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Big Brain Academy

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7.5 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 45 critic reviews
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Based on 18 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo

Genre(s): Trivia, Edutainment

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: June 5, 2006

Summary

(Also known as "Brain Flex") Big Brain Academy features 15 activities that test their brain powers in areas like logic, memory, math and analysis. Up to eight people can play with a single game card, and each activity takes less than a minute to complete.

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What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

1UP

Quirky, satisfying, and highly original.

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Nintendojo

The truth is, Big Brain Academy offers little depth, and almost no immersion, because the gameplay is so start-and-stop. But Big Brain Academy succeeds because of its simplicity and accessibility.

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Gaming Target

With Big Brain Academy (and Brain Age) you’ve got just as interested in exercising my mental muscles as I am in flexing my trigger finger.

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AtomicGamer

In all, I can say that I enjoyed Big Brain Academy and feel it is a wonderful addition to the Brain Age-style games. Nintendo has really hit on a different market than the traditional gamers.

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GamePro

The various tests should give your brain quite a workout, while the neat visuals and multiplayer mode should keep you busy for quite some time.

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Deeko

It offers a bit more in terms of puzzles than "Brian Age," which certainly gives it a bit of an edge in the fun department, but it doesn't track your progress or make logical sense when grading you, which is where it fails against "Brain Age."

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Electronic Gaming Monthly

But the tricky puzzles and problems here offer more complexity and variety than "Brain Age's", making this a must-buy for the phenomenally addictive multiplayer action alone. [July 2006, p.97]

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Inexpensive and relatively guilt-free (you're expanding your mind!), Brain Academy is at least as fine a way to kill 30 minutes as Everybody Loves Raymond.

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GameZone

The “tests’ are really short and you can be finished within several minutes, and it is this addictive and short natured game that will keep you coming back for more for hours on end.

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Cheat Code Central

The stylus is used to select answers and navigate the menu system. It’s nothing that couldn’t be done with a normal controller but it’s more convenient and precise. You can choose the correct answer immediately without having to scroll through choices or manipulate a cursor. The menu system is easy to access and while it may lack visual pizzazz, it’s clean, simple and easy enough on the eyes. Overall the presentation is lacking but this is a budget-priced game and it accomplishes what it sets out to do.

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IGN

Overwhelmingly colorful and peppy environment aside, I think Big Brain Academy is a bit more fun and fulfilling than Brain Age with its quicker pace game style and fantastic multiplayer focus, and it's a great continuation of the newly-formed Touch Generations line for DS gamers.

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GamerFeed

The games are very entertaining and the wireless multiplayer has provided hours of enjoyment, especially since up to eight people can play using a single copy.

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GameBrink

Competitive people will be glued to this game for hours; some of the more advanced stages are very challenging, with the added bonus of keeping your brain in tip-top shape. [JPN Import]

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Games Radar (in-house)

But while Brain Age has you holding the DS like a book, nurturing your every gaming step, Academy more or less throws you into the mix, expecting a degree of familiarity with how these minigames work.

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N-Europe

A polished, accessible and entertaining series of brain-bending teasers. Great stuff.

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G4 TV

It's not far out to score Big Brain Academy slightly higher than its predecessor, mostly because the game contains none of the maddening verbal and writing input issues.

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eToychest

As entertaining as the single-player portion of Big Brain Academy is, this budget title really shines in the multiplayer experience. Up to eight players can take part in a single-card multiplayer session, and the game selection mechanic is pure, unadulterated genius.

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NintendoWorldReport

Overall, it's a great game for anybody who's a fan of puzzle games or logic problems.

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Play Magazine

BBA can only keep you entertained for so long before you tire of its routine. [Aug 2006, p.64]

NGamer UK

A great, less-serious complement to "Brain Training," far and away the more accessible of the two and less prone to human error and recognition niggles. [Aug 2006, p.60]

PGNx Media

Visually and aurally, Big Brain Academy is just what you would expect. The game’s looks are colorful and welcoming but at the end of the day, you’re playing simple minigames. Likewise, the audio is equally simple yet charming.

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Game Informer

Predictable, it improves on its predecessor in some regards, while somehow sacrificing some of the addictive qualities that made "Brain Age" so compelling. [Aug 2006, p.92]

Gamer 2.0

Unlike Brain Age, Big Brain Academy was probably actually developed to be a game. Big Brain Academy doesn’t have all the nuances and support from neuroscientists and other simply brainy things, but in the end—the goal is the same.

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Da Gameboyz

A great addition to the Touch Generations line of games. The puzzles are a bit tougher then those found in Brain Age, which in many ways is a good thing as the game is not a rehash of the previous title.

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N-Insanity

But what is most important about the obvious simplicity of everything this game has to offer is that it really is just an enjoyable experience, flat out. You’ll find yourself trying to improve your old scores for the sheer joy and self-satisfaction. That is all you need to know to realize that this game is a fun one.

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GameShark

With only 15 different tests to play, Big Brain Academy can quickly get to be an exercise in just answering faster rather than having you brain participate in new activities.

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PALGN

Big Brain Academy compliments Brain Training perfectly. Similar in idea but quite different in execution it’s something all DS owners should try if they want to give their brain a workout.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

We wonder if anyone’s working on software to increase the size of other parts of one’s body. Now there’s a product that’d make serious money…

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Pocket Gamer UK

It's colourful and more fun (especially in multiplayer) than the similar Brain Training, but Big Brain Academy doesn't have much longevity.

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Eurogamer

Big Brain Academy's certainly fun in an innocent kind of way, but it's probably a better bet for your offspring than for you - although you won't regret joining in for a bit of multiplayer.

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Yahoo! Games

Big Brain Academy's biggest problem is its limited quantity of activities. Yes, we get that it's part of Nintendo's new "Touch Generations" line, and that it's only $20, and it's meant to be a quick diversion...but even the casual audience that's being targeted is going to get bored after a few days.

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GameSpot

It's definitely light on the science--you won't find any doctors endorsing Big Brain Academy right on the box, like they did with Brain Age--but Big Brain Academy's 15 exercises and three difficulty levels are more than enough to justify the game's $20 price tag.

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The New York Times

Academy’s exercises are more varied and faster paced, following the arcade tradition of becoming harder with each passing second, and this makes it easy to play over and over, trying desperately to prove you’re getting smarter.

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netjak

It doesn't have as much as its esteemed cousin, Brain Age, but what it does offer is fun. You will quickly find a favorite game, and spend some exasperating moments trying to best your top score.

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Digital Entertainment News

It lacks replay value, but forms a good matched set with Brain Age.

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Total Video Games

Whereas Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training managed to defy the odds and prove us wrong with its compulsive drive, Big Brain Academy completely misses the point and is hard to recommend as a result.

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AceGamez

If I've come off as very sarcastic in this review, it's simply because, compared to Brain Training, the game is mostly boring and I was amusing myself at its expense to keep myself sane.

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GameSpy

Big Brain scores points for its friendly and colorful art style and variety of activities, and there a lot of reasons prospective students will want to enroll. The problem is there's not much to keep you from dropping out after a few days.

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Modojo

But one can't help but find a slight disappointment in comparison to Brain Age, as it doesn't really allow us to expand our smarts like we want it to.

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NTSC-uk

Big Brain Academy is a lot of fun, but its ability to improve brain power is probably a little more contrived than with Brain Training.

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Sydney Morning Herald

Entertaining and competitive brain-teasers, but the compilation would be easier to recommend at a lower price.

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Gaming Age

For $19.99 it’s a pretty good value and I think those that enjoyed Brain Age will surely like Academy. If I had to give a nod to one or the other I’d still go with Brain Age since it was the original brain game and it has built-in incentives for daily play.

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Game Revolution

Despite its collegiate overtone, Big Brain Academy sticks to its grade-school roots by keeping the activities light and colorful, the multiplayer engaging and the price tag low ($20.) But no matter how you dissect it, this is still little more than a series of fairly innocuous tests released just in time for summer vacation. It doesn’t take a heavy brain to know how stupid that is.

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WHAM! Gaming

Let’s face it. Minigame extravaganzas like ‘Brain Academy’ are not made for the hardcore gamer. They are for the casual market whose hardcore gaming experience consists of playing solitaire on their computer.

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games(TM)

Wait for the sequel rather than invest in this slightly dumbed-down version. [Sept 2006, p.120]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.5 (out of 10) based on 18 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

DJ T gave it a7:
More casual and less demanding to your life schedule than Brain Age. This game will wake your brain up and maybe even push some of the cobwebs away. Will you think better and perform better as a result? Who knows... but it's a nice diversion and the multiplayer games aren't bad.

Tasha L. gave it a7:
This game is really fun, and i randomly pick it up every now and then when my other DS games get boring! it's probly meant for small kids, but i still love to play it.

dj im gave it a10:
The point of games like this is COMPETITION in academic areas. This is great for that, especially because you need only one cartridge to play VS mode head to head. It's really fun to pit your nephews and nieces against each other like pitbulls in this game of "who's smarter?". Plus in single player, it's nice to try to see how high you can push your score. If you haven't achieved at least an "Ace" level (2000 or more), then you shouldn't be complaining about it not being challenging enough.

Cody K. gave it a7:
This game is well done and very polished, but it lacks any incentive to keep coming back to it. In this respect, Brain Age is superior. However, I love the variety of puzzles over what Brain Age offers. Great game, if you’re a casual gamer.

Ricky B. gave it a0:
I do not like this game. It is so boring and has no point at all.

Tony G. gave it an8:
great tilte for all ages. i liked more than brainage. that program made me feel stupid one day and somewhat smart the next. made me feel like a stupid lazy american! but big brain had a fun element to it. very cool presentation, and stylus control. colorful and sugery makes it eye candy. if you like this see if you can track down "bit generations series" for the gba/ds. all 7 games are incredibly addicting for such simple looking games. all are import only as of now. i doubt the states will get them. it is somewhat experimental over seas as of now. orbital being my favorite, and all are super video game crack. if you have any passion for true videogaming, than track down all 7 titles of bit generations series. best thing i did for my ds lite!

Brad A. gave it an8:
Actually a very fun game. It doesn't feel as "scientific" as "Brain Age" but it is much more colorful and free of the written/verbal input issues "Brain Age" was prone to have. Nintendo really has come up with a winning formula with these "Touch Generation" games.

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