Rising Star Games are preparing their first WiiWare release with Brain Cadets, a brain training game that does away with the friendly doctor type in most games like this and replaces him with a Drill Sergeant (must not be a Marine then). Players will rise through military ranks starting at Private and moving up to the prestigious Field Marshal rank.
Gamers are enlisted and thrust into a boot camp for the mind (believe me, you either come out of Marine Boot smart or strong, some come out both) where brain exercises are the normal activity of the day (versus having your body worked out in real life). Boot camp consists of two modes, Focus Training (this has another meaning in Marine Boot) and Basic Training.
After picking your mode, you are challenged with mini-games like Hell Calculation, where sums must be done quickly to knock out the correct target. Hell Roll Call (lol, the memories this mode’s name brings back), where players must accurately act on command when their nickname is called by their Drill Sergeant. Hell March (we called these “humps”) requires the player to march and is complicated with “yes” and “no” questions. Hell Shooting is a target game of sorts where players shoot random targets (just hope you shoot at least Sharpshooter here folks, you don’t want to shoot lower).
Putting gamers in a brain boot camp may sound like all fun and, well, games but it isn’t. See, everytime the player misses a question, the anger level increases (believe me, getting a Drill Instructor to blow his top is not a good idea). Punishments that can be dished out to players include push ups (I remember seeing a lot of the ground), crawling and running and endurance tests (no telling how innovative this Drill Sergeant really is though).
Multiplayer is available with up to 4 players simultaneously going against each other in various mini-games. Taking on friends and family can either lead to bragging rights or shame, depending on how smart you and your fellow recruits are.
“Quick thinking and concentration are key to success in Brain Cadets,” says Martin Defries, managing director, Rising Star Games. “Gamers who think they’ve trained their brain to the max should take on the Drill Sergeant’s challenges to find out if they’re smart enough, or face punishment for failing to rise to the challenge.”
Brain Cadets by Rising Star Games – website
Platform: Nintendo WiiWare
Due: February 5th
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
