Brain Age (aka Brain Training in Japan) has been a huge hit in Japan where the elderly and traditionally non-gaming crowds bought it at record numbers. Thanks to its easy and approachable interface, Brain Age attracted new demographics. Nintendo hopes to duplicate the success in the States with one of their first "non-games". Read on to find out what the big fuss is about and whether or not it really makes you smarter.
First of all, let's get one misconception out of the way. Brain Age wasn't meant to make you smarter. Rather, it was designed to 'train' your brain. The software 'trains' the brain using simple mini-games which active parts of our brain which are the least active during tasks such as watching TV or playing a videogame. Basically, it works the part of your brain that is used when you do homework or read a book. In reality, it just keeps your brain healthy. Or at least that's what they say.
So does that mean that Brain Age is like doing homework? No, not by any means. Sure there is some math and thinking involved but it's so well disguised in the mini-games that they're actually very fun. You hold the DS sideways (like a book) and use the touch screen and mic to input commands. The text and voice recognition is excellent but not perfect. You try to accomplish tasks as quickly and with as few mistakes as possible and the game measures your brain age based on your performance. The younger your brain, the healthier it is, up to the ideal brain age of 20 years. There are tons of mini-games and some fun multiplayer modes which make for a very good experience. As for length, you can unlock everything within a few hours but everything is replayable, not to mention the many Sodoku puzzles.
As far as disappointments go, the visual and audio are hardly worth noting except for how lacking they are. But even still, they could've made Dr. Kawashima head a bit more detailed or implemented voice acting in the game. But they're really not needed and get the job done perfectly fine.
In the end, Brain Age is basically just a bunch of mini-games. It's appropriately called a "non-game" by Nintendo because it's not a game. Whatever it is, it's fun to play in short bursts and shows that a really large budget isn't needed to make a great piece of software.
Final words: It's worth a try at the very least just to see what it is- a great piece of software but definitely not a game.
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