Archive for DS

Flash Focus/Observation Training DS Hands-on!

I’ve been playing the retail build of Miru Chikara wo Jissen de Kitearu: DS Ganriki Training, the game which, it was announced at E3, will be coming to the US (and subsequently Europe) titled ‘Flash Focus‘.

First off, it’s almost exactly the same as Brain Training in the way that the game is presented to you. Animated characters will tell you all about the importance of keeping your brain healthy, and will explain how each game is improving your brainpower.

The following is a video of CAG’s Cheapy D playing the demo-booth sample version of the game:

As you can see, the game focuses mainly on quick reactions and short-term memory skills.

My personal experience of the game is that it gives you the same satisfaction that you get from lowering your brain-age, but in a much, much more fun package. The game feels like a challenging, frantic video game, where Brain Training can sometimes be a chore (especially if you’re not in the mood).

Expect this one to sell in the gazillions once it hits, they’ve really cracked the ‘improvement game’ formula with this one.

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Blockbuster to stop selling DS consoles?

Last week I went into my Local Blockbuster (Chester) to ask if I could buy a new DS Lite (don’t ask, I lost it, it’s a painful memory). Their response? “You’re lucky, we’re just about to send them back because we’re not selling them any more.” These were new consoles, so they didn’t mean they weren’t selling pre-owned DSs any more, but that they were not selling DS full stop.

Although Game and Gamestation obviously have the foothold on the games industry, Blockbuster were slowly creeping up the charts thanks to their generous trade-in prices, so it could be a mild blow to Nintendo’s UK sales.

Of course it could just be the Chester branch not selling them any more. There hasn’t been any word from Blockbuster about withdrawing DS, and surely there’s no sane reason to drop the best-selling console in a good while? Signals of an upgrade to/new iteration of the DS? Who knows…

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