Left Brain Right Brain 2 – NDS – Review

Well surprise, surprise! Another
puzzle/learning game for the Nintendo DS. I have certainly done my fair share
of puzzle-style games and I would imagine that most game reviewers have as
well considering how many of these types of games actually exist. But, like
any other genre that has been inundated with excessive amounts of titles (FPS
genre anyone?) there is always a sea of fodder to wade through in order to get
to the good stuff. Whether Left Brain Right Brain 2 is a success really
depends on what you are expecting.

Now I will start off by saying
that LBRB2 does something I have never seen before in a DS title. And that is
the ability to actually flip the DS so that you must use your right and left
hands in competition. Yup, that’s the big draw to this game, pitting your
right hand against your left. This, of course, is a game designed to improve
your ambidexterity. Using both hands in series of tests is supposed to improve
your weaker hand, the idea is a solid one, its just too bad the final product
doesn’t fully take advantage of the idea.

The problem is that the game is
somewhat lopsided in its development to begin with. Playing with your dominant
hand first, you set a benchmark for your not-dominant hand to try and match or
beat. But during initial gameplay, you learn the mini-game when using your
better hand and usually don’t set a real high goal. Follow that up with a
even, decent showing with your weak hand and the game will put you in the
category of being completely ambidextrous – which clearly is not the case. And
that is the problem that haunts you throughout the game.

Mom isn’t going to be happy with that game you are playing there Mr. Hamburger
Helper hand.

And here in lies the rub, the
challenges aren’t very challenging. I mean, drawing scratches back and forth
and plucking feathers out of the air does nothing to make you more skilled at
using your weak hand. I would have preferred a more escalating game where you
are being taught to become more skilled with your weak hand. For a self
improvement game that advertises that you will become ambidextrous there is
really no true improvement. I still can’t write my name legibly with my left
hand.

Now the game has a certain charm
to its looks and you do feel that the developers put some effort into making a
game that had the fun look of a quirky little game. And sure enough, the game
looks fine, clean lines, bright happy colors, but its also not a graphically
demanding game either. You can’t get too excited simply because there is
nothing in the game to make you stand up and cheer.

The same could be said about the
audio featured in the game – it’s full of upbeat, cutesy little melodies that
move the game along but also fade into the background and provide no real
substance to the game. I know, that is sort of a cop out when explaining the
game’s audio, but it really is accurate – a passable, yet instantly forgetable
audio experience.

The game has about 20 different
mini-games to play spread out over five different difficulty levels that
may lure you into thinking that there is much to be had here. And, maybe there
is, the problem is that I don’t know too many gamers who are going to put in
the effort it would take to genuinely improve your weaker hand. I think the
game has a few bells and whistles, and an improved visual style over the
previous entry, but I don’t see the legitimate effects of this game on my
weaker hand.

Gameplay: 6.0
Not what I was expecting or hoping
for. Simple tasks with the stylus don’t legitimately work your weaker hand
into a more useful appendage.

Graphics: 7.1
Better the the last go round, the
little Hamburger Helper hand provides some chuckles and the color scheme is
greatly improved.

Sound: 6.0
It blends in with the background
so as not to distract,  but then it doesn’t add anything either.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

Concept: 5.8
It’s a self-help game that doesn’t really provide any useful help.

Overall: 6.2
I can’t say it was terrible, and I
liked the idea behind the game, but it never properly executes on its promise
to make you ambidextrous.