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Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day

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7.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 37 critic reviews
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Based on 12 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo

Genre(s): Edutainment

Players: 16

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: August 20, 2007

Summary

(Also known as "More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima: How Old Is Your Brain?") Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day contains all-new activities to challenge a player's gray matter. The title is a series of trainings designed to give the brain a workout. The 17 new, engaging activities are all designed to help work the brain. Whether players are playing simple songs on a piano keyboard or monitoring the photo finish of a footrace, they'll love this new mental workout. When starting a new game, players take a series of tests and get a score that shows how old their brain is. This number is called the "DS Brain Age." With daily training over weeks and months, players strive to improve their mental acuity and lower their "DS Brain Age." Progress is charted in graph form. Players can keep up to four save files on one game card. Sharing a game allows players to engage in a picture-drawing quiz or other challenges with family and friends. Players also can use DS Download Play to send a demo to friends or compete with up to 16 players in one of four fun modes. [Nintendo]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!

Cheat Codes & Hints: GameFAQs

Also On The Web: Official Website

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...

Cheat Code Central

Brain Age 2 is a no-brainer. If you liked the original, you should be smart enough to figure out that this is an excellent sequel.

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Deeko

All things said and done, Brain Age 2 is a very good sequel to an already entertaining title.

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AceGamez

More Brain Training is a game that has great lasting appeal. It might not take you more than a couple of weeks to unlock everything, but once that's done, the lifespan of the game continues with improving your brain age, beating your high scores on the challenges and completing the Sudoku puzzles.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

An interesting and entertaining way to spend 30 minutes a day, lavished with as much charm and consideration as Nintendo has ever been able to afford.

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Game Informer

Brain Age 2 uses the same formula from the first game with some different variables thrown in. Your opinion of the original Brain Age will have to sort out whether that’s a good or bad thing.

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GameZone

The Sudoku mini-game is worth the entire game itself and will provide many hours of fun.

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Armchair Empire

It’s anecdotal, I know, but since I received Brain Age 2 I have played it nearly every day in my attempts to work my Brain Age to the ideal “20” – it’s been an uphill climb though it’s nice not to see “80” show up on a regular basis.

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GameTap

Nice quick bursts of gaming.

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G4 TV

If a game can make you smarter, or at the very least make you feel like you're getting smarter, maybe our detractors will get with Dr. Kawashima's program and opt for making change and sketching mathematical symbols over tallying curse words and counting sexual acts.

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Pelit (Finland)

It's not a game, but it's still fun to play. Speech and hand writing recognition has few flaws, but otherwise DS's interface is very intuitive. [Oct 2007]

AtomicGamer

Sure, Brain Age 2 may be more of the same, but if the formula worked the first time, there isn't much reason to change it.

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1UP

Brain Age 2 fixes some old problems (you'll no longer shout words over and over to be understood), but introduces new hiccups as well -- good luck learning to write Dr. Kawashima's way without a couple dumb screwups. And a couple words on Dr. Kawashima: The guy is as condescending as ever; clearly, success has gone to his big, fat, disembodied head.

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GameSpy

In many ways, Brain Age has become the ideal videogame gateway drug. The games are accessible to anyone, don't require any special physical dexterity or experience, and feature a regular reward system in their daily measurement of your brain age.

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IGN

With the exception of Sudoku, every brain challenge in this sequel is fresh, and even if you played the first game to death there's a lot more mind-building challenges here, many of which are a lot more fun and addictive than the ones in last year's series premiere.

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Yahoo! Games

It's the perfect counter to the allegation that video games all rot your brain, and a tight, carefully designed experience to boot.

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GameDaily

The wonky voice and touch screen recognition annoys us, but we always give Brain Age 2 another chance, probably because we buy Nintendo's line that it makes us smarter.

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Games Master UK

Too similar to the original to unreservedly recommend, but still excellent. It'll sell well. [Sept 2007, p.76]

Thunderbolt

If you’ve played the first Brain Age title (and according to statistics, if you own a DS you’re about 90% likely to have done so), enjoyed it, but have since grown bored of it, then it’s a no-brainer that Brain Age 2 is the perfect solution to get your prefrontal cortex running smoothly once more.

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VideoGamer

The challenges included are great, the more full-featured games are excellent and the multiplayer games are a must play if you have friends with handhelds.

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Pocket Gamer UK

Some annoying quirks remain, but the all new tasks and fun multiplayer modes keeps More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima: How Old Is Your Brain? top of the class.

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Zentendo

While still a solid game that gets its point across, it could stand to use a few more brain-training exercises or other play modes. What we get is perfectly satisfactory and will either make or break you in terms of whether or not you’re a total nincompoop or some sort of genius.

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NGamer UK

The new challenges are fun, but there's not really enough different stuff here to make it a must-have purchase if you've already got the first one. [Aug 2007, p.60]

Official Nintendo Magazine UK

It's a tired cliche, but it's never been more true - if you liked the first game, you should like this too. If you never played the first one, though, this is the better option. [Aug 2007, p.82]

Gamer 2.0

Either way, Brain Age 2 is a great way to continue your quest of making your brain work, and it's the only way to truly have two brain checks a day--that is, if you own the first one.

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Da Gameboyz

The new challenges in this sequel are creative, addictive and pretty enjoyable and the addition of the multiplayer content is a great bonus.

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Gaming Age

It lacks the originality of the first, and it reuses most of the same art assets the first employed, which is both understandable, given its minimalist approach, but also disappointing to see so little effort put forth to set it apart from its predecessor.

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GameShark

Those new to the series or new to gaming in general may be better served by the easier puzzles in the original; however those up to the challenge or those who have exhausted the previous version’s offerings will find more of the same great puzzle madness. It’s never been so fun to feel so stupid.

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Game Revolution

The game makes good use of many DS features. It has fun sound effects. It has competent, though not infallible, handwriting recognition. You have to speak to it, and most of the time it understands you - and it asks you before you begin your Brain Age Check if you are in a place where you can speak freely.

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GamePro

However, don't expect too much more content than new tests and more Sudoku grids. [Sep 2007, p.80]

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GamingExcellence

Overall, the game is a pretty good buy. You’ll eventually get addicted to the puzzles, and you’ll probably enjoy the mini-games before the game, like the Connect the Dots puzzles.

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GameSpot

Brain Age 2 provides more of the same noggin-teasing puzzles in the same format and presentation as the original game.

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NintendoWorldReport

Those hoping for an overhaul will have to wait for the inevitable Brain Age 3.

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Electronic Gaming Monthly

Still, like the original, it's highly enjoyable to exercise your noggin in quick spurts. [Sept 2007, p.98]

games(TM)

More Brain Training is far more than just a puzzle game and you’ll only understand that if you give it a go. [Aug 2007, p.124]

Edge Magazine

Whereas our appetite for entertainment is such that we happily consume similar amusements again and again, we have to ask if we really need to learn these lessons twice. [Sept 2007, p.97]

Gaming Target

Sadly, Brain Age 2 doesn't do much of anything to differentiate itself from its predecessor to reverse this trend.

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NTSC-uk

The idea that More Brain Training will elevate anyone to Einstein intelligence is perhaps a bit far fetched, but it’s clear that working your brain regularly is as essential as getting enough exercise; more neurons, less flab.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 12 User Votes

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

Christoffer L gave it an8:
This game is very much worth the money and time, I just unlocked all training programs and still having my daily training because I find it funny to try to beat my highscore in Sign Finder, Change Maker and Virus Buster. I also love when you say "Pickled Plums" twice causing him to make a nasty face. Random events like connecting dots or drawing pictures of what the doctor tells you to draw is quite entertaining when the whole family is up for the picture drawing/connecting dots.

William T. gave it a7:
Slightly tougher puzzles and activities and a nice new brain relaxation mini-game keep this from becoming a dead sequel.

Sheila c gave it an8:
Thought I'd really hate it but actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

Travis gave it a7:
I own both Brain age one and two and I find the newest version to be more challenging than the first. But I would recommend this game to anybody who enjoyed the first game and also wants to stimulate their brain.

D. P. gave it an8:
Haven't played the first game. Thought this version was a unique game experience. Did not experience serious problems with the voice or handwriting recognition. The fellow who complained about the intro repeating for a brain test as a huge problem must not be able to tolerate clicking a button three times as I found it not to be a problem at all. A great experience, that for me at least, showed me areas of thought that needed improvement. For the budget price you'd be a fool to pass it up.

Larry L. gave it an8:
Actually works! i sometimes have trouble in school, but when i bought this and the original game, my grades increased a full letter grade!

Chris J. gave it a6:
Not as good as v.1. One HUGE problem: when doing the 'quick brain age check' repeatedly, you must go through the explanation every time, as in the 1st. Doesn't the Professor THINK about fixing his game? There's a paradox too: what if you got very good scores on parts of v.1 but now find yourself rated 80 on v.2? The Stroop color test was more interesting to me than the rock/paper test. It must be fun or catchy so you'll return over and over. Why not stick with v.1 and higher scores?

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Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day

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Summary

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