Big Brain Academy

"An excellent "sequel" to Brain Age"

Big Brain Academy (BBA)

Ever since I bought Brain Age (BA), I've had my eye on this game for a long, long time. Would it measure up to the original Brain Age? Would it really make you smarter? Why wasn't this game endorsed by any neuroscientists like Brain Age was? Finally, after much deliberation, I decide to give Big Brain Academy a try. This review will consist not only a look back on BBA, but also how it holds up against Brain Age (for those of you who are only have money for one and are trying to decide which one to get).

Like Brain Age, Big Brain Academy integrates the usage of the stylus extremely well. There are 15 different types of mini-games (compared to BA's 10), and they're more colorful, more fun, and have a lot more variety to it. The games are broken down in 5 categories (Think, Memorization, Analyze, Computation, and Identify). Each category has 3 mini-games and 3 difficulty levels. Your goal is to try and get the highest score that you can for each category (gold is the highest, but platinum is reserved for those who are genius in that category). I like the different min-games you can do here, and they're more fun than Brain Age's mini-games. But Brain Age's mini-games which focuses exclusively on Prefrontal Cortex really do stimulate the brain cells and after playing those mini-games, I do feel like I think more quickly and clearly throughout the day. BBA didn't have the same effect, but then again, I was playing BA at the same time, so maybe it's overkill. Nevertheless, I trust BBA, and I do believe that it does sharpen your thinking powers (although it's not scientifically proven like BA). Some games are easier than others though (like the memorization games is a cinch while the trackpathing game is a killer)

Like BA, BBA has a test where it measure the "size of your brain" by firing a series of 5 mini-games at you, and then adding up your total Brain Weight. You are also given a final grade at the end (the first time I played, I got a D and got classified as a museum curator. Needless to say, I was deeply disturbed by such a grade because I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent person, but then I read the message boards, and then I realized that you're being graded against the most intelligent people on earth. So if you can get an A on BBA, you probably belong in MENSA or NASA. And if you get a C, that's okay, because that just means you're just an intelligent guy (and a D would mean that you're just fairly intelligent).

Your big blob mentor in this game is much more interesting than Brain Age's floating head mentor. He says new and different stuff each time, while BA's good doctor repeats his advise over and over again and always greets you with a "These days are getting hotter!" and "Wow! You're a trooper! Coming in everyday like this". Which is kind of ironic because he's a nueroscientist and nueroscientist should know that brains need to eat new and different things each day and can't be bombarded with the same old stimuluses.

So which one should you buy? Well, BBA has more variety and fun to their mini-games, but it lacks the progression charts that BA has. BBA has a more interesting mentor, but Brain Age's mentor is a certified neuroscientist. Personally, I think you should get Brain Age first, and then when you're bored with that, get Big Brain Academy as a pseudo "sequel". If you can only buy one, buy Brain Age because I've actually felt it work on my brain. But if your looking for more "fun" in your mind-twisting educational games, choose Big Brain Academy.

Also, if I may end this review on a slight digression, I'd like to take my hat off to Nintendo for being truly innovative with not just these games (BBA and BA), but with all Nintendo DS games in general. While Playstation and X-Box are all worried about graphics and such, Nintendo has thrown in the towel in that department, and has put more emphasis on games that are fun, innovative, and have a greater mass-market appeal. I think in the long run, Nintendo will win the console wars (especially when Wii comes out).

9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/15/06