After a summer of rest and relaxation (for some of you I imagine…), it’s time to get that brain of yours whipped back into shape. And Nintendo’s newly shipping Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day on the DS should do just the trick with its 15 new mind-melding mini-game tests and 100 new sudoku puzzles. Best of all, it’ll only set you back $19.99, unless you decide to pick it up in the new Crimson/Onyx Nintendo DS Lite bundle for $149.99.
“The point of the original Brain Age was to jolt users’ brains out of complacency by challenging them with a variety of fun activities,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day expands the benefit and gives you mental tests you’ve never tried before.”
15 new activities include:
Rock, Paper, Scissors: Speak the symbol that beats the one on the screen, but be careful. Players may be asked to lose as well as win.
High Number: Locate the number with the highest numerical value and touch it with the stylus.
Serial Subtraction: Quickly subtract a small number from a larger one over and over again.
Number Memory: Memorize a set of 25 numbers, then write down as many as you can remember in two minutes.
Symbol Match: Examine a key, then write symbols that correspond to numbers as they appear.
Piano Player: Play notes on a keyboard as the cursor scrolls over the sheet music.
Memory Sprint: Follow the progress of a runner as he competes in a frantic race, then write down the place in which he finished.
Math Recall: Math meets memory in this fun challenge. Solve a math problem, then remember the scribbled-out number and use it to solve the next problem.
Sign Finder: Fill in the mathematical symbol that correctly completes the equation.
Clock Spin: Examine clocks that are sideways, upside down or inverted, and write down the correct time.
Word Scramble: Unscramble letters and write down the word they spell.
Word Blend: Listen to overlapping words that come from the DS speakers, then write down the words on the touch screen.
Change Maker: Touch coins and bills with the stylus to make correct change.
Block Count: Watch blocks that fall into columns, then write down the height of one of the columns.
Calendar Count: Solve problems based on the calendar, such as “What day was it three days before yesterday?”
Matt Litten is the full-time editor and owner of VGBlogger.com. He is responsible for maintaining the day to day operation of the site, editing all staff content before it is published, and contributing regular news, reviews, previews and other articles.
Matt landed his first gig in the video game review business writing for the now-defunct website BonusStage.com. After the sad and untimely close of BonusStage, the former staff went on to found VGBlogger.com. After a short stint as US Site Manager for AceGamez, Matt assumed full ownership over VGBlogger, and to this day he is dedicated to making it one of the top video game blogs in all the blogosphere.
Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary! 
