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review :: dr kawashimas brain training
Dr Kawashimas Brain Training
Reviewed on: Available on:
Dr Kawashima's Brain Age is designed very well, you learn without even knowing it. If you're a study-beaver, skitso about Alzheimer's, wanting to experience fun while learning or are just curious about the game I can assure you wont be disappointed.. well, maybe from your actual brain age result. If you pick it up, I promise I won't tell your teacher.
Are you ready to learn! I said are you ready to learn!? *crickets chirp* Yeah I thought so. Well, wipe that smirk off your face because I got some quirky news for you, Nintendo has released a unique educational game aimed at all ages alike.. and the shocking news about Brain Age is that Nintendo has succeeded in its mission of making this game very entertaining and fun to play. Also, Brain Age can help prevent Alzheimer's, cool huh?
If you have previously purchased a Nintendo DS Lite you would have found a Dr Kawashima's Brain Age demo included with your bundle, allowing you to play a few activities plus a Sudoku mode. I'm guessing you were like the other thousands of gamers who fell in love with Brain Age's unique concept and have been craving for the game's official launch in June.
Well it's here, and your Elvis-haired Oracle has been studying this game for a good two weeks, excuse the pun. [That's a pun? - matt]
As you power on the DS you're required to hold the handheld on its side increasing the performance and gameplay. To answer most of your questions, both the DS and DS Lite play very comfortably on their sides.
Once the game launches into the main menu you'll be greeted by a chibi Japanese man known as Dr Kawashima. He'll give you the low down and a basic understanding of the game. Once he's given his little introduction you'll be required to enter in a few details about yourself (Age, Name, etc). Once you've completed his questions you'll be thrown straight into the game.
With that out of the way you'll be taken to the main menu. In the main menu you are able to select from Training, Brain Age Check, Quick Play, Graphs, Wireless Mode and Sudoku.
Brain Age Training is, you guessed it, training. Your given only a few training activities at first, but the more you play the game each day the more activities you are rewarded with. After completing each daily activity Dr Kawashima keeps records on your performance which are stored into Graphs.
Proving your completion of each activity each day the Doc gives a stamp on the date you completed it. Dr Kawashima recommends for you do training each day before you take your Brain Age test (to help warm up your brain). He also asks for you to participate in brain training activities to help keep your brain healthy and active.
Brain Age Check is the big test of the day to see how old is your brain? Once commenced Dr Kawashima asks if you're in an environment where you're able to speak or not. If yes, you will be giving activities requiring voice recognition for the answers, if no, you're required to give written answers via the touch screen.
Ok Aussies, here's where we all suck. The voice recognition may at times have trouble picking up our accents, so when you say 'Yellow' for an answer it may pick it up as 'Blue'.
Once you've completed the test you are then given your Brain Age. If your given your first result of 64 years old, Congratulations! You did better than me. So what I'm basically telling you is don't sweat it, everyone starts off slow and you'll be determined to get better.
The activities given to you in both Training and Brain Age Check are very entertaining. I could sit here all day explaining to you what each activity requires from you but I'll leave it at this, every single activity will get you thinking with a smile. My personal favourite activity is 'Head Count', a fast-paced subtracting and adding of people leaving a house which gets me giddy.
Quick Play is a mode where you are able to select any of your favourite modes and play them on the spot. It's also a popular mode for signing up your friends and giving them a challenge.
Graphs are where you're able to look up your or other player profile records. You can look up history, brain age, speed records and you can even compare them with each other on the same graph.
Sudoku!! Nintendo has jumped onto the bandwagon of the rising and very popular puzzle craze. Sudoku is Brain Ages most popular feature. Sudoku is played by the touch screen and works very well on the DS. You are also able to jump in and save your Sudoku puzzles at any time. You're also giving tons of Sudoku puzzles to solve which are divided up under Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Because of Sudoku being added it's a given that Brain Age has even greater lastibility.
Ah, now for the cool part, Wireless Mode. You would think this would be gimmicky: think again. You are given modes allowing you to download even more Sudoku puzzles from retail stores, or compete up to 16 other players in maths puzzles from one cartridge, or even being able to send a Demo of the game wirelessly to other DS's.
That pretty much sums Brain Age up, the games focus is very deep yet simple while making the game very enjoyable for anyone who plays. This certainly is a game that your parents want you to play constantly, but be careful they don't steal this one away from you, its proven to be more addictive to adults than kids (what a surprise). If you have a Nintendo DS you'll be stupid not to get this game, get the pun?
If you have previously purchased a Nintendo DS Lite you would have found a Dr Kawashima's Brain Age demo included with your bundle, allowing you to play a few activities plus a Sudoku mode. I'm guessing you were like the other thousands of gamers who fell in love with Brain Age's unique concept and have been craving for the game's official launch in June.
Well it's here, and your Elvis-haired Oracle has been studying this game for a good two weeks, excuse the pun. [That's a pun? - matt]
As you power on the DS you're required to hold the handheld on its side increasing the performance and gameplay. To answer most of your questions, both the DS and DS Lite play very comfortably on their sides.
Once the game launches into the main menu you'll be greeted by a chibi Japanese man known as Dr Kawashima. He'll give you the low down and a basic understanding of the game. Once he's given his little introduction you'll be required to enter in a few details about yourself (Age, Name, etc). Once you've completed his questions you'll be thrown straight into the game.
With that out of the way you'll be taken to the main menu. In the main menu you are able to select from Training, Brain Age Check, Quick Play, Graphs, Wireless Mode and Sudoku.
Brain Age Training is, you guessed it, training. Your given only a few training activities at first, but the more you play the game each day the more activities you are rewarded with. After completing each daily activity Dr Kawashima keeps records on your performance which are stored into Graphs.
Proving your completion of each activity each day the Doc gives a stamp on the date you completed it. Dr Kawashima recommends for you do training each day before you take your Brain Age test (to help warm up your brain). He also asks for you to participate in brain training activities to help keep your brain healthy and active.
Brain Age Check is the big test of the day to see how old is your brain? Once commenced Dr Kawashima asks if you're in an environment where you're able to speak or not. If yes, you will be giving activities requiring voice recognition for the answers, if no, you're required to give written answers via the touch screen.
Ok Aussies, here's where we all suck. The voice recognition may at times have trouble picking up our accents, so when you say 'Yellow' for an answer it may pick it up as 'Blue'.
Once you've completed the test you are then given your Brain Age. If your given your first result of 64 years old, Congratulations! You did better than me. So what I'm basically telling you is don't sweat it, everyone starts off slow and you'll be determined to get better.
The activities given to you in both Training and Brain Age Check are very entertaining. I could sit here all day explaining to you what each activity requires from you but I'll leave it at this, every single activity will get you thinking with a smile. My personal favourite activity is 'Head Count', a fast-paced subtracting and adding of people leaving a house which gets me giddy.
Quick Play is a mode where you are able to select any of your favourite modes and play them on the spot. It's also a popular mode for signing up your friends and giving them a challenge.
Graphs are where you're able to look up your or other player profile records. You can look up history, brain age, speed records and you can even compare them with each other on the same graph.
Sudoku!! Nintendo has jumped onto the bandwagon of the rising and very popular puzzle craze. Sudoku is Brain Ages most popular feature. Sudoku is played by the touch screen and works very well on the DS. You are also able to jump in and save your Sudoku puzzles at any time. You're also giving tons of Sudoku puzzles to solve which are divided up under Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Because of Sudoku being added it's a given that Brain Age has even greater lastibility.
Ah, now for the cool part, Wireless Mode. You would think this would be gimmicky: think again. You are given modes allowing you to download even more Sudoku puzzles from retail stores, or compete up to 16 other players in maths puzzles from one cartridge, or even being able to send a Demo of the game wirelessly to other DS's.
That pretty much sums Brain Age up, the games focus is very deep yet simple while making the game very enjoyable for anyone who plays. This certainly is a game that your parents want you to play constantly, but be careful they don't steal this one away from you, its proven to be more addictive to adults than kids (what a surprise). If you have a Nintendo DS you'll be stupid not to get this game, get the pun?
Final Verdict
Dr Kawashima?s Brain Age is designed very well, you learn without even knowing it. If you?re a study-beaver, skitso about Alzheimer?s, wanting to experience fun while learning or are just curious about the game I can assure you wont be disappointed.. well, maybe from your actual brain age result. If you pick it up, I promise I won?t tell your teacher.Pros
Very cheap pick up ($40), heaps of fun activities, unique way of learning while enjoying yourself, helps keep your brain healthy and active, daily training and brain age checks, wireless play, profile comparing, SUDOKU!!!
Cons
Voice recognition may have trouble picking up your very strong Aussie accent, unless you?re a Sudoku nut you may find yourself putting this game down quicker than what you expected.