Big Brain Academy
Best Price: £14.91
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With Big Brain Academy’s main objectives — to stimulate the mind and keep it active - you are given the chance to put your abilities to the test and flex that cranial ‘muscle’ between your ears.
A very straightforward game, Big Brain Academy has easy-to-understand visuals that are nonetheless visually stimulating and games with a bit of thought behind them which don’t boast extravagance. A player is represented by their Mii and to tie in with the academic theme, a player’s record is kept as a student file. A range of mini-game categories is offered, with each of their purpose being to put a certain portion of the brain to the test. At the end of the proceedings, your ‘brain’ is weighed and your ‘brain type’ determined. All amusing stuff indeed.
There are two parts to the single-player element of Big Brain Academy – that is the test and practice. There is a random selection of the mini-games in each of the five categories, and Dr. Lobe, the main character who acts as the ‘lynchpin’ of the game, will provide an assessment of your performance each time the test is carried out, presenting you with a score which equates to the size of your brain matter. Each time you correctly answer a question, the part of your brain that has assisted you in solving the question is given a weight. Therefore, it is in your interests to be lightening-quick with an answer as that particular portion of brain will be heavier. You are then offered a rating at the end when the doctor weighs your brain. The test results are shown in a graphs and charts format, allowing you to keep an eye on how you’re fairing. During the practice mode the games can be played individually (there are fifteen in all) and on whichever of the four levels of difficulty you choose. When taking the main test, it’s not just your brain which gets weighed but also your success, and for your efforts a medal will be presented to you which is dependent on how you faired in practice. If you want to bump up the test result as much as possible, it is wise to ‘collect’ as many platinum medals as you can.
So when it comes to the actual test, there are five categories to exercise that brain of yours, which are as follows:
- Think — This category will put your logic skills under the spotlight.
- Analyze — Reasoning is the name of the game here – deductive reasoning to be precise.
- Memorize — How many of us can admit to a perfect memory? Then this game is up your street if you hanker after memory-based brain ticklers.
- Identify — It’s now time to call upon your visual skills. It’s perhaps best to put the glass of wine down and concentrate hard – you’ll need it here.
- Compute — Being a mathematics whiz may be advantageous here, but for all those who scraped by with a D grade in maths, this part of the quiz still proffers plenty of fun.
With just a minute dedicated to each section, you need to think fast – and obviously, as accurately possible. Labouring steadily through each conundrum, things appear to become harder and more complicated and by then, your brain is going round in circles. So, the test comes grinding to a close and you’ve worked your way through each of the five categories: you are then given a ranking in accordance with your performance. A graph appears illustrating your stronger areas and your not-so-strong areas. Big Brain Academy then goes to work ascertaining the weight of your brain which all depends on how many right answers you gave during the test. This is then reflected in which grade you are given. Did you pass with flying colours or are you a could-do-better C+?
In single-player mode the game entertains but it is in fully-fledged multi-player mode where the game offers an even more entertaining experience. After all, Big Brain Academy is a family or party game, allowing up to eight people to play simultaneously using a maximum of two Wiimotes. In multi-player format, players can enjoy ‘Mind Sprint’, ‘Mental Marathon’ and ‘Brain Quiz’. With the varying difficulty levels, all players no matter what age and regardless of experience can take part. Some may argue that they’d rather do something a little more leisurely and enjoyable than having to test their intelligence in a competition, but if entertainment is what you’re after, the mini-games are probably more engaging and exciting than you may think. With its no-nonsense, foolproof controls, you cannot dispute its accessibility or indeed fun factor.
A great follow up to Brain Age, overall, Big Brain Academy ticks all of the boxes in giving the old brain cells a workout and offering enjoyment in the process.
