GENRE
	Simulation, Puzzle
	DEVELOPER
	Nintendo
	PUBLISHER
	Nintendo
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	Yes
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	No
	MICROPHONE
	Yes
	BUY NOW AT

Remember Pokémon? The insatiable craze that originated in Japan but quickly spread across the globe like Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca? While the Poké-fad still commands a strong following overseas, a new handheld juggernaut has been storming Japan in its stead. After millions of copies flew off Japanese shelves, Brain Age proved to be the DS's definitive system-seller across the Pacific; surely Nintendo looks to duplicate its worldwide success just as it did with Pokémon. Only time will tell whether Big N's ambitious, evil plan will pan out in the US, but if Brain Age fails, it won't be for lack of trying.

visuals

One of the main goals Nintendo set to achieve with Brain Age is to make it as accessible to as many people as possible. The graphical presentation reflects this quite clearly; everything is clean and simple. It almost seems like a step backward fifteen years, that is until the realization dawns that Brain Age isn't concerned with entertaining. Besides a few stick figures and colored letters and numbers, the only thing to look at is the slightly disconcerting Ryuta Kawashima. His angular head not only serves as a guide through the (non-)game, but also as a reminder to be thankful that Sony's Polygon Man never made it to America.

audio

"See above" would almost be appropriate here. The blips and scratches that accompany each activity are fitting, even occasionally satisfying if only for positive sonic connotations. However, it must be stressed again that presentation-- both sight and sound-- isn't on Brain Age's agenda. That said, the piano-ish elevator tunes that play over the menus reek of Mario Kart 64 end-of-race music.

gameplay

Strictly speaking, Brain Age consists of a series of exercises that are meant to stimulate and train minds. These (non-)mini-games ask the player to solve simple arithmetic problems quickly, memorize a series of unrelated words, read aloud and count syllables in sentences, among other activities. Breaking up each day are different questions and problems; one might be asked what the best thing was on the news that day only to try to remember it a week later, or perhaps draw a giraffe and then compare it with the stock rendition. On top of that, each day players can test their titular "Brain Age," in which more problems are assigned, ending in an overall score: 20 being the best Brain Age to have; number brains will be in the 60s or higher. To many, the prospect of actually paying to take tests without a letter grade on a transcript may sound a tad ridiculous. And yet, Brain Age actually makes (non-)gamers look forward to these seemingly menial tasks.

While the possibility that simple exercises each day can help sharpen the mind is an interesting conceit, it's also hard to measure. Brain Age circumvents its own built-in caveat with a bevy of charts and graphs that track day-to-day achievements in each activity. It may seem frivolous, but seeing physical representation of progress lends an authentic sense of accomplishment as scores and times get better; similarly, failure may result in a date with a cheeseburger or two.

Also worthy of mention is the inclusion of the incredibly popular sudoku, which works as a kind of crossword puzzle with numbers. It's a nice feature, but sudoku enthusiasts may be disappointed by the lack of a substantial amount of puzzles. Real sudoku junkies wanting a fix may want to wait for a more robust and full-featured game to adequately feed their habit.

Brain Age makes heavy use of the both screens, with the DS being held sideways and the microphone and touch functionality for hearing or writing answers, respectively. The handwriting recognition is surprisingly effective; even the worst penmanship isn't safe from the technology on display. When the inevitable hiccup does occur, however, it can be devastating and infuriating; nothing's worse than doing great in an activity only to be stopped cold because the program accepts a clearly-written four as a nine. Players should be prepared to adjust their whole handwriting lexicon to Brain Age's liking. Voice recognition isn't quite as picky, but it does require a firm volume, which isn't great for public places.

Like its non-game brethren, Brain Age isn't meant for marathon sessions, hence the subtitle Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day. Fifteen to twenty minutes is just enough to complete the activities and receive that day's Brain Age. It may seem limiting at first, but the time constraint really works well after a few days in a row, as each (non-)play becomes something to look forward to every day.

multiplayer

Brain Age offers little in the way of conventional multiplayer; one competitive round of math problems is all that's offered. Those who want to directly challenge friends and family should probably wait for Big Brain Academy. However, Brain Age does encourage competition between users.

Unlike most games, when one person is better at Brain Age than another, it may actually be construed that the former is more intelligent. Thus, competition can get fierce as rivals race to see who's smarter by attempting even better times and scores in each of the exercises, putting even more emphasis on each individual's Brain Age. Having another person playing along on their own file further encourages players to improve themselves, lest they be known as a "loser." The intense battle for supremacy may drive some players to cheating, with no penalty for turning the power off during any of the exercises (including the Brain Age test). So, hypothetically, one could try again and again to best his girlfriend's Brain Age by simply resetting the system every time something went wrong, only to laugh in her face later like he had actually earned his perfect 20. It's a good thing hypothetical girlfriends don't keep up with hypothetical game reviewer's articles. Hypothetically.

overall

Brain Age isn't for everyone; in fact, its target audience won't even read this, but that's just fine, because it works beautifully. This time, Nintendo is aiming much further than anywhere Pokémon could reach-- the non-gamer. With Brain Age, the software is one big step closer to the critical mass that will hopefully be the Revolu-- the Wii. Brain Age represents Nintendo's ability to tap into the untapped, into areas that will take gaming as the world knows it in new directions. It may sound like preachy hype from a Nintendo fanboy, and it may be just that, but who can deny the sheer potential in using these untested methods. Add that ambition to an attractive $20 pricetag, and the world has something that (non-)gamers will be hard pressed to be without.

9/10