"Brain Age 2 doesn't stray very far from the production of the original Brain Age. The visuals, the menus, the presentation...it's nearly entirely the same as last year's product. The follow-up even has Sudoku in the same exact engine as the first game -- good thing, too, because not a single third-party has been able to out-do the Sudoku that Nintendo created for Brain Age." "we couldn't find a single repeat -- other than the aforementioned Sudoku, it's a whole new list of exercises. And they're really creative, too." "Voice recognition is back, and Nintendo ensures us that it's much better for this second time around." "New to Brain Age 2 is the multiplayer competition. You'll only need one copy of the game for as many as eight player challenges"
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Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training has come under fire on BBC's Watchdog program for failing to recognise accents from the North. Deemed important enough to take up a five-minute slot on Monday night's show, Nintendo and its DS game, Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training, were under the spotlight of presenter Nicky Campbell. Campbell went as far as saying that Brain Training "clearly discriminated against" certain accents, especially Northern and Scottish.
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17 million Brain Training games sold worldwide, resulting in JPY 2.4 billion (GBP 11 million) royalties, 50% of which COULD be Kawashima's share. But he said his annual salary of JPY 11 million (GBP 50,000) is plenty enough to live on. "Not a single yen has gone in my pocket. Everyone in my family is mad at me but I tell them that if they want money, go out and earn it," he revealed.
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"Once you've earned a participation stamp for the day, you're free to play Virus Buster, a laid-back, stylus-controlled remake of Dr. Mario." "[sign finder] makes the game less a matter of simple memory drills and more a matter of deductive reasoning."
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More details on the various new tasks the game uses to train your brain. Goes into more detail than the other previews. "Based on what we played, Brain Age 2 should be a great follow up to the original game."
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Nintendo UK has confirmed the sequel on the DS. New tests include calculating correct change as well as trying to follow sheet music by playing the piano. The game will launch in Europe on 29th June 2007.
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According to Media Control GfK International, Brain Training titles took the number one placing in charts listing the top-sellers for the first six months of 2008 across a host of countries. In Holland, Switzerland and Belgium it is Brain Training at #1, while Germany's #1 is More Brain Training - and both games took the top two slots in Spain.
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A French researcher has discounted Nintendo's claims that playing DS titles such as Brain Age and Big Brain Academy can improve memory. The Times Online reports comments by cognitive psychology Prof. Alain Lieury (left) of the University of Rennes: The Nintendo DS is a technological jewel. As a game it's fine. But it is charlatanism to claim that it is a scientific test.
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In humans, exercise improves what scientists call "executive function," the set of abilities that allows you to select behavior that's appropriate to the situation, inhibit inappropriate behavior and focus on the job at hand in spite of distractions
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Cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Jason Braithwaite from the University of Birmingham : "There is no conclusive evidence showing that the continued use of these devices is linked to any measurable and general improvements in cognition." Note : different article than the kotaku one, since it is coming from different source.
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