Retro Remembering the Touch! Generations brand

[Dardan Sandiego]

I recently came across the Japan-only Touch Generations soundtrack CD (which has been uploaded to YouTube) which sent me down memory lane and I thought some of you might want to join me.

So what is Touch! Generations? I'll have Nintendo explain it in this weird ass promo video




In all seriousness, it was a brand used by Nintendo during the Wii/DS generation for a variety of non-traditional gaming software with broad appeal. Some of the more popular games were Wii Sports and Nintendogs but it also included a wide variety of "lifestyle" applications like Dr. Kawashima/Brain Age, 100 Classic Books Collection or Flash Focus/Sight Training. In some cases the branding was used quite liberally: Elite Beat Agents and Hotel Dusk were TG titles in NA but not in other regions. Endless Ocean and its sequel were only TG-branded in Europe. Even the logos differed: Japan and Europe had the left one (the Japanese one is pink apparently) and there was even a blue variation for Wii software. The US had the orange one with a Wii variation that had the remote in place of the stylus. So you can see that there was some inconsistency there.

I don't know if the brand itself had much of a pull, whether people based their purchases on the little logos on the game covers. But I still think it represents a very interesting era of Nintendo. Both DS and Wii were very disruptive and the Touch Generations games, specifically Wii Sports and Nintendogs, played a big role in that. By the time the 3DS came around the market had changed again and they retired the brand. Iwata and Miyamoto talked to Itoi about it. I edited these two passages for readability but there's more at the link.

Iwata

As a new challenge, we grouped together several titles that children, their parents and grandparents—three generations—could play together regardless of their knowledge and experience of video games. And we labeled that group Touch Generations.​

Miyamoto

We started it up as a brand that people playing video games for the first time could buy without worrying, and it led to rather positive result for Nintendo DS. So with regard to how to handle Touch Generations for Nintendo 3DS, we had some discussions among ourselves.​

​

But when you think about it, Nintendo DS came out as a game system unlike any before, and we gave Touch Generations its name to suggest that even people who don't usually play video games could play those games without fretting. When considering the basic element of playing games by touching the screen with the stylus, we thought there might not be much point to making another Touch Generations for Nintendo 3DS, which is just going to be an extension of Nintendo DS.​

Iwata
Something else you can say is that it's no longer surprising to talk about older people playing video games. People with no video game experience now have a way to get started, so game systems now belong to everyone regardless of age, gender or experience. I think the time for making such distinctions by using such a word has ended.

The brand had outlived its usefulness but as they say later in that same interview, that didn't mean they'd stop making Touch Generations games altogether. Even the Switch got entries in formerly TG-series: Brain Age (sorry, Americans), Clubhouse Games, Jupiter's Picross series and later this year Big Brain Academy. Some would probably argue that 1-2-Switch and Ring Fit Adventure are spiritual successors to the Wii series games. From what I can tell Animal Crossing never had the Touch Generations branding but some songs were included on the aforementioned soundtrack CD so there is a bit of a shared lineage or rather philosophy. There's also other games that I think very much capture the spirit like Tomodachi Life, Miitopia, Labo and Game Builder Garage.

Nowadays EPD 4 seems to be the stalwart for these kinds of experiences and I'm glad that Nintendo hasn't completely abandoned them, even if I don't always end up liking their efforts. Still think that a successor to Wii Sports is an absolute must. And obviously Rhythm Heaven.

Thanks for reading and feel free to add something or correct mistakes if you spot any.

 

[anderson64]

I loved True Swing Golf! One of my favorite video game golf games. Loved this branding too. I remember we’d have little “grab and go” standees on the counter at Gamestop with copies of these games. Probably the last successful “casual gamer” campaign before iPhone became a big hit.

 

[Guaraná]

this blue ocean Nintendo was not for me. That Wii Music E3 presentation made me realize I should get another console, got a X360 a couple of days later.

 

[Mr.Adele]

Very nostalgic era, some of these games helped make the Wii and DS juggernauts

 

[Raccoon]

I came as soon as I woke up

This really is the best form of Nintendo. The weirder ones are also fantastic, like Endless Ocean and Endless Ocean 2

 

[shoptroll]

I remember the fervor around Brain Age and going out to find this weird $20 DS game that came completely out of left field. Definitely stayed glue to it for a few weeks. I remember picking up Big Brain Academy and Brain Age 2 but they just didn't really hit the same chord with me.

But this time was so quintessentially Nintendo. Oh, the rest of the industry is doubling-down on big budget shootmans? OK, here's a budget priced "brain training" game for our floundering hardware!

I really should seek out Endless Ocean at some point before the Wii nostalgia arrives and sends prices through the roof.

 

[tender]

love this era of nintendo, man just thinking some of the great contributions here ...

obviously clubhouse games, endless ocean 1 and 2, electroplankton, ELITE BEAT AGENTS (and of course ouendan 1 and 2), hotel dusk, nintendogs (hoping for a new one of these soon), a shitload of picross titles, RHYTHM HEAVEN, TETRIS DS, and of course wii sports and resort.

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

But this time was so quintessentially Nintendo. Oh, the rest of the industry is doubling-down on big budget shootmans? OK, here's a budget priced "brain training" game for our floundering hardware!

Yeah, they didn't hide it that they were trying to keep development costs down but it led to some really cool experiments because they couldn't wow people with graphics. I think it's good to have both, large mega budget games like Zelda but also smaller stuff like Big Brain Academy.

 

[Dekuman]

Hotel Dusk/ Trace Memory

Could have been a great B tier story driver franchise for Nintendo to continue and been a perfect fit on Switch since walking sims do well on the platform. Wasted opportunity.

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

Hotel Dusk/ Trace Memory

Could have been a great B tier story driver franchise for Nintendo to continue and been a perfect fit on Switch since walking sims do well on the platform. Wasted opportunity.

I feel like Switch-era Nintendo would be more receptive to these kinds of games again. It's sad that Cing died but they really weren't in a financial situation to keep making games. It's a shame that Nintendo didn't set up the people with a new company, though.

 

[gul]

i don't have to remember anything, i've been playing through the original picross 3d on my commute everyday lately. i genuinely love the presentation of a lot of these games, so simple and fun at the same time.

 

[Shadow]

I remember Puzzle League for the DS being released and later being rebranded into this range. It fitted in perfectly with its clean and utterly soulless presentation.

Hotel Dusk/ Trace Memory

Could have been a great B tier story driver franchise for Nintendo to continue and been a perfect fit on Switch since walking sims do well on the platform. Wasted opportunity.

This wasn't part of the range in Europe iirc, really enjoyed the game and I don't entirely understand why they made it part of it in the US. But that's just me I guess...

 

[edamame]

I knew "Touch Generations" was a thing but I never really paid attention to that branding during the heyday of the DS, I just bought what I thought looked fun.

This topic led me to look up a list of the DS games that were a part of Touch Generations (in NA) and the ones I own are Brain Age, Hotel Dusk, Picross DS, Tetris DS, Planet Puzzle League, and Elite Beat Agents.

Those are some of my favorite games on the system! Turns out I was a big supporter of the brand and didn't even know it.

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

This wasn't part of the range in Europe iirc, really enjoyed the game and I don't entirely understand why they made it part of it in the US. But that's just me I guess...

Another Code R was

As I said in the OP, they were very inconsistent with some of these.

 

[Hocot8]

Please give us back nintendogs.

 

[ermitron2]

I destroyed my DS lite with Elite Beat agents, those damn spinners

 

[Deleted member 1081]

Not a fan of too many of these games, but Hotel Dusk still sits with me a decade and change later. Loved the art.

 

[Mr_No_U]

So good. I still play many of these.

 

[Krvavi Abadas]

Europe got a chess game with entirely 2D graphics as part of the line, for some reason.

That in itself wouldn't be particularly unusual, if it wasn't for the bizarre distinction that Japan received it as a digital-only Wiiware game.

Is chess really that big in Europe to require a basic retail release like this?