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> Results: Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
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Can a video game make you smarter? Are kids interested in games that gasp are more like school tests and quizzes, and nobody gets shot? The answer to the first question is debatable but the second is surprisingly ,"Yes!" A big hit with both parents and kids, and one of our 2006 recommended games, "Big Brain Academy" leaves the small screen and stylus Nintendo Dual-Screen edition behind, and instead, asks you to wave your magic Wii remote in a frantic effort to improve your score, "grow" your brain, and, hopefully, crush the hopes and dreams of your family and friends.
The Wii edition cleverly uses a school motif where you have to "enroll" your Miis (a "Mii" is a little avatar you can have resemble yourself, or others) and then it tracks your progress in five crucial brain areas, or a random mix. The categories are: identify, memorize, analyze, compute, and visualize and the challenges are a clever mix of fun and frustrating. Examples include completing an incomplete geometric figure (visualize), remembering details of a briefly revealed picture (memorize), or popping balloons in order (computation). The Wii remote makes for a perfect pointer, once you position the sensor and yourself right, it's accurate and fun to play this way. Guided by Dr. Lobe a weird looking cross between a hand puppet and a marshmallow you'll practice and test yourself in these categories and based on your speed, accuracy, and smarts, he'll assign or update your brain's "weight" (heavier equals better) and track it. He'll even let you email your most embarrassing failures or heaviest triumphs to people in your friend list (being online is required). Best of all, up to 8 people can compete to see who has the heaviest brain. It's a game, it's homework, and it'll teach you and your family to thinking calmly, quickly, and accurately, what more could a parent want?  
There's nothing offensive or upsetting in the game but some players, especially kids who can't stand criticism or pressure, may want to avoid this title (or embrace it, depending on your view). Also, older kids have a big advantage over most younger kids, and since speed is often the skill being tested among equal players, multiplayer can be frustrating for players of any age. The jury is out on whether or not you'll gain IQ points, or "brain weight" but there's no doubt that the game improves mental reflexes, confidence and accuracy. It's also way too entertaining to be called educational.
This review edited by Michael Anderson Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree |
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