E3 06: Buzz! The Sports Quiz

LOS ANGELES--With the success of previous incarnations of Buzz! and the impending World Cup in Germany, it only seems perfect that developer Relentless should announce that the next in the buzzer-based PlayStation 2 quiz series will revolve around the world of sports.

Buzz! The Sports Quiz will be released at the end of September in the UK and feature questions based on over 50 different types of sports. Not only will you be asked to demonstrate your mental prowess on the popular sports such football, tennis, and cricket, but less well-known games will be featured, too. Our knowledge of camel-racing and sumo-wrestling is certainly limited, but we look forward to brushing up in The Sports Quiz.

Just as in The BIG Quiz, there'll be support for up to eight contestants at once (though you'll need the buzzers from two separate game copies), and you'll be able to choose from 16 characters based on recognizable sports stars.

Some of the quiz rounds from the previous games have fallen by the wayside, with the team deciding to cherry-pick the best and add some completely new ones. Those that remain include fastest finger, points stealer, and the "pass the bomb" round, now renamed "catch."

Rounds making their debut in The Sports Quiz include spin, which is loosely based on the Wheel of Fortune TV show, and estimation, in which you'll try to guess the answers to questions such as "how far?" or "how long?" There's a new round called World of Sport, where you'll race the other players around the globe, answering questions relevant to the particular region you land in, and Finish Line, where correct answers see you move forward, wrong ones backward.

There will be a new question type that involves different coloured icons that relate to the sport in question. For example, four footballs might be displayed--one red, one green, one blue, and one yellow--and you'll be asked which one is associated with Manchester United.

Around 5,500 questions will ship with the game, and around half of these will be specifically tailored to the territory in which the game is released--so in the UK, expect plenty of football, cricket, and rugby. However, for those who worry that their sporting knowledge isn't up to scratch, there will be some questions included that only vaguely refer to sports and focus more on the popular culture that surrounds it.

According to Relentless, the aim is to make Buzz! The Sports Quiz as much like a typical Saturday-night quiz show as possible, so as well as quick start and custom modes, players will have the option of selecting a short or long version of the game.

For fans of the series awaiting news on a film-themed version of the game, you'll have to wait a little longer. There is such a title in the pipeline, although work hasn't begun on it just yet. We'll have more as it becomes available.