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[DocSeuss]

Mother 3 is way more emotional and story-driven. Mother 2 is like a surreal take on Peanuts. Pleasant, witty, adventurous, fun. So yeah, if Mother 3 is a novel, Mother 2 is a collection of comic strips. Like, think of those flights of fancy sunday strips you'd see Calvin and Hobbes do, or Nemo in Slumberland. That's the tone they were going for.

Go in with that in mind and maybe you can enjoy it?

This is why I love Earthbound.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Yeah, it's not as good as Mother 3. It's one of those games where you're just supposed to embrace the terrible and it becomes good, like Vagrant Story.

But Vagrant Story actually has a narrative of intrique worth soldiering through for, EarthBound just has.... Nothing.

I played about 10 hours or so of MOTHER3 back in 2008 when it got the English release and I enjoyed it a lot more than EarthBound what I completed like a year ago. I'm gonna reply MOTHER3 this year and it's gonna be SWEET.

 

[drgambit]

Why did you play mother 3 first?

 

[Wynnebeck]

well Mother 3 is way better

.

 

[Eila]

I love Mother and Mother 2, but they're different from your usual JRPG "epic" games like Xenoblade or everything Square Enix. It's just a silly adventure that gets crazy weird later on.
The funny dialogue is make or break for the enjoyment of all 3 games, but Mother 3 is a more conventional JRPG.

 

[Ninja Dom]

Earthbound was a SNES game made for console gaming audiences in 1994
Mother 3 was a GBA game made for handheld gaming audiences in 2006

At the time Earthbound was released save point in JRPG weren't as commonly and conveniently placed as later on in life.

Put it this way. When Earthbound released, console JRPG's were less than 10 years old into their maturity. When Mother 3 released, console JRPG's were over 20 years into their maturity.

 

[zakujanai]

Your experience may be terrible because you expected something that the game isn't. The game itself definitely isn't terrible.

 

[Red Liquorice]

You played them in the wrong order.

There it is.

I've yet to play Mother 3, but glad I've already played Earthbound first!

 

[Lionheart1827]

Played it a tiny bit back in the day alongside the other SNES classic RPGs and didn't really like it.

Recently played through the entire game for the first time and I still think it's not that great.

+Story is kind of interesting but dear god the last hour or so of the game is a total mindfuck. Legit creeped me out
+Dialogue is unique and has a charm/weirdness

-Garbage inventory system
-Battle system is boring
-Graphics are blah in a lot of places, other than maybe Fourside, most of the locales are just meh. Not a fan of the art style but I respect those who dig it.
-Dungeons were just slow slogs. A notable annoying one is the dig site in the desert
-You can't read item descriptions until you buy it
-No clear descriptions for what your psi abilities can do(it's trial and error what your heal abilities can actually cure and didn't figure this out until way later in the game)

+-Music is hit or miss. There are some amazing tracks and some are just ugh.

With that said though I'm glad I played through it just to experience the game fully after all these years. It just overall wasn't my kind of RPG, especially when I was used to FF, Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger.

I am however looking forward to playing Mother 3 as I heard great things about it.

 

[Jpop]

Its not fun.

Pretty much what the person above said.

 

[JailDesigner]

I played Earthbound the day it came out and it blow my mind. I loved that game so much. But then I grew up and I played Mother 3 the first day it was fan translated. It didn't blow me anything I guess because my mind was already blown by Earthbound.

Now you're going the opposite way I did

 

[amnesiac]

I like Earthbound more than Mother 3

While Mother 3 is a fantastic game, it depresses me. Earthbound makes me happy

 

[Beelzebufo]

If you are playing on the Virtual Console, why not use Restore Points?

That was my thought too lol

 

[Shmuppers]

Earthbound has that same kind of endearing jank that made me love Deadly Premonition.

 

[Hecatonchires Custom]

-No clear descriptions for what your psi abilities can do(it's trial and error what your heal abilities can actually cure and didn't figure this out until way later in the game)

Aside from the, y'know, PSI status screen that clearly indicates what the spells do, which ailments are cured by PSI Healing and the average damage dealt by attacking PSI spells?

 

[Vandole]

I understand your pain. It took me three tries over a 15 year period to "get" Earthbound and I'm happy that I stuck with it. It ended up being one of the most satisfying games I've ever played.

Best thing I can tell you is the first 15 to 20 hours are going to seem like one random event or encounter after another. It's all setting the table for the second half of the game. That's not to say it's not enjoyable, but it will often seem weird for the sake of being weird (and sometimes it is). Just enjoy each encounter for what it is. It will all pay off. And in the meantime try to enjoy busting up cults, zombies, and exploring boarding school.

Here's a few tips that will help too during the early game:

1. Use the Wii U's save state mode. Earthbound has bad pacing and it helps during the slow times. Don't rely entirely on it though. Keep using the phone.

2. A little grinding goes a long way. Enemies ramp up quickly as you go to new areas.

3. Call your mother.

4. Don't equip Casey's Bat on Ness no matter how tempting the stats on it look.

 

[DoktorEvil]

Earthbound was a SNES game made for console gaming audiences in 1994
Mother 3 was a GBA game made for handheld gaming audiences in 2006

At the time Earthbound was released save point in JRPG weren't as commonly and conveniently placed as later on in life.

Put it this way. When Earthbound released, console JRPG's were less than 10 years old into their maturity. When Mother 3 released, console JRPG's were over 20 years into their maturity.

Agreed. Different design philosophies.

Anyway, I'd like to also say that playing Mother 3, then Earthbound in that order and so close together, yeah Mother 3 is going to be the superior game.

I had a frustrating time going from Earthbound to Mother 1, and Mother 1 manages to be more of an eyesore and frustrating in it's difficulty curve.

 

[Fandangox]

Earthbound hasn't really aged horribly, but other people were correct in that the game is more of an experience. I would say to keep going since you're not really anywhere in the game yet (you're still using Ness only, after all), and once you get to say...Saturn Village or Threed (whichever comes first, I forget) you'll know for sure if you want to keep playing or not.

EDIT: But obviously if you really don't like it then by all means stop playing. I'm just sayin, is all.

I agree, Mother 3 is a better game, it improved on pretty much everything EarthBound did, and it even focused more on the narrative and characters, however I think EarthBound is still pretty good, so whichever one ends up enjoying more could vary.

Also OP, you can make enemies disappear from the overworld if you move away from them until they are gone from the screen, if you move back they can either be gone, stay, or multiplied, it doesn't take too long to do it until they are gone though,

 

[Schweinehund]

The story is somewhat interesting but I never understood the fascination with the game. I thought it was nowhere near the same level of other SNES JRPGs like FF4/6 and Chrono Trigger.

 

[VistraNorrez]

I'm always surprised that people will love one and think the other is shit. To me they are 2 sides of the same coin. Dealing with similar topics but in very different ways. I love these games and if you enjoyed one you should really finish the other.

Also the Earthbound guide is free on the internet from Nintendo. I fully recommend using it if it means finishing the game.

 

[Fandangox]

I'm always surprised that people will love one and think the other is shit. To me they are 2 sides of the same coin. Dealing with similar topics but in very different ways. I love these games and if you enjoyed one you should really finish the other.

Also the Earthbound guide is free on the internet from Nintendo. I fully recommend using it if it means finishing the game.

That's one of the reasons why I love both games, but its perfectly understandable if that's the reason one would prefer one and not the other.

Also I think the EarthBound Guide does already come with every VC download of EarthBound, should be in the ZR/Touch Menu.

 

[Ninja Dom]

The story is somewhat interesting but I never understood the fascination with the game. I thought it was nowhere near the same level of other SNES JRPGs like FF4/6 and Chrono Trigger.

Oh it was. Time & place. In 1994/1995 when I first played it, Earthbound was totally spellbinding. And I had played the US released SNES Final Fantasy's of the time then too.

Story, music, gameplay and EMOTION. There was nothing like it for me 20 years ago. Completed two playthroughs back to back cos I loved it so much.

Admittedly I bought it on Wii U in Summer 2013, played it half way and got bored.

 

[Zero²]

I particularly got hooked right after the Happy Happy village...
It was just so from everything I played in a RPG before, and incredibly funny too! Like a real adventure full of crazy and unexpected moments.

Spoiler

But I gotta say, the coffee breaks are one of my GOTG moments with this game.

 

[Davey Cakes]

No. I played the game last year, and its really overrated unfortunately.

How are cult games ever overrated?

The whole point is that some people will love it and some will hate it, with the former taking on cult behavior.

It's praise from passion and enthusiasm.

 

[Lionheart1827]

Aside from the, y'know, PSI status screen that clearly indicates what the spells do, which ailments are cured by PSI Healing and the average damage dealt by attacking PSI spells?

My bad, thanks for correcting me!

I'll edit my post.

 

[Griss]

I did a LTTP on the game where I was similarly surprised at many of Earthbound's failings.

My conclusion was:

Conclusion
Most games are mediocre and forgettable. Many are worse than average in all respects. Many great games are lots of fun and make you think but can't make you feel. Many really fun games to actually play are ultimately forgettable for whatever reason.

So what to make of a game that wasn't much fun, didn't challenge me or make me think, but DID make me feel, and WAS unforgettable? How do you judge a game like that? I just don't think I can write off the 'game' part as unimportant as others obviously do when judging Earthbound. I can't separate the systems from the setting. I was bored too often. The story let me down. Yes, I also loved visiting a new, wacky town and chatting to people while listening to music. That's not quite enough, not on its own, to make a game great. The interactivity of Earthbound was its weakest point, and when it's a video game in question that's got to cost it points. As such I often felt like the this wonderful and inventive world would have been better off as an animated movie.

I already feel more fondly about the experience of playing Earthbound than I did while actually playing it.

 

[flatearthpandas]

This is good news. I was still willing to try Mother 3 when they bring it over (and I really think it is going to come on VC) but after not enjoying Earthbound all that much I was also prepared for more disappointment.

Anyway, Earthbound gets better at the very end. Like, the last 2-3 hours. At least, it gets more interesting. The cast, battle, etc. complaints are never improved upon.

As far as saving, save states on the Wii U.

 

[jay]

Glad I finished the OP and got to the spoiler for Mother 3. Damn it.

 

[-Mutsukki-]

You're like... 1 hour in the game. Come on OP.

 

[woopWOOP]

I like Earthbound, but mostly for the world at it's zany NPC's. There's hardly any story or character development (if any at all) and it's pretty grindy. It's definitely not for everybody.

Glad you enjoyed Mother 3 tho!

 

[Fandangox]

I did a LTTP on the game where I was similarly surprised at many of Earthbound's failings.

My conclusion was:



I already feel more fondly about the experience of playing Earthbound than I did while actually playing it.

Did you ever end up playing Mother 3? I recall thinking it'd solved most of the problems you had with EarthBound.

 

[sixteen-bit]

EB is not for everyone OP

The only thing you're "doing wrong" is playing it after M3 instead of before.

 

[LakeEarth]

I feel like Earthbound is finally getting to that point where it's showing its age. I loved it as a kid and beat it multiple times, but after getting it on my Wii U I only made it to Threed before putting it down. It's still a very charming game, but it's mechanics have finally gotten to me.

 

[EatinOlives]

I feel the opposite. I like EarthBound better for its more subtle and restrained tone. The devil was in the details as you explored the areas and "experienced" the unique tone and style of minimalistic storytelling. Then toward the end it throws a

Spoiler

bunch of curveballs to subvert not only the game you've been playing for the past 20 hours, but the entire RPG genre in the early 90s when this was released. It ended up being far deeper than it originally seemed, which ended up being the general theme of the story and characters through its entire game.

Mother 3, on the other hand, felt like every other RPG complete with overwrought drama. The tone was nowhere near the same as EB and it didn't try to replicate it. I guess In a sense it's better for the games to be their own thing and I appreciate M3 to try something new, but for me I VERY much preferred what EB tried to do.

Regarding your experience, your main issue is you're expecting a game similar to M3, which as I mentioned is not the case at all. You have to think of the games as two completely separate entities without one framing your expectation of the other. That's the mistake I made with M3 and it really hurt my experience of it.

 

[Tiops]

I find Earthbound way better than Mother 3

Try to advance a little more in the story to see if you end up liking it. To me, it's was a very charming game and I couldn't stop playing from start to end.

 

[Chucker]

I can never judge Earthbound without bias or nostalgia. It came out when the summer that I was 13 and I lived in suburbia, I had tired of every single RPG being Swords and Dragons. My typical summer day was hopping on my bike, finding the local kids and playing in the woods or video games until our parents got home from work. It holds a special place, me and my friends were that crew.

The first thing that I noticed when I turned it on and played the intro was “Holy crap, was this made in Mario Paint?” the overworld graphics to me really didn’t wow me. The music was alright and the battles reminded me of Dragon Warrior, I’m alright with this. I explored Onett, grinded levels and went on my way. Once you get Paula the world really opens up, please at least play until there.

That being said, some nitpicking of the critique. Enemies actively flee from you after you clear out a dungeon. Battles are EASILY avoided, if you really don’t want to fight (You’ll pay for this eventually) you can always scroll the screen back and hope for a better situation. Status effects like the mushroom are unique, and part of the charm. Homesickness blows though, I understand why it’s there, but when you’re fighting a boss and Ness thinks about his mom and you die. Brutal.

The only other thing that I can think of is that you played Mother 3 before 2/EB. Mother 3 is so much more refined, I can see why you’d think Earthbound is barebones, or just not worth your time.

TLDR: Earthbound isn’t perfect, but I have the softest spot in my heart for it.

 

[Morts]

I played a good chunk of Earthbound for the first time last year up until

Spoiler

the player character changed (to Jeff?).

I wonder if I'll be able to refresh myself on what's going on enough to pick up from there.

 

[Boney]

Mother 3 is way more emotional and story-driven. Mother 2 is like a surreal take on Peanuts. Pleasant, witty, adventurous, fun. So yeah, if Mother 3 is a novel, Mother 2 is a collection of comic strips. Like, think of those flights of fancy sunday strips you'd see Calvin and Hobbes do, or Nemo in Slumberland. That's the tone they were going for.

Go in with that in mind and maybe you can enjoy it?

Ah that's a fantastic way of putting it!

 

[Griss]

Did you ever end up playing Mother 3? I recall thinking it'd solved most of the problems you had with EarthBound.

Nah, still haven't gotten around to it. Very little time for gaming these days, and the last two months I've been playing SMT IV and then Etrian Odssey IV, so those take time. When taking breaks I've been playing stuff like Rogue Legacy and OlliOlli2. No time for Mother 3

 

[curlyfriski]

Huh I found Mother 3 to be more of a slog. Still haven't beat it.

 

[Pizza]

I guess I'll keep on truckin' for a little bit.



That's the thing. I don't see no adventure, only just little quirkiness.



Another terrible game.

I'm playing through it now, keep trucking! I'm doing the twoson quests and just got a partner (finally)

This is after I died in a huge cave in happy happy valley after mistakenly thinking my partner was at the end of the cave. A bear jumped me before the boss and it made me literally unable to beat it.

Got my mission right on the second try, and now I realized I'm probably not supposed to do the cave for a bit.

Pack some Cold Medicine for Lil' UFO's.

 

[Team Filler]

I feel the opposite. I like EarthBound better for its more subtle and restrained tone. The devil was in the details as you explored the areas and "experienced" the unique tone and style of minimalistic storytelling. Then toward the end it throws a

Spoiler

bunch of curveballs to subvert not only the game you've been playing for the past 20 hours, but the entire RPG genre in the early 90s when this was released. It ended up being far deeper than it originally seemed, which ended up being the general theme of the story and characters through its entire game.

Mother 3, on the other hand, felt like every other RPG complete with overwrought drama. The tone was nowhere near the same as EB and it didn't try to replicate it. I guess In a sense it's better for the games to be their own thing and I appreciate M3 to try something new, but for me I VERY much preferred what EB tried to do.

Regarding your experience, your main issue is you're expecting a game similar to M3, which as I mentioned is not the case at all. You have to think of the games as two completely separate entities without one framing your expectation of the other. That's the mistake I made with M3 and it really hurt my experience of it.

I mostly agree with this, except that I ended up liking Mother3 almost as much because of how good the writing was, and how they didn't foolishly attemp to recreate the unique sense of bold adventurous spirit and satisfied wanderlust given by the Mother2 experience. I loved how Mother3 was made to be a more guided story, a beautifully written tale of growing up and struggling with an ever-changing perspective on the world around you, eventually overcoming that spiritual difficulty and finding peace with the tragedies of life.

Regardless of my preference, I consider 2 & 3 to be some of the greatest games ever created, and am baffled to hear that a person will love one while despising the other.

 

[DJIzana]

You played them in the wrong order.

Basically this. I absolutely loved Earthbound for its music, charm and dark themes behind a lighthearted aesthetic. The characters / stereotypes for how Japan saw America were also quite awesome.

I played Mother 3 after and was left with... sub par music but again, great characters and a great story. The battle system was great too (adding rhythm to do more damage). To each their own, I guess.

Edit: To me, I should add that music is a huge deal for me in games. If it doesn't have a memorable soundtrack (or other elements to at least make up for a memorable soundtrack) then I will generally forget about the game quickly.

Generally, titles with a memorable soundtrack have been games I've been more willing to replay years down the roads. One that haven't? I'll end up playing once and likely never go back to them.

 

[Chucker]

Dusty Dunes will be the great equalizer. I've seen a lot of playthroughs fizzle out there.

 

[Timeaisis]

Thanks for the Mother 3 spoilers.

Also, Earthbound does start out a little slow, but gets a lot better, in my opinion.

 

[Marjar]

I played about 8 hours of it, and yeah it's really not that great. It seems like one of those games that just hasn't stood the test of time. I love everything about it except the game itself, which is boring as hell.

 

[Nosgotham]

Wait til you get later in. Also save states

 

[Fandangox]

Nah, still haven't gotten around to it. Very little time for gaming these days, and the last two months I've been playing SMT IV and then Etrian Odssey IV, so those take time. When taking breaks I've been playing stuff like Rogue Legacy and OlliOlli2. No time for Mother 3

Whenever you get the time, don't know if you'll like it, but it really does change a lot from EarthBound while still being similar. I also appreciate how surpringsly detailed the minimalist spritework ended up being.

 

[Kodaman]

Use a guide. It vastly improved my experience.

 

[trifelife]

What in the fuck am I reading about Vagrant Story in this thread %)

I agree, having a hard time letting these blasphemous comments go. Some fools for the block list is all.