Dr. Kawashima Brings His Big Brain To Kinect (Hands on Preview)

You may not know Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, but you’ve probably heard of his popular Brain Age series for the Nintendo DS.  Well, next year he’ll be bringing the brain games to XBOX 360 and Kinect.  Luckily, RipTen got the opportunity to flex our nerd skills with the good doctor’s latest game, “Body and Brain Connection”.

Namco was showing off several games in NYC yesterday and RipTen was invited to come check ‘em out.  Many of these were titles I’d seen and played before, but there were a few that I hadn’t.  One was Body and Brain Connection.  I was escorted into a room with a 360 / Kinect setup and plenty of open space.  I was told this was Dr. Kawashima’s new game.  “Oh god” I thought to myself.  “I suck at Brain Age . . . please don’t ask me to play it, please dont ask me to play it …” “Do you wana play it!?” They asked. “Sure!” I replied.  I knew they were gonna ask.

Well, not only am I terrible at math and cognitive puzzles but I’m also un-coordinated.  But now was my time to shine in front of press and PR types alike, what joy!  However, the great thing about Body and Brain connection is if you’re terrible at it, it’s still a whole lot of fun … even if you’re an idiot (like me)!  This is especially true on Kinect. If you’re familiar with Brain Age, then you will understand the general concept of the multitude of mini-games within B&B Connect.  However, not only are these puzzles now cognitive, but physical as well.

I played one game where I had to use my arms like a giant hands on a clock to match colored shapes:

Yet another game had me popping balloons in order from lowest number to highest:

And I played one especially interesting game which had me leading Pacman away from his ghostly enemies while holding onto a fruit at the same time:

Now while you may be saying, “Wow Dave, that sounds easy!  You really must be an idiot!”  Trust me, it’s not as easy as it looks or sounds.  Every game is designed to test both sides of your brain as well as your hand, eye and brain coordination.  Not to mention each and every game has timers that will force you to push your body and brain even harder each and every time.  The incorporation of  physical challenges adds an entirely new dimension to the gameplay and even though I consistently was graded F’s, I never became frustrated.

If you’re already a fan of Brain Age and love to be tested by Dr. Kawashima and his crazy games, then this is an easy game to reccomend for would-be Kinect users.

Look for Body and Brain Connection, in Q1 of 2011.