I’m a bit of a trivia nerd at heart. Anyone who’s listened to our recent Jeopardy bitcast and giveaway should know that. After all, a man doesn’t write 60 gaming question and fake a Trebek voice for an hour because he’s a fan of the Wheel, you know. That’s why it should come as no surprise that one of my most eagerly anticipated releases this fall was Sony’s first PS3 foray for the Buzz! franchise.

We should probably preface this review by making it clear that this is my first experience with Buzz. I have yet to dabble with any of the PS2 releases that appeared stateside last year (though our own Kevin has had some experience with them) , so my own excitement was based purely on what I’d seen of it, the promise of MyBuzz, and the good words spoken by others in the past. So did Buzz Quiz TV tickle my trivia bone?

It did, and it refuses to let go.

In regards to how it shapes up compared to it’s predecessors, a number of the people who have had the pleasure of playing this edition with me are seasoned pros and they assure me that most of the gameplay that makes this game so great has appeared in the various releases that came before. So what exactly is it that makes this game so great? It’s a trivia game made for smarmy assholes and poor sportsmen alike — in other words it’s everything you want in a party game. The questions themselves are always well written and challenging, and if a category that you know comes up you’re going to own whoever you’re playing against. The characters, pacing and taunts make sure that Buzz provides a complete experience for the bad winner in all of us. Buzz, your host, will be the first one to slam your opponents for performing poorly. You can’t help but cackle with laughter as he does.

Both local and online multiplayer are offered and are nigh indistinguishable from one another. There is a single player option in Buzz as well, but we’ll get to that in a bit. As you have probably guessed, the real meat of Buzz is in taking down the competition.

The game is made up of several rounds each slightly different than the last. Some test your quickness and knowledge (Stop the Clock awards points based on how long it takes to answer) while others use a combination of skill and luck (Pass the Bomb is a game of hot potato where wrong answers keep the ticking time bomb in your hands). These points keep building up until the final round, where each of them turns into a timer of sorts as you use the time you’ve banked to outlast your opponents in an onslaught of questions.

The fun and variety found in the multiplayer is a stark contrast to what’s offered up to those playing alone. While those without friends in their living room can always find an online game without any difficulty, those who really want to play solo are going to be in for a severely stripped down experience. The Solo Challenge lets you pick from the variety of “Channels,” or themes that Quiz TV has to offer and jump right into a few rounds of Stop The Clock. If all you’re interested in is teasing your brain, it’s a more than complete experience. Just don’t expect any of the bells and whistles that makes the multiplayer version so damned entertaining.

While a few tweaks to the overall presentation have occurred with Buzz’s move to the PS3 (wireless controllers, online leaderboards) none of them is quite as significant as the introduction of MyBuzz. MyBuzz lets you do something you’ve always dreamed of doing with a trivia game: create your own questions. Not only that but it let’s you share them with the world. Not too long ago I wrote about how the spirit of VelocityGirl had made it’s way to the PS3. This is living proof. And just like with the LittleBigPlanet beta, the content people are coming up with is good.

MyBuzz quiz creation is based on the web, and it couldn’t be easier.  After signing into the web service with your PSN ID just click create a quiz and get brainstorming!  The specifics of quiz creation aren’t too constricting.  While there’s a character limit that favors brevity over rambling, a quick rephrasing you should be able to get any question in there.  Also of note - the quiz’s are limited to 8 questions.  This makes sense as maintaining a similar number of questions amongst all quizzes will make sure the rhythm of the game isn’t knocked out of balance for the home user.

The only major flaw I found with MyBuzz creation was in it’s content filtering.  My quizzes, in all their inner-geekiness, were about DC Comics.  A few of them had Dick Grayson as a possible solution, or as Buzz likes to call him, **** Grayson.  It’s childish and silly, yet totally understandable.  You’re given an option of flagging the content as mature or suitable for all, and flagging it suitable for all tossed those asterisks up as a mask for my apparent naughtiness.  Still — your PS3 copy gives you the option of seeing mature content, so why is it that a censored E for All quiz is still coming up censored for me?  Boggles the mind, and I can’t help but laugh when I think about all of the Philip K. Dick questions that ship on the disc uncensored.  For shame!  Won’t somebody think of the children?

In addition to the countless questions that ship on the disc and the infinite questions crafted by users, Quiz TV also offers downloadable Quiz Packs on the PlayStation Store for a fairly reasonable price. At the time of this writing, three packs are already available: Sci-Fi, Video Games, and National Geographic. The first two will set you back $5.99 while the last will cost you $7.99. As a man who likes to speculate, something tells me that extra $2 is for the licensing of the National Geographic name. No word yet on how frequently we’ll be seeing new quiz packs added to the store, but at 500 questions a pop you can be sure they’re worth your while. That’s a little more than a penny a question. You try getting that value on anything short of Kool-Aid.

As a trivia buff, I can honestly say that this is the game I’ve been waiting for. Not only are the structure and pacing a recipe for party-time fun, but the variety of question available and the ability to create my own make this the ultimate brain-bending sandbox. If you own a PS3 and have a hankering for some brain ticklers, buying Buzz is a no brainer.

Buzz!: Quiz TV retails for $59.99 and is available on store shelves now.