Big Brain Academy Reviews

• Great Potential but Not Enough Games

  
  By A3V6Z4RCDGRC44 on 2006-06-17
  Big Brain Academy for the Nintendo DS is a lot like Brain Age. It's a collection of puzzles designed to test and stimulate your intellect.
  
  While we enjoy Brain Age, it has numerous issues. You only get 'scored' on each game once a day. The number of games is REALLY limited and many of them can get maxed out within weeks of playing. How much fun is it to get straight 5s on Head Count hard, with no chance of ever improving? I was really happy, then, when Big Brain Academy came along. While it still doesn't have nearly as many games in it as it should have, at least it has a wider selection.
  
  In Big Brain Academy, you're not fighting for a low brain age (which I always found to be an EXTREMELY questionable goal). Insead, you're working towards a "big" brain which is much better. There are puzzles split up into five areas - thinking, memorizing, analyzing, computing and identifying. Each area has 3 games, with multiple difficulty levels. So that's 15 games total. You're already far ahead of Brain Age with that quantity, plus the difficulty levels too.
  
  You can practice as much as you want, aiming for a gold medal in each game at each difficulty level. As you go, you fill up a 'brain graph' - a pentagon that shows which areas you're best at. When you're ready, you do the actual test.
  
  The test randomly chooses a game from each of the 5 areas and sets you at them. It's on a timer, so you do as well as you can within that time limit. At the end, your total brain weight is calculated. This isn't of course "real" - it is more a general scale to show how well you're doing. It also gives you a "type" of brain you have based on what you did well in. Someone who does really well in computing is called a "calculator" - while someone who's great at memorizing and thinking is a "museum curator".
  
  The puzzles are simple but fun. They're the type of puzzles that young kids would enjoy but that adults would find entertaining as well. Traditional things such as memory games, box counting, shape recognition and more are the norm here.
  
  Just like Brain Age, this game shares the problem of INCESSANT CHATTER from the "helper". You have to go paging through numerous completely meaningless messages to get through some areas. They really need to get a handle on that for future releases.
  
  I'm still baffled why they can't have 6 games per area, instead of 3. At least this is a huge step up from Brain Age in that area, but still, there should really be far more games included in the set. It would really help to make this an excellent game, instead of a fun game that has a limited lifetime of enjoyability.
  
  

• A New Addiction for Your Mind

  
  By A29BQ6B90Y1R5F on 2006-06-10
  Big Brain Academy is pretty much an add on to Brain Age. Brain Age was a fantastic and addictive puzzle game. This one is also full of great addiction. While it isn't nearly as good as Brain Age, it does have its moments.
  
  There are only fifteen games in Big Brain Academy. They are divided into five categories with three games each. Two of them are math based, while there is one that challenges you in identifying, another in analyzing, and one more in memory. These games are simple to play and over time become addicting. There are only three modes, however. A practice mode where you'll probably start that allows you to play all the games. It'll save your high score at the end, as well.
  
  There's a test mode, which is probably the best of the lot. In test mode you'll be tested on what you know. The game keeps track of how well you're doing. One game from each category is chosen at random, and you'll have to go through and solve the puzzles. At the end you're given a letter grade, and told what kind of brain you have.
  
  Finally, there's a multiplayer. Up to eight people can play at a time and only one person has to have the game. The others just bring their DS and they go in and play. Here you can compete in any game you choose. It's a race to see who can finish first basically, and whoever does finish first gets the most points and wins. Multiplayer is a treat, but the game is already good enough without it.
  
  The only thing that really keeps Big Brain Academy down is thet there's not enough of it to go around. There aren't enough games and there aren't enough game modes. It's fun and addictive, but there's not enough in the package. However, despite this, it's still worth the reasonable twenty dollar price tag.
  
  

• The Brain Workout

  
  By A3KKM0T1KY42HA on 2006-10-25
  Thinking. Analyzing. Solving Problems. Logic. These are just some of the skills that Big brain Academy will help you develop (or re-develop).
  
  No, it's not Resident Evil or Splinter Cell. But it is as fun and addictive; it's certainly as challenging if not more challenging, and it's a nice pallet cleanser from the plethora of pure entertainment value games that my kids and I play.
  
  Big Brain Academy is a bit advanced at times for my grade schoolers, but the parts that they do get really help them develop the skills that they are concurrently working on in school.
  
  There's a daily practice area that gives your skills a workout. And there's a test area that challenges you to quickly and accurately work through various tasks, then provides you with a grade based on how well you did on the test.
  
  Kids reading this will NO vote me to death for saying this, but this is a great game for parents to get for their kids. It's one of the only ones (Brain Age is the other) that I never take away from my own kids when they've misbehaved or simply just had too much video gaming. They never complain.
  
  Addictive fun. Buy it.
  
  
  

• Big Brain Academy for Seniors

  
  By A2FCHKKUJHFFQW on 2006-11-10
  Like others, I find the constant "chatter" and steps to get a chance to repeat a practice session annoying. That's the downside.
  
  The upside is that this game draws on more skills than Brain Age. There are some tasks that remain daunting, even after much practice. We do not all have the same abilities, and this game will be more fun for those not oriented to math/logic than Brain Age.
  
  For seniors, the time constraints keep one from excelling. My best overall score is a C+. But, I do recommend it for a change of pace from other games and as a means of encouraging young friends who can beat me at my own game.
  
  

• Brain teasing is still fun

  
  By A1HX04JEY9MR3 on 2006-06-21
  So quickly after their last brain-based hit, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!, Nintendo and NST have followed up with the colorful Big Brain Academy. The questions at hand are numerous: what's with all of these brain games? Is Big Brain as entertaining, addictive, and noticeably effective as Brain Age? Is it really worth another $20 to test the brain again?
  
  Big Brain Academy's focus drives away from simply the responsitivity and reactivity of the brain and also focuses on categories like memory, the ability to compute, analyze, and think quickly. There are numerous mini-games availible to test your brain's "size," and the trick here is to come out with the biggest, fattest brain possible.
  
  The mini-games in Big Brain Academy are favorable when compared to those in Brain Age. They're a little trickier. For example, one of them called "Coin-parison" asks you to compare two different amounts of coin and select which of the two is more valuable. Of course, you're expected to select one of the two amounts in a matter of seconds, so the game asks a lot of your mind and forces you to think extremely quickly for optimal results. Another example is the game "Flash Memory," where you're forced to very quickly memorize a sequence of numbers and symbols and then duplicate them with an on-screen calculator. I'd say that the learning curve is a little higher here than it was with Brain Age, but only slightly.
  
  I discovered that Big Brain Academy not only tests your brain, but also your eyesight. Games like "Flash Memory" and "Shadow Shift," which forces you to identify a character based on its shadow, really test how well you can see what is going on on-screen and interpret it.
  
  Big Brain Academy, for the most part, is accurate. After practicing with several of the mini-games, I took my first Big Brain Test and came out with excellent analyzation and memorization skills, but I lacked in computing and thinking quickly. This is pretty accurate to my real-life self, as well as my grade of a B-, which was my high school average.
  
  Visually, Big Brain Academy is a prettier, more colorful, and more engaging game than Brain Age. There still isn't much animation, and there is nothing exciting going on on-screen, but it all beats the Times font and gray backgrounds of Brain Age. The music and sound effects are quirky and sound a lot less like something that you'd expect from a brain game.
  
  Big Brain Academy is a much better game than Brain Age. There are more mini-games, each testing a specific area of mental activity. The addictive quality remains. The presentation isn't as serious, and looks and sounds much better. Really, the only thing that Big Brain Academy doesn't have when stacked against Brain Age is the abundance of sudoku puzzles. Still, Big Brain Academy is worth your $20, and testing your brain has never been as much fun.
  
  
• Big Brain Academy
  By A3D4HAQYZYVE6V on 2006-11-09
  Fun. Stimulating. I like having both this AND the Brain Age as both are missing options the other has. I'd like to see more software like this and even more that encourages child education.
  
  WHAT IF: Schools offered cartridges of Math, English, Science, or other cirriculum on these devices?
  WHAT IF: There were software for these things that helped children study for their "standardized testing" in school?
  Why not disect a frog virtually?
  
  BBA is fun game which keeps the mind occupied and perhaps does stimulate areas which we tend to neglect after school years. I'd love to see something like this that teachers ENDORSED! Its much cheaper to go buy a used DS or SP than have to buy a PC or (if you know better) a Macintosh. While they offer more functionality, they don't fit in a child's pocket.
  
  Lets see more games like Big Brain Academy on these devices and get more FUN, Portable, Education. Not just BLAM BLAM!!
  
  
• Brain Blaster
  By A1H79K206USY8V on 2006-08-05
  I am an adult disabled with Cerebral Palsy since birth. I like Big Brain Academy because the tests and practice rounds are balanced-not to simple or complex. As a child in grade school, I remember taking yearly skill assesment tests which exactly mirror the ones found in Big Brain Academy.
  I remember becoming frustrated with these tests because mentally I could easily compute the answers, but my eyes and brain had difficulty processing certain shapes or patterns quick enough to get a good test score in the short time alloted. In the month since purchasing this game, my mental acuity, hand speed, and sight recognition have greatly improved. I recommend this game for kids to strengthen basic skills, all the way up to seniors to help their sight, recognition, and memory.
  
  
• Great Game
  By A3Q0L4HA9PTNZY on 2006-11-13
  I bought this game and was a little concerned if it would be very interesting or not. As I came to find out it is a very intriging game. There are the five different categories that it tests you on with a time limit. It tells you which one you did the best and the worst in at the end of the test. I think that the tests are the most worthwhile, the practice, is well...practice. It isn't as intersting as finding out what grade you have and what your occupation is. :) This game is also a very nice break from other straining and sometimes frustrating adventure games. This DS game is good for anyone from four and up; child to adult. This game is great!
  
  
• Big Brain Academy
  By A10UUYDN5NY2GB on 2006-06-10
  I have been playing this game for several days. Not really a game but a training program for the brain like Brain Age. Some of the training exercises took me a while to understand. I am a middle age woman as of today a "C" brain grade. Kind of addicting because now I want to get an " A" score. Even my 11yr old son will play it and says it is fun.
  
  
• Brain Drain
  By A3W4D8XOGLWUN5 on 2006-07-08
  There are just so many video games out right now, that seem to really be about gaining your memory and stimulationg your intelligence, within the past year. It is very different from puzzles games like Su Doku, to crosswords, and al other kinds. The Nintendo DS has also definitely shown that added to the mind as well. With the success of Brain Age, it has really transformed how gracioualy we use the DS for our minds as well as our fun. Well, Nintendo has also brought out another game for those who've enjoyed Brain Age, and have taken it to the next level on the DS.
  
  Big Brain Academy for the Nintendo DS continues the strengths of brain stimulation that came before with Brain Age. In this game however, there are more complex challenges here to test your memory of your mind, rather than your mind and voice. There are several challenges here such as coin counting, verbal math where instead of a numerical equation, you're given a math problem in words, memory games where you have to indetify a pattern of musical sounds by several creatures and people, and pathfinder in which you have to move your canine through a pattern to find his bone. The graphics and the game look beautiful and really deliver with promise for the DS. The control also measures up quite nicely, by strictly through the stylus. Although the music is cutesy, it can be quite annoying at times. Sadly, this is the only flaw in the game.
  
  All in all, Big Brain Academy happens to be a worth-while game for the Nintendo DS. I really enjoy this game a whole lot. It is definitely worth the price and challenge for any DS owner. If you've enjoyed Brain Age, than you'll love this great knockoff that is worth the mind of memory.
  
  Graphics: A-
  
  Sound: B-
  
  Control: B+
  
  Fun & Enjoyment: A-
  
  Price: A
  
  Overall: B+
  
  
• Good Game But Has a Few Minor Flaws
  By A3GZHI2Y4HNJMD on 2007-03-09
  First off, I'm a Brain Age freak.
  
  That being said, I purchased Big Brain Academy so that I could have even more games to get addicted to. Big Brain has 15 games you can play, in easy to hard modes, and it measures your brain "weight", rather than you brain "age." I think the games would be fun for all ages and I think the memory games (on both Brain Age and Big Brain) do help increase your photographic memory skills! All in all, the games are good enough, but a little different from Brain Age. Brain Age just seems to wake you up and make you think fast while this game doesn't feel as urgent; they're challenging but not as stimulating (for me).
  
  The minors flaws are not really true technical flaws, only some minor annoyances I have with it that affect the experience:
  1. Dr. Lobe of Big Brain says even cornier things than Dr. Kawashima, and they're not really helpful (well, I suppose they can't be identical games anyway)
  2. The music is sort of boring; I think better music would have helped the game seem more exciting
  3. The art style of it is just kind of weak; I'm all for simple but the images used in the games are just not that appealing or cute
  4. The game only has 3 menu options: the test mode, the training mode, and the versus mode; I think they could have added additional games like Sudoku on Brain Age, or some word play games, to put some more substance into the game itself
  
  That is all. I hope I didn't sound too harsh because the game IS fun and DOES help pass the time away on your DS. I'm just a little partial to Brain Age for some reason. :)
  
  
• a fun, quick mental workout
  By A56TXS76PETEV on 2007-06-22
  In this game you solve puzzles as fast as you can. There are 15 different types of puzzles, sorted into 5 categories (Memorize, Compute, Think, Analyze, Identify). For example one type of puzzle is "Cube game", in which a pile of blocks is displayed on the upper screen, and you have to count them (including the hidden blocks) and type the answer into a number pad on the lower screen. In a test, 5 puzzle types are selected at random, one from each category. For each of the 5 puzzle types, you have one minute to solve as many puzzles as you can, with the puzzles getting more difficult as you go along. Based on how many puzzles you solved correctly and how many mistakes you made, you then get a score, which is supposed to represent your brain weight in grams.
  
  The puzzles are mostly fun, and wouldn't be hard were it not for the time pressure. A test takes a little over five minutes, so you can play once without the game eating up much time. You can also practice the individual puzzles.
  
  There is nothing to unlock, so you will be motivated to keep playing the game only if you have an obsessive drive to improve your skills (or just exercise your brain). For example, in the Matchmaker puzzle, a bunch of cards are displayed on the screen, and you have to recognize pairs of cards that are the same. With practice I found that if I put my mind into the right state then I can see the pairs much more easily, which is kind of cool. For some of the other puzzle types, there are a limited number of possible puzzles, and if you play too much then you might start recognizing them, with the game becoming accordingly less fulfilling.
  
  I found some of the puzzles to be much easier than others. I wasn't surprised to find that I do best at Written Math and Cube Game; I was somewhat surprised to find that Flash Memory (in which a sequence of numbers is briefly flashed on the screen and you then have to remember it and type it in) is trivial (my score just depends on how fast I can type), while I struggle with the Identify puzzles. I don't know whether this says something about the relative difficulty of the puzzles or about my brain type. You can also use this game to test at which times of day you are most alert. Maybe the whole thing is just a big psych experiment with the results being secretly radioed back somewhere.
  
  
• Fun for you and your family.
  By A32IDF7JFAPXAG on 2006-07-10
  I got this game because I heard something about it on a game show called xplay. It was only $19.99. I got it home and started playing it and I looked and an hour had gone by. The game is very fun to play and once you start time will go by and you won't even know it. I got a ds lite and my mother and I have played and she loves it as much as I do. It is wifi and only 1 game is required so if you get it you can play against your friends or family even if they do not have the game. For the price and the fun this game if surely worth the purchase.
  
  
• Loving the brain games
  By A30MOLWSSS8AFI on 2006-08-02
  Ok, so I'm really addicted to Brain Age and when the Big Brain Academy came out I was concerned that it just wouldn't measure up. However, I was pleasantly surprised! The Big Brain Academy is definitely worth your money. There are 15 games to improve your thinking skills - from logic and memory to math and analysis.
  
  This game is perfect to play solo or with family and friends. Being as addicted as I am to Brain Age (and now to Big Brain Academy), I love just coming home after work and playing a few rounds to relax. The Big Brain Academy is basically a build up of Brain Age and offers yet another fun way to bulk up your mind! After Brain Age I became really focused on mental fitness, so now I also use the brain exercises and reports on the Agogus website to enhance my mental ability and my memory, and mental focus has never been better. My grades are up, and my tennis game is greatly improved too.
  
  
  
• LOVE THE GAME & IS A CHALLENGE
  By A22DK1AP1APW24 on 2006-11-29
  THE GAME HAS MANY CHALLENGES AND DIFFERENT LEVELS. IT'S A GREAT GAME TO MAKE YOU THINK. YOU USE PLAIN COMMON SENSE ON SOME AND OTHERS YOU HAVE TO GIVE MORE THOUGHT ON. IT IS A GAME FOR ANY YOUNG SCHOOL AGE CHILD TO ADULT. I'M 47 AND IT MAKES ME THINK BUT I REALLY ENJOY IT AND RECOMMEND IT FOR ANYONE WHO LIKES GAMES.
  
  
• FUN! FUN! FUN!
  By A3E2KV8RJPNGXQ on 2007-05-15
  I absolutely LOVE this game. It is so addictive. There are 5 different categories and a total of 3 different games for each one. Some people my not think that provides enough options...but I love trying to get better at the games as I go.
  
  You can either take a test which consists of one game from each category or simply practice individual games on 3 difficulty levels. It keeps track of your high scores and will store information for up to 4 users.
  
  This game is challenging enough for me...but also simple enough where my 4 years old twins can pick it up play most of the games. (some are a bit harder)
  
  I personally love the fact that I can pick up this game right before bed, play a few games and then turn it off without getting too sucked in or needing to progress to a new level.
  
  LOADS OF FUN FOR EVERYONE!! :0)
  
  
• Better than Brain Age
  By A1ADMN7EY9STCO on 2006-09-12
  I think that "The Big Brain Academy" is better than the previous "Brain Age" because there is greater selection and a more intelligent goal. The overall level is also higher and you cannot reach the maximum very quickly. As a "game" it is not the most exciting and entertaining but it is always better to do something for your brain or you may gradually notice that it doesn't serve you very well. In general it is a good investment and enough fun to have it.
  
  
• Better than Brain Age.
  By A3PQXRCYB0WX5O on 2006-10-11
  I liked this game a lot better than Brain Age, though it suffers from the same tendency - it gets old very quickly. In general I found some of the puzzles more challenging. The method of calculating scores, "brain weight," varies form game to game, and part of the trick is learning and adjusting to these methods, but some still remain pretty consistently challenging. All in all, a good game, though the novelty wears off quickly.
  
  
• Repetitive, gets old really quickly
  By A5JLAU2ARJ0BO on 2007-01-22
  Big Brain Academy is a collection of repetitive "games" that test your memory and vision. You can choose to test yourself or practice. Either way, the number of game choices is limited -- and unlocking practice games is a pain as you need to play the same game in each category over and over (even if you score well each time) in order to advance. I'm surprised the other people found this fun. Well, I got a B- on my first test and in a couple days I scored an A. I guess maybe I'm too smart for this. (But I admit I was stupid to have wasted $20 on the game, so I guess I'm no smartie after all.)
  
  
• Great game accept for one thing......
  By A334SH2TKXYU56 on 2007-04-12
  My daughter just turned 4 and got a Nintendo DS as a gift. Of course I now had to go and buy her some games. Since her handheld game skills are not developed yet I had to find a game that had her using the stylus. Since these games don't come cheep I had to know what I was buying. After a ton of research I found this one and deceided to give it a try. WOW...we were BOTH hooked. This is not one of those games that take a few days to win. I can see her growing up with it. A few of the games were to hard for her to understand. But since each game had a level setting (easy,medium,hard) she can play all but 3. When your playing each game it adjust to your level.
  Example...both my daughter and I set our games on easy. I wanted to see how difficut it was going to be for her. Since it took her more time to answer the questions the each question were at her level. I played the same games (on easy) and since I answered the questions more quickly the level of difficultness jumped. After playing a game, if you have a brain weight of over 50 you get a Bronze medal. Even when the game was set on easy for me I couldn't get the gold medal all the time. Getting the medal is pretty cool, my daughter feels so proud every time she gets one, she's all smiles. Usually when it comes to playing games she wants to give up when things get too hard. With getting the medals she tells me "Mommy, I want to try again and get the coin". This game is great for kids and adults.
  Now why did I give it 4 stars if I liked it so much. Well...There is one game where you have to sort though shapes to make fit in a "shadow" picture. While I was playing it there was a house, an arrow and the next thing I know there's a HAND GUN. Iknow...I know... guns are everywhere in kids games. But...this gun threw me off guard.
  Overall the game is great. I just wish that gun wasn't there.
  
  
• This game is a lot of fun, but it's quite limited
  By AHCVWPLA1O4X8 on 2007-06-21
  I've always enjoyed "exercise your mind" type games and was excited to try one on the DS. Big Brain Academy fit the bill relatively well--it features a total of 15 games and three difficulty levels that are great to relieve stress, take a quick break from something, or just sit down and enjoy. The game does, however, have its limitations.
  
  The first, and most obvious, drawback to the game is that--well, there are only 15 games available. While these are enjoyable it doesn't take too long to be craving something more, and I've found that this game plays well for short periods of time but isn't entertaining for more than about twenty to thirty minutes at a time.
  
  The inane chatter gets in the way sometimes too--I'd rather just focus on playing the games. Does anyone really buy these things expecting a storyline or some sort of plot? There are 3 modes of play--practice, test, and multiplayer--which provides some variety in the gameplay as well. The test mode selects a game from each of the five categories and gives you an overall "brain weight"--basically a score you can work on improving--and draws a graph showing which areas you were strongest and weakest in.
  
  It's great to have a game like this for a handheld. Big Brain is great for killing 15 minutes of time in a waiting room or while you're waiting for someone to arrive, etc, but I wouldn't plan on long stretches of entertainment (at least for me). Still, with the price tag under twenty dollars its worth checking out.
  
  
• Challenging for young and old.
  By A2BXMYJLSTJC71 on 2007-07-28
  My 7 year old daughter does struggle on some of the problems but she has managed to get bronze medals in every category and level. I also like to play and i do find some of the hard levels quite challenging.
  
  
• Great Learning Game
  By AFSTZ1L511QRD on 2007-07-28
  I got this game after the other brain game I have started getting boring. This game is much more fun. There are I think 15 different games to test your brain in this game and they are all fun and challenging. I highly recommend this game if you are interested in challenging your brain and competing against yourself.
  
  
• Big Brain Academy is Big Brain Fun!
  By A315NA5LVQ8VNN on 2006-06-14
  I just picked up this game and I have yet to put it down so long as I am awake. Its vast array of short but oh so sweet minigames are too addictive to be educational, and yet they are. You cannot go wrong with this game so I encourage everyone who owns a DS to pick this game up, find a comfortable chair, and dive into the world that is Big Brain Academy.
  
  
• Brilliant!
  By A2SQA9WG67ER9B on 2006-08-01
  This is Nintendo's second "brain-training" title. I personally enjoy it more than Brain Age. I just like how it's so colorful and the atmosphere is more fun than Brain Age. You have everything it has to offer open to you from the beginning. Versus is the strongest point of this game, it's way fun if you get more than two people!
  
  
• Wow, wish all sequals were like this
  By A26Q9A006Q91RH on 2007-01-10
  Though technically not a true sequel, Big Brain Academy is another strong game to test your mind. The game is unlike Brain Age in several ways. Instead of doing short, fast actions like simple math, you do all kinds of puzzles and other stuff. THe art style is alot different. Instead of the campy doctor's lobby look, the relaxed, cool look, Big Brain Academy goes for a cartoon style, with kid drawings, and a Mr. Peanut shaped worm. Big Brain Academy is a slower game, and the challegnes are based on memory and other things, as opposed to the fast thinking in Brain Age that stimulates more than makes you think.
  
  Big Brain Academy does not measure how old your brain is, instead, it tells you how much your brain ways, and the heavier your brain is, the smarter you are. The premise is different than Brain Age as well, but instead of comparing, just read my review of Brain Age when I write it, and do the comparing yourselves (hey, I'm just a college student).
  
  Basically, you have three modes, and you can have up to five seperate files for five seperate people. YOu can do a test that tests you on five seperate catergories supposly for the brain. These are things that involve counting math cubes, drawing lines on shapes, mapping where the dog has a bone, and other random stuff. You can do this as many times as you want, and you can also practice any event you like. It sounds like a real pain in the butt, and really sounds like the last game you would want to play. However though, the game proves that it's a great game, and passes the most important test, and it passes with flying colors. The test would in fact, be, the game is wicked fun. I hate math, but for some reason, counting coins, contrasting weights, and other stuff that normally are mudane tasks in life, become strangly, very fun. That's the best part, this game is fast, frantic, and fun. This is most important, and I really think that you should get it. DOn't listen to anybody who bashes it because of math, if you think math is fun, tell people. Don't be a sucker to sterotypes. So try this game, and it really is worth it.
  
  As for the whole "makes you smarter" hype, I am not sure I truely believe it, but I do think it makes our brain's in better shape, that it makes it work better. And besides, doing math has never, and never will be, more fun. With the price, you should get it, and it will be a game that you will be coming back to...unless you have the brain of Stephen Hawking (and you don't).
  
  
• Challenging, Stimulating
  By A1N4IZT5TB4NQ8 on 2007-04-17
  My son recommended I get Nintendo DS and Big Brain Academy as a way for aging mom's (me) to ward off dementia down the road. I don't know if it'll fill the bill in that regard but I'm having a ball playing it. It's challenging and fun. Since getting the game I've noticed my performance is better at different times of the day. And I thought these hand held electronic games were just for kids!!!
  
  
• absolute garbage
  By AAOYA8IK4ZDDB on 2007-09-26
  i can't believe nintendo would allow a product like this to be released. its absolute rubbish as one reviewer here noted in amazement that many people seem to like it at least on the amazon reviews. makes me wonder if this thing is rigged.
  
  the game absolutely sucks with no attraction whatsoever. gameplay is zero and instructions suck. the types of challenges are lame and the graphics are incomprehensible.
  
  i would say save your money and buy brain age or brain age 2. in fact buy almost anything else.
  
  
• Buy Brainage instead ...
  By A38IEZF0P3ZUQJ on 2006-07-20
  I totally regret buying this game. I bought it thinking it'd be more like Brainage and even got to play the demo of it but it was totally not what I expected when I got the real game. I'm totally disappointed bcuz there's not a lot of mind games and I'm sure everyone scores about the same and the way they score you makes you feel like your stupid. I should of just waited til' I found a store that carried Brainage instead. That game scores you by the age of your brain not by the weight of your brain. Totally not worth your money. If you really wanna play this rent it from BlockBuster or something cuz you'll get tired of it real quick !!! I know I did. (T~T)
  
  
• Brain Training.
  By A38ZZ5M2KJX22O on 2006-09-29
  There's no playing around when it comes to "training" your brain. The test mode offers a ton of different combinations of games you can play, with each test starting out relatively easy and quickly ramping up the difficulty as the questions progress.
  
  There's also the "practice" mode, which lends itself nicely to the whole "pick up and play" school of handheld gaming.
  
  I do wish there were some sort of tracking system. The only view of your progress is the high score. Brain Age's graph system would have been a welcome addition.
  
  

• Ultimate Brain Games
• Electronic Gaming Monthly
• Play
• Tips & Tricks Magazine

• Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
• Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day!
• Nintendo DS Lite Polar White
• New Super Mario Bros.
• Nintendo DS Lite Onyx Black