is a joyous one. It’ll never give you the sensation of playing with the Buzz buzzers, but the trash talking will be in full force when you throw down with competitive buddies.
Graphics and Sounds
The blond haired, red-suited, Pac-Man faced franchise host, Buzz, return in his full annoying glory in Master Quiz. In the foreground of elevator music, he’ll taunt, comment and generally make you want to listen to your own tunes instead, as his constant banter is infuriating when you’re simply trying to get in a quick game. He’s mostly avoidable since you can skip his explanations of the various trivia modes, but his very existence – rendered in PS2 quality on the PSP! – is a troublesome burden on your get-in-and-get-out gameplay experience.
It’s a small complaint, but hey, he’s pretty much the star of the game. The question narrator has a solid ’movie-trailer’ voice that hits off each question quick and clear, but other than that there’s very little noticeable audio. The visuals are simple, and they don’t need to be more than that, but clear pictures during questions and a cool looking UI are appreciated.
Value
With a horde of questions, medals to earn throughout and multiplayer modes that are fully worth playing on a regular basis, Buzz: Master Quiz is hard not to enjoy. There’s a lot here if you’re in the market for portability, but if you’re the kind of person who plays their PSP in longer sessions you’ll definitely wear out BMQ’s welcome more quickly than desired. For portable trivia, though, you can have a wicked time alone or with the comrades.
Conclusion
While far from the best entry in the Buzz series, Master Quiz is an easy game to recommend. It’s fast, fun, full of excellent questions (and lots of ’em) and has a great all around feel. Lots of game modes keep the basic "answer a question for points" formula fresh throughout, and with medals, trophies and actual progression it actually feels like more than a shallow game show. Check out Buzz: Master Quiz if you’re in the mood for some education, trash talking or just want to strut your stuff with that big ol’ brain of yours.
Here's a small guide to help you understand our evaluation of games.
PRESENTATION GRADE
Can be from the game's box to the contents of the booklet, and even the game introduction. (Intro, menus, options, etc)
GRAPHIC GRADE
Up to what point the graphics have been worked on my the developper. The design type, the effort used for textures and environments, as well as animations and framerate.
AUDIO GRADE
Is the soundtrack a good match to the game's style, he ambient sounds keeping with the gameplay and the sound effects clear and convincing?
GAMEPLAY GRADE
Placement of the controls and the inferface that the player with be using during the game.
REPLAY VALUE GRADE
The most important factor in the evaluation of a game. It identifies the lifespan of the game and the fun of coming back again and again.
I’ve always been an advocate for cheap and easy...Er...when it comes to gaming, that is. Unfortunately, it’s because of this that I’ve missed out on some of the bigger titles over the past few years. (CoD4, anyone?). Buying used games, ordering online from sites like Amazon or Ebay, is a simple way to avoid high pricing, (at least until you factor in...
I’ve always been an advocate for cheap and easy...Er...when it comes to gaming, that is. Unfortunately, it’s because of this that I’ve missed out on some of the bigger titles over the past few years. (CoD4, anyone?). Buying used games, ordering online from sites like Amazon or Ebay, is a simple way to avoid high pricing, (at least until you factor in... 
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