Big Brain Academy (Nintendo DS, 2006)

I bought this game because I really like Brain Age. Truth be told, I still like the Brain Age games better. Brain Academy is more for the "teeny-boppers"!

If the graphics can be considered minimalist, the sounds are non-existent. Other than a few short riffs inspired by Mario sound cues, the game is silent, save for the rapid ticking of a clock in the background. If you’ve already got Brain Age, does Big Brain Academy have enough of an identity to justify another purchase? Surprisingly, the game actually is distinct from Dr. Kawashima’s game, despite the presence of “brain” in both titles. The basis of Dr. Lobe’s academy is brain weight. If you’re smarter, naturally, your brain will weigh more, because of all the work it’s doing. Clearly, this theory has no basis in real life, but is just an arbitrary way to judge your game score and how well you are progressing. Taking the Test is recommended first, since it shows what your total brain score might be. Dr. Lobe tallies the results of five different phases of brain activity, then assigns you an ideal occupation based upon the total and individual scores of the phases. Once Dr. Lobe hands out a letter grade, the Practice area can be assessed, in which each of the specific reasoning areas can be accessed. Each kind of thinking -- Identification, Calculation, Memorization, etc. -- has three different sub games, only one of which will randomly appear on the Test. Practice mode can be played for high score as well. Each game has three difficulty levels, with activities ranging from calculating written math problems to counting the number of cubes on-screen to deciding which animal or object weighs more, given a set of pre-determined scales and weights. Each game is timed, and the object is to correctly answer as many questions within the time limit. The results will be tallied after time has expired, and Dr. Lobe will award a medal depending on the performance: Beautiful Gold, So-So Silver or Shameful Bronze. Ideally, becoming familiar with the games in Practice mode will better equip players to take the Test, which will result in higher scores, letter grades and possibly a different occupational choice. It would be easy to dismiss Big Brain Academy as simply another brain game and move on; but the truth is, it is unique enough to distinguish itself from Brain Age. Unlike the latter title, Big Brain Academy is clearly less results-focused and more about having fun, rather than a daily exercise. It easily positions itself as a possible companion for the other title, as both offer different experiences. For experienced, hardcore gamers choosing between the two, Big Brain Academy is likely the better choice. The swift, frantic pace of the timed games has an almost WarioWare-like ambience about them, and the immediacy of going for a high score will seem more familiar than the play-every-day that Brain Age requires. The truth is, Big Brain Academy offers little depth, and almost no immersion, because the gameplay is so start-and-stop. But Big Brain Academy succeeds because of its simplicity and accessibility. This is a game that literally anyone can play, and it provides short bursts of fun regardless of prior gaming experience. And, who knows? It might even make you smarter.

The first time I picked up Big Brain Academy and played it, I didn't put it down for at least three hours. It all started with the test, and my brain weighing an interesting 1010 grams. My evaluation stated (in not so harsh words) that I sucked at thinking, was doing exceptionally at memorizing, and not so bad analyzing, identifying and computing. What does all this mean? Keep on reading and find out.

Big Brain Academy falls under the educational type of games. A bit like Brain Age, this Touch Generations title lets you exercise your brain to improve your overall mental performance. What sets it apart of Brain Age is that its mini-games are more varied, offering a variety of colors and shapes, and they're a lot more entertaining to do.

The activities in Big Brain Academy will test your brain in five specific areas: thinking, memorizing, computing, analyzing and identifying. You begin by doing the initial test to see how your brain fares in these areas. Doctor Lobe, your strange little host, will then tell you how much your brain weighs, what career type or historic personality you correspond to, as well as giving you a grade on a scale of F to A+. You then move on to the Practice tests to improve your abilities.

Results are calculated by the amount of questions you answer within a time limit, and how many correct answers you give. In Practice exercises, you are given medals (Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze) according to your results. Doctor Lobe also makes you go over the wrong questions at the end until you get the right answers.

The game has a total of 15 activities, three for each category of "brain testing", and three levels of difficulty for each. In the Think area, you have:
- Heavyweight, where you guess which object is heavier by looking at a series of scales; - Pathfinder, where you must draw a single line that will make the top animal find the bottom one; - Bone Yard, which I find particularly complicated, involves placing a bone on the square the dog will eventually move to on the grid.

In the Memorize area (my personal favorite), you can find: - Sound Bites, a memory game to play the sounds in the order you hear them; - Memo-Random where you look at the top row and then find the respective panel when one is covered; - Flash Memory, where a series of numbers and symbols appear on the top screen and you have to repeat them on the bottom screen.

Big Brain Academy is a puzzle themed game that requires you to test your ability to think and think FAST! If you're not into puzzle games, then stay away from this - it's as simple as that. You'll play games that test different areas of thought; from memorization to calculation to analyzation, etc. Each category has 3 different games which test this. The games are fun because they are timed and you want to get as many right in that time period for a higher score and brain grade. You can practice these modes or take the test and be presented with a random game from each category to earn a brain grade. The good thing about the practice mode is that you earn medals for completing each one - bronze to gold. Some people say the replay value isn't that high, but if you strive to get the gold for each difficulty level in each game AND try to earn an A or higher on the test, you'll have plenty of game time on your hands. I think this game is great for children and even adults. The graphics aren't the most spectacular, but given the nature of the game, it's not really an important aspect - same can be said for sound. This game is played with the stylus and really shows why the unique dual touch screen of the DS is fun and offers a better play than the PSP really can. Not to mention, this game retails at only 19.99, so you can really get a great deal on it. There is also a versus mode where people can play head to head and try to out-best one another in the games. I also enjoy this game because you can pick it up whenever without having to worry about wondering where you left off. Also, it's a great game to be able to pick up for 15 or so minutes a day. I highly recommend that any puzzle game fans check this out. Even if you're just a fan of games such as Tetris or classics like Dr. Mario, this game will probably keep you busy. An all around great game.

I love the challenges the game puts you to. I am raising an 8 year old granddaughter and this game seemed perfect for her, reading skills, math, generally THINKING! I was right. Buying items on E-Bay is simple and you get so much support if needed (item late, buyer not getting paid, etc.
I guess the only con I can think of is I need to get in the "B" rating on the game. (Buy it, you will see what I mean.)
I have always liked nintendo, ever since it came out, started with nintendo, super nintendo, nintendo 64, game boy, and so on and so forth. That prompted me to buy Nintendo DS. And Brain Academy is an excellent game for that system. The summer vacation will not be wasted doing nothing in the way of learning.

When I was deciding to buy the game initially I was turned off by the kiddie graphics. I mean, I'm a 26 year old college grad, surely this game would be too easy anyway.

I ordered it anyway because I liked the thought of "weighing" my brain- plus the game grades your performance, and compares you to various professions(although, not accurately enough to base a career change on). I wanted to see if I was as smart as I thought I was. After getting the game, I quickly realized... I'm really not.

This game is a fun, fast paced game, that gets more fun everytime you play. For a while all I did was take the test, I didn't take the practice classes. This in itself was fun, as there are 5 one minute long componants to a test, and each componant has 3 exercises it can be. So you rarely get the same test twice, and the whole thing only takes a little over 5 minutes, if you read everything. They say a normal person's brain should weigh in at 1400 grams, and a person who didn't train their brains weighs around 700 grams. The first time I took it, I got 750 (which gave me the grade C-). I was really embarassed, but also very determined. I have had the game since it came out and still have not gotten a higher score than the professor who guides you through the game.

I started doing the practice classes, just for fun, and those are great time wasters, each one is 60 seconds long, so if you're waiting for a bus, or on a plane, you can just do one, then turn the game off (it autosaves) when you have to go. The levels for the practice classes have medals awarded for scores, there are the bronze, silver, gold, and much coveted platinum, and it's fun to challenge yourself.

I haven't played this through wifi yet, but I know some people I would love to go head to head with- I'm waiting for my dad and brothers to get it, and we'll see who has the biggest brain in the family! My husband has already challenged me, we have a date set for when he gets back from Iraq.

All in all, I highly recommend this ultra addicting game to brains of any age!