Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree

Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
Nintendo (Wii)

The multi-million selling Big Brain series has proven that yes, gamers - more importantly, gamers' parents - have been longing for some educational (and fun!) gaming alternatives. Long ago, games like Mario Is Missing and Bible Adventures tried and failed to lure in an audience; people just didn't want their favorite action heroes doing lame-o things like tests on American History.

The absolute worst idea in any form of entertainment is to backhandedly feed your audience something they didn't ask for - who in their right mind wants to do a math equation in the middle of an action game? Legend of Zelda games challenge players to solve puzzles if they want to enter new dungeons and defeat monsters; that's cool with me. There's a difference between puzzles and a hidden agenda to shove values down your throat - a difference no learning company wants you to notice.

Anyhoo, the review: Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree delivers on its promise to be a fun and educational game; being on the Wii doesn't hurt the fun factor either.


Like the Nintendo DS version before it Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree is basically a bunch of mental exercises broken down into five different categories, from "visualize" to "compute" and everything in between. After a few rounds covering each category your brain will be graded by its weight; the heavier the better. The game also features both solo and multiplayer options that equal each other in terms of sheer enjoyment - a rarity in games of this genre. Going solo to best your prior score is just as enthralling as competing with friends over who is the smarty-pants of the crew.