Author Topic: NOA Announces Brain Age for DS (Read 19539 times)

Jonnyboy117 · « **on:** January 30, 2006, 03:48:48 AM »

The already successful non-game launches in N. America in April; its sequel follows in May.

Players Flex Their Mental Muscles With Brain Age for Nintendo DS

Incredible 'Brain-Training' Craze in Japan Moves Across Ocean to the United States

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- After decades of exercising players' thumbs, Nintendo is now moving to their minds. Brain Age(TM): Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day for Nintendo DS(TM) will help players flex their mental muscles. Brain Age represents the first in a series of U.S. brain-training titles that already have taken Japan by storm.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060130/LAM055 ) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050516/NINTENDODSLOGO )

Brain exercise has been a hot topic lately. Baby Boomers and test-prepping school kids alike want to challenge themselves. In fact, a recent Time magazine article cited Brain Age in its exploration of the trend of people looking for ways to exercise their brains.

But Baby Boomers picking up a video game system? It's not as far-fetched as you might think. Three separate titles in the brain-training series are currently a huge craze in Japan. Each of them has achieved sales of more than 1 million units, with the most recent title hitting that milestone in less than a month. The craze has been fueled largely by older players, many of whom had never played a video game system before.

Brain Age (known as Brain Training in Japan) was inspired by the work of Professor Ryuta Kawashima, a prominent Japanese neuroscientist. His studies evaluated the effect of performing reading and mathematic exercises to help stimulate the brain.

"Young or old, everyone looks for ways to get a mental edge," says Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales & marketing. "Our brain-training series, led by Brain Age, builds on the popularity of word and number puzzles and acts as a treadmill for the mind."

Brain Age presents players with a series of fun mental brain-training challenges that incorporate word memorization, counting and reading. It even includes sudoku number puzzles, which have become extremely popular features in newspapers around the country. The distinctive touch screen of Nintendo DS lets users write their responses, just as though they were using a PDA. Players even turn the Nintendo DS sideways to make it feel more familiar, like a book. The more often users challenge themselves, the better they become at the tasks and the lower their estimated DS "brain age."

Nintendo's brain-training series of games represent a cornerstone of Nintendo's aim to expand the world of video games to new audiences. The second title in the series, Big Brain Academy (known as Brain Flex in Japan) offers players 15 fun activities that test their brain powers in areas like logic, memory, math and analysis. Up to eight people can play with a single game card, and each activity takes less than a minute to complete.

Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day is rated E for Everyone and launches on April 17. Big Brain Academy is Rated E for Everyone and launches May 30.

Artimus · « **Reply #1 on:** January 30, 2006, 04:42:27 AM »

Once again NOA proves they no longer care about real gamers and only care about nongamers. This continued focus on worthless products like this is tiring. I am no longer a Nintendo fan because I cannot take any more of this obsession with these games. The normal games have suffered so much because of the hundreds of non-games. Shame on you Nintendo!

Hostile Creation · « **Reply #2 on:** January 30, 2006, 04:47:04 AM »

It'll be interesting to see how well this does in the US. I can't imagine it being as big a hit here as it was in Japan, but I have no idea why I think that.

Nephilim · « **Reply #3 on:** January 30, 2006, 05:10:23 AM »

I found the demo fun, just it counts my 9's as 4's ugh

Bloodworth · « **Reply #4 on:** January 30, 2006, 05:20:05 AM »

Artimus what in the world are you talking about? This may be for a different group of people, but they're certainly still games. I'd hardly call titles that have sold over a million copies "worthless". There's clearly something addictive about them if they're getting people who have never cared about games to pick them up.

Traditional titles like Mario Kart have never been better. The teams working on these projects are small and some of the staff are from outside of Nintendo. They're certainly not taking focus away from other games. For that, you'll need to blame the massive Zelda team and Revolution development.

Pale · « **Reply #5 on:** January 30, 2006, 05:31:21 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Artimus
Once again NOA proves they no longer care about real gamers and only care about nongamers. This continued focus on worthless products like this is tiring. I am no longer a Nintendo fan because I cannot take any more of this obsession with these games. The normal games have suffered so much because of the hundreds of non-games. Shame on you Nintendo!

Man, seriously... is this like a sarcastic joke designed to beat Ian to the punch? Or are you serious?

Darkheart · « **Reply #6 on:** January 30, 2006, 05:33:13 AM »

I think he was being sarcastic because people constantly complain that Nintendo is thinking too much about this non gamer games. Some think that they will cater too much to this new audience and leave the hardcore gamers out in the cold. I know they haven't and theres a 99.9% itll never happen.

joeposh · « **Reply #7 on:** January 30, 2006, 05:52:43 AM »

Wow, it looks like Nintendo is doing everything they can to avoid another DS drought this year. I really like how they're spacing out their titles this year, I think it will ultimately translate into more consistent sales numbers. That being said I really hope this game is released with budget pricing. If they release it at 20 bucks, I think consumers will be much more willing to take a risk on it (and buy the follow up the next month).

Smash_Brother · « **Reply #8 on:** January 30, 2006, 06:46:15 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Artimus
Once again NOA proves they no longer care about real gamers and only care about nongamers. This continued focus on worthless products like this is tiring. I am no longer a Nintendo fan because I cannot take any more of this obsession with these games. The normal games have suffered so much because of the hundreds of non-games. Shame on you Nintendo!

If this game were anything but ridiculously simple to develop, I'd agree with you.

But yeah, Nintendo has given us online MK, online AC and a plethora of other reasons to enjoy "hardcore" gaming. We can forgive the occasional oddball on the DS.

The GC, on the other hand, has been left out in the cold to die.

-SB

Pale · « **Reply #9 on:** January 30, 2006, 06:59:34 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother
The GC, on the other hand, has been left out in the cold to die.

Yeah but, if we got 2 great GCN games this year, and then the Rev had a poor launch, everyone would still cry foul. Are you really that amazed by the fact that Nintendo is likely focusing all of their non portable teams on Rev projects?

Ian Sane · « **Reply #10 on:** January 30, 2006, 07:02:28 AM »

This will be the real test to see if the non-gamer strategy flies in North America. This is the big non-gamer success in Japan yet it's always been questioned if it do as well here.

Electroplankton wasn't the best test because it bombed everywhere. Nintendogs wasn't the best test because as a puppy simulator it still has a lot of resemblance to "real" games. But the brain testing games are totally unlike anything you typically see on a games system. Unlike Nintendogs this really looks like a title that traditional gamers wouldn't really be all that interested in. So thus it's the perfect test.

ShyGuy · « **Reply #11 on:** January 30, 2006, 07:34:29 AM »

*rolls eyes*

Whose test is this? Your test? I don't think NOA is looking at this as a test.

~*Adolph*~ · « **Reply #12 on:** January 30, 2006, 07:35:00 AM »

I thought NIntendo might bite the bullot and release both games on one package.
If the game bombs and than the next month another version comes out I doubt retailers will carry it
so its a gamble. I might pick it up for a budget or regular pice.
No way I will pay $34.99 or $39.99 for it.

On a sidenote anyone know how that brain test game on PSP is doing sales wise?

Ian Sane · « **Reply #13 on:** January 30, 2006, 08:02:10 AM »

"Whose test is this? Your test? I don't think NOA is looking at this as a test."

Nintendo is banking a lot on their non-gamer strategy. However the strategy is an answer to a "crisis" that apparently exists in Japan but doesn't exist here in the biggest game market in the world. Thus I think it's pretty important to see if it works here as well. It won't do Nintendo any good for example to fill the Rev launch with non-games for example if non-games don't sell in North America. They would launch with a weak lineup of games no one wants to buy.

It's just common sense to make sure a worldwide strategy created in response to a localized issue truly works worldwide before putting too many resources into it.

vudu · « **Reply #14 on:** January 30, 2006, 08:13:50 AM »

So is Big Brain Academy the equivalent of Brain Training for Adults? If so, I'm all over it. I'm just not sure I could get into the kid one, as it would probably be too simple for someone my age.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #15 on:** January 30, 2006, 09:14:41 AM »

Ian: I don't think non-games are what comes out of the non-gamer strategy, games with simple controls and pick-up-and-play mentality are for non-gamers. This is just Nintendo cashing in on the software toys market.

Jonnyboy117 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 30, 2006, 09:14:47 AM »

Big Brain Academy is the second one. It's sort of confusing with all the different names and translations.

vudu · « **Reply #17 on:** January 30, 2006, 09:28:42 AM »

The second one? Meaning the second Brain Training for Adults (which was released three or four weeks ago in Japan)or Brain Training for Kids (which was released after Brain Training for Adults)?

Knoxxville · « **Reply #18 on:** January 30, 2006, 10:44:41 AM »

This is great! I've been hoping this would localized. Artimus, you are trippin'! I wonder if I got this and a DS for Momz would it ward off alzheimers?

kirby_killer_dedede · « **Reply #19 on:** January 30, 2006, 11:56:22 AM »

I've never been a fan of Nintendo's non-gamer strategy. This isn't to say I didn't love Nintendogs (it did get tedious after two weeks, but that's besides the point), and this isn't to say that I'm not a fan of the Rev controller, but the real reason I don't like the strategy as a whole is because...well, it's going to fail. Not in Japan of course. Nintendogs is one of the biggest sellers of all time over there, and a recent poll (in Famitsu I believe) shows that Rev interest is skyrocketing. But in America, it's going to be an absolute failure. I don't know about in Japan, but I know over here that all - not most or some, all - mainstream gamers are stupid and braindead and would rather have Halo 19: COMBAT STILL NOT EVOLVED and Madden 20012: YA REALISTIC RAINFALL SRSLY than play with a dog or use their brains. Nintendogs...wasn't a failure, but it didn't appeal to the mainstream. This doesn't even appeal to me as a gamer, forget the mainstream.

I know Artimus was being sarcastic, but if the focus remains on non-games, this coming gen may very well be Nintendo's last generation as a console maker.

KnowsNothing · « **Reply #20 on:** January 30, 2006, 12:17:18 PM »

Quote
Nintendogs...wasn't a failure, but it didn't appeal to the mainstream. This doesn't even appeal to me as a gamer, forget the mainstream.

Way to miss the boat completely. The non-gamer strategy is there to create a new market, not appeal only to the old one. Well, I guess these non-games are there to appeal to both new and old gamers, but just because the current market wants a new Halo doens't mean these games are going to fail, since these games are supposed to MAKE a new market to thrive in. Nintendo -can- "forget the mainstream," that's the whole point of the non-gamer strategy.

joshnickerson · « **Reply #21 on:** January 30, 2006, 12:28:17 PM »

I'm probably gonna pick this one up. It's perfect for me, since I really haven't flexed any brain muscle since college classes. I blame TV, it's ruined my imagination and my ability to... um... uh........

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #22 on:** January 30, 2006, 12:42:49 PM »

Brain Training exists to help the DS print money for Nintendo. Be glad it's had lots of success so far, generating a lot of R&D funds without the help of POKINGMON.

Infernal Monkey · « **Reply #23 on:** January 30, 2006, 12:50:27 PM »

I LOVED the demo, and I generally hate learning and using my brain in general. But once you see hilarious floating head, you just want to keep playing.

"IT'S GREAT FOR YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY"
"What about me?"
"NO. ONLY YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY"

Karl Castaneda #2 · « **Reply #24 on:** January 30, 2006, 01:01:59 PM »

The thing to keep in mind is that winning massive support in Japan will drastically increase games being localized stateside. Think about it. If Japanese companies like Capcom, Square Enix, Namco/Bandai, etc all see Nintendo as a massive force to be reckoned with in Japan (via their non-gamer strategy), they'll makes games on the Rev, pure and simple. And that creates more third party support, which of course breeds a larger and more varied library, in which case those not into non-games won't have to worry; there'll be tons of other games to choose from. The beauty in it is that if Nintendo secures a bunch of third party support (as can be seen with the DS), it won't matter as much what Nintendo puts out; they won't be your only option anymore.

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Author Topic: NOA Announces Brain Age for DS (Read 19539 times)