Reviews
(20)
+ 1 likes
I work with this game and the Brain Age game and find that regular work with both of these games improves my memory. In this game's memory exercises, the game flashes numbers on the screen for a second or two and then you have to type in the number. They start out with two digits and go up to 6 digits. An interesting feature is that the game scales the difficulty, increasing the number of digits it flashes as you get them correct and scaling back the number of digits when you make a mistake. This scaling feature carries through all the different exercises. It is a well designed thought out game that appeals to a wide age range--4-100.
13 price(s)
+ 0 likes
I'm not much of a gamer but enjoy playing the word games and "brain" games on the DS. I bought this game as a gift for my 10 year old but I find I play with it more often than she does. She prefers games like Guitar Hero DS and Pokemon Diamond to this game.
This game makes a great companion to the Brain Age 2 game. Brain Age 2 gives you certain activities like unscrambling words, guess the right mathematical sign, counting change, memory sprint, play a song on keyboard etc. which are designed to activate different areas of your brain. Some are more challenging than others and you unlock more activities as you go further in your training. I would not recommend that game for children under 9 years old as some activities will be too hard. The instructor in the game, who is too chatty for my liking, also says things like "This activity will activate the pre-frontal cortex of your brain" which is geared towards 10+ ages.
Brain Academy on the other hand has a slightly easier format and most
This game makes a great companion to the Brain Age 2 game. Brain Age 2 gives you certain activities like unscrambling words, guess the right mathematical sign, counting change, memory sprint, play a song on keyboard etc. which are designed to activate different areas of your brain. Some are more challenging than others and you unlock more activities as you go further in your training. I would not recommend that game for children under 9 years old as some activities will be too hard. The instructor in the game, who is too chatty for my liking, also says things like "This activity will activate the pre-frontal cortex of your brain" which is geared towards 10+ ages.
Brain Academy on the other hand has a slightly easier format and most
...
more
+ 0 likes
I've wanted this game since I first got my DS almost a year ago. It is similar to the Brain Age games, but approaches training in a totally different way. There are 5 areas of your brain to improve, and 3 levels of difficulty per mini-game (about 3 each area) to keep you busy. The games are interesting and unusual, and I'll keep at'em until my brain is really big. The Brain Age games are still faves. Keep in mind this keeps track of your progress and trains your brain in a totally different way. Don't expect BA3, but do expect to have fun.
+ 0 likes
A mostly fun experience slightly marred by the overly talkative (well, he doesn't talk) host character. Thankfully his blather can be skipped by repeated tapping of the arrow in the upper right.
And thankfully this game didn't include the endlessly frustrating "find the birds" game in the Wii version, the one game that always killed me in competition games.
The games are divided among five areas such as memory, thinking, analysis, identification, and ... I don't remember :) The activities are fun for the most part, and challenging as the difficulty progresses.
Some of the games are not explained that well on-screen, and take some figuring out, such as Pathfinder. And it would be nice if there was more time given. But these are small complaints.
I got this for a friend and she's completely hooked, trying to get all the gold medals.
And thankfully this game didn't include the endlessly frustrating "find the birds" game in the Wii version, the one game that always killed me in competition games.
The games are divided among five areas such as memory, thinking, analysis, identification, and ... I don't remember :) The activities are fun for the most part, and challenging as the difficulty progresses.
Some of the games are not explained that well on-screen, and take some figuring out, such as Pathfinder. And it would be nice if there was more time given. But these are small complaints.
I got this for a friend and she's completely hooked, trying to get all the gold medals.
+ 0 likes
Unlike most reviews here, I actually think that there's more activities than necessary. I did get all gold medals immediately. To get all 45 platinum medals took some doing, though. What I noticed is that as my score breaks 2000g, things at real-life starts to slow down, which means my brain actually works faster. I had continuous improvements up to about 6 weeks, which then maxed out, and only little dribbling improvements now and then. What amazes me is that every time I broke a new record, I actually thought that I wouldn't because it's too easy! Obviously, the brain does improve, even if you're an adult. I imagine a child would have been improving all the way to adulthood. My weight is 2083g, btw, which is a great improvement from 1444g.
I thought I would get bored by the music, but I didn't. Also, I noticed a lot of little touches on the user interface. I don't think it's perfect, but pretty darn near it. For example, you can quickly retry missed attempt without going through the
I thought I would get bored by the music, but I didn't. Also, I noticed a lot of little touches on the user interface. I don't think it's perfect, but pretty darn near it. For example, you can quickly retry missed attempt without going through the
...
more
+ 0 likes
This game is among my favorites- it's fun, challenging, and addicting. Once I realized that you can get a PLATINUM medal (very hard to do) it added another dimention to the game. Any age can enjoy this while developing better concentration and response skills.
+ 0 likes
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.
+ 0 likes
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
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
...
more
+ 0 likes
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)
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)
+ 0 likes
I found Big Brain Academy to be much better than Brain Age. (There were a lot of small flaws in Brain Age that made me want to throw it across the room.)
-There are a wide variety of puzzles and games.
-You can improve your score as many times as you want in one day.
-Each game has the option of being easy or difficult, so even when you master the easy levels you can still be challenged.
-There are a wide variety of puzzles and games.
-You can improve your score as many times as you want in one day.
-Each game has the option of being easy or difficult, so even when you master the easy levels you can still be challenged.
+ 0 likes
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!!!
+ 0 likes
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
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
...
more
+ 0 likes
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
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
...
more
+ 0 likes
Not just for the kids. This game provides an adequate challenge to all ages. The trick is just to get the hang of it and use your smarts. I highly enjoyed it.
+ 0 likes
My son got this for Christmas and did not put it down for 4 hours. He got other games but would not put this one down. My husband and I like playing the game also. My son's friends like playing it when they come over. Great for all ages. 4 people can keep their grades in the game stored. I think I can see my son's concentration at school getting better after one month of playing the game. I recommend this game to anyone. I wish they would make more "games" like this one.
+ 0 likes
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!
+ 0 likes
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.
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.
+ 0 likes
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!!
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!!
+ 0 likes
To me this game was fun and cute. It was hard, but not too hard and enjoyable but again...it's another game that is easy to put down and ignore after a couple of days or mabye a week.
It was definitely fun, and I think I liked it better than the other learning game, Brain Age.
It was definitely fun, and I think I liked it better than the other learning game, Brain Age.
+ 0 likes
Big Brain Academy is awesomely fun and addictive. The game consists of 5 different categories. Within each category are 3 different activities to choose from. Each activity then has three levels of difficulty to master. To top it all off, there are 3 different areas that you can play in...practice, test, and versus.
The games only take a few minutes to play each. This is good for people that lack the time to play more time consuming games. Therefore, it makes a great way to learn and have fun during even the smallest amount of spare time that you may have.
The games themselves are oodles of fun. The graphics are colorful. The games are challenging but not too hard. (Personally, I struggled with Pathfinder. This is only because I lack any sense of direction not because of the game. However, I am happy to report that I have finally developed some sense of direction from it!) The games help you develop logic skills at a comfortable pace.
Many virtual rewards can be earned
The games only take a few minutes to play each. This is good for people that lack the time to play more time consuming games. Therefore, it makes a great way to learn and have fun during even the smallest amount of spare time that you may have.
The games themselves are oodles of fun. The graphics are colorful. The games are challenging but not too hard. (Personally, I struggled with Pathfinder. This is only because I lack any sense of direction not because of the game. However, I am happy to report that I have finally developed some sense of direction from it!) The games help you develop logic skills at a comfortable pace.
Many virtual rewards can be earned
...
more
