On the DS, Big Brain Academy played second fiddle, providing the traditional, younger alternative to Nintendo's flagship Brain Age. With the release of Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree, though, the series takes center stage. Charged with handling the entire blooming "brain training" genre on the console, does Wii Degree come through?

Well, sort of.

As an extension of the DS series, it performs well. The pointer controls work well, as can be expected from first-party titles, and everything is nice, big, and easy to hit. The purpose of determining "brain weight" is still fulfilled-the test's minis don't get too easy with repetition, and the difficulty ramps up enough to keep things interesting.

Sadly, there are some technical aspects in which Wii Degree falters. It suffers from the now all-too-familiar Nintendo widescreen deficiency which, though the graphics are definitely not the spotlight here, still comes off as lazy. Also, the big N continues to try to justify the inclusion of the remote's internal speaker, and it all seems unnecessary. So far in the console's lifespan, it has shown to be only a novelty, and this game is no exception. Finally, the game suffers from a long intro. For a system that loads so quickly, it's obnoxious to have Professor Lobe spout out screens upon screens of text before being able to get to the menu.

It feels like there could have just been more content in this title. With only fifteen mini-games, there's no real variety in the test portion of the game. However, the ones that are there are well done. Also, the game uses the Wii's Connect24 service to share data with friends. This seems little more than a novelty, but it's nice to see even some sort of effort.

The multiplayer is a fun diversion for the kinds of groups that wouldn't play Halo. It's a little slower-paced than Wario Ware, and the team elements bring a new dimension to gameplay. The head-to-head race is the most fun of the modes, and all the challenges are adapted for half a screen without being made smaller. Also fun is the main menu, or "hallway," where Miis from your Plaza or Parade populate the halls.

All in all, Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree is a solid title. It's perfect for those who want to use it for daily training or for getting non-gamers involved. For the general population, though, wait until it hits a bargain price. There are a lot of things Nintendo will probably add and fix in the next title, but this one will last you until they do.

Jun 26, 2007 | 0 comments
Graham Russell