Brain Age 2 review at Nintendo World Report.

"It's been about 17 months since I reviewed the original Brain Age, commending it for being the first non-game to actually hold my interest. I really enjoyed its pick-up-and-playability, simple-but-fun activities, and of course, Dr. Kawashima's quirky, disembodied head acting as your mentor. So I had high hopes for Brain Age 2, and while it brings the aforementioned to the table, I can't in good conscience award it the same high marks.

Once again, Kawashima, renowned Japanese neurologist, leads you through various tests to determine your brain age level, followed by a set of hurdles (completed via the touch screen or microphone) meant to quicken your ability to call up information, improve your memory, and generally, whip your mind into shape."

Full Source: Nintendo World Report

Brain Age 2 review at BroadsideOnline.

"The first Brain Age which came out last spring – a $20 package on the DS containing around a dozen minigames and 100 sudoku puzzles all wrapped together in the form of an exercise regimen, was a part of my life for almost half that year.

At a glance it may have looked like one of those cheap edutainment products sold in purple and pink with cartoon characters all over them, but the easily accessible and addictive games made specifically to take up only mere minutes of your time, had me turning on Brain Age every day for at least four months. The game even changed the way I write my 7s! It took Capcom’s epic, whimsical 2006 adventure Okami to break me away from that game."

Full Source: BroadsideOnline via Gonintendo

Brain Age 2 review at TheStar.

"Brain Age 2 is a video game trying to pass itself off as health food. This is more reasonable than it sounds.

No one really knows whether it is good for us to eat kelp with carob flakes on top, but the earnest man behind the counter assures us it is, and we believe him, and even though the meal is not as explosively delicious as, say, melted cheese, we do feel virtuous eating it, and afterward we glow for a bit."

Full Source: TheStar via Gonintendo

Brain Age 2 review at Gamer 2.0.

"Nintendo unleashed a new genre to the world with the release of the popular Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day for the Nintendo DS. While it's true that the "edutainment" genre was something that already existed, Nintendo revolutionized it with Brain Age's unique methods of gameplay. Within weeks of its release, players have been going nuts over this craze, yelling random colors at their handhelds and solving mathematical equations that any grade schooler can handle easily. When all of it seemed to cool down, Big Brain Academy allowed for a less serious way to make players smarter by playing a set of 15 minigames to make their brains heavier--like that's even possible. But while the jury is out on whether or not these games actually make you smarter, it's safe to say that they're still fun. With the recent release of Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day, players are given more opportunities to improve their brain age."

Full Source: Gamer 2.0

Brain Age 2 review at DSFanboy.

"When we first received our package from Nintendo containing Brain Age 2, we were anxious to see how this game would distinguish itself from the original. Then, we realized we were insane and that Brain Age 2 would probably be the exact same thing as the first title, only with boxart of a different color.

We were right."

Full Source: DSFanboy

Brain Age 2 review at 1-up.

"That wacky brain doctor is back with 17 new mental minigames in Brain Age 2, and whether you're doling out dimes, quarters, and nickels or counting a runner's ever-changing place in a footrace, they all provide a nice intellectual workout -- much more so than the original. In this way, it's a big improvement; few of these struck me as too easy, and it's now harder to quickly ace the tests and rocket right up to the ideal brain age of 20. I vastly prefer Rock Paper Scissors, where you have to call out the winning (or losing) move in the game, to the original game that had you calling out the color you saw on a screen. And Serial Subtraction, in which you subtract a particular number over and over again, also felt like it was genuinely challenging my brain instead of the original's too-basic arithmetic."

Full Source: 1-up

Brain Age 2 review at Gamespot.

"Brain Age 2's subtitle tells you almost everything you need to know about Nintendo's new mind-flexing sequel. It's "more training in minutes a day." The structure and presentation of Brain Age 2 is functionally identical to the previous game, but this time around, you'll see different training minigames. This means it's perfect for people who played the first game and are looking for more."

Full Source: Gamespot

Brain Age 2 review at Gamepro.

"The question of whether or not it's an example of the best type of expansion (one that continues the original's greatness) or the worst type (rehashing gameplay to wring another twenty dollars out of you) depends on how much you liked the first one. There are all new brain-analyzing tests, variations of old games and of course, tons of new Sudoku puzzles, but the majority of the game is still the same."

Full Source: Gamepro

Brain Age 2 review at Gamespy.

"Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day is the localized version of Japan's top-selling sequel to the original brain-training game. The premise is simple enough. Ideally, you run on a treadmill or lift weights to develop your muscles and give them a workout. Well, your brain is also a muscle, and it too craves exercise. To properly give your brain a workout, you can spend a few minutes a day performing a variety of exercises intended to stimulate your prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain that applies your accumulated knowledge in practical situations. This is the part of the brain that controls your creativity, memory, communication, and self-control. It goes without saying that nearly everyone could stand to improve upon these areas."

Full Source: Gamespy

Brain Age 2 video at IGN.

Brain Age 2 review at IGN.

"The first Brain Age showed the market that there's definitely a place for this "mature" concept, which is essentially a game targeted at those who really don't play them. The sequel's name alone shows that Nintendo certainly isn't trying to hide its intentions with Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day. It's like a Volume 2 of Jane Fonda's Workout: same format, same host, just a brand new assortment of exercise routines to keep those muscles toned. The novelty of it being something "new" has worn off since the original game hit shelves a year and a half ago, but that's okay, since the package - while still containing almost the exact same "shell" of Brain Age - features a whole new assortment of challenges that turns what could have been a "seen it already" rehash into something a lot fresher than the usual handheld recycling."

Full Source: IGN

Brain Age 2 review at VideoGamesBlogger.

"Nintendo is releasing “More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima: How Old Is Your Brain?“ also known as “Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day” worldwide, it brings the return of the educational puzzle game to the DS. As with any exercise, continuous training is required to help stay active, and now you can keep on training your brain with the second game in the Brain Training/Brain Age series. It features all-new exercises and DS Brain Age Checks, meant to challenge even the most trained brains."

Full Source: VideoGamesBlogger via Gonintendo

Brain Age 2 review at Pocketgamer.co.uk.

"Insulting your audience might work for angry young bands and caustic comedians, but it's not a tactic that's been much explored in computer games. Well, apart from Doctor Kawashima's genre-defining Brain Training games.

The first time you test your brain age, it's almost certain you'll end up glowing in embarrassment while the doctor's disembodied face (which, despite its crude polygonal construction, still manages to look smug) chuckles at how slow or old your brain is. Just look at the effect he had on Nicole Kidman!"

Full Source: Pocketgamer.co.uk

Brain Age 2 impressions from Nintendo World Report.

"I got a chance to play through three different brain training games at Nintendo's display at the Barker Hangar. I must admit, I feel really dumb right now. That is because the games in Brain Age 2 are much more difficult than in the original.

The most challenging one I tried out is the word wheel, where letters to some random word are scrambled on a rotating circle. You need to spell out the word one letter at a time using the game's excellent handwriting recognition to clear it and go to the next word. This is easy enough to do with four- or five-letter words, but when the game throws you more than six, you'll be at a loss. The rotation of the letters makes it very hard to concentrate on them and determine the word, and it took me a minute or more for some of the medium-sized words before I had any clue about what it might be. I just gave up completely when I saw the 8-letter word. It was quite intimidating, but it was also quite challenging, which is ultimately the point of the sequel."

Full Source: Nintendo World Report

Brain Age 2 hands-on preview at Gamespot.

"Given the breakaway success of the original Brain Age, the sequel is likely to be one of Nintendo's biggest games of the year. It's been quite a while coming, but Brain Age 2 is set to offer over ten new games, brand new sudoku puzzles and an all-new multiplayer mode. While the game was on show at this year's E3, we picked up a copy of the full UK version of the game on the way over to LA. There's no better time to try and keep your brain active than during the world's biggest games show, so we've been spending the last week playing the game in between various press conferences and meetings."

Full Source: Gamespot

Brain Age 2 "E3 2007 Trailer" at Gametrailers.

Brain Age 2 review at IGN.

"Like the gaming equivalent of a nootropic shake, Brain Training is back to once again bring hope to the masses; to give all and sundry a glimpse at an easy and fun way to potentially limber up those neural pathways and increase your killing power. Sorry, thinking power. And of course, that zany devil Dr Kawashima is back too, playing a digital Anthony Robbins to our brain-befuddled masses. Whether you think the Brain Training games work or not, it's hard not to love ol' Dr K. He's the Chairman Kaga of Gaming Stadium… only without the capsicum-biting antics or gaudy jackets. Still, what understated charisma! What, erm, chubby, pinch-able cheeks. And what eyes - a fella could get lost in them."

Full Source: IGN

Brain Age 2 review at IGN.

"Just because your brain is tucked out of sight under your hair, it doesn't mean you can neglect it, getting all flabby and useless, lolling limply around your skull as age and alcohol abuse take their toll. Imagine if Sylar from Heroes lopped off the top of your bonce: what would he find there? A decrepit tangle of fagged-out ganglions, or a lean, mean, thinking machine? If it's the latter, chances are you've already been playing the original Brain Training on the DS. Of course, that means you're likely gagging for something a little more challenging, which is precisely why Japanese neurologist Dr Kawashima has devised this sequel. That and the fact Nintendo wants to flog another 10 trillion copies to mums and grannies everywhere, no doubt."

Full Source: IGN

Brain Age 2 review at Eurogamer.

"It's a little known fact about me that I came fifth in my year at the University of Oxford. That's something that only my close family and a few friends know. It's not something that I boast about down the pub, after a few beers. It's also not something I slip into any conversation with any stranger at the earliest available opportunity. And it's certainly not something I'd ever dream of boasting about to a few million people on the internet under the guise of commencing a videogame review. But yes, if you must know, I got the fifth highest first class degree in the school of modern history in 1997. And everyone knows you can't get better than fifth. And that was back when exams were difficult. So obviously I'm massively clever. Or massively good at history."

Full Source: Eurogamer

Info starting to surface from the Nintendo Media Summit.

Planet Puzzle League
IGN Planet Puzzle League hands-on.
Planet Puzzle League trailer at Gametrailers.
Planet Puzzle League impressions at Kotaku.
Planet Puzzle League video at Gamespot.
Planet Puzzle League hands-on at Joystiq.

Brain Age 2
Preview at 1-up.
Preview at Gamespot.
Hands-on at IGN.
Brain Age impressions at Kotaku.
Brain Age 2 interview at Gamespot.
Brain Age 2 hands on at Wired.
Brain Age 2 hands-on at Joystiq.

Picross DS
Trailer at the Wired.
Picross DS screens at Gamespot.
Picross DS impressions at Kotaku.
Picross DS trailer at Gametrailers
Picross DS screens and video at 1-up.
Picross DS "Puzzle" trailer at Gamevideos.

Jam Session
Jame Session Screens at 1-up.


Enjoy.