Dr. Ryuta Kawashima returns in Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day with more fun quips and puzzles to help train your brain to the optimum age of 20. There are plenty of sudoku puzzles for those who are addicted to that game. The collection of mini-games this time is more challenging than the previous version of Brain Age but fun nonetheless.
The game is still set up the same as the first Brain Age. Dr. Kawashima still will tell you that these games are great for your prefrontal cortex and that a TV-watching brain is a lazy brain. The menus are the same, allowing you to do a quick brain-age check or set up a daily profile so that you can track your progress. Doing your daily brain training earns you a stamp for the day, and as you collect stamps, more features and games will unlock. The verbal brain-check game this time is "Rock, Paper, Scissors," except you have to switch between winning and losing. This time, the voice recognition is better, but there still can be issues if you're not speaking very clearly. At least rock, paper and scissors are very distinct words as opposed to the problems with blue and black in the previous game.
Some of the games still include basic math but with a twist. Like, one of the numbers will be scratched out quickly and carried over to the next question, so you need to remember what it was. There is a piano game in which you need to tap the correct keys along with the tune that is played. This was one of my favorites, only because I like music games, and I happen to play the piano, which made it really easy. The music notes and the keyboard are labeled, so even if you're not musically inclined, it's still possible to do well. I passed it off to my husband, who doesn't know a thing about music, and he still managed to get a really good score.
There is a Word Scramble game, which I've never been good at. Another tricky game involves listening to two or three voices at the same time, and you need to write down the different words that you hear. This takes a lot of concentration, and even then, it seems impossible to distinguish the word since it comes out like gibberish. Change Maker involves handing back change to an imaginary customer by clicking on the currency given to you. This can be confusing if you're not used to U.S. change, since all it shows is the size of the coin heads up. Unfortunately for some, poor handwriting also can hinder your score. Sometimes you need to switch back and forth between uppercase and lowercase just to make sure the DS can recognize the letter.
Instead of having just one measly math problem available in multiplayer mode, this time there is a selection of games to play with up to 15 other people using only one game card. The picture drawing game requires at least three people so that you can vote for the best one. Word Scramble, Number Memory and Change Maker also are included. The solo version of Number Memory requires you to memorize a page of numbers in their exact location in two minutes; in multiplayer mode, you are racing against the others to put down as many numbers as you can. The other two games just require you to get the right answer first. There is a countdown for Word Scramble, so that the game doesn't take forever if people can't figure out the word.
Even though the good doctor says this game is to relax, there is a version of Dr. Mario in your game selection menu. You just need to click the icon at the very bottom, and you're able to play Virus Buster before you even unlocked it. Like the original Dr. Mario game, colored pills will drop into your bottom of viruses, and you need to line up four colors in a row to get rid of them. Dr. Kawashima suggests that you play this before bed, because the usual catchy Dr. Mario theme music has been slowed down so that it sounds more like a lullaby.
Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day is certainly worth having if you were a fan of the first Brain Age game. This time, the games are more challenging, but they're fun and great to play with a friend. Dr. Kawashima is amusing as always; he still will make funny faces if you say certain words at the title screen. The game is basically set up exactly the same, so it's really like an extension of the previous game. There are no frills, and there doesn't need to be, because that's not the point of Brain Age. Even after all the copycat brain games came out, I find that Brain Age still comes out on top in terms of fun and lasting appeal.
I am a Canadian living in California with my husband and my precious baby Bailey (95lbs of labrador fun). I work full time and go to school, so finding the time to play video games is tough. I still manage to sneak some time in, whether it's playing on my GBA while I wait in line or sitting in the back seat of my car so I can use our dvd player to play the Gamecube on long trips. I've always been fairly decent at playing games to give my younger brother some competition. I started at the early age of 6 when I inherited an Atari 2600. I played any computer game I could get my hands on during those Commodore 64 days. Now I'll play anything from RPGs to first person shooters, racing games or basically anything that's fun and allows me to play with at least 3 other people.
