I picked up Brain Age a few days ago. I had a few bucks left on an old Best Buy gift card, so I put it towards this already budget-priced title. It's a fairly simple affair; you complete a variety of math, memory, reading and drawing mini-games using the touch screen or the DS's built in microphone in order to "engage your pre-frontal cortex." I was actually impressed by how well the game recognizes the text and speech input.
The game plots your daily progress on a number of graphs, so you can easily tell if you're improving. The whole thing is narrated by the polygonal, disembodied head of Professor Ryuta Kawashima, the Japanese neuroscientist who inspired the game.
The narration and instructions have a light, somewhat humorous tone similar to Animal Crossing. It's easy to get into, until you stop and say to yourself "wait a minute, I'm doing math problems... for fun?!"
I haven't taken a math class for more than five years, but my basic math skills have already started to deteriorate. The first time I had to answer 17 - 8 = ? or 6 x 7 = ? I actually had to stop and think about it for half a second.
My memory is also in poor shape, and I currently do terribly on these mini games.
I've only been playing for a few days, so it remains to be seen whether this will actually help improve my brain... but it's better than nothing, I suppose.
I do love this game. I like the fact that my brain age for the last few days is hovering right around my actual age. I smoke the math and color/word tests, but the 30 word memory game hands me my ass every time.
AND! Another reason to buy the game...it's got a good amount of sudoku on it and it feels natural playing it on the DS.
Yes! I've never really played Sudoku before, but it's so easy on the DS. I could get pretty addicted to it.
My brain age right now is in the 50s. I hope it will actually improve, as I've still only been playing for less than a week (and I tend to play late at night when I'm not feeling very sharp.)
The word memory is very difficult. I find "Low to High" pretty difficult as well.
If I pick my games, and do word calculations and the maze game, I can get 20. Without it (and it always gives me that )(#@)@#*$)@# word memory game) I'm hovering in the 30s and 40s (I'm actually 29). But yes, I love the game.
20 is the ideal brain age according to the good doctor. So, that'd be the score you're aiming for. On my first try I ended up with a 63, but since then I've been hovering around 27-30. That's pretty accurate considering I'm 29.
This game is so much fun. I have 6 sudoku left before 100%ing the whole she-bang. I can get 20 brain age if I select my own puzzles, but like the rest of y'all, word memory bends me over and makes me its personal bitch.
UPDATE: 100% on the sudoku. Mario is now free to take over my DS forthwith. Until then, Tetris beatings will be dispersed across the whole of the Internet.
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