There's something inexplicably compelling about Brain Age. I think it has to be the presentation, for better and worse. The charming drawings and Dr. Kawashima's reserved quirkiness add life & personality. However, the academic framing gives the busywork an unearned air of legitimacy. Excelling at Brain Age's tasks satisfies in the same ways scholastic success can, which, frankly, sucks considering how academically valueless Brain Age's "training" is.

Another competently-executed web-based "puzzle" game. It gets a very slight edge on some of its contemporaries for the ways it can inspire thinking about other games, mainly in comparing art styles and reflecting on why you know that one dirt texture by heart. Still almost entirely in the time-waster category; any meaningful reflection will be vastly overshadowed by time spent guessing.

Another puzzle game that, in small doses, tickles the reptile-brain, and in large doses, feels like a waste of time. You could've been experiencing a bit of art, or learning something new, and instead you did this. It's fine.