The skinny: this game's got good metrics, a charming visual style, unoffensive sound, and tons of replay value. Buy it!!

User Rating: 8 | Big Brain Academy DS
By Sykil | Review Date:
"Brain training" has become an unlikely craze, and Brain Age and Big Brain Academy are at the forefront of that craze, as well as being largely responsible for it. Brain Age was first up to bat, followed by Big Brain Academy. B.A. still sells better, and it seems to be the most widely accepted one. However, I prefer B.B.A., and here's why:

B.B.A.'s metrics for testing your brain seem more credible, and the game itself presents more of a challenge. It has five test categories: Think, Memorize, Analyze, Compute, and Identify, which test logic, memory, reasoning, mathematical skill, and visual acuity, respectively. There are three games to each category, and it won't take but a few plays for owners to realize what games they love and which don't come as easily to them.

Also, the game's overall style is a lot more charming than B.A.'s. Warm colors, a consistent feel, quirky menu theme, and Dr. Lobe make this game a joy to play and replay. It excels in what IGN would wall "presentation" whereas B.A. does pretty poorly in that category.

At the end of the test, Dr. Lobe will announce your brain weight (in grams, because smart people use the metric system) and type, based on which categories you excelled in and which you... didn't. You also get a grade (on the A-F scale). The game's got great replay; it's pretty hard to make an A. Heck, it's hard to make a B!

Right now, I'm standing at 1579g with the brain of a diplomat (B+). One of these days...

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