According to data released by sales monitor Media Control GfK International, the DS's heavyweight status in the European console market is closely tied to the popularity of Nintendo's Brain Training series and other brain training titles.
"The biggest demand for brain games is in Germany and Holland", the company said. More Brain Training was the bestselling title in Germany during the first six months of the year, while Brain Training topped the Dutch chart during the same period.
Overall, four of the ten bestselling DS games in both countries during the first six months of 2008 were in the brain training genre.
Nintendo's Brain Training titles took the top two spots in Spain and Belgium in the half-yearly rankings, while Sight Training took tenth and ninth in the respective charts.
The two Brain Training titles also made the Italian top ten, while three unspecified brain training games made the Swiss top ten, compared to two brain training titles in the Austrian top ten.
"The [DS's] success is closely associated with the brain training trend", said Ulrike Altig, managing director of Media Control GfK International.
I can definitely see why the Brain Training series has been so popular...Nintendo have been incredibly successful in getting the message across to the none gaming public that here is an application that is fun to use (not play), provides a challenge and with regular use can actually improve various aspects of your brain such as arithmetic, memory, reflex response etc.
Brain Training the best selling game? Come on. For f**k sake. I'm pretty sure this is a sign of the apocalypse.
*sigh* I'm worried about gaming, worried about the whole industry and the direction it's going... and it's all Nintendo's fault. All our worries and all the troubles facing the industry today have been caused by Nintendo, by them letting idiots in on a pastime that was previously only participated in by people who actually had respect for it.
I'm glad I own an R4, and I'm glad they are so widespread, because every single solitary cent that Nintendo loses fills me with untold joy. They deserve it. Watching them lose money is the most fun I can possibly have without being forced to cuddle afterward.
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