It seems Nintendo are really pushing the whole idea of designing games that appeal to everyone, and while it’s definitely working a treat at the moment in terms of sales, as far as Nintendo games go it seems a little lacking. That’s not to say it isn’t good though because as far as multiplayer games go it’s a riot.

The idea of Big Brain Academy is to exam you on certain areas. The game splits fifteen activities into five categories each testing you on a different skill. These include memorise, analyse, compute, identify and visualise. Each one is simply a matter of looking at a puzzle, pointing and pressing the “A” button to make your choice of answer from a selection. That’s all there is to the game and it’s this simplicity that makes Brain Training so accessible to anyone, be they gamer or newcomer.

Games vary in style and objective. For example one compute activity sees you popping balloons in numerical order whilst one of the memorise games performs a sequence of numbers/ noises/ faces in which you must repeat backwards. Things start off extremely easy but soon pick up the pace when the computer recognises your bulging brain-busting abilities. While playing a game of odd one out starts off fairly easy, later becomes a real test of your scanning abilities.

The main test is where you’ll begin and constantly try to improve your score over time. Taking part in twelve questions from each category you try to answer as many correctly as possible in as short a time as possible. Continue to answer fast and accurate and questions get progressively harder causing you to slip up. At the end you’ll be graded on your performance and given a weight for your brain. It’s this set-up that will guarantee you’ll be back to increase your overall act and answer more questions correctly.

There is also a practice mode that takes each game and splits them into easy, medium, hard and an unlockable expert mode. This is your simple case of complete ten of one type of game in a row as quick and correct as you can. Awarding medals for how well you’ve done adds a little replay value as you strive to achieve that platinum medal.

Now while single player is very bare bones it’s the multiplayer experience you’ll come back to again and again. There are three modes to select from Mind Sprint, Mental Marathon and Brain Quiz. The Mental Marathon is the weakest of the bunch and requires you to work as a team alternatively completing games three at a time passing it over as you go. Brain Quiz is great fun especially when you have four people. In this mode there are twelve cards each with games types on and a random difficulty. Taking it in turns, the idea is complete as many of the activity you choose in the time allotted. One mistake and your turn is over. The sense of uncertainty in how hard your game will be adds to the fun and can change the leader so often. There are also five more games here that make for a final total of twenty altogether. Standouts include using the remote as a phone and taking down takeaway orders, sorting patterns and the tricky choosing perspective activity.

The final game is the best and by far most hectic of the three. Playable for one on one or in teams of up to four you will race one another in a series of up to 24 questions. If you get it wrong you lose time and must try again. If you are on a team every few questions you will swap with your team mates and it’s these rules that result in some pretty hectic competitions. When I tried this with seven other people there was so much yelling and everyone was literally standing from their seat in suspense when it came down to the final few games. It’s that intense at points. With the choice to pick easy, medium or hard it’s really the option of “random” that makes things really exciting with questions varying in difficulty.

If you’re linked up online you can trade test scores with your friends boasting how well you’ve done which is a nice feature. And little extras like a record book showing your excelling and lacking areas, medals awarded and grades and graphs to compare with others who have used the Wii round off what is a pretty slim package.

Following the path of a lot of Nintendo games lately the visuals are bold and accessible which is what you’d expect from something as simple a quiz game. The use of Mii’s is also a great feature giving a great sense of individuality as instead of a name appearing on screen you’ll also see your lookalike. The music isn’t anything special with only a few tunes that are repeated a little too often in the menu and test areas but I must admit the main theme is very catchy.

Big Brain Academy is quite a difficult game to review as while it doesn’t feel like a complete package the £20 price tag does help justify purchasing this title. I could only recommend buying this if you’re going to try the multiplayer since single player is too short lived and only offers the most basic of modes. But for £20 it’s hard to find a more rewarding group game on the Wii.

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