One of the most admirable things Midway has done with Hot Brain is the incredible amount of personality they've added to the genre with the Professor Warmer character. A beautifully animated CG intro explains his theory: increased blood flow to the brain causes the brain to get warmer. Therefore, by participating in a series of math and verbal puzzles, players will increase their blood flow, and make their brains hot.
There are fifteen types of puzzles in total, with three puzzles in each of the five categories: logic, memory, math, language and concentration. Logic puzzles typically have you figuring out what comes next in a sequence. Memory puzzles have you recalling images or sequences. Math puzzles involve rudimentary arithmetic. Language puzzles have players alphabetizing lists, or correcting spelling errors. Finally, concentration puzzles have players focus their concentration on complex visual puzzles.
Unlike the DS, the PSP does not have a stylus. However, the developers have cleverly given the tests multiple choices, which each possible assigned to a face button. Responses take a bit more time to register, as you must analyze all the possibilities, and press the button accordingly. The tactile sensation of button pressing is appreciated, and gives the title a bit more of an arcadey feel.
How engaging each task is varies greatly for each activity. Each puzzle takes about a minute or two to complete, depending on whether or not the timer stops during questioning. In such small doses, the game has some appeal. However, the game simply does not hold up to repeated play. Harder difficulties are easy to unlock after a few repeated plays, but there's very little motivation to pick up the PSP and play again.
The game will give you an overall temperature of your brain when you take the 5-part test, which randomly selects one puzzle from each of the five categories. Daily tracking of your score is appreciated, but doesn't provide enough motivation to continue playing. In fact, it's much too easy to get the highest score possible in the game. Within four attempts at the test, I was able to get the "on fire" score of 120 on the exam. Because the game peaks at that score, there was no personal motivation to continue; it's as if the game was already "beaten."
While Hot Brain isn't a bad game, it simply doesn't offer enough gameplay to warrant a purchase. Fred Willard's character is absolutely incredible in the game, and we hope that Midway seriously considers further sequels or spin-offs with the Professor Warmer character. However, with only 15 different (and easy) games, the $30 asking price of this game seems much too high.
PSP Fanboy review: 6.0
See also:
PSP Fanboy review: PQ2
PSP Fanboy interview: Hot Brain's Jerry Huber
