Metareview - Brain Age (DS)

[wraggster]

Not quite a game, not quite a puzzler; Nintendo's Brain Age simulation title gets an average review score of 79 at the time or writing. If you're looking for something new and have $20 bones to spend, this might be a nice pickup. However most critics are calling it a hybrid sim/puzzle title rather than a true game so maybe head on over to a DS download station for a free demo before you buy.
Gamespot 72% - "All in all, Brain Age is a quirky and unique product that's worth taking a look at, largely thanks to its budget price. Whether or not it's improving your mind or just improving your ability to perform its specific tasks is ultimately unclear, but there's currently nothing else quite like it on the market, and fans of logic puzzles and other basic puzzle games should enjoy it quite a bit."
1UP 86% - " Even if the effects aren't immediately recognizable, the placebo effect alone is powerful enough to make you feel like you're thinking clearly. It's not a game, and because you're never taught anything new, it's not really even "edutainment" -- Brain Age is a tool, one that sharpens your mind not just for playing real games, but living real life as well."
Gamerz Edge 79% - "Depending on your approach, Brain Age could either be very fun or quite boring. Perhaps the best criteria to judge your compatibility with this type of game is: 1) Do you enjoy learning or are you interested in keeping your brain “young?” 2) Do you find mathematical, logical, and memory-based exercises to be fun? 3) Do you enjoy or are you interested in Sudoku? 4) Do you have friends or other people with whom to play and compare your results?"

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/18/metareview-brain-age-ds/

[rmt38]

It's almost too annoying and condescending to play. You get the same irritating comments from it whenever you choose to do anything. And the instructions. So eventually clicking through ten screens of the same old text that you have already read 100 times (no exageration) to do the same things every day. Or sitting through the same innocuous sayings. Etc.

Past that, it becomes obvious that the exercises are superficial. Sure, doing them exercise some part of the brain. But really, how long does it take you to relearn your whatever-times table before you know it again, regardless of whether you are dividing, multiplying or whatever. I barely have to think to do it, I just look at the left panel and write on the right - it takes no thought whatsoever.

And the shoddy voice and hand-writing recognition makes the brain age part of it pointless. How much stock can you put in your brain age, when you know it is ridiculously skewed because of the mistakes of the program. It kind of undermines the whole thing.

But as an idea, it is extremely promising and addictive. Remove the pointless repetition and condescension, make it a lot better at recognising hand-writing and voices, add some depth so you can really feel it is exercising you and can take it seriously. Then Robert is your father's brother.

[scrabbus]

ok. well I have to say that this is a great game, if you want to call it that, I loved it my wife loved it, and lets be honest its innovative. condascending? I think not, if theres one thing i like, it makes no difference how crap you are, it encourages you to try harder, I might even buy the translated version of the book, even my japanese isnt that good. anyway thats my two pence worth.

[Vegetable]

And the shoddy voice and hand-writing recognition makes the brain age part of it pointless. How much stock can you put in your brain age, when you know it is ridiculously skewed because of the mistakes of the program. It kind of undermines the whole thing.

I could not possibly agree with you more.

[rmt38]

ok. well I have to say that this is a great game, if you want to call it that, I loved it my wife loved it, and lets be honest its innovative. condascending? I think not, if theres one thing i like, it makes no difference how crap you are, it encourages you to try harder, I might even buy the translated version of the book, even my japanese isnt that good. anyway thats my two pence worth.

See it from my perspective, after having been failed by the game itself, when it doesn´t recognise your handwriting, or your voice, as consistently as it should, then being told that the reason your performance is worse is that you must be tired (or whatever trite little things it says) comes across as extremely condescending.

[GaMeR_2000]

I dont think that this would interest me much. I have to admit that I have never played the game but it doesnt look great.