Is Touching Good? Nintendo slogans through the years

 
Editor’s Note: Before getting into my first article, I’d like to introduce myself as the newest writer for portablevideogamer.com!  From here forward, I will be assisting Sergio with Nintendo DS related news, previews, and reviews.  I am looking forward to a lengthy experience at portablevideogamer.com writing for all of you!  Enjoy!  

It goes without saying that Nintendo has had some varied slogans over the years, some good, and others quite horrendous.  I’m sure certain ones, such as “Now you’re playing with power!” and of course the oddly obscene sounding “Touching is Good” stand out in many of your minds as the most familiar.  At times, it’s hard to believe that it was twenty one years ago that Nintendo’s first and most popular slogan arrived (mentioned above).  Perhaps now would be a good time to take a look back at some of these slogans?.

Now you’re playing with power!: Undoubtedly, most of you are already familiar with this NES/SNES motto, as it’s the most popular and well received of Nintendo’s many slogans.  Also familiar to you might be Nintendo’s “Now you’re playing with power… portable power!”, which, while it wasn’t the most creative of Nintendo’s slogans, is still oddly effective.  Yes, this campaign ultimately proved successful for Nintendo as a new competitor on the console and portable market, but it was only one of many new slogans that would stick in the minds of many gamers.

Play it Loud!: Ultimately, this Game Boy campaign is the one that matters the most.  Why?  Rather than simply being a slogan, this campaign led to a new aspect of Nintendo’s handhelds: color.  The “Play it Loud!” campaign introduced multiple color choices for Nintendo’s Game Boy line for the first time ever.  This of course expanded not just to Nintendo’s consoles, but their future handhelds such as the Game Boy Advance and our very own beloved dual-screened portable, the Nintendo DS.

The Best Play Here!: While I hate to say it, this was clearly the worst of Nintendo’s various slogans.  From the time you heard it, you knew that it was a blatant attempt to, well, bash its competitors (*cough* Sega *cough*).  With the Sega Genesis and the Sega Game Gear having hit the market, Nintendo decided to play dirty and advertise the superiority of their products.  Then again, these were the days of Nintendo’s “arrogance”, so it can’t be that much of a surprise.

Too Much Fun!: A clean, albeit lame, advertising campaign for Nintendo.  It covered all of Nintendo’s products in general, promoting the company during a time when their market share was in a decline.  I’m not a fan of the advertising campaign itself, but I must admit that this commercial in particular did make me chuckle a bit.  At least Nintendo’s creative juices were flowing.

Touching is Good!: Last, but not least, is the fan favorite, almost-obscene, slogan for the Nintendo DS.  Although the slogan was rather short lived, having disappeared shortly after the Nintendo DS Lite launched, it will always remain in the minds of Nintendo DS fans as the best of the best as far as Nintendo’s slogans are concerned.  In fact, Nintendo thought the slogan was so great that they even held a contest for fans to make their own commercials.  I must warn you, some of these entries may make you laugh hysterically. 

So there you have it, some of the most memorable Nintendo slogans of all time!  Have a favorite? Give it a vote and tell us why!