Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree

"Get those synapses firing"

Well I just got this game as a birthday present and consulted with this board to see if I might like it or not. But there were no reviews. I have the DS version and enjoy it enough, so I opened it up and gave it a good whirl. Now I'll offer some thoughts for anyone debating on whether or not to pick up a copy. I'm not much of a reviewer so I'll keep this brief.

Graphics and Sound: You really needn't worry about these features with a game like this. The graphics are clear and functional for all puzzles and the music, played loudly enough, does add to the intensity of trying to quickly solve mind-benders correctly. 4/10

Gameplay and Control: This is what will make or break your enjoyment of this title. I would only recommend BBA-WD to any person who enjoys thinking games. This is not mini-game mayhem like Mario Party or Wario. These games were designed to stimulate the intellect. I do not think you can put an age range on the target audience as individual enjoyment will vary from person to person. But that enjoyment will be balanced on how well you like cranial challenges. If you find yourself solving Sunday Crosswords often, then you'll surely like BBA.

I did find the motion-sensory aspects fluid and precise. Everything is point and click. And there are several brain games to choose from with good customizable options depending on what feature you want to play (game selection pools and difficulty settings). 8/10

Replay: As stated, if you enjoy fiddling with brain puzzles then you will find yourself loading this one up quite often. However, mastery of individual brain games will come quickly depending on your learning curve. I don't see myself doing the solo challenge often (as with the DS, it calculates your "brain weight" depending on how well you score in 5 areas of concentration). I did have a blast with the multiplayer. My favorite was a multiplayer race to the finish, meaning you had to successfully complete a sequence of games the fastest in order to win while pitted against a friend or in team match. 6/10

Final Notes: I respect this title making use of passing a single Wii-Mote for those who have yet to afford several extra controllers. You can make do with only 2 for a group of people. However, you cannot customize options to play with more than 2 (if you have them) making the frantic shuffling back-and fourth of controller passing tedious (particularly in a race). For me, I see this being a game pulled out on occasion but played in small doses. And it will be no fun to play with people who don't "get it." Certainly worth a rental, but only those who like using their brain will want to purchase it. Hope this helps.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/09/07