I couldn't find a thread on this already, so i apologize if i missed it.
Got the PAL version yesterday and there is something instantly appealing about Big Brain Academy… It doesn’t hide the fact it is visually quite a simplistic title, but it seems to take pride in its charm and ’warm’ presentation. The little professor fella (with a cute hat) introduces you to the Academy and everything is welcomingly straightforward: First you must Enrol you character (which, akin to Wii Sports, utilizes the wonderfully charismatic Mii characters to great effort) and then you are ready to test your brain…
There are 15 main activities to master, all of which are divided into the following five categories: Identify, Memorise, Analyse, Computer and Visualise. It is possible to practise each activity individually or take a test that combines all categories providing an all-round score. Your score is the weight of your brain. The higher the weight the bigger the brain. Here, bigger is better.
The results are destined by how quickly the correct answers are chosen and then a grade is given to reflect the weight of your brain. Also a chart is presented that looks almost identical to the Wii fitness chart found in Wii Sports. It is all very satisfying and pleasantly portrayed…
The only true goal here is to aspire perfection… There are a limited number of activities to choose (which, so far, I fear will strongly hinder the games‘ longevity) but each has its Easy, Normal and Hard difficulty settings and believe me… some of these really are bloody hard. Bronze, Silver and Gold awards are waiting to be won by those determined enough to seek them, and meanwhile there is something very satisfying and self-fulfilling about improving your own brain weight. There really is a sense of progression as you watch yourself make sense of something that previously appeared senseless.
Like Wario Ware though, at heart Big Brain is obviously meant for two or more people. I was up until 2am this morning competing against the misses. There are three main group games to play (Mind Sprint, Mental Marathon and Brain Quiz) and potentially these offer an almost endless mulitplayer experience that literally everyone can enjoy.
For those of you with little ones, some of these games are absolutely brilliant for teaching the youngsters to concentrate and focus their minds. My misses' daughter Chloe is five and together this morning she was having a great time recognizing shapes, identifying numbers and shouting out animals' names as their blurry form morphed into view.
How this compares to the DS titles I can’t say I’m afraid, but, as far as I can tell, this is another refreshing title that helps to bridge the gap between the player and the non-player. It obviously isn’t for those desiring a long epic experience… but that goes without saying. Definitely worth a look.
Edit:
Here's a little video review.
Review! Clicky!
Got the PAL version yesterday and there is something instantly appealing about Big Brain Academy… It doesn’t hide the fact it is visually quite a simplistic title, but it seems to take pride in its charm and ’warm’ presentation. The little professor fella (with a cute hat) introduces you to the Academy and everything is welcomingly straightforward: First you must Enrol you character (which, akin to Wii Sports, utilizes the wonderfully charismatic Mii characters to great effort) and then you are ready to test your brain…
There are 15 main activities to master, all of which are divided into the following five categories: Identify, Memorise, Analyse, Computer and Visualise. It is possible to practise each activity individually or take a test that combines all categories providing an all-round score. Your score is the weight of your brain. The higher the weight the bigger the brain. Here, bigger is better.
The results are destined by how quickly the correct answers are chosen and then a grade is given to reflect the weight of your brain. Also a chart is presented that looks almost identical to the Wii fitness chart found in Wii Sports. It is all very satisfying and pleasantly portrayed…
The only true goal here is to aspire perfection… There are a limited number of activities to choose (which, so far, I fear will strongly hinder the games‘ longevity) but each has its Easy, Normal and Hard difficulty settings and believe me… some of these really are bloody hard. Bronze, Silver and Gold awards are waiting to be won by those determined enough to seek them, and meanwhile there is something very satisfying and self-fulfilling about improving your own brain weight. There really is a sense of progression as you watch yourself make sense of something that previously appeared senseless.
Like Wario Ware though, at heart Big Brain is obviously meant for two or more people. I was up until 2am this morning competing against the misses. There are three main group games to play (Mind Sprint, Mental Marathon and Brain Quiz) and potentially these offer an almost endless mulitplayer experience that literally everyone can enjoy.
For those of you with little ones, some of these games are absolutely brilliant for teaching the youngsters to concentrate and focus their minds. My misses' daughter Chloe is five and together this morning she was having a great time recognizing shapes, identifying numbers and shouting out animals' names as their blurry form morphed into view.
How this compares to the DS titles I can’t say I’m afraid, but, as far as I can tell, this is another refreshing title that helps to bridge the gap between the player and the non-player. It obviously isn’t for those desiring a long epic experience… but that goes without saying. Definitely worth a look.
Edit:
Here's a little video review.
Review! Clicky!
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