BrainAge
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Train your Japanese-writing brain in minutes a day!
Kana DS won't teach you how to translate Famitsu magazine scans for your favorite games, but it will help you strengthen your hiragana and katakana skills. Think of the homebrew application as Brain Age for Japanese charsets, minus the floating, decapitated head. An alpha release of the project has been posted, demonstrating its "number sorting" mini-game. The only other implemented feature is a character reference mode, but we can already see a lot of potential for this polished application. Developer Julio Gorgé plans to include handwriting recognition, progress tracking, and difficulty scaling in future builds.It might not be as mind-blowing as Kanji Ken, but few games are. Check past the post break for a preview video of Kana DS. [Via DCEmu]
DS Daily: Je ne sais quois
That special something -- the DS has it, certainly; the dual screen handheld is slowly taking over the world. Sales charts everywhere are packed with DS titles. The systems themselves continue to outsell everything and hell, everyone already has one ... including your mother.So what is it? What is it about the DS that has made it universally popular? Nintendo attributes a lot of the success of the DS to Touch Generations, and while that's certainly had a huge effect on sales of the system (and in widening the market), that can't be everything. You aren't listing Brain Age as the reason to own a DS ... are you?
Brain Age works, it really really works!
And with a scientific headline such as that, who's to argue, amirite?But seriously, according to some Israeli scientists the brain-training exercises found in the game MindFit (very much like Brain Age), when compared against classic computer games such as Tetris, actually improve brain power more. Using a total of 121 volunteers over the age of 50, the study spanned over 3 months and, at the end, when each group was divided the scientists found that both groups had improved, but the group playing MindFit actually had better spatial short-term memory, spatial learning and focused attention.[Thanks, Andrew!]
Learn to walk with Walking Navi
Now that your brain is sufficiently trained, you can begin figuring out how to move around! Okay, so really it presumes you already know how to walk and are interested in walking as exercise. Too bad, because it's a lot funnier the other way. Just like Cooking Navi and Dokodemo Yoga, Duke Saraie no Kenkou Walking Navi (Duke Saraie's Health Walking Navi) is designed so that users can choose their program, set their DS systems down and have directions barked at them while they follow along. Fitness celebrity Duke Saraie will help you warm up, then lead you through your workout. Wait, workout? We want to try this to see what kinds of "workouts" could be involved other than "walk for a while", "walk for longer than the last time", and "walk for a while, but faster".Try Screenshot Inspecting Navi after the post break.[Via NeoGAF]
DS Daily: The daily requirement
It's becoming more and more common for games to require or expect you to play every day; quite a few of the big sellers on the DS encourage daily gameplay, in fact. Frankly, we're hesitant to say that we really like that. Expected every day is one thing, but Animal Crossing and Nintendogs seem to take it pretty far. In the former, you often find yourself gently scolded by the other inhabitants, and in the latter ... by not playing, you are starving puppies and are therefore a bad person. That's just harsh.But if you really enjoy a game, then perhaps the every day requirement isn't quite so onerous. We've seen a few towns in AC:WW that were lovingly crafted and maintained, day after day, for impressive lengths of time. And while we admire that sort of dedication, we just may not have it, and no one wants to be thought of as the person who starves puppies. So Nintendogs? Not for us, not in the long run. When it comes to these daily games, what's your take?
DS Daily: New horizons
There have been a lot of familiar franchises on the DS, and we love them! But, and this is where a lot of the system's publicity comes from, there has also been an explosion of new genres and new experiences, as well as revivals of past trends. So, as hardcore gamers (the kind who read game blogs), has your gaming universe been expanded by the DS? Have you taken part in any completely new experiences? Played your first graphical text adventure? Minigame collection? Whatever Brain Age was?Or maybe what you discovered on the DS is something popular that you just missed out on for some reason, like Final Fantasy or Castlevania. We want to hear about your experiences! We want to know how the DS has affected your gaming tastes! We want to know how you classify Brain Age!
A look at some unsung DS villains
Modojo's Ryan Morgan took a trip into the underworld of DS games, finding the meanest of the mean villains and delivering stern warnings about them. These aren't the everyday spiny, cloaked, "NOOOOOOO"-bellowing villains we know, the kind that telegraph their evilness to the world, but some more insidious cads who, while they look innocuous enough, will strike and attempt to force you to feed their twisted, evil obsessions. The biggest offender? The color blue, who Nintendo seems to have collaborated with to render Brain Age players hoarse or even mute from repeated attempts at the Stroop test. Bluuuuuuuuuuuue!
Koreans encountering some problems with Brain Age
With news that Nintendo was going to directly stake a claim in the bolstering Korean games market, many in that market were happy to hear that the company with a knack for creating wonderful and original games would be arriving, saving them from horrible importing fees and lackluster customer service. Now that Nintendo has arrived and launched their DS Lite system, along with Brain Training, some are finding the same technical flaws that plagued the game in America and Japan have come to Korea.At least, one reporter for the Korea Times has discovered such, claiming that both the voice recognition exercises, as well as the written ones, are failing to register the proper data. Hmm, sounds familiar, doesn't it?See also: Brain Age sells 4 million worldwide Brain Age striking it rich in the mainstream media Brain Age math challenge exploit
Hot Brain action!
Brain Age fans will have something to get excited about if they own a PSP. Midway has announced a new "mind-training" game titled Hot Brain. Being developed by Midway's San Diego studio, the game has five timed categories: logic, memory, math, language and concentration. Oddly, Hot Brain will be voice acted by comedian/actor Fred Willard who some may remember from Anchorman. The game's is titled Hot Brain, because the objective is to get the highest brain temperature by correctly answering questions and completing challenges. Hot Brain will also include multiplayer with such modes as Test Mode, Brain Race and Think Tank. Fans of the genre can look forward to Hot Brain sometime this summer. [Via IGN]
Nintendo sends 100 elder-achievers DS Lites & Brain Age
Nintendo has honored 100 grandparents, from 54-year-old Rubin, a professional racquetball player from Staten Island, to 104-year-old Waldo, a beekeeper and author living in Kansas. Recipients of the prestigious honor, which included a DS Lite and copy of Brain Age, were selected by the Grandparent Marketing Group on the basis of "agelessness"; that is, each honoree represents someone who defies stereotypes associated with the elderly. "They refuse to act their age. They think young, and therefore they act young. Brain Age is one more tool in their anti-aging arsenal," explained Nintendo's George Harrison.The 'Ageless American' honor is just Nintendo's latest promotional tactic, part of the Touch Generations campaign, which seeks to tap into the 55-and-up gamer demographic (reportedly accounting for 25% of the total gaming population). This past August, Nintendo hosted a Grandparent's Day competition in New York City -- sadly, despite weeks of practice, President Bush was not eligible to compete.
Brain training on your internet browser
Did you know that the Nintendo DS isn't the only system that can train your brain? In Japan, Sega created their own mildly-successful edutainment games that required you to do math at the speed of light. AZ92 from the PlayStation forums is hosting a few Flash demos of the game, formatted for the PSP. You can use m.pspfanboy.com to play these short demos, directly from your PSP. Demo 1Demo 2Demo 3Demo 4 [Update 1: First server ran out of bandwidth. Updated links. Thanks, Crazy_Chris]!
DS Daily: DS as educational tool
We're no strangers to the notion that the DS is education-friendly; after all, one of the system's best-selling titles is little more than a learning tool spiced up with a dash of competition. The subject has come up over the years, and it's surfaced again as another education professional is coming out in favor of video games as viable job preparation platforms for children, but most of David Williamson Shaffer's work is centered around specific types of games -- games designed as educational software. But what about regular games? As gamers, do you feel that playing has helped hone your wits? That's today's DS Daily topic: what, if any, benefits does gaming provide, and are only certain kinds of games "good" for you?
Does brain training really work?
NPR's Morning Edition takes a look at competing theories on the effects of mental exercise on staving off dementia and mental degradation in old age. While the piece doesn't deal specifically with video games, the implications for brain training games like Brain Age and Mind Quiz and even puzzle and adventure games are pretty apparent. The results are decidedly mixed. One study of nearly 3,000 elderly people showed that a few hours of directed mental exercise could show effects up to five years later, but the improvement was rather modest for most volunteers. Another researcher cited in the NPR report thinks that building a "cognitive reserve" of mental skills before old age is more effective than taking up Sudoku in your autumn years. And then there's genetics, which may play a more important role in the proceedings than a simple crossword puzzle. The final takeaway? While games and puzzles might be a good way to keep your brain in shape, don't consider them a sure-fire way to prevent Alzheimer's disease. And whatever you do, don't get too frustrated while you play -- research suggests that's avoiding stress and depression can help you maintain good mental health.
DS snags two slots at top of '06 charts
It's always nice to be reminded that it's not just about us. Y'know, the hardcore devotees the folks who cackle over zany niche titles, when we're not busy whipping it good in something a little more mainstream. Awesome as we are, we're not the only ones who drive the DS market ... and the list of the bestselling games of 2006 (in the U.S.) serves as a great little reminder. The DS grabbed two of this year's top spots with New Super Mario Bros. and Brain Age, which took 2nd and 10th, respectively. Numero dos behind Madden '07 is a pretty big deal, and surely not all of the people who bought New Super Mario Bros. would consider themselves Nintendo fanfolk, and that's almost certainly true of Brain Age, as well. The DS may not be recognized as the top system in the U.S., but we're still in your lists, stealin' your slots. And, of course, that money.
Best of the rest: Ross' picks
Lumines Live! (XBLA) On a big screen with surround sound, Q Entertainment's Lumines Live was easily the most-played game in my library (if you stretch the definition of library to digitally distributed titles). Although I railed against how microtransactions were implemented in this title and still think the extent to which they disclosed the dearth of features was misleading, both the Basic and Advanced Pack got more than enough play time, as did the multiplayer. It is the best Xbox Live Arcade title since Geometry Wars.
Wired trains its brain
The January issue of Wired magazine includes a few short columns about writers trying to improve their abilities; Joshua Green's story about improving his brain functions relies on Nintendo's Brain Age game, a better diet, and more sleep. His non-scientific study left him with a brain age improvement from 44 to 34 after four weeks of work.Now that Brain Age has been out for a while, do you think it has sharpened your mind? Anecdotally, we like the game, but we think it just makes us better at Brain Age.
Amazon's holiday hardware sales led by DS Lite
Amazon is already reporting that 2006 was its "best ever" year for holiday sales -- and the DS Lite led the charge! Though Amazon hasn't yet released specific numbers, they report the handheld clawed past the 360 and the PS2 to claim the online retailer's most hardware sales. When it game to games, New Super Mario Bros. and Brain Age were highlighted as top sellers. Looks like the Touch Generations campaign is continuing to kick giant slices of ass when it comes to sales. We heard that a good DS was hard to find this holiday season, but top seller at Amazon is big stuff!
Nintendo and CNN Money's best gifts for gamers
CNN Money's Chris Morris usually has interesting input on the gaming market, but with his Ten Best Gifts for Gamers, he seems to have missed the mark.Two titles for the DS appear on the list -- Brain Age and New Super Mario Bros. Great games? Indeed, and were this a list of suggested gifts for non-gamers or those new to the hobby, we would happily applaud. But for established gamers? Who hasn't played these games? How many of us still own them? We thought the whole idea behind gift-giving was to find something new, but maybe we've been doing it wrong all these years.Any DS games on your personal wishlists? Or are you the type who can't stand waiting and just buys them on your own?
Brain training in schools
A grammar school in Melbourne, Australia is testing a program that involves encouraging children to play Nintendo. Where was that when we were in school, huh? Shenanigans! Teacher James Penson thought some of the 5th and 6th grade children could benefit from a fun way to practice math and memory skills, and so he cooked up the idea of using the ubiquitous Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training in the classroom. He contacted Nintendo and they sent 40 DS units to the school for the test program, which has been a resounding success. Penson said that the students were once reluctant to practice their time tables, but now they are beginning to see math as fun. And we have to admit, racing against your scores (and those of others) is way more fun than sitting in one of those hard plastic chairs picking at the years of snot stuck underneath the desk.[Via Go Nintendo]
Wii Sports: Training and Fitness modes documented
We've been spending tons of time with Wii Sports and we never took the chance to check out the Fitness and Training modes. In correcting the situation, we found that each are fairly straight forward and just how you would imagine them; Fitness is a kind of Brain Age semi-clone, yet instead of a brain age you are given a fitness age, and with Training you are taken through several scenarios in each of the sports. Fitness mode is a good deal more in-depth, so initially you'd want to head into Training mode before checking that out so that you can train up before committing yourself to a fitness age the system is looking to label you with.Continue reading for our first ever Wii Sports Fitness mode trial!
