More Information
Rating: 
-
Huge downfall to the game is its lack of minigames. 15-20 for this game, versus over 60 when mario party 2 came out. Really disappointing
My GF and I, both mid 20's, thought the brain age series was worth a try. I had played a ds version in a store and liked it. This game is no better than the ds version. We also bought it to be used as a bonding experience.
This game made bonding worse. It relies more on the speed of your clicking icons/answers than it does using your brain. I dominated her because of my experience with the wiimote versus her first experience with a console system. Everytime I beat her in a game that measures your intelligence made me feel more guilty when i won because it seemed to lower her self esteem with each win. Not to mention the 2 player games require you to pass the controller around instead of using your own.
rent this and you prolly wont buy it.
Rating: 
-
When I first got this game, I found it really interesting and exciting. I played solo most of the time, and I enjoyed challenging myself to get a better score. I worked my way up from C-- to A--. It is actually hard to improve on your score, especially as you go up the ladder. Your head needs to be in focus for at least 10-15 minutes per set of tests. A little mistake in the middle would bite and frustrate you. Plus, once you start get a hang of the questions, your brain would probably be tired by then. It was fun though, especially if you are the ambitious type who always want to beat your own best score ;)
I played this game a couple times with my friends as well. It is definitely a fun and healthy competitive game. I suggest however, that you do not play with people with big 'ego' :) And have people with similar level play against each other for optimum adrenaline rush!
Teaming up with your friends to solve individual test can be fun too. But as time is a crucial factor determining your score, it is probably not reasonable to take in many inputs from your peers to beat the clock. Buy this game and get a mental lift! Don't overdo it though, as you may end up draining all of energy ;)
There aren't many variety of the games, so you will get bored soon if you play it all the time. I personally play this game just once or a couple times a month when I am bored, so it serves me well.
Rating: 
-
The concept of Big Brain Academy is a good one. Perform a set of exercises to stimulate your brain and improve its abilities. This game first came out on the Nintendo DS, after the success of Brain Age.
The way you do the exercises is with a set of colorful mini-games. The game groups its 15 mini-games into 3 games in each of 5 categories: Analyze, Compute, Memorize, Identify and Visualize. The faster you complete each mini game, and the more answers you get right, the higher your score.
By yourself, you can do two events: Test or Practice. In Test, you perform a series of the mini-games for about a minute in each category. Your score in each category is added up, and the Professor presents an overall score. You get a grade, from C-- to A++ based on your score. In addition, based on which categories you did well, you get a "profession".
In Practice, you choose a mini-game category and perform that category for a minute. You can get awarded medals --- bronze, silver, gold or platinum, based on how well you did. Your results in solo practice are saved in your "Student Record" which you can send to others via Connect24 or view in the game's Office.
For the Wii, the biggest change is how Nintendo revamped the game to allow more multiplayer options. There are 3 multiplayer modes---Mind Sprint, Mental Marathon and Brain Quiz.
Mind Sprint is the most competitive --- choose a difficulty level and race against someone else to complete the mini-games first (a mistake means you do the game over).
Mental Marathon is a cooperative game. One player starts, then performs a fixed number of mini-games. Then, the player hands off to a different player, who continues. When a player makes a mistake, the game is over.
Finally, Brain Quiz is competitive but has a game show feel. Players pick one of 15 panels. Each panel has a random mini-game category and difficulty. The highest overall score wins. In this mode there is an extra mini-game that appears sometimes where you listen to orders and must select what the person ordered.
The biggest downside to the game is that there are only 15 mini-games. After playing this for a few weeks, the game can feel repetitive.
It's a lot of fun for family and friends, and it definitely helps you improve your brain but it doesn't have huge replay value because of the small number of mini-games. If there were 30 mini-games, this would have much more replay value.
Rating: -
this game is simple, but fun and addicting. it's great for anyone old enough to hold and use the wii-mote (about age 4 and up). there are games that are easy enough that non-readers can play, and games that are more challenging, even for adults. the whole family can play together, you can play as teams or try to beat your old best score. it levels the playing field for the age gaps. there is a testing option that even seems to be smart enough to know the difference of a 5 year old playing (the music is slower paced, the games are easier) vs an older child or adult.
i also see great educational potential. it's good for hand/eye coordination, dexterity, thinking fast and under pressure, color/shape discrimination, biology, math, pattern recognition, memory, reading, the list goes on. i don't have to worry that my kids are playing something entertaining but light on learning.
it can be annoying to click through sentence after sentence of text (you are "evaulated" after each game), but other than that, it's a great activity.
Rating: 
-
Hands down, my favorite game for the wii. It challenges my brain! Sometimes after a day of staying home with my toddlers, it feels nice to think. :-) I liked that it has different areas of focus- memorization, spatial relationships, etc. I am very good with numbers, but it has been a great challenge to me perceptually. I love puzzles, like sudoku and other brain teasers, so this is up my alley.
We had mixed results as a family, though. My 4-year-old daughter was very in to it at first too- she loved getting medals, although her inability to get a gold medal frustrated her (because she likes the color gold). She also liked to challenge me- and I would wait for her to win so that she could get the pink "princess" crown. However, after a while, she lost interest, and would rather play the Disney Princess wii game (which, btw, is a HUGE hit). My husband tolerates it, but really isn't fond of it. He says he uses his brain enough at work that he likes mindless games during his off-time! SO...if you love puzzles, you will probably love this game! If not, well...look elsewhere.
More Information
HOMECredit Cards - Mortgages - Wester Union - Loans - Loans 