Big Brain Academy

Publisher: Nintendo

Platform: DS

Category: Arcade / Puzzle

Rating Info

Release Date: 07/07/2006

Member Rating:

Number of Players: 1-8

Big Brain Academy Description

Big Brain Academy (BBA) offers 15 activities that test the participant's brain power in areas including maths, logic, memory and analysis (you don't really play this game, so we will not refer to you as players - BBA isn't a game as such). Upon starting the game, new Academicals(!) will enter Test mode and take a five-part quiz that reveals the 'weight' of their brains, a letter grade and a profession, or a famous name from history which may have a similar 'weight'. The results of the initial quiz are based on how many correct answers players get in a set period of time, and the goal is to gradually increase the power of the brain. Academicals can also take part in the activities in Practice mode. If they do well in this, they'll earn a selection of bronze, silver, gold and platinum medals. All 15 activities involve the DS touch screen in one way or another, so it's not purely about the power of the mind. Testees(!!) will require a good grip on the slender DS stylus, but the touchy-feely nature of the BBA activities is a real delight, while the quick thinking required in a short space of time gives the whole thing a feeling of urgency. Up to eight people can take part using just one game card, and with each activity taking no more than a minute to complete, the ante is upped considerably when more people are involved. Big Brain Academy is a perfect complement to the 'similar-but-different-enough-to-make-this-worthwhile' Prof. Kawashima's Brain Training. Either game will keep you occupied for a good while, and you never know - you might blow someone's mind with the sheer power of your brain (hopefully not your own).

Screenshots

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Reviewed by: danielwaters	Date: 07/09/2006	Rating:
Accessible to all people of all ages, this game to Brain Training is what magazines are to broadsheets. Both help you learn, but one is more fun and colourful, and the other is probably better for you in the long run. With cute n fun audio and visual feedback, this game is much easier to pick up and play than Brain Training, and you'll find a lot of friends and relatives making sure you're bringing your DS and this game next time they see you. There are two main parts to the game - Test and Practice. In the test mode, one random game from each of the five categories is played, resulting in a brain weight, brain type (e.g. fashion stylist, detective) and grade (e.g. B+). Unlike Brain Training, there is no way to track your progress in the long-term, instead you are simply trying to beat your previous best. In Practice mode you can play any of the fifteen games in easy, normal or hard mode. The games are a lot more varied than Brain Training, and a lot more fun. My personal favourite is sound bites where a sequence of sounds from a variety of often comical-sounding instruments, animals, people and vehicles have to remembered in order. With no voice/handwriting recognition (as in Brain Training), this may not be as technically advanced, but the only mistakes you'll make will be tapping the wrong button, not "Blue. Buh-loo. I SAID BLUE!!" This is the perfect rental title, as it's great fun for the first week or two, and you'll want to hang on to it to demonstrate to all your family how fun a DS can be, but in the end you'll have all golds and several platinums, and will be sending it back to SwapGame. Personally, I've had it just over a month before sending it back today!

Reviewed by: JNMGibbs	Date: 31/08/2006	Rating:
This game is excellent for a fun few minutes every now and again beefing up your skills in each of the five sections in the game. The graphics and sound are suitable for what they are trying to achieve (it's nothing fantastic, but it doesn't make me want to look away in horror) The gameplay time increases every time you switch it on, and pretty soon you'll be spending upwards of an hour at a time on the game. My only problem is that is seems to be aimed at a pre-20/post-60 audience. Someone in their 20-30's would be able to achieve a silver rating on most puzzles easily, so maybe Brain Training is the right choice for them. However, still a very enjoyable game. I wanted to go out and buy it immediately after returning it so it must be good! Reviewed by Miriam E Lewis

Reviewed by: sillysmilie	Date: 02/10/2006	Rating:
i liked the characters and quirkyness of this much more then Brain Training. but each session of gameplay was over far quicker then Brain Training. the games were far too easy as well without any sort of hint that they intelligently got harder the better u got. and theres no discovories or incentives - what you see is what you get, and once your bored of that, well....

Features

Give your brain a vigorous work-out with 15 types of challenges across 5 categories

Up to 8 players can play against each other, sharing one Game Card, with players ranked according to their reaction times and accuracy

Earn bronze, silver or gold medals depending on your performance

Send a demo of the game to friends using the Nintendo DS' wireless technology

Colourful, fun presentation mean these brainteasers are fun to play

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