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Earlier this year Nintendo released Brain Age for the Nintendo DS in the U.S. and it was a moderate success. That game challenges users to train their brains daily via a variety of mental puzzles and activities. A stamp is earned and placed on a calendar every day the player uses the software. This incentive to play each and every day is part of the driving force behind Brain Age, and indeed other games like Animal Crossing. Big Brain Academy is the latest in the line of brain games and a new addition to Nintendo’s new “Touch Generation” style of games. But, does it have the staying power and addictive qualities of Brain Age? While Brain Age looked a bit drab with virtually no flashy graphics, Big Brain Academy has a very colorful look to it. There are little characters on the screen and the overall feel of the game is that it’s aimed at a younger audience than Brain Age. Upon actually playing the game it becomes obvious that the game is suited for most players above the age of 5. The bulk of the game consists of a series of minigames that challenge your brain. These are broken down into five different categories: Think, Identify, Memorize, Compute, and Analyze. First time players are encouraged to enter the Test mode, where each of the five categories will be analyzed. The game will tell the player how heavy his or her brain is. The heavier the brain, the smarter the person is. After the test the game will show which categories need improvement. The Practice mode allows gamers to try all of the different minigames in the various categories and earn medals. The game saves the brain weights and medals to the card so other players can see how they stack up.
The minigames are more fun to play than those in Brain Age. Most give you just a minute or so to get through as many exercises as possible while maintaining correct answers. Some are overly simple, and some are a bit more difficult to grasp. In one game there are shadows of objects on the top screen of the DS. The player must match the shadow with the object on the bottom screen by tapping the correct one. This starts off very easy, but soon ramps up in difficulty as the shadows begin to rotate and move across the screen, obstructing the shadow objects beneath them. One of my personal favorites shows several panels with coins in them. The player must then choose which panel has more monetary value. Big Brain Academy allows up to 8 players with one card to play simultaneously. The games are pretty fun to play with other people and this is where the game really shines over Brain Age. After playing all of the various minigames and trying out multiplayer, Big Brain Academy is fun in short bursts. For $19.99 it’s a pretty good value and I think those that enjoyed Brain Age will surely like Academy. If I had to give a nod to one or the other I’d still go with Brain Age since it was the original brain game and it has built-in incentives for daily play.
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