Mind Quiz: Your Brain Coach
Encyclopedia
Mind Quiz: Your Brain Coach, known as Nounenrei: Nou Stress Kei Atama Scan in Japan, is a mental training game for the Nintendo DS
and PlayStation Portable
. It is similar to Nintendo
's Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
It involves playing 16 different training exercises to measure and improve particular parts of the player's brain, such as one's brain age and its brain stress degree.
, a term that is offensive in the UK, was triggered when the player didn't perform well on certain questions. Ubisoft stated "As soon as we were made aware of the issue we stopped distribution of the product and are now working with retailers to pull the game off the market."
The only country where the European English version of the game is sold is Australia since the term is not considered especially offensive there or overly sensitive.
The same incident occurred with the game Mario Party 8, released for the Nintendo Wii, just a month later. The same word caused controversy and was recalled in the UK. However, unlike Mind Quiz, that word was replaced by the word "erratic" and it was finally re-released in the UK on August 3, 2007.
gave the game 4.9/10 (Poor), stating that "Mind Quiz: Your Brain Coach is a shameless clone of Nintendo's brain-training DS game, Brain Age" and that "This game isn't good enough to serve as a game for Brain Age players who are looking for more of the same because it's too similar yet too shallow to entertain that crowd. If you fall into the group of people who haven't played Brain Age, you should go with that one rather than waste your time on a pretender like Mind Quiz."
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
. It is similar to Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!, also known as Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? in PAL regions, is an entertainment video game that employs puzzles. It was developed and published by the video gaming company Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console...
It involves playing 16 different training exercises to measure and improve particular parts of the player's brain, such as one's brain age and its brain stress degree.
Censorship
On June 29, 2007, Ubisoft, the game's publisher voluntarily pulled the game from store shelves in the UK upon complaints that the word spasticSpastic
The word spastic is used differently depending on location which has led to some controversy and misunderstanding. Derived via Latin from the Greek spastikos , the word originally referred to a change in muscles affected by the medical condition spasticity, which is seen in spastic diplegia and...
, a term that is offensive in the UK, was triggered when the player didn't perform well on certain questions. Ubisoft stated "As soon as we were made aware of the issue we stopped distribution of the product and are now working with retailers to pull the game off the market."
The only country where the European English version of the game is sold is Australia since the term is not considered especially offensive there or overly sensitive.
The same incident occurred with the game Mario Party 8, released for the Nintendo Wii, just a month later. The same word caused controversy and was recalled in the UK. However, unlike Mind Quiz, that word was replaced by the word "erratic" and it was finally re-released in the UK on August 3, 2007.
Reception
The title received mixed to negative reviews; garnering 51.20% on GameRankings. GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave the game 4.9/10 (Poor), stating that "Mind Quiz: Your Brain Coach is a shameless clone of Nintendo's brain-training DS game, Brain Age" and that "This game isn't good enough to serve as a game for Brain Age players who are looking for more of the same because it's too similar yet too shallow to entertain that crowd. If you fall into the group of people who haven't played Brain Age, you should go with that one rather than waste your time on a pretender like Mind Quiz."