Review: Buzz Junior RoboJam - A big red button for kids

Mike Bantick
Sunday, 01 July 2007 05:17

Opinion and Analysis

The Buzz series is one of those keeping sales of the superseded PS2 high.  Buzz Junior RoboJam shows that the unique Buzz controllers can be used for more than answering quiz questions.

Buzz Junior RoboJam
	Developer	RealtimeUK
	Publisher	Sony
	Rating	G
PS2

The second in the 'Junior' Buzz series  (the first being Jungle Party) sees players take their mini games into the sci-fi realm with adorable robotic avatars.

RoboJam begins with the creation of a robot to handle your on screen play, though the resultant robot does have a charming personality, the options on hand (change head and body combinations) do seem limited, especially for girls, with the only option to feminise the character being a 'skirt' body and some pigtails.

Using the Buzz controllers (four coloured selection buttons plus the big red buzzer), players launch themselves into a variety of mini-games over a choice of total game lengths - choose a 25 mini-game length to keep the kids amused for hours.

Generally the mini-games are satisfying, falling into broad categories of  'whack-a-mole', button mashing or jump timing styles.  There a few more complicated shooting style games that still work and a couple of stand out innovative mini games.

The favourites in our household where the giant robot fling game, where a fixed gigantic robot swings our little ones round and round until the player asks him to let go, the aim being to get your robot flung the greatest distance.

The other favourite is the pillow fight game where the lights go out, come on and the whacking begins.

Generally RoboJam shows that your investment in the Buzz controllers for the aging PS2 can bear more fruit, especially in a household containing youngsters from about five years old.