
Aspyr Studios, based here in Austin, has brought games to different platforms for a while now but has yet to release anything of its own. That all will change with a ‘game’ for the Nintendo DS that seeks to help students prepare for the dreaded SAT. Ted Stalloh, the executive vice president of publishing at Aspyr, said that the company brought the idea of this game to Kaplan, Inc. (the company that is responsible for all forms of test prep materials) a year ago. An article in the Austin-American Statesman points to the success of Brain Age, Big Brain Academy and, more recently, Professor Layton and the Curious Village (how I love it!) to show that academic titles have done well on the handheld.
The game is slated to come out later this year and will consist of mini-games rather than the multiple choice questions you might be used to if you’ve ever gone through one of those test prep discs often found inside prep books. In case you are wondering, the writing portion of the SAT will not be addressed. In fact, Stalloh made it a point to say that the game is not intended to replace the standard test preparation materials we have all come to know and love, but rather to compliment it.
I can tell you it already sounds more enjoyable than those wonderful QuickTime animated kiddies telling me how fun the test is. If something like this was out when I was in high school, I might have picked it up. This being Aspyr’s first original title, I wish them the best of luck and look forward to seeing how it all turns out. For more information, make the jump.
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