I think the comments did highlight a number of points not least of which was the "need" for some games to have a purpose beyond being a game. Certainly this is something Nintendo have marketed really well with products such as the Wii Fit etc etc.
I am inclined to believe that whatever age group you are that the practice of repeating does not necessarily improve memory and from that stand point he may be right.
The point that the Brain games are played more by adults or benefit adults more I think is also unlikely but it would be nice to see more evidence.
I doubt this will have any significant impact unless more damning evidence is produced.
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.
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.
Topseller war Mario Kart Wii für Wii. Auf Platz zwei Grand Theft Auto IV für PS3. Das Treppchen komplettiert Dr. Kawashima: Mehr Gehirn-Jogging für Nintendo DS. Insgesamt endet der Vergleich Handheld gegen aktuelle Konsolen fünf zu fünf.
I think for a game that is getting so many sales from Europe, taking shipment numbers and subtracting several hundred K will be just as accurate as trying to add up sales estimates from every country in Europe and the handful of other notable markets. Missing a fairly small country could miss 100K or 200K sales.
Arbiter was saying just in February that the game likely wouldn't hit 12M units, and then it shipped 10.83M through March. And it will probably ship another 1M units over the April-June period.
And I said I wouldn't speculate about 14 or 15M units in February, but now I don't know how this stock can be valued below 14M units. How the stock has fallen over the last month is beyond me.
Maybe its just because I've come to expect the unreasonable from Nintendo over the last year, but I'd honestly peg lifetime sales of Brain Age 1 at about 19M, and BA2 sales at about 16M right now. I just think the launch of BA2 has pushed the series to Nintendogs levels in Europe. Granted, the original game is generally charting higher.
@ErikAston, are there any numbers on sell through vs shipped on this title? It sounds like your analysis is completely based on number of copies shipped out.
This game is much bigger in Europe than America. Top 10 in America in December, in the 5th month of release, is a big accomplishment. But its actually bigger in Europe, and that's how it will reach 12 and 13M units sold.
And for a different look at the legs: the game shipped 5.5M in the 9 months April-December 2007, bringing total shipments to 9.84M. **In the same period, the original game, without a launch boost in any territory, shipped 4M units, bringing the total to 11.71M.** This sounds to me like 12M is in the bag. The original is about to hit 12M, and it has a 1M unit disadvantage in Japan!
Very nice info. Lol. I used to read that Northerners are 6-7 foot tall, have loud voice, and can throw pine tree for breakfast (at least, according to those romance book I sometimes read), back in the era of Prince Bonnie (or the Braveheart movie era).
Since I haven't been to UK, so no comment from me :D
2
I am inclined to believe that whatever age group you are that the practice of repeating does not necessarily improve memory and from that stand point he may be right.
The point that the Brain games are played more by adults or benefit adults more I think is also unlikely but it would be nice to see more evidence.
I doubt this will have any significant impact unless more damning evidence is produced.