Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
Like Cooking Mama, Big Brain Academy titles are good for the whole family. The learning curve is pretty low (the hardest part is probably operating the Wiimote, if you’re not already used to using it), it’s fun, and you can involve kids from a pretty young age without too much trouble. But what makes this a good family game, in my opinion, is that it has quite a bit to offer the adults.
The crux of the game involves puzzles and exercises that challenge different cognitive skills, like pattern recognition, numeracy and so on. Some challenges show a distinct shape that the player has to match by removing pieces from the bottom so the above pieces fall into place to match the sample. Other puzzles have a similar function, where players get a stack of blocks with different numbers and have to remove the right blocks so the remaining numbers add up to a specified sum. Then there are the picture identification puzzles, where a small portion of a picture is shown, and more and more of the picture is revealed until the whole image is displayed. Players try to make out the giraffe, butterfly, rhinoceros or whatever animal as quickly as possible, with as little revealed.
Players earn medals for their performance, depending on how many puzzles they complete and how accurately they finish them. You can earn bronze, silver, gold and platinum medals, according to your level of accomplishment. And after every puzzle, your result is calculated in terms of the number of grams the appropriate sector of your “brain” weighs. It’s hardly scientific, or indicative of human neurology, but it’s an effective representation for encouraging players to try to build “big” brains. It also provides good motivation for playing again to try to earn a top score.
There are also some good multiplayer options, most of which have players to play as a team against the computer. I like that emphasis on teamwork, rather than competition, since I think it encourages less enmity, especially when you’re talking about something that claims to be based on intelligence. Granted, I wouldn’t take this game as a perfect test of intelligence, since much of the scoring is based on speed — or at least providing the right answer quickly — and scores also depend on one’s proficiency with the Wiimote. But, Big Brain Academy isn’t a bad way to try to sharpen some analytical skills.
It should be noted, when reading the multiplayer section of the review, that the author routinely has been pummeled in head-to-head competition in this game. Just sayin’.