Touch! Generations [a] is a brand created by Nintendo to denote video games on the Nintendo DS and Wii that are intended to appeal to a broader audience (mainly adults and the elderly) than the traditional gamer. Nintendo initially conceived the brand alongside the DS in Japan as a response to the country's faster population aging rate compared to Western regions, seeking to attract audiences outside its traditional target market of young hardcore gamers to supplement its player base. [1] [2] Titles under the brand were first introduced in Japan from April to June 2005, with the initial lineup consisting of titles such as Electroplankton , [3] Nintendogs , Brain Age , Rakubiki Jiten DS, [4] and Big Brain Academy . [5] [6]
Big Brain Academy and Magnetica were the first games in North America to release under the Touch! Generations brand, with both releasing on 5 June 2006; they were followed up by Sudoku Gridmaster on 26 June. [7] In addition, several previously released games were retroactively designated with the brand. [2] Meanwhile, the brand was introduced in Europe on 9 June with the release of Brain Age, which was renamed Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain?. [8] The games designated with the Touch! Generations label varied between regions. [9] [10]
Titles under the Touch! Generations brand have generally been commercially successful, with those under specific series receiving particular attention; as of 31 March 2023, titles under the Nintendogs and Brain Age series for the Nintendo DS have sold for a combined total of 57.85 million units, while the Wii has titles in its eponymous series represent six of its top ten best-selling games with a combined total of 197.21 million units. [11] [12] The brand's popularity was most notable in Japan, where it was credited with invoking a significant push among developers in the country to create non-traditional titles for the Nintendo DS, with 220 such titles developed out of 810 total by May 2008. [13] Furthermore, a soundtrack album with music from games within and outside the brand was made available in Japan on audio CD starting on 4 September 2008, as a Club Nintendo reward for 400 points. [14]
Nintendo retired the brand with the launch of the Nintendo 3DS in 2011, six years after its introduction. [15] Despite this, some games that were introduced under the brand continue to receive follow-up entries on the contemporary and future Nintendo consoles.
The video games published under the Touch! Generations brand for the Nintendo DS vary between countries. Organized alphabetically by title:
Title | Original release date | ||
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Japan | North America | PAL region | |
100 Classic Book Collection | 7 October 2007 | 15 June 2010 | EU 26 December 2008 [16] AU 22 January 2009 |
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1000 Cooking Recipes from Elle à Table | — | — | EU 2 July 2010 |
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Active Health with Carol Vorderman | — | — | EU 7 August 2009 |
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America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking | — | 28 March 2010 [19] | — |
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Art Academy | 19 June 2010 | 25 October 2010 | EU 6 August 2010 AU 23 September 2010 |
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Big Brain Academy | 30 June 2005 | 5 June 2006 | AU 5 July 2006 EU 7 July 2006 |
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Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! | 19 May 2005 | 16 April 2006 | EU 9 June 2006 AU 16 June 2006 |
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Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! | 29 December 2005 | 20 August 2007 | EU 29 June 2007 AU 5 July 2007 |
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Clubhouse Games | 19 April 2007 | 9 October 2006 | EU 29 September 2006 AU 26 October 2006 |
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Cooking Guide: Can't Decide What to Eat? | 4 December 2008 | 24 November 2008 | EU 20 June 2008 AU 3 July 2008 |
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Crosswords DS | — | 5 May 2008 | AU 12 June 2008 EU 18 December 2009 |
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Daredemo Asobi Taizen [i] | 3 November 2005 | — | — |
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DS Bimoji Training [j] | 13 March 2008 | — | — |
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DS Uranai Seikatsu [k] | 15 January 2009 | — | — |
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Electroplankton [l] | 7 April 2005 | 9 January 2006 | EU 7 July 2006 |
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Elite Beat Agents | — | 6 November 2006 | AU 3 May 2007 EU 13 July 2007 |
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English Training: Have Fun Improving Your Skills! | 26 January 2006 | — | EU 27 October 2006 |
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Face Training: Facial exercises to strengthen and relax from Fumiko Inudo | 7 August 2007 | — | EU 23 September 2010 |
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Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day | 31 May 2007 | 15 October 2007 | EU 23 November 2007 AU 17 January 2008 |
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Ganbaru Watashi no Kakei Diary [p] | 12 July 2007 | — | — |
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Hotel Dusk: Room 215 | 25 January 2007 | 22 January 2007 | AU 22 February 2007 EU 13 April 2007 |
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Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten DS [r] | 13 April 2006 | — | — |
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Kanshū Nippon Jōshikiryoku Kentei Kyōkai: Imasara Hito ni wa Kikenai Otona no Jōshikiryoku Training DS [s] | 26 October 2006 | — | — |
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Kenkō Ōen Recipe 1000: DS Kondate Zenshū [t] | 7 December 2006 | — | — |
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Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan DS [u] | 15 March 2007 | — | — |
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Magnetica | 2 March 2006 | 5 June 2006 | EU 6 January 2007 |
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Make 10: A Journey of Numbers | 10 October 2007 | — | AU 4 September 2008 EU 26 September 2008 |
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Master of Illusion | 16 November 2006 | 26 November 2007 | AU 13 December 2007 EU 14 March 2008 [24] |
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Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir | — | 8 September 2008 | AU 16 October 2008 EU 6 February 2009 |
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Nihon Keizai Shinbunsha Kanshū: Shiranai Mamade wa Son o Suru Mono ya Okane no Shikumi DS [y] | 27 August 2009 | — | — |
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Nintendogs | 21 April 2005 | 22 August 2005 | AU 22 September 2005 EU 7 October 2005 |
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Personal Trainer: Walking | 1 November 2008 | 25 May 2009 | EU 5 June 2009 |
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Picross 3D | 12 March 2009 | 3 May 2010 | EU 5 March 2010 |
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Picross DS [ab] | 25 January 2007 | 30 July 2007 | EU 11 May 2007 AU 7 June 2007 |
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Planet Puzzle League | 26 April 2007 [25] | 4 June 2007 [26] | EU 29 June 2007 [27] |
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Practise English! | 29 March 2007 | — | EU 26 October 2007 |
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Professor Kageyama's Maths Training: The Hundred Cell Calculation Method | 13 January 2007 [28] | 12 January 2009 | AU 7 February 2008 EU 8 February 2008 |
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Rakubiki Jiten DS [af] [29] | 16 June 2005 | — | — |
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Rhythm Heaven | 31 July 2008 | 5 April 2009 | EU 1 May 2009 [30] AU 4 June 2009 |
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Shaberu! DS Oryōri Navi [ah] | 20 July 2006 | — | — |
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Sudoku Gridmaster | 23 March 2006 | 26 June 2006 | EU 27 October 2006 AU 22 February 2007 |
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Tabi no Yubisashi Kaiwachō DS [ai] | 20 April 2006 (Thai, Chūgoku and Kankoku) 27 April 2006 (America and Deutsch) | — | — |
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Tetris DS [aj] | 27 April 2006 | 20 March 2006 | AU 13 April 2006 EU 21 April 2006 |
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Touch de Tanoshimu Hyakunin Isshu: DS Shigureden [ak] | 14 December 2006 | — | — |
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True Swing Golf | 10 November 2005 | 23 January 2006 | 25 November 2005 |
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The video games published under the Touch! Generations brand for the Wii vary between countries. Organized alphabetically by title:
Title | Original release date | ||
---|---|---|---|
Japan | North America | PAL region | |
Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories | 5 February 2009 | — | EU 26 June 2009 [31] |
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Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree | 26 April 2007 | 11 June 2007 | EU 20 July 2007 AU 8 November 2007 |
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Endless Ocean | 2 August 2007 | 21 January 2008 [32] | EU 9 November 2007 [33] AU 17 January 2008 |
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Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep | 17 September 2009 | 22 February 2010 | EU 5 February 2010 AU 25 February 2010 |
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Minna no Jōshikiryoku TV [ap] | 6 March 2008 | — | — |
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Wii Chess | 30 September 2008 | — | EU 18 January 2008 |
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Wii Fit | 1 December 2007 [34] | 21 May 2008 | EU 25 April 2008 [35] AU 8 May 2008 |
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Wii Fit Plus | 1 October 2009 [37] | 4 October 2009 [38] | AU 15 October 2009 [39] EU 30 October 2009 [40] |
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Wii Music | 16 October 2008 [41] | 20 October 2008 [42] | AU 13 November 2008 [43] EU 14 November 2008 [44] |
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Wii Party | 8 July 2010 | 3 October 2010 | AU 7 October 2010 EU 8 October 2010 |
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Wii Play | 2 December 2006 | 12 February 2007 | AU 7 December 2006 EU 8 December 2006 |
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Wii Sports | 2 December 2006 | 19 November 2006 | AU 7 December 2006 EU 8 December 2006 |
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Wii Sports Resort | 25 June 2009 [45] | 26 July 2009 [46] | AU 23 July 2009 EU 24 July 2009 [47] |
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Iwata:But we decided that, whereas before we had established a Touch! Generations brand, created special corners in shops and used a special logo, the company has decided not to use this brand name for Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo today announced that the new Wii Fit Plus game will launch in North America on Oct. 4