Joystiq has your stash of criminally complete GTA IV news!
GameDaily
Add to: My AOL, MyYahoo, Google, Bloglines
Joystiq presents
Posts with tag Dr.Kawashima

Dr. Kawashima to ... cell phones?

Millions of DS users have found themselves charmed by Dr. Kawashima. Afterall, he's not bad looking for bodiless head, and he's a doctor. Mom would be so pleased!

It seems, though, that the popular handheld is not enough to keep the good doctor satisfied, since later this month he'll be debuting on European cell phones (or mobiles, as they call them in those parts). The Brain Age ripoff game, called Brain Coach with Dr. Kawashima, will be licensed by Namco Bandai (not Nintendo), and will use daily exercises to track your level of brain aptitude. That sounds familiar ...

And to think, we actually believed his sweet, encouraging words as we struggled with our math equations! When all this time he was just looking for younger, slimmer handhelds to play with. We thought you were different, Dr. Kawashima, but you just had to go and break our hearts.

DS Daily: Please win (no, really)

Details on the new minigames in Brain Age 2 have surfaced, and we finally know the origin of this hilarious screenshot. Dr. Kawashima isn't simply encouraging you (like he would ever do that!); instead, it turns out that part of the game is that sometimes you need to win at Rock, Paper, Scissors ... and sometimes, you need to lose. We can't wait to see that screen. "Please lose!" Gee, thanks. Next you're probably going to tell me that I fail at life.

So what's the point? Well, we do love to talk about that wacky Dr. Kawashima around here (we like it a lot), but we figure that within a matter of months, "Please win" is a phrase that will work its way into our everyday lexicon of silly game phrases ... which of course leads us to ask you in turn about some of your other favorite wacky moments and unforgettable dialogue in gaming.

Gallery: Brain Age 2

DS Daily: Dr. Kawashima or BLUUUUUUUUUUUUE?


In this corner, we have the one, the only, the talking, taunting head of DOCTORRRRRRRRRRR KAWASHIIIIIIIIIIMA! And in the blue corner, it's the reigning heavyweight champion of the world ... your complete inability to speak your own native language! READY? FIGHT!

Which one presents more of a challenge -- the mocking Dr. Kawashima, or those tricky phonetics?

DS Daily: Does YOUR brain need more training?



From the look of an AP photo from the Nintendo Media Summit, the US is going to be getting a little more face time with Dr. Kawashima after all. We're sure no one is surprised. We find this whole thing rather alarming, honestly. Didn't we get trained? Did our training fail, or is it just that we have more brain than the first game could handle?

All jokes aside, are you going to go in for round two?

Non-Japanese brains need more training

Just when you thought you were free from the mocking head of Dr. Kawashima (or could at least pick it up cheaply), he's back for another round with More Brain Training. The sequel has been officially confirmed for Europe and will release in late June.

There's been no official word yet on a U.S. release, but it's been showing up on retail lists for August, so we expect confirmation any time. Nintendo of America better start their marketing campaign now, or else they may face the wrath of Iwata again, and no one wants to see that happen.

Brain training in schools

A grammar school in Melbourne, Australia is testing a program that involves encouraging children to play Nintendo. Where was that when we were in school, huh? Shenanigans! Teacher James Penson thought some of the 5th and 6th grade children could benefit from a fun way to practice math and memory skills, and so he cooked up the idea of using the ubiquitous Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training in the classroom. He contacted Nintendo and they sent 40 DS units to the school for the test program, which has been a resounding success.

Penson said that the students were once reluctant to practice their time tables, but now they are beginning to see math as fun. And we have to admit, racing against your scores (and those of others) is way more fun than sitting in one of those hard plastic chairs picking at the years of snot stuck underneath the desk.

[Via Go Nintendo]

DS gets some love from BAFTA

It's the first time the U.K.'s gaming awards have been in their own spotlight (instead of relaxing in the shadow of the film and television awards), and the Nintendo DS has snared some of the attention. We would expect nothing less.

Electroplankton and Brain Age both picked up nominations in multiple categories, and they'll be butting heads (brains?) when it comes to which game is Britain's choice for the most innovative of the year. Trauma Center got a nod as well in the simulation category. We're not sure the other nominees are even worth mentioning next to that one. Too bad there isn't a category for games that make you sweat, 'cause they're just that damned hard at times. Trauma Center has always made us idly wish for a third hand, but we love it like ice cream. Can't say we agree with everything they're doing across the pond, though -- they've got New Super Mario Bros. tagged as a children's game. Oh well. I guess we should all put it down and step away slowly.

The winners will be announced on October 5. Check back for confetti and poppers when the DS snags some awards.

Homebrew weekShow and Tell
Features
Another Week in ... (39)
DS Daily (446)
DS Fanboy Lite (36)
DS Fanboy poll (40)
Friday video (64)
Game Night (140)
Metareview (48)
Promotional Consideration (50)
Show and Tell (56)
The DS Life (50)
What are you playing? (85)
Bits
Accessories (125)
Downloads (57)
Fan stuff (1364)
Features (256)
GBA (124)
Hacks (78)
Homebrew (194)
How-tos (65)
Imports (805)
Interviews (140)
Meta (112)
News (2922)
Nintendo Wi-Fi (178)
Reviews (170)
Sales (170)
Screens (817)
Video (600)
Rumors (167)

RESOURCES

RSS NEWSFEEDS

Powered by Blogsmith

Featured Galleries

LEGO Batman
Dungeon Maker
Staana Studio Cases
Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli
Shiren GB2 vs Shiren DS 2
Asterix Brain Trainer
Band Brothers DX
The Incredible Hulk
Matchman

 

Most Commented On (14 days)

Recent Comments

Weblogs, Inc. Network

  • Autos
    • Autoblog
    • AutoblogGreen
    • Autoblog Spanish
    • Autoblog Chinese
    • Autoblog Simplified Chinese
  • Technology
    • Download Squad
    • Engadget
    • Engadget HD
    • Engadget Mobile
    • Engadget Chinese
    • Engadget Simplified Chinese
    • Engadget Japanese
    • Engadget Spanish
    • Engadget Polska
    • Switched
    • TUAW (Apple)
  • Lifestyle
    • AisleDash
    • DIY Life
    • Gadling
    • Green Daily
    • Luxist
    • ParentDish
    • Slashfood
    • Styledash
    • That's Fit
  • Gaming
    • Joystiq
    • DS Fanboy
    • Massively
    • Nintendo Wii Fanboy
    • PS3 Fanboy
    • PSP Fanboy
    • WoW Insider
    • Xbox 360 Fanboy
  • Entertainment
    • Cinematical
    • TV Squad
  • Finance
    • BloggingBuyouts
    • BloggingStocks
    • WalletPop
  • Sports
    • FanHouse Main
    • NFL
    • NBA
    • MLB
    • NCAA Football
    • NCAA Basketball
    • NASCAR
    • NHL
    • Golf
    • Fantasy Football
  • Also on AOL
    • African-American Culture
    • Cars
    • Games
    • Maps
    • Money
    • Movies
    • Music
    • News
    • Radio
    • Sports
    • Television
    • Travel

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

PS3 Fanboy
  • Metareview: Metal Gear Solid 4
  • Kojima Autographs Round 2: UNIQLO signings
  • PS3 exclusives sell 45% better than multiplatform releases
WOW Insider
  • Around Azeroth: Lordaeronic Flight 815
  • Lanwar hosts WoW levelling contest
  • Breakfast Topic: Strange bedfellows
Xbox 360 Fanboy
  • Rock Band dusted with Pixies 'Doolittle' album DLC
  • Last chance to win Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
  • May NPD: Xbox 360 sales aren't grand, but GTAIV's sales are stellar
Nintendo Wii Fanboy
  • Nintendo sues Nyko over Kama Wireless Nunchuck
  • Wii Move uses Balance Board to confuse the hell out of us
  • Rev your engines with WRX
PSP Fanboy
  • PSP experiences 17% decrease in sales, software in last place
  • Canal bringing over 2500 movies through French VOD service
  • American PC Store releases for June 12th