Officials from Nintendo of Europe have confirmed that the sequel to
Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training (aka
Brain Age) will be released in the West for the DS, following sightings of listings for the games in various US online stores, dated for later this summer.
The follow-up will be known as
More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima: How Old Is Your Brain? in Europe, a more literal translation of the original Japanese title, compared to the US branding of
Brain Age.
In Japan the game, even more so than
Nintendogs, has been seen as responsible for kick-starting the Nintendo DS’s current domination of hardware and software sales in the country.
The sequel was released only seven months after the original in Japan, but the Western launch will be over a year later, with the European debut currently scheduled for June 29th. No North American release has yet been confirmed, although online websites currently have it scheduled for early August.
The original game has been particularly successful in Europe, with Nintendo claiming that over 10 million units have now been sold globally. The title still features highly in most European top twenties, a year after its release, mirroring its success in Japan.
The new game will use the same basic format as its predecessor, with the DS held vertically like a book and extensive use made of the touch screen and microphone voice recognition. The game will launch in Europe at a mid-range price of €30/£19.99 ($41).