Brain Training officially announced for US @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on January 30, 2006

News: "Put down that video game and go outside!" "But I'm learning!"

The DS has become a powerhouse in Japan, regularly taking 9 of the 10 spots on the weekly best-seller charts since late November. Much of this success can be attributed to Nintendo's Brain Training series, which has sucked in gamers and non-gamers alike across the Pacific. How popular are they? Both Brain Training titles have sold over a million copies, with the second one, Brain Flex, passing that milestone in less than a month.

Today, Nintendo officially announced a US release date for both Brain Training titles.

The first, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day will land in American stores on April 17. The series is the brainchild of Professor Ryuta Kawashima, a noted neuroscientist.

The title exercises the brains of young and old through "word memorization, counting and reading". The game also includes puzzles from the "new puzzle craze" Sudoku and allows players to pencil in their answers using the DS touch screen. In fact, the whole game is played with the touch screen and players actually have to hold the DS sideways, like a book.

"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."

The second Brain Training game, Big Brain Academy will launch on May 30 and add multiplayer to the mix. Up to eight players will be able to play 15 one-minute activities in the fields of logic, memory, mathematics and analysis.

We'll be back soon with more Brain Training news soon, same Brain-time, same Brain-channel.