Software:Buzz!: The Hollywood Quiz

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Short description: 2007 video game


Buzz!: The Hollywood Quiz
Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz game cover
Developer(s)Relentless Software
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
SeriesBuzz!
EngineRenderWare
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • EU: 19 October 2007
  • AU: 25 October 2007
  • NA: 11 March 2008[1]
Genre(s)Party
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Buzz!: The Hollywood Quiz is a party video game developed by Relentless Software and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the fifth instalment in the Buzz! series. Players have to answer questions asked by the quiz master (the eponymous Buzz) using the four Buzz! remote controls.[2]

There are two games available in the single player mode, which are Time Builder, where answering questions will gain time in the final round, and Hotseat, where players must answer as many questions as they can, using the time they accumulated in Round 1. To gain points, players must bank when appropriate. If they get a question wrong, they lose all the points they did not bank.

Rounds

Hollywood Stars

Similar to 'Point Picker', players choose a category on a big wheel to determine the next questions to be asked. Then each player answers the question to earn points.

Fastest Finger

A photo clue appears on screen and players then have to buzz in with the correct answer as quickly as possible. The less time taken to answer, the more points awarded to the player if the answer is correct.

Fact or Fiction

The players are presented with a "true or false" type question. They then have to answer accordingly.[3]

Top Rank

Players put four answers into the correct order as fast as they can to score points. When all players have made a selection, the correct order is revealed. Points are awarded based on speed of answering.

Pie Fight

The first contestant to answer a question correctly wins the chance to throw a cream pie at an opponent. Each player can be hit by a pie twice before they're out. Points are awarded in reverse order of elimination, i.e. the last player standing or eliminated wins more points than the player who was (previously) eliminated.

Rollover

Contestants get to choose a category to answer questions from. The contestant with the lowest score chooses first, followed by the contestant with the next lowest score. When the questions arrive, if a player gets one of their questions wrong, the points they could have won are put into a kitty. The next contestant to answer a question correctly will pick up all of the points in the kitty generated by other players wrong answers.

Point Stealer

A picture, a question and some possible answers are slowly revealed. Players must buzz in when they think they know the answer. If the answer is right, they get to steal 500 points from an opponent. If it's wrong, they're out until the next question.

The Final Countdown

The points that players have amassed during the previous rounds are converted into bars of time which gradually tick down. Answering a question correctly temporarily halts the countdown, but when a player's bar ticks down to zero, they are eliminated from the competition. Bonus time is awarded for being the first to answer correctly, while a chunk of time is removed for each incorrect answer. The object of the round is to be the last contestant standing, thus becoming the overall winner of Buzz!: The Hollywood Quiz.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic77/100[4]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid7.5/10[5]
Eurogamer7/10[6]
GamesRadar+StarStarStarStar[7]
GameZone7.4/10[8]
IGN8.3/10[9]
Jeuxvideo.com14/20[10]
OPM (UK)7/10[11][12]
PALGN7/10[13]
PSMStarStarStar[14]
VideoGamer.com8/10[15]

The game received "generally favourable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[4] Greg Miller of IGN said Relentless Software could have just stuck with the same style as the previous games, but instead chose a new style that was an obvious change right from the very first menu. He praised the improvement of the characters, although their graphics still had a jaggyness about them, but admitted that this was probably more the cause of the PS2 holding the game back. In summing up he said the game was deep, fun and more polished than previous Buzz! titles.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Bishop, Sam (30 January 2008). "Buzz: The Hollywood Quiz Preview". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/01/31/buzz-the-hollywood-quiz-preview. Retrieved 31 July 2019. 
  2. ↑ Boyes, Emma (3 August 2007). "Buzz! goes to Hollywood". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/buzz-goes-to-hollywood/1100-6176101/. Retrieved 31 July 2019. 
  3. ↑ SCEE (19 October 2007). Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz. SCEE. pp. 10. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz for PlayStation 2 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/buzz-the-hollywood-quiz/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. Retrieved 31 July 2019. 
  5. ↑ North, Dale (24 May 2008). "Destructoid review: Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz". Enthusiast Gaming. https://www.destructoid.com/destructoid-review-buzz-the-hollywood-quiz-87501.phtml. Retrieved 1 August 2019. 
  6. ↑ Gibson, Ellie (15 October 2007). "Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz". Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160514012326/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/buzz-the-hollywood-quiz-review. Retrieved 31 July 2019. 
  7. ↑ Bratcher, Eric (25 March 2008). "Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz review". Future plc. https://www.gamesradar.com/buzz-the-hollywood-quiz-review/. Retrieved 1 August 2019. 
  8. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (26 February 2008). "Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz - PS2 - Review". Archived from the original on 30 December 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081230153340/http://ps2.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r34328.htm. Retrieved 1 August 2019. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Miller, Greg (14 February 2008). "Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz Review". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/02/14/buzz-the-hollywood-quiz-review. Retrieved 16 November 2016. 
  10. ↑ dharn (26 November 2007). "Test : Buzz ! : [The Hollywood Quiz"] (in French). Webedia. http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00008291-buzz-hollywood-quiz-test.htm. Retrieved 1 August 2019. 
  11. ↑ "Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz". Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine (Future plc) (92): 88. December 2007. 
  12. ↑ "Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz". PlayStation Official Magazine – UK (Future plc) (14): 112. 25 December 2007. 
  13. ↑ van Leuveren, Luke (20 October 2007). "Buzz! [The Hollywood Quiz Review"]. Archived from the original on 23 February 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080223205053/http://palgn.com.au/article.php?title=Buzz%21+Hollywood+Quiz+Review&id=9145&sid=d654f023d5b068904328e24c1eea0ee4. Retrieved 1 August 2019. 
  14. ↑ "Review: Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz". PlayStation: The Official Magazine (Future plc) (6): 81. May 2008. 
  15. ↑ Freeman, Will (30 October 2007). "Buzz!: The Hollywood Quiz Review". Resero Network. https://www1.videogamer.com/reviews/buzz-the-hollywood-quiz-review. Retrieved 1 August 2019. 

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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