Buzz! The Music Quiz E3 2005 Preshow Impressions

One of the games that Sony Computer Entertainment Europe devoted a lot of time and floor space to at its pre-E3 conference in Los Angeles today was Relentless Software's Buzz! The Music Quiz. Currently scheduled for release in Europe toward the end of this year, Buzz is a TV-show-style music quiz, complete with a wonderfully over-the-top presenter.

After choosing one of 16 different contestant characters to represent you onscreen, you and up to three of your friends will be invited to answer questions pertaining to any of around 1,000 music clips spanning six decades and multiple territories. Buzz will feature more than 5,000 questions in total, and when you want to answer one you'll do so using one of four multifunction buzzer peripherals that will ship with the game. The buzzer controller is designed to fit in one hand and comprises a large red buzzer button along with smaller red, green, yellow, and blue buttons that are used to answer multiple-choice questions.

We got to see a few different types of quiz rounds being played during the SCEE presentation, including a "fastest finger" multiple-choice round, a "pass the bomb" round that had contestants taking turns handing the bomb off to their neighbor by correctly answering a question, and a "point stealer" round that let players choose which of their rivals to take points away from when they were the first to hit the buzzer when the correct answer flashed up on the screen.

Still months away from its European release, Buzz! The Music Quiz already boasts some great presentation, fun gameplay, and tons of personality. We'll bring you more information on Buzz! The Music Quiz as soon as it becomes available.