This title is frequently compared to Big Brain Academy and rightfully so. Both games advertise themselves as being "healthy brain games" and focus on strengthening your mental muscles through simple mental acuity games.
Having played both games, I can reassure anyone reading this review that they are notably different titles.
Brain Age has a distinct focus on the science of "training your brain". You are led through a series of daily exercises by the bouncing head of renown Japanese neuro-scientist, Dr. Ryuta Kawashima. When you begin your mental training, you are given 3-4 exercises to play through. At the conclusion of the exercises, Dr. Kawashima reveals your "brain age".
The initial results can come as a shock: my brain age was 51, yet I'm a healthy 31-year-old. With the news that I was a lot closer to death than I originally thought, I was determined to play immediately the next day. I'm happy to report that my brain age is a now spry 28.
What may prove frustrating to some people is that the game requires you to play daily to open up more games. Initially, you only have 4 "brain games" (and a reasonable number of Sudoku puzzles), but this number grows with each passing day. Personally, I enjoy this aspect since its like opening up a new present each morning. Some days I get socks and some days I get a Red Rider BB gun.
Overall, the experience has been enjoyable thus far and will certainly tide over this reviewer until Brain Age 2 hits the streets later this Summer.
As mentioned previously, this game has some similarities to Big Brain Academy (BBA). While I gave Brain Age a "7", I'd give BBA an "8". The game is simply more fun to play. The 15 included puzzles (with 3 difficulty levels) are challenging and addicting. You are tested in a similar fashion and receive a "brain weight" and a job title at the conclusion of the test.
Overall, both games are fun, inexpensive ($20 apiece), and should be part of any DS-owner's library.
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