When the Nintendo DS Lite debuted last year, many retail locations were including Brain Age for free with the purchase of the DS Lite. Brain Age is one of those odd games that seems to capture everyone's attention. In Japan, they have classes specifically to train adults to use the Nintendo DS and get better (younger) scores on Brain Age. The Japanese Brain Age also scores using Kanji identification, while the Brain Age for the English-speaking countries has been changed to reflect the verbal and drawing abilities of western players.
Here's Nicole Kidman sitting at home and playing Brain Age on the Nintendo DS Lite in a commercial: (I believe this for the UK market)
This is not the first time Nintendo has used celebrities to help sell their DS systems and their games, as Japanese pop star Hikaru Utada helped demo the DS system before its release in Japan in 2004:
Of course, she doesn't just sell the system, but she kicks butt in Tetris DS too.
During my trip to Japan last year, I saw a slew of DS commercials advertising the New Super Mario Bros. -- the actress in the commercial is actually Japanese actress Nanako Matsushima, who starred in Ringu and GTO. In this compilation of commercials, she's pitching for the New Super Mario Bros. and the Point-and-Speak travel guides. In Nanako's case, it's for the Thai version of the popular travel program.
Because of the wide array of games as well as utility programs, the Nintendo DS Lite has been in perpetually sold out in Japan for more than year. Because of the demand, even in Akihabara, a used Nintendo DS can sometimes cost more than a new one.
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