Brain Age Celebrates 2nd Birthday at Number 13 on the Japanese Charts!

[Steve 3.2]

It's been two years since Japan started training their brains!  With almost 3.5M copies of the original title sold to date, there appears to be no end in sight for the sales of this 'quirky' title.   Here are some questions to ponder and reply to:

1.  When will the game fall off the charts?

2.  How many copies will it have sold by then?

3.  Has any other 'game' ever lasted as long on the Japanese charts?  (And to be "on the charts", let's say they remained in the Top 50.) 

4.  What do you think of the game?

5.  Do you think this game made the DS the powerhouse it is today or was it some other game or a combination of other factors?

My responses would be as follows:

1.  The titles has shown some weakness as of late.  The second game of the series has been out for over a year and has actually outsold the original by about a million total and continues to outsell it weekly by about 10K copies.  But as long as there are new DS owners, there will be new people looking to play this game.  I believe the title sell throughout the lifespan of the DS, but has about a year left in the Top 50. 

2.  Averaging about 10K per week, the game will probably fall off the Top 50 at around 4M copies and will sell a total of 4.5-5M.

3.  I haven't put in the proper research, but a quick check of some key titles show that they have been in the Top 50 after many years of the market.  But many of those games haven't also sold over 3M copies.  (At this point in time, the original game ranks as the 15th best selling game of all time and will seen overtake Super Mario World's 14th place... one of the few titles to share the longevity distinction with Brain Age.)

4.  I think it's a fun title, but I grew tired of having the 'play' every day.  I don't need to be scolded by a disembodied head after I haven't turned on the DS for a few days because I was busy.

5.  I believe Brain Age along with other key original titles (like Nintendogs) helped Nintendo gain a lot of momentum with non-gamers.  Many of these games are fun to share with family and friends.  This 'word of mouth' has always been an important factor, especially in an age where most people shun advertisements.

Thanks for reading!