Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree

Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree is the first installment to Nintendo's series of brain games to make its debut on the Wii.

Utilizing your Mii profiles from your Wii, you get to enroll them into the academy to test and improve your brain. Much like Big Brain Academy you are tested in five major brain activity areas: identify, memorize, analyze, compute, and visualize. The object is to measure your brain and to increase the size of it through practice sessions. By using the Wiimote you have to point at the screen to make your selections.

The Activities:

In each of the 5 mental categories you have 3 activities to flex your brain.

Identify

Whack Match - you'll be shown objects and you have to whack the mole with the matching object

Fast Focus - you'll get a scrambled picture that'll come into focus and you have to decide which object it is

Species Spotlight - use the Wiimote like a flashlight to identify the animals you see

Memorize

Covered Cage - you'll get some birds in cages and you'll have to find where they are ala the shell game

Face Case - remember the face(s) you see and match with the question you're given

Reverse Retention - given a set of sounds, you have to play them back in reverse

Analyze

Match Blast - given a key at the top you have to make your picture look the same by blasting what needs to be removed

Speed Sorting - read the statement and answer by clicking the right picture

Block Spot - given a key block you have to choose which one matches it

Compute

Balloon Burst - read the statement and pop the balloons in the order called for

Mallet Math - given a number, you have to knock the blocks to make the numbers match it

Color Count - count the balls going in to determine the score

Visualize

Art Parts - given a key, you have to place objects to match

Train Turn - place your turn pieces to get the train to the end

Odd One Out - given a set of pictures you have to determine which is different

Modes of play:

You can test and increase your skills in the solo mode of the game and when you're ready to take on your friends you can go to the group mode.

Solo Mode

The test portion runs you through 15 activities within the 5 mental categories. For each activity you'll start out easy and if you're accurate and quick in solving it you'll be taken to the next level that particular activity shows up again, but if you fail or just aren't that fast you'll either stay the same or get bumped back down a level. At the end of the testing you'll be given your total brain weight, a letter grade and a career in which fits the brain weight you reached.

The practice portion lets you practice each of the activities within each of the 5 mental categories. For each activity you can practice at the easy, medium, and hard levels. There are four medal classes you can reach that is dependent on the weight of your brain for that activity. You have bronze, silver, gold, and for the truly out of the norm brain you have the platinum medal.

Group Mode

Ready to show how big your brain is to friends? It's time to compete by yourself or in teams.

Mind Spring - two teams race to answer a set of problems

Mental Marathon - try to keep a perfect winning streak going as long as possible in a given time

Brain Quiz - party style game that goes through the 5 mental categories and different skill levels

Check your skills - with the Mii profiles you can check and compare your scores and medals that each person has achieved.

Remember, the key to the game is being fast and accurate.