Gameplayer has reviewed Brain Assist for the DS, and they don't think much of it, suggesting that it will even act to break your brain, rather than assist it.
"Some glaring game design errors keep Brain Assist from even coming close to toppling the gold standard of the genre, More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima: How Old Is Your Brain?"
With the number of brain development and testing games on the Nintendo DS, you'd think the thing was some sort of medical research tool rather than a gaming handheld. After the success of Brain Training and Big Brain Academy, every publisher seemed to rush to put out its own particular flavor of knockoff. Most fail miserably, but a few manage to make a decent effort and provide a viable alternative to the major franchises. That is precisely the case with Sega's Brain Assist: It's not as developed or fun as the leading games in the genre, but if you're looking for something new, it solidly delivers.
At the end of the day, whether this game will really improve your brain is not for VideoGamer to say, and the claims on the box that it can help you out when you're feeling 'tired and overworked' are, to their mind, a tad dubious. But if looked at purely for entertainment value, the ten games on offer do give some good, non-violent, simple fun, even if a few of them are practically impossible to beat.
The Compatibility and Multiplayer modes add to the fun too, with some of the puzzles lending themselves rather well to group gaming. Will it improve your brain? Who knows, but it's certainly better than sitting in front of the TV all the time, and at least you don't have to relearn how to write just to be able to play it!
This educational game feels more like therapy than fun.
The Good
* You will impress yourself
* Could be put to good use in hospitals and clinics.
The Bad
* Maybe two hours' worth of play
* Totally unimaginative presentation
* If you don't need rehabilitation, you don't need this game.
