Brain Age

About Brain Age

Also known as Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training, the title known as Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day is not a video game in the conventional sense. You don't jump on turtle shells like Mario or frag aliens like Halo 3's Master Chief. Instead, this Nintendo DS offering is composed of a series of mind-bending challenges and puzzles designed to keep your mind fresh and sharp.

It was from Brain Age that the "Touch Generations" series of games was introduced to the world. Since then, other titles that have joined Touch Generations include Nintendogs and Tetris DS. These are games catering to a more casual audience. This is why they are particularly appealing to older people, a demographic not typically targeted by the video game industry.

Interestingly, unlike other Nintendo DS games, you hold the video game system on its side (like a book) to play Brain Age. What was the top-screen becomes the left screen, and the touchscreen (bottom) is on the right. A similar orientation is used in its sequel, Brain Age 2, also known as More Brain Training.

Game Modes Explained

From the main menu of Brain Age, you will find three main game modes and one additional mode that lets you share the brain training with other Nintendo DS owners.

Quick Play

Quick Play lets anyone have a taste of Brain Age without committing to the creation of a new player file. This is meant to be a quick preview and it is the version that is offered through the Nintendo Download Station service that you may find at a local Gamestop or EB Games location. From Quick Play, you can access Quick Brain Age Check, Quick Training (Calculations x 20), and Quick Sudoku. For a further explanation of these game modes, keep reading.

Daily Training

This is the main mode of Brain Age and it is designed in such a way that you should be playing it daily. From Daily Training, you'll be able to access a wide range of puzzles and challenges, effectively assessing your "brain age" through these tests. The best brain age you can achieve is 20, with higher ages signifying poorer performance.

There are nine different mini-games to play, each challenging a slightly different part of your brain. There's math, memory games, and more casual games.

• Calculations x 20: Complete 20 basic arithmetic equations as quickly as possible
• Calculations x 100: Same as above, but with 100 equations
• Reading Aloud: Read a story excerpt as quickly as possible
• Low to High: Recall briefly displayed numbers, tapping the squares in ascending order
• Syllable Count: Write the number of syllables in a given phrase
• Head Count: Keep track of the people entering and leaving a house
• Triangle Math: Perform three related math questions
• Time Lapse: Calculate the time difference between two analog clocks
• Voice Calculation: Same as the Calculations above, but answers are spoken, not written

Under Daily Training, there is also a daily opportunity to complete a Brain Age check. The mini-games offered here are a little different and your calculated age is based on three tests, selected randomly from the following:

• Stroop Test: Say the color of the word displayed
• Speed Counting: Count from one to 120 as quickly as possible
• Word Memory: Remember and recall list of 30 four-letter words
• Connect Maze: Connect letters A-M and numbers 1-13 in alternating, ascending order
• Calculations x 20: Same as the training game above
• Number Cruncher: Answer questions about an array of numbers

Sudoku

In addition to all the brain training exercises listed above, Brain Age also has a huge number of free Sudoku puzzles for you to solve. The interface is very intuitive.

Download

Connect wirelessly to a neighboring Nintendo DS user and they can download free demo of Brain Age from your complete version.

Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day

Brain Age has been very warmly received by both the conventional and unconventional video game industry. If you're looking for something a little different and hope to sharpen your mental abilities just a notch, this game is a great choice.