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LttP: EarthBound — Warm, weird, wonderful… and full of so much love! <3

Neiteio

Member
I&#8217;d like to share more screens I took but didn&#8217;t include in the OP, along with my thoughts on them:


eb-magicant02d9ubz.jpg
eb-magicant01vmu4a.jpg



Magicant was probably the toughest area in the game for me. In hindsight, it was also one of the coolest. Meeting dream versions of your mother, Tracy, Pokey, Master Belch and others, and exploring the short but surreal landscape was fascinating. You&#8217;re peering into Ness&#8217; psyche and learning something about yourself in the process.

But you&#8217;re deprived of your party members, so it&#8217;s quite challenging. I lost all of the Flying Men to the Loaded Dice and their reinforcements. But after a few attempts I powered through and made it to the quicksilver lake with the Krakens, sneaking past them by hugging the outskirts of the lake. Then I finally reached the island and confronted the Mani Mani Statue embodying Ness&#8217; inner evil. The way you &#8220;power up&#8221; upon vanquishing this evil is immensely satisfying. You really feel like you&#8217;re ready to fight Giygas.


eb-dalaam015su3m.jpg
eb-climb01fuuqv.jpg



Two shots from Dalaam. I interpreted this place as the EarthBound world&#8217;s equivalent of Tibet, and it made for a nice change of pace from the sun-bleached tourist trap of Summers. It&#8217;s a pleasant aside &#8212; the gilded gold palace with marble elephant statues, atop the cloud-wreathed mountain and its winding path through the village full of admiring women, down to the meditation spot (seen here with my whole party in tow).

I thoroughly enjoyed the music here, too.


eb-spirit01odu5k.jpg
eb-lostunderworld018yu1v.jpg



On the note of the meditation spot, I&#8217;d like to highlight (once again) the moment where you&#8217;re trying to meditate but a woman keeps interrupting to say you&#8217;re needed back at the palace. Each time you go back to the palace, it turns out you&#8217;re not needed and you&#8217;re told to resume your training. So you return to the meditation spot, only for the woman to reappear and insist you go back to the palace. The game never says it outright, but it&#8217;s suggested she&#8217;s an agent of Giygas trying to distract you from your destiny. It&#8217;s only when you ignore her and do nothing that the spirit of your ancestor appears after what feels like 30 seconds. Rather than doing what you&#8217;re told, you do the opposite&#8230; which is to do nothing at all, and that&#8217;s how you make progress.

You&#8217;re then asked to let the spirit do some horrible things to you &#8212; surprisingly violent acts that mortified me enough to say &#8220;No!&#8221; In this case, my gut instinct was to resist... but then I realized I had to allow it in order to make progress. It goes to show how effective the storytelling is that I felt protective of this prince I hardly knew. The game has a way of getting under your skin with its characterization, like when Paula is abducted at the mall and I truly worried for her safety. Of course, it turns out that the spirit dismembering you was all a dream, and the point of the exercise was transcending your earthly self and achieving true enlightenment.

The Lost Underworld was inventive in its own way. I was curious how they would convey the sheer scale of the dinosaurs rumored to live down there&#8230; and I was delighted to see the clever way they depicted my party as mere pixels, dwarfed by the sizable sprites of the dinosaurs. The fact you travel so slowly also conveys the sense that your party is traveling vast distances. Simple, but effective &#8212; like so many touches in this game!


eb-tubes01jque2.jpg
eb-brickroad01czur1.jpg



Seeing the spirit of Poo&#8217;s ancestor reminds me how creepy this game can be. Another unsettling moment was seeing your friends in the alien lab under Stonehenge. They&#8217;re trapped in tubes, up to their eyeballs in fluids, about to drown. Really sets the stakes before you face the leader of the Starmen in the next room.

And then there&#8217;s Brick Road, the dungeon designer who aspired to become a dungeon. He finally gets his wish and becomes Dungeon Man, the almighty walking tower&#8230; that easily gets entangled in a palm grove. But what I love is how his human face is now a fixture on the wall of the tower. He likes his new lot in life, but boy is he creepy, haha!


eb-dungeon02xdueq.jpg
eb-dungeon01g2u1w.jpg



Probably the best part of Dungeon Man was the collection of game design tips on bulletin boards you find throughout his body. From explaining why monsters appear in dungeons, to suggesting that you place useful items at the end of dead ends to reward players who explore off the beaten path, it&#8217;s another example of how self-aware EarthBound can be, and how happy it is to be a videogame. The fact that the massive Dungeon Man maintains his own collection of human-sized vehicles is also charming.


eb-poop0133u3u.jpg
eb-tanningpro01fpu80.jpg


eb-machinegun01rks08.jpg
eb-hips016wuuy.jpg



Speaking of charming, here are more examples of EarthBound&#8217;s playful sense of humor &#8212; from a scatological acronym, to a pro sunbather who tans his palms! Also, while I mentioned them in the OP, I wanted to share screens of a bodyguard&#8217;s not-so-subtle threat, and the elevator operator who thinks you&#8217;re staring at her butt. The people at the Monotoli Building made me chuckle with their standoffish behavior. EarthBound is certainly a side of Nintendo we don&#8217;t see too often!
 

boxter432

Member
Played it on WiiU last year but still need to beat it (I am veery close to the end)
Not ashamed I used Wii U save states quite often and cheesed magic butterflies and such. Game is pretty hard at spots. Charming as hell though.
 

antitrop

Member
Also, while I mentioned them in the OP, I wanted to share screens of a bodyguard&#8217;s not-so-subtle threat, and the elevator operator who thinks you&#8217;re staring at her butt. The people at the Monotoli Building made me chuckle with their standoffish behavior. EarthBound is certainly a side of Nintendo we don&#8217;t see too often!
If you find her again in the post-final battle sequence, she actually lets you stare at her hips.

Among many other things to find in the ending.
 

Neiteio

Member
Played it on WiiU last year but still need to beat it (I am veery close to the end)
Not ashamed I used Wii U save states quite often and cheesed magic butterflies and such. Game is pretty hard at spots. Charming as hell though.
Out of curiosity, which early area did you find hard? I'm guessing it was Peaceful Rest Valley, between Twoson and Happy-Happy Village. If so, I suggest buying multiple teddy bears from the department store at Twoson, and carrying a decent supply of hamburgers and cold remedies. Also, don't be afraid to make suicide runs for treasure, and to kite enemies around the trees in the field so that they can't touch you!

Yeah, EarthBound is behind only Chrono Trigger, for me. Along with FFVI, they form my SNES "Holy Trinity".
I only played the beginning of Chrono Trigger, but it seemed very promising indeed. That's one I'd like to revisit. I also played about half of FFVI before life got in the way. Another game I can tell is great but simply need to find time to finish.
 
There are pros and cons to each game in this series and they're all my babies. I love them all

Mother 1
Pros: Great soundtrack. Unsettling atmosphere that is welcoming and offputting at the same time. I can't quite place it, as it's probably the weirdest emotion I've felt. Never experienced anything quite like it.
Cons: Dated. Kind of barebones

Mother 2
Pros: Pure nostalgia. Love the suburban atmosphere. Great graphics. Awesome battle themes.
Cons: Middle section kind of isn't that good (specifically Summers, Scarabia and Deep Darkness).

Mother 3
Pros: Best core story in the game. Amazing cast of characters. Wonderful soundtrack over all. Cool setting. Amazing ending.
Cons: Not officially available in english (Though Let's be honest, Tomato's translation is a work of art and would probably be better than an official release due to some of the attention to detail with the EB localization). Fan translation is kind of glitchy (but by no means game breaking. Battle themes kind of suck. Chapter 7 feels kind of rushed (even though it is still pretty long)
 

antitrop

Member
Out of curiosity, which early area did you find hard? I'm guessing it was Peaceful Rest Valley, between Twoson and Happy-Happy Village. If so, I suggest buying multiple teddy bears from the department store at Twoson, and carrying a decent supply of hamburgers and cold remedies. Also, don't be afraid to make suicide runs for treasure, and to kite enemies around the trees in the field so that they can't touch you!

Also lots of walking off-screen of enemies until they disappear. That's how I get through most of Peaceful Rest Valley.
 

Neiteio

Member
If you find her again in the post-final battle sequence, she actually lets you stare at her hips.

Among many other things to find in the ending.
Ha, I saw that! I talked to every single NPC I could find before letting the credits roll. I really appreciate how they let you do a victory lap around the world before wrapping up.

Mother 2
Pros: Pure nostalgia. Love the suburban atmosphere. Great graphics. Awesome battle themes.
Cons: Middle section kind of isn't that good (specifically Summers, Scarabia and Deep Darkness).
Oh man, I love Scaraba and Deep Darkness. Pure pulp adventure!

Also lots of walking off-screen of enemies until they disappear. That's how I get through most of Peaceful Rest Valley.
Good tip! It's like they lose track of you and wander away. ;-)
 

boxter432

Member
Also lots of walking off-screen of enemies until they disappear. That's how I get through most of Peaceful Rest Valley.
Ha yeah, I did that a lot

Neitieo, not sure exact spots, but definitely angled around obstacles often to escape enemies especially if in packs. I just think I would struggle a little bit here and there if playing on an snes.
 

Neiteio

Member
A number of you have mentioned the great soundtrack to Mother 1. I wanted to share these covers I found on YouTube. They appear to be official products &#8212; you can order the album on PlayAsia. A few samples:

Polyanna (I Believe In You)
Eight Melodies
Bein' Friends

The lyrics are really good, too. Makes me happy! And it makes me inch closer to downloading EarthBound Beginnings on WiiU. It may be a bit dated and difficult, but I sense it's still a special game.
 
Those are from the official soundtrack. Pretty well known. There was a kickstarter a while back to get the rights for the US release.

Catherine Warwick is the female vocalist. Pollyanna is the best song on the album.
 

antitrop

Member
A number of you have mentioned the great soundtrack to Mother 1. I wanted to share these covers I found on YouTube. They appear to be official products &#8212; you can order the album on PlayAsia. A few samples:

Polyanna (I Believe In You)
Eight Melodies
Bein' Friends

The lyrics are really good, too. Makes me happy! And it makes me inch closer to downloading EarthBound Beginnings on WiiU. It may be a bit dated and difficult, but I sense it's still a special game.

Your mention of Eight Melodies reminds me of the amazing japanese TV commercial for Mother 1.

And this fan video for Pollyanna (appropriated to EarthBound)

Something I think you'll find amusing, as well, Ness is actually naked (except for his baseball cap!) in Magicant in Mother 2, instead of wearing his PJs.

QU99Co7.png
 
I love this game. I only played it for the first time a few years ago, but it instantly clicked.

One of my favorite things about this game is the way it frames its theme of growing up with the gameplay itself. It presents the world as a large, varied place that absolutely has dangers and roadblocks, but that these aren't insurmountable. You may get hurt, you may even fall (to an enemy in gameplay terms), but if you try it again, maybe a little differently, you find that you had the ability to overcome those obstacles all along. EarthBound says that the world isn't too dangerous for you, but you have to go out there and find out for yourself. You start in your home, and your hometown, and that might seem more than enough for you, but if you venture out and keep your friends close, and use your wits, you'll see that you'll grow into a person who can handle it. You find that people are people no matter where you go. They may take different forms and sizes, but they have the same concerns, hopes and troubles that most people do. And there's a way to relate to all of them. As you go through the game, you journey to different parts of the world and see that you can find a little sanctuary for yourself wherever you go. It's vast - but so are you, really.

Mother_2_and_Earthbound_Fanart_by_Mastershambler.png


As for Porky, a fan theory that I personally subscribe to is that he's the end result of Giygas's evil. Giygas throughout the course of the game becomes a monster, and retreats into the past and transforms into an archetypal evil - more of a pure idea of evil than an actual person (due to the loss of his mind). Porky could be what this evil becomes if given time to grow and evolve. That instead of becoming stronger, evil and hatred actually gets smaller, baser. It becomes wrapped in itself and turns inward. It becomes petty, jealous, mean, and childish. And the end result is pitiable, because while it's still dangerous and threatening, it somehow seems so small and limited. This great cosmic evil is comparable to, and at its core is an angry little child without courage and without friends. It's what happens when you don't grow up.
 
I've always seen Pokey as the apprentice to Giygas in the same manner Ness was to Buzz Buzz. The difference is Pokey didn't actually learn PSI from Giygas (probably because he has no talent for it like Jeff) but instead picked up on his evil qualities and it also magnified his own evil.

I always like to think Ness had respect for Buzz Buzz and how crucial his coming back in time, giving Ness the sound stone, and also giving him kind, reassuring words were.
 
I've always seen Pokey as the apprentice to Giygas in the same manner Ness was to Buzz Buzz. The difference is Pokey didn't actually learn PSI from Giygas (probably because he has no talent for it like Jeff) but instead picked up on his evil qualities and it also magnified his own evil.

No doubt that that was more or less their relationship. I was speaking thematically.
 

L Thammy

Member
The OST is consistently great. Who composed this soundtrack, and what else have they worked on?

Hip Tanaka and Keiichi Suzuki.

Hip Tanaka you may know already. He handled the music on the original Metroid, Dr. Mario, Kid Icarus, Balloon Fight, etc. If not Metroid, I think what's he's best known for is arranging the music for the NES and Gameboy versions of Tetris.

Keiichi Suzuki isn't a video game guy, he's a musician who used to be in a band called Moon Riders. I haven't been able to find out much about them (admittedly I haven't tried recently) but they're #68 in this old HMV Japan list of top Japanese musicians, so I assume they had to have been fairly popular or influential over there. He also does soundtracks for some movies, including a Zatoichi reboot.

If you like Dalaam's music, you'll probably be interested in hearing this. Suzuki actually released the MP3 when he was contacted by an EarthBound fan because he was amazed that people outside of Japan had heard of him.
 

Neiteio

Member
Something I think you'll find amusing, as well, Ness is actually naked (except for his baseball cap!) in Magicant in Mother 2, instead of wearing his PJs.

QU99Co7.png
I love this! Ness is cute in his jammies, but nakey Ness is just adorable! :-3

I love this game. I only played it for the first time a few years ago, but it instantly clicked.

One of my favorite things about this game is the way it frames its theme of growing up with the gameplay itself. It presents the world as a large, varied place that absolutely has dangers and roadblocks, but that these aren't insurmountable. You may get hurt, you may even fall (to an enemy in gameplay terms), but if you try it again, maybe a little differently, you find that you had the ability to overcome those obstacles all along. EarthBound says that the world isn't too dangerous for you, but you have to go out there and find out for yourself. You start in your home, and your hometown, and that might seem more than enough for you, but if you venture out and keep your friends close, and use your wits, you'll see that you'll grow into a person who can handle it. You find that people are people no matter where you go. They may take different forms and sizes, but they have the same concerns, hopes and troubles that most people do. And there's a way to relate to all of them. As you go through the game, you journey to different parts of the world and see that you can find a little sanctuary for yourself wherever you go. It's vast - but so are you, really.

Mother_2_and_Earthbound_Fanart_by_Mastershambler.png


As for Porky, a fan theory that I personally subscribe to is that he's the end result of Giygas's evil. Giygas throughout the course of the game becomes a monster, and retreats into the past and transforms into an archetypal evil - more of a pure idea of evil than an actual person (due to the loss of his mind). Porky could be what this evil becomes if given time to grow and evolve. That instead of becoming stronger, evil and hatred actually gets smaller, baser. It becomes wrapped in itself and turns inward. It becomes petty, jealous, mean, and childish. And the end result is pitiable, because while it's still dangerous and threatening, it somehow seems so small and limited. This great cosmic evil is comparable to, and at its core is an angry little child without courage and without friends. It's what happens when you don't grow up.
Lovely interpretation of one of the game's themes, Beren. :)

Hip Tanaka and Keiichi Suzuki.

Hip Tanaka you may know already. He handled the music on the original Metroid, Dr. Mario, Kid Icarus, Balloon Fight, etc. If not Metroid, I think what's he's best known for is arranging the music for the NES and Gameboy versions of Tetris.

Keiichi Suzuki isn't a video game guy, he's a musician who used to be in a band called Moon Riders. I haven't been able to find out much about them (admittedly I haven't tried recently) but they're #68 in this old HMV Japan list of top Japanese musicians, so I assume they had to have been fairly popular or influential over there. He also does soundtracks for some movies, including a Zatoichi reboot.

If you like Dalaam's music, you'll probably be interested in hearing this. Suzuki actually released the MP3 when he was contacted by an EarthBound fan because he was amazed that people outside of Japan had heard of him.
Ah yes, I'm familiar with Hip Tanaka. Didn't know about the collaborator, though. The OST is so good... It comes within reach of Wise's god-tier work on DKC2, I'd say, and perhaps matches it depending on how I'm feeling. High praise indeed!
 
Excellent write-ups(same can be said about other posters in this thread as well).

I didn't grow up on any RPG but when I did start getting into RPGS and going back to the 16bit era, Earthbound was one of the first I gravitated towards. Like you though, it took me a while to really dive in, but it was actually playing through Mother 3 that made me go back and thoroughly play the game to completion.

Yeah, I finished Mother 3 before 2 weirdly enough, and the former ended up being one of my favorites of all-time, and my favorite of the series. I think the characters, and the way the story plays out is a notch above.
 
A number of you have mentioned the great soundtrack to Mother 1. I wanted to share these covers I found on YouTube. They appear to be official products — you can order the album on PlayAsia. A few samples:

Polyanna (I Believe In You)
Eight Melodies
Bein' Friends

The lyrics are really good, too. Makes me happy! And it makes me inch closer to downloading EarthBound Beginnings on WiiU. It may be a bit dated and difficult, but I sense it's still a special game.

There was actually a Kickstarter to release vinyl/CD copies for that album in America! I think they're still selling the vinyls, but the CDs were only a backer reward (the case is next to me right now!)

By the way, the best Melee arrangement was based off one of those songs.
 

Neiteio

Member
There was actually a Kickstarter to release vinyl/CD copies for that album in America! I think they're still selling the vinyls, but the CDs were only a backer reward (the case is next to me right now!)

By the way, the best Melee arrangement was based off one of those songs.
How does one Kickstart such a thing? Doesn't Nintendo ultimately have the final say on when, where, and how their official merchandise releases?

BTW, I hope someone has that Pollyanna animated video archived somewhere. It would be terrible if it disappeared from YouTube. :-(
 

Neiteio

Member
I need to finish this game. Ran out of motivation for some reason.

Just got to Fourside. Not sure exactly where to go.
If I recall correctly, you should go to the Topolla Theater, where you will find a familiar band in a familiar situation. And perhaps you can go back to the desert and find someone who can help them out of that situation. Note you can take a bus back to the desert via the signpost at the start of town. It will drop you off en route to Threed.
 
If I recall correctly, you should go to the Topolla Theater, where you will find a familiar band in a familiar situation. And perhaps you can go back to the desert and find someone who can help them out of that situation. Note you can take a bus back to the desert via the signpost at the start of town. It will drop you off en route to Threed.

is it the dude with the monkeys in the hole?

the weird sentences this game makes you say.
 

Neiteio

Member
is it the dude with the monkeys in the hole?

the weird sentences this game makes you say.
If you just arrived in Fourside, you need to help pay off the Runaway Five's debts (again) by going back to the gold prospector at Dusty Dunes.

Once you've talked to the people at theater, including the manager, there will now be a crowd gathered at the gold mine and you can go inside. It's a maze-like dungeon that seems large but is actually rather compact; you'll seek out and defeat five moles. Then when you leave the mines and head back to Fourside, one of the miners will stop you on the bridge and give you a diamond you can use to pay off the debts of the Runaway Five.

You will go seek out the guru and his monkeys in the desert, but that's a little later. It's also tied to something that happens in Fourside. Now -that- quest will have you stringing together some odd sentences. Sentences involving, say, a trout-flavored yogurt dispenser!
 

antitrop

Member
Once you've talked to the people at theater, including the manager, there will now be a crowd gathered at the gold mine and you can go inside. It's a maze-like dungeon that seems large but is actually rather compact; you'll seek out and defeat five moles. Then when you leave the mines and head back to Fourside, one of the miners will stop you on the bridge and give you a diamond you can use to pay off the debts of the Runaway Five.
One of the toughest dungeons in the entire game. Good thing they put the Exit Mice in there.
 
How does one Kickstart such a thing? Doesn't Nintendo ultimately have the final say on when, where, and how their official merchandise releases?

BTW, I hope someone has that Pollyanna animated video archived somewhere. It would be terrible if it disappeared from YouTube. :-(

There are two interviews describing the whole process. Just remembered they also did the Mother 2 soundtrack too. Super fascinating stuff.
 

Neiteio

Member
One of the toughest dungeons in the entire game. Good thing they put the Exit Mice in there.
I'd say it seems tough, at first, but the key thing to remember is there are only two floors and many of the paths interconnect. If you look at the intersection where you meet the Exit Mice (which can be found by going left on the first floor of the maze), you can take each of the paths from that intersection and find different moles.
 

TheSloth

Member
I don't care how late you are to this party, IT'S ALWAYS GONNA BE BANGIN'!!!

Literally my favorite game ever. Will have to buy it on VC. I can't even remember how many playthroughs I've had with this game. God. DAMN.

Magicant thoroughly fucked with my head. I still have dreams about that place. Literally, I find myself stuck in that weird place in my dreams sometimes. Except they're not always dreams... sometimes they're nightmares... FUCK. mani mani has made me trip out in my dreams many a time. Peering into the darkness of humanity's soul can screw you up a little...
 

Hazmat

Member
Almost every one of the great SNES games from my childhood has faded a little and is a little less special each time I replay it. Earthbound is the exception; it gets better every time.

I'm wrapping up an old Wii U playthrough (so I can justify buying it for n3DS). There's an enemy in Magicant called French Kiss of Death. You're playing as an adolescent boy fighting the negative part of his psyche's fear of his first kiss. Sublime and perfect.
 

Fandangox

Member
Thinking about still can't decide at my favorite part was, for other RPGS I loved just as much like Xenoblade, TWEWY, Thousand Year Door, and Mother 3, I can pinpoint the exact highs and lows, but EarthBound is kind of a just amazingly consistent weird adventure.
 

Neiteio

Member
Thinking about still can't decide at my favorite part was, for other RPGS I loved just as much like Xenoblade, TWEWY, Thousand Year Door, and Mother 3, I can pinpoint the exact highs and lows, but EarthBound is kind of a just amazingly consistent weird adventure.
Yeah, same here. The game is just one well-paced parade of memorable moments and satisfying scenarios.

From an adventure standpoint, I like the progression from Toto and Scaraba through Deep Darkness to Tenda Village and Lost Underworld. From a storytelling standpoint, I like the towns, cities, and villages &#8212; Onett, Twoson, Threed, Fourside, Happy-Happy Village, Saturn Valley, etc. I like the scene changes with Jeff in Winters and Poo in Dalaam, and the diversion of Dusty Dunes and Summers. Winters and Dusty Dunes are probably the best compression of the game's endearing weirdness, with one "that's so EarthBound" moment after another.

And then there's something to be said for the dungeons, with my favorite probably being Belch Base at Grapefruit Falls. I keep thinking back to Magicant, as well. The final dungeon also had great buildup to the showdown with Giygas.

It's almost kind of frustrating how hard it is to distill the game to favorite moments. I just love the entire game.
 
Missed this game in my youth. Not long ago re-assembled my SNES collection and made sure to pick this up. Playing thru Chrono Trigger for the first time now, Earthbound next.
 

Neiteio

Member
Listening to the Mother 1 vocal album, I wonder what other official (and unofficial) merchandise is out there. And watching the animated video for Pollyanna, I wonder what other great fan tributes I haven't seen. Playing through EarthBound has opened a whole new world to me!
 

Makonero

Member
Listening to the Mother 1 vocal album, I wonder what other official (and unofficial) merchandise is out there. And watching the animated video for Pollyanna, I wonder what other great fan tributes I haven't seen. Playing through EarthBound has opened a whole new world to me!
Have you been to Fangamer? They have lots of Earthbound stuff. They spun off of Starmen.net and have awesome shirts.
 

Neiteio

Member
Have you been to Fangamer? They have lots of Earthbound stuff. They spun off of Starmen.net and have awesome shirts.
Yeah, I took a peek at their stuff. Nothing really caught my eye, but I wonder if I'm seeing the whole selection. I ran a search for "EarthBound" and "Mother" but it seems a bit limited for a site that spun off of starmen.net.

Off-hand, I think I'd like merch based on Master Belch. That guy cracks me up!
 

Fou-Lu

Member
All the merch I've gotten from Fangamer is GREAT! I have a Courage Badge Keychain, the Sharks hoodie and the 199X t-shirt. I want to get more.

Shirts:
Desert Bus 9
Dungeon Man
Ness's shirt
Giygas
Sharks
EB Yourself
EB'9X
Lucas's shirt
Chosen Four
Runaway Five
Mach Pizza
PSI Rockin

Hoodies:
Sharks
Snow Wood Academy
Starman

Hats:
Ness's Hat
Shark Beanie

Socks:
Ness socks

Other:
Yoyo
Escargo Express Messenger Bag
Mother 3 Handbook
Courage Badge Keychain
Franklin Pin
Starman Pin
Sticker Pack
Hometown Pins
You are now Earthbound stuff

They also have figures but they are all sold out. Lots of posters too!
 
Yeah, I took a peek at their stuff. Nothing really caught my eye, but I wonder if I'm seeing the whole selection. I ran a search for "EarthBound" and "Mother" but it seems a bit limited for a site that spun off of starmen.net.

Off-hand, I think I'd like merch based on Master Belch. That guy cracks me up!

Oh, it exists!
 

Shmuppers

Member
I always come back to this game at least once a year for that nostalgic feeling that you're describing. Such a beautiful, refreshing game.

Wait until you play Mother 3! Or have you already?
 

Neiteio

Member
I'm still blown away by the animated Pollyanna video. It'd be awesome if Project PK Flash made another one!

Oh man, the Belch plush in the first link is perfect. <3

I always come back to this game at least once a year for that nostalgic feeling that you're describing. Such a beautiful, refreshing game.

Wait until you play Mother 3! Or have you already?
No, haven't played Mother 3. Hoping we'll see a localization announcement this year at E3, as per the rumors it's coming and the way they released Beginnings at that time last year.

Imagine them dropping a Mother 3 bombshell at this year's Nintendo World Championships (or other promotional event).
 

Neiteio

Member
Sorry to triple-post, but I still feel like talking about this series!

I was trying to scratch the itch left by EarthBound and did an image search for enemies in Mother 3, when I came across this amazing specimen &#8212; The Natural Killer Cyborg:

3087526246_225b23a5827wpat.jpg



This... design... is... AMAZING. A pincer-clawed spider-pig brainiac!

AHH, this makes me want to play Mother 3 BADLY. But I have no idea how one goes about doing that in English. And more to the point, it's entirely possible Nintendo may announce and release a localized version this June.

But man, that design pegs my meter. It's whacky, it's creepy, it's cool. It's EarthBound!

Any other standout enemy designs in Mother 3? I don't mind seeing them early. :)
 

trixx

Member
The game has a ton of charm for sure. Had some issues namely with item management, status effects and very difficult battles (random enemy encounters) in the latter portion of the game. Running usually doesn't work so battles become a nuisance .

Still the game is so atypical that you just fall in love with it.
 
Sorry to triple-post, but I still feel like talking about this series!

I was trying to scratch the itch left by EarthBound and did an image search for enemies in Mother 3, when I came across this amazing specimen — The Natural Killer Cyborg:

3087526246_225b23a5827wpat.jpg



This... design... is... AMAZING. A pincer-clawed spider-pig brainiac!

AHH, this makes me want to play Mother 3 BADLY. But I have no idea how one goes about doing that in English. And more to the point, it's entirely possible Nintendo may announce and release a localized version this June.

But man, that design pegs my meter. It's whacky, it's creepy, it's cool. It's EarthBound!

Any other standout enemy designs in Mother 3? I don't mind seeing them early. :)

Oh man, wait until you hear its theme. One of Shogo Sakai's best.

Mother 3 probably has my favorite enemy deigns in the series. The Negative Man is an obvious pick, but the Chimera fusions are a delight. I can think of a couple others but they're best saved as surprises.
 

leroidys

Member
Sorry to triple-post, but I still feel like talking about this series!

I was trying to scratch the itch left by EarthBound and did an image search for enemies in Mother 3, when I came across this amazing specimen &#8212; The Natural Killer Cyborg:

3087526246_225b23a5827wpat.jpg



This... design... is... AMAZING. A pincer-clawed spider-pig brainiac!

AHH, this makes me want to play Mother 3 BADLY. But I have no idea how one goes about doing that in English. And more to the point, it's entirely possible Nintendo may announce and release a localized version this June.

But man, that design pegs my meter. It's whacky, it's creepy, it's cool. It's EarthBound!

Any other standout enemy designs in Mother 3? I don't mind seeing them early. :)

Oh, only all of them. e.g.

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Neiteio

Member
Oh man, those enemies look inspired! I'm guessing hybrids are a recurring motif in Mother 3? I see a shark combined with a kangaroo, a swine combined with a flower, etc. And the Negative Man looks so sad. :-O

I wonder what the English name would be for Mother 3. Do you think they'd simply call the game EarthBound 2? EarthBound Endings? Or maybe even EarthBound Goodbyes?
 

leroidys

Member
Oh man, those enemies look inspired! I'm guessing hybrids are a recurring motif in Mother 3? I see a shark combined with a kangaroo, a swine combined with a flower, etc. And the Negative Man looks so sad. :-O

I wonder what the English name would be for Mother 3. Do you think they'd simply call the game EarthBound 2? EarthBound Endings? Or maybe even EarthBound Goodbyes?

Yeah, it's an overarching theme of the natural world made unnatural, as seen in the logo combining metal and wood. I'm sure they'll stick with the Earthbound name. Maybe even Earthbound 2 (3?)
 

Krammy

Member
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Mother 3 is pretty cool, but I still prefer 1 and 2 over it.

Also, I wish that they had left Threed as Threek. I don't know why they changed it.
 

Neiteio

Member
Haha, the Barrier Trio look amazing. XD

Man, thinking about Mother 3's prospects in the West, it seems like a no-brainer to localize. First, consider how EarthBound is reportedly one of the best-selling eShop titles &#8212; not just on the WiiU and N3DS Virtual Consoles, but the eShop in general. And I imagine Beginnings is up there, too.

Next, consider the free advertising provided by Lucas in Brawl on Wii and Smash for 3DS/WiiU (complete with his own amiibo!). And then consider how the cost of localizing Mother 3 is minimal compared to the cost of original eShop titles like Pushmo or Dillon's Rolling Western that have to be made from the ground up. In terms of the return on investment, it seems like the profit margins for a localized Mother 3 would be HUGE.

There's also the massive positive publicity to be gained from such a goodwill gesture to the fans. A "Year of Miracles" sort of scenario.

Just my armchair analysis of the situation. Emily Rogers has already indicated it's coming to the west this year, so hopefully she's staking her reputation on solid evidence. The rest of the rumor mill chimed in, as well. It seems that Mother 3 is coming... I just want to know for sure!
 
I keep thinking back to Magicant, as well.

Magicant stays with you in a weird way. After having played the original Mother, where Magicant is a location that you can get back to anytime you want from a rather early point in the game (and it's a good place to go since you can heal and pick up items there), it's even weirder. It feels so very alien and yet so very comforting at the same time. They somehow made surreal seem cozy (as opposed to Moonside, which is cool, but I wouldn't want to stay there for a long time), and that's a hell of an accomplishment.
 
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