FukDatShhh.CoM

I’m getting one, are you?

Looks like the boxart for the new 4GB PSP bundle is giving away the
surprise about how it will look. There is nothing wrong with that. The
bundle’s box appears to reveal the set up of the PSP’s
direct PS Store. Sony did say that it was coming this Fall. Sony also
announced the ability to play ad-hoc games online via a PS3, this could
be the reason why you see the PSN Logo on the box. The logo would seem
proper even if it was just in reference to the store. TGS should be a
good time for PSP lovers. Sony has to announce some of this stuff
sometime soon.

Everyone wants to be on a game show.  With Buzz! Quiz TV, you can do just that from the comfort of your living room.  Buzz! Quiz TV is one of those games that anyone can pick up, play and enjoy.  Buzz! comes complete with 4 wireless buzzers that really helps to immerse you in the game show experience.

Buzz! is full of style from its slick presentation, to its high def graphics, even the main menu features Buzz surfing through channels on a Bravia LCD.   Once you’ve chosen from one of the many channels the real fun begins.  Whether you are playing alone, online, or with friends and family, Buzz! is an incredibly enjoyable game.  However, Buzz! really shines when you are playing with friends and family.  The game’s interface and buzzer are very easy to use, so easy in fact, someone who doesn’t normally play video games can feel comfortable and have a great time.  Choose from a comical cast of characters, as well as the sound effect your buzzer makes, enter your name and get ready to play.

Buzz, your host who is voiced by James Donovan, is there to guide you along, as well as bust your balls.

Buzz! local multiplayer consists of 7 themed rounds:

• Points Builder
• Short Fuse
• Fastest Finger
• Points Stealer
• Pie Fight
• High Stakes
• Final Countdown

Short Fuse is my favorite, it’s essentially Hot Potato but the “potato” is a bomb with a lit fuse, and to pass it, you need to answer the question correct.   Answer the question wrong, and you are stuck holding the bomb until it explodes in your face!

Whomever ends up with the highest score gets the most time in ‘Final Countdown’.  There, your time is represented by a pillar that slowly ticks away while you are trying your best to answer questions as fast as possible.   If you are first to get the answer correct, the pillar raises and you get increased time.  However if you are incorrect, more time is removed and your pillar eventually hits ground level, losing the match.  If your pillar is left standing high, then you win.  This really shakes up things at the end of the game, making it so anyone can come out on top.

Buzz! holds its own with single player, allowing you to answer questions from the many categories, in an attempt to get the highest score.  Buzz! also supports online play over the PlayStation Network. With its “sofa vs. sofa” mode, up to 4 different living rooms can play at once.  Also, though only one player represents your whole living room, all 4 buzzers can buzz in with the answers.

User-generated content has the gaming industry “buzzing”, and Buzz! doesn’t miss the boat.  With MyBuzz, you can play user-created quizzes.  You can even create your own quiz by signing in with your PSN ID, on mybuzzquiz.com. (Make sure to check out the “PlayStation LifeStyle” quiz that we created for this review!) On the mybuzz site, you can play quizzes, rate them and even create a playlist to play on your PS3 later.

Users can download additional category packs for $5.99 each via the PlayStation Store.  Each additional category pack boasts 500 questions more per pack.  This, combined with MyBuzz, means the game never gets old.

Buzz! Also supports every PS3 user’s favorite new feature… Trophies. Some of the trophies appear to be very tedious such as the ‘Socialite’ Gold Trophy which requires you to play 50 multiplayer games. However, these trophies will be easily attained within normal use, since Buzz will have you, your family, and friends
coming back for more.

Buzz! is a game that appeals to everybody, whether you are a casual or hardcore gamer, or not a gamer at all. Buzz! Quiz TV’s simple premise and easy-to-use buzzers make it accessible to anyone.  Buzz! brings out the spirit of competition and that’s what multiplayer gaming is all about.  We recommend this game to all PlayStation 3 owners that want a well rounded game library.

PlayStation LifeStyle gives Buzz! Quiz TV  ‘8.5 out of 10′

It’s one of the biggest games of 2008 – but Media Molecule co-founder Mark Healey believes keeping the LittleBigPlanet team small has been vital to its creation, producing an environment where every individual contribution “really matters”.

Healey further revealed that while limited resources were to blame for the absence of the much-touted online Create mode from the final product, significant expansion of his team would involve “watering down” its ability.

“We’re always conscious of wanting to have a small team,” Healey told GamesIndustry.biz in an exclusive interview. “I’ve worked from just myself in my bedroom to being in a room with 200 people, and every range in between you can imagine. In my experience, about 30 people was when I had the most fun.”

He added: “We’ve always had it in our mind that we didn’t want to grow beyond that and it’s worked out well because people genuinely put a lot of love, heart and soul into the game because their contribution really matters. Everyone can look at that game and see themselves in it. Everyone’s really integrated into it.”

It emerged last week that the PlayStation 3-exclusive sandbox title would be shipping without online co-operative play – a key feature – which would be added in later via a downloadable update.

Healey blamed this on the “reality of quality control” at a studio of “only 30 people.” He explained: “We could have released the online Create on day one, but we’ve not had time to fully test it and make sure it’s a flawless experience, so I would rather it was a few days late than it was on time and broken. Obviously it’s not ideal, but that’s just the reality of having to meet schedules.”

Despite the company’s close ties with Sony, whose executives have ensured the game has come to be seen as the most important PlayStation 3 release to date, Healey insisted there was “nothing on the horizon” regarding an acquisition of the independent studio.

And he hinted that Media Molecule could develop for other platforms, adding: “We have signed an exclusive deal with Sony for at least a period of time and we’re very happy with that; but the future’s the future, so who knows.”

Media Molecule’s studio, based in Guildford, just outside London, is operating at capacity, with the team currently working on downloadable content for future release. Healey revealed that the developer would “hopefully be able to afford a new office soon.”

LittleBigPlanet releases in Europe on October 24.

Media Molecule co-founder Mark Healy has outlined his vision for a handheld version of LittleBigPlanet, revealing how gamers could create content on the move to add later into the PlayStation 3 title.

“There’s definitely scope for a PSP version,” said Healy in an exclusive interview with our sister site Eurogamer TV, to be broadcast next week. “We’ve had discussions and talks, [but] nothing concrete at the moment.”

He went on to describe how he saw the innovative title transferring onto Sony’s handheld.

“It’d be great to make, for the people who are really into the Create side, some kind of companion products that allow you to create things while you’re on the train,” he said.

“One thing that I’d love to add is the ability to create you’re own music, for example, that you can import into the game. That seems like an obvious one to do and it’d be quite easy really.”

Healy also hinted that any spin-off products in the franchise could be handled externally, “because we’re very keen to keep this very tight core of people.”

“If we need to expand for extra content, for whatever reason, maybe we’d be more likely to outsource it.”

Further evidence of a PSP version of LittleBigPlanet emerged this week with the discovery of a job ad for a “PSP Game Engine Lead”, seeking “a senior level programmer to work on the development of exciting new LittleBigPlanet projects.”

The Guildford-based developer’s debut title releases on PlayStation 3 on October 24.

Charlie bit my finger – again !

OK Go – Here It Goes Again