The MOTHER Series Topic (No Crying Until The Lock)

[Gabz Girl]

Now THAT I did not expect holy shit Mother 1 in English at last~

Omfg this means they might release Mother 3 on Wii U Virtual Console soon too!

[Eitarou]

It's goddamn amazing how Nintendo can win E3 by doing what amounts to releasing 26-year old game.

Now how 'bout Mother 3, maybe?

[Agie]

...I gotta admit. I did a wild take when I saw that.

 

I kean, I wanted it to happen, but I wasn't expecting it! I am glad I was wrong about it not coming.

[Celestia]

Earthbound 2 announcement during the presentation. It's gonna happen.......okay they might wait a while, which is fine, but I'm certain it's at least in the works. I'm curious to see if EB Beginning changes anything about the game or if it's just a straight port. I'm assuming the latter, but it would be nice to see some changes, considering some of the issues I've heard about Mother 1.

 

EDIT:

 

OH HEY here's Itoi talkin a bit about the series and Earthbound Beginning and stuff:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5Al88tCCjM

 

I...

I'm crying a little

a lot, actually

Edited June 14, 2015 by Celestia

[Teoskaven]

Obligatory (spoilered 'cause it's 3 gifs):

 

 

 

 

 

Btw, PEGI 3? A Mother/Earthbound with PEGI 3?

 

 

In all fairness though, it's great that the game is getting a proper western release after all this time.

[Dobkeratops]

The first MOTHER is the best in my opinion. Super emotional and charming, makes you look at 2's end boss in a completely different way. Here's hoping people don't get put off by its super archaic mechanics tho (combat and progression are horribly broken).

 

Also the original Eight Melodies >>>> Earthbound's. This is not an opinion, this is a scientific fact.

[Radiant Hero Ike]

Oh, you guys got a Pegi 3? It's Teen over here. Violent references, suggestive themes and crude humor iirc

What suggestive themes are in this one? I know there was some prostitute (implied) in EarthBound, but I didn't think the first one would have that.

[Conando]

I'm honestly surprised and delighted that MOTHER has finally be released here. It's a little rough around the edges, but anyone who liked one of the other 2 should give it a go. It actually is closer in story and emotion to 3 than EarthBound, actually. It's still definitely weird, though.

[Tailikku]

Oh, you guys got a Pegi 3? It's Teen over here. Violent references, suggestive themes and crude humor iirc

What suggestive themes are in this one? I know there was some prostitute (implied) in EarthBound, but I didn't think the first one would have that.

Remember the Fallin' Love theme?

 

The OST made it sound like the BGM to a porn film

 

There's also the enemies Kelly, Nancy, and Juana, who have noticable breasts, despite being robots.

 

And of course, Giygas was created from one of Itoi's childhood traumas where he mistook murder for rape in an adult film

[Dr. Mechano]

Oh, you guys got a Pegi 3? It's Teen over here. Violent references, suggestive themes and crude humor iirc

What suggestive themes are in this one? I know there was some prostitute (implied) in EarthBound, but I didn't think the first one would have that.

There's an NPC who can buy Ninten alcohol in the game. Unlike EarthBound, it wasn't changed to "coffee" here. If you accept it, you'll actually get arrested, and the police will confiscate all your weapons. It's a totally optional scene, but I'm going to point to "underage drinking" as the likeliest reason for the game's rating.

[Sonictrainer]

I've been playing EarthBound Beginnings for awhile now and I noticed that enemies can learn offensive PK attacks before I do.

[Emperor Robrainiac]

I bought Earthbound on the Wii U a few months ago and I have to say... I'm... kinda mixed on it.

 

To start off with the positives...

 

the artstyle kinda reminds me of the Newpaper comics like Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes. Hell, there's even an NPC who looks exactly like Pigpen from the former. The overall tone on the other really feels like it would belong in a Studio Laika film, bright and colorful, but very twisted at the same time.  The way you acquire credits in this game is unusual, but actually very handy at certain times. Go up to an ATM, grab as much as you want, and you can get cash pretty fast.

 

At times I'll get a good laugh out of fighting a New Age Retro Hippie or fighting a "Ferocious bear," who actually looks very cuddly. Then you have one of those monster watchers talking like he's seeing the monster coming... only to find out that he needed to fart.

 

The negatives? 

 

The gameplay is so boring. I play a lot of RPGs, and the battles, aside from the enemies you fight, are just feel so generic. If I wasn't such a stickler for running into every enemy when I play RPGs, I would find myself trying to avoid them.  In addition, there is a lot of "Where the hell do I go Moments." I'm not asking for my hand to be held, but I don't generally like having to wander around cities looking for where I need to go next. 

 

And sometimes the humor is kinda hit and miss. There's moments where the jokes will make me go, "What?" such as the ruler Item, which, and correct if I'm wrong, is only there just for a joke. Then there was the Item that simply "clapped" before breaking, while amusing for the first few seconds, just got me stumped as what to do next.

 

The characters aren't doing much for me so far, but to be fair, I've only just gotten Jeff, So I think there still may be time for them to grow on me.

 

In conclusion, Earthbound is far from being a bad game, but once again, my unusual curse to not like anything that's universally praised strikes again. And I wont deny the inspiration it struck on many people... A lot of horror RPGS, like OFF and Yume Nikki cite Earthbound as an inspiration, and I think Andrew Hussie said that the tone and artstyle of Earthbound was one of the main insparations behind inspired Homestuck.

 

But in the end, after all the hype everyone gives it, I'm kinda underwhelmed.

[Solly]

ignore this

[Junko]

IGN reviewed Earthbound Beginnings. 65 out of 100.

The Verdict

I wish there weren’t so much tedious combat filler in the long wanderings between bright points in this intriguing, amusing story. Earthbound Beginnings feels like a massive, unparsed prototype for its legendary successor, with a “kitchen sink” design philosophy that reflects too many ideas and not enough balancing. It makes the experience an uneven one, but there’s such a zest to the world and story that it’s worth powering through.

Summary

6.5 - Okay

• +Charming story
• +Beautiful score
• +Quirky unpredictability
• – Incessant Grinding
• – Seriously, way too much grinding

Earthbound Beginnings is a charming, funny RPG mired by terrible pacing issues.

[sonicgirl313]

There's an NPC who can buy Ninten alcohol in the game. Unlike EarthBound, it wasn't changed to "coffee" here. If you accept it, you'll actually get arrested, and the police will confiscate all your weapons. It's a totally optional scene, but I'm going to point to "underage drinking" as the likeliest reason for the game's rating.

I died laughing when I got that scene but then that quickly turned into anger when I had to buy back the bat. Good thing I was already insanely rich from all the grinding I did just to get Ana to a decent defense level.

IGN reviewed Earthbound Beginnings. 65 out of 100.

So in other words they can shorten their review to this, Earthbound Beginnings 6.5 - Too much Grinding.

[Graystripe2000]

You know that tent glitch in Earthbound? Yeah. Gamr13 just showed why you should be careful with it. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gFBUUiUrIu4

[Doctor MK]

So, I've had a bit of a funny relationship with the Mother series over the years. EarthBound specifically, as I've never played the other two.

My first introduction to the series was, as with most people, through Ness in Super Smash Bros Melee - I thought he was an interesting enough character, but I had no idea where he was from and the only memorable thing about him at the time was the fact that I could get a cheap laugh from there being a shop selling "drugs" in the Onett stage. Over time I got to find out a bit more about EarthBound itself, about its legacy, and how I was probably never ever going to be able to play it.

And then, in a holy light of majesty, it arrived on the Wii U Virtual Console and I downloaded it in an instant - just who was this enigmatic character from Smash Bros, and what gave this game such a legacy?

So I booted it up, I played through the opening with Buzz Buzz and the meteor... and I stopped. I don't know why. The intro was intriguing, for sure, but something about the game just didn't hook me. Maybe I was too used to flashier, less abstract RPGs at the time, but I failed to get anywhere past Onett.

And so the game went ignored for a long, long time. I think I tried it again briefly in the interim, again to no avail.

Then, after the recent passing of Mr. Iwata and discovering that he played a huge role in the game's development, I felt compelled to finally go back and give EarthBound the proper chance it deserved, in memory of a great man. So I psyched myself up, buckled myself down, and got stuck in for real.

This is where I was a week ago...

...and this is where I was tonight...

Simply put? I am so glad I took the time to play through EarthBound. It's so fresh, unique, bizarre... whatever was holding me back from enjoying it originally had completely vanished and I could fully appreciate the game in all its quirky glory. It's so very different to any other RPG out there, and it's all the better for it. I'm finding it difficult to describe the game as anything less than a masterpiece, and its legacy stands as a true testament to Mr. Iwata's creative genius.

It wasn't a flawless game - there were definitely times where I had no idea what to do next, and the quest can become rather frustrating at times - but it's worth muddling through because the charm and the personality shines through like nothing else. I mean, this is a game where one of the bosses is a giant pile of vomit with eyeballs called Master Belch - what's not to love?!

What next then... I doubt I'll be picking up EarthBound Beginnings in a hurry, not because I don't want to play it but because I feel it'd be a step backwards from EarthBound now, and I think I've had quite enough zaniness for the time being. If Mother 3 ever hits Europe though, I'd be very tempted to give it a shot.

[Emperor Robrainiac]

*Sigh* Another person finds this game to be a masterpiece while I'm just a stick in the mud, sitting here still playing and wondering what is it that's so incredible about this game. I mean, I got past Master Belch and I'm still finding the game to be a chore to go through. The charm of the artstyle just isn't enough to keep me going.  

I gotta ask, to those who actually like the game... What is it that kept you guys going on it? I mean, I've had some people admit that the gameplay isn't that great, and yet there was something about it that was keeping them going. What am I missing here?

I really want to love this game, I really do. But with all the hype that everyone gives it, some even going as far as to call it the greatest game of all time, I have to say I'm feeling very underwhelmed with what I'm playing so far.

 

Edited August 13, 2015 by Emperor Robrainiac

[Sean]

You don't have to victimize yourself every time you dislike something you perceived to be enjoyed by the majority. It's called personal taste.

[Emperor Robrainiac]

You don't have to victimize yourself every time you dislike something you perceived to be enjoyed by the majority. It's called personal taste.

If you mean "victimize" as in trying to make other people look bad, I wasn't trying to do so nor did I have the intention of trying to make anyone look bad  I just hate the fact that I, myself can't enjoy anything other people like. Let's face it, I hate my personal tastes.

I could go on, but I feel like I'm already going off topic so I'll just  apologize if I came across as rude or blaming other people for my interests and disinterests. Just disregard the question and enjoy the game. If you like Earthbound, then more power to you.

Edited August 13, 2015 by Emperor Robrainiac

[JaidynReiman]

*Sigh* Another person finds this game to be a masterpiece while I'm just a stick in the mud, sitting here still playing and wondering what is it that's so incredible about this game. I mean, I got past Master Belch and I'm still finding the game to be a chore to go through. The charm of the artstyle just isn't enough to keep me going.  

I gotta ask, to those who actually like the game... What is it that kept you guys going on it? I mean, I've had some people admit that the gameplay isn't that great, and yet there was something about it that was keeping them going. What am I missing here?

I really want to love this game, I really do. But with all the hype that everyone gives it, some even going as far as to call it the greatest game of all time, I have to say I'm feeling very underwhelmed with what I'm playing so far.

 

Honestly I feel the same way. I played the game years ago on emulator and I just didn't care for it that much. I didn't care for the gameplay and the story was meh. And I LOVE RPG's.

 

I still got it again and I'll play through it, but... yeah I just didn't enjoy it all that much.

[Sean]

Yeah there you go again! Like I'm sorry that I'm coming off as kinda rude right now, but I see you act like this all the time and I seriously don't get why. You say you hate your tastes in things and I'm like... why?? It's just a video game. If your opinions include genuinely wretched beliefs like "I hate certain racial/sexuality/gender minorities" then yes you should be ashamed for having such harmful opinions, but no it literally is just you not liking a video game a lot of other people like and you treat it like it's a travesty.

It's not just you I see do this, I think a lot of people on this forum have this same victimization complex and it drives me crazy.

[MegasonicZX]

*Sigh* Another person finds this game to be a masterpiece while I'm just a stick in the mud, sitting here still playing and wondering what is it that's so incredible about this game. I mean, I got past Master Belch and I'm still finding the game to be a chore to go through. The charm of the artstyle just isn't enough to keep me going.  

I gotta ask, to those who actually like the game... What is it that kept you guys going on it? I mean, I've had some people admit that the gameplay isn't that great, and yet there was something about it that was keeping them going. What am I missing here?

I really want to love this game, I really do. But with all the hype that everyone gives it, some even going as far as to call it the greatest game of all time, I have to say I'm feeling very underwhelmed with what I'm playing so far.

 

I probably wouldn't beat myself over it if I were you, I personally think the game is okay (the story and music is great) but its pretty average/below average when compared to other RPG's and if you want something really great i'd rather recommend mother 3 because it handles everything a whole lot better than earthbound (and especially mother 1 if what I hear is anything to go by). So yeah, don't beat yourself up over it because its not really an amazing game by any means (I have no problem with anybody who does think this though) and i'd personally just recommend watching a lets play or something if you're curious about the rest of it because it only gets somewhat better from where your at and it doesn't improve anymore than that.

[Doctor MK]

Honestly, as much as I enjoyed EarthBound and feel able to sing its praises like I did above, I can also totally understand why someone might not be able to get into it. Heck, as I say myself, it took me at least 2 or 3 attempts at getting through the introduction before I fully got stuck in.

At first, yeah, the whole thing definitely is unintuitive and - as much as being unique and original is part of what makes the game stand out - it also makes it less accessible and easy to get to grips with. The main thing that stuck out to me throughout the experience was the charm and personality that the game oozes in its world and its writing, not so much the gameplay itself, which is often a bit clunky and hampered by archaic design choices (seriously, screw the limited inventory space). I will happily admit that a lot of the time I sat with a walkthrough close to hand, purely because I've got a lot of other stuff going on at the moment and wanted to save time that I might otherwise be aimlessly wandering around, but it definitely proved useful and I feel I would have been very lost without it at certain points. And the combat certainly wasn't without its frustrations either - the rolling HP meter is a stroke of genius, but a good handful of enemies were just plain annoying and persistent.

So yeah, there's absolutely no shame in not loving EarthBound - not everyone is going to like the zaniness of it all, and purely from an RPG gameplay perspective, there's arguably much better out there. I wouldn't say it's my favourite RPG, not at all, but it's an experience I'm glad I went through - and I think that's the key word there, "experience". Something about the themes and progression just resonated with me and spurred me on to get to the end, and without them I doubt I would have made it all the way. It's by no means flawless, and that's a major reason why I'm hesitant to try out EarthBound Beginnings - if the SNES game had dated mechanics, I dread to think what the NES one would be like. I imagine Mother 3 fixes up a few of the issues, so even without playing it I can probably guess that it's the most intuitive of the trilogy - maybe, if it ever gets officially released, that'll be more up your street instead.

Edited August 14, 2015 by Doctor MK

[Salamander]

If you mean "victimize" as in trying to make other people look bad, I wasn't trying to do so nor did I have the intention of trying to make anyone look bad  I just hate the fact that I, myself can't enjoy anything other people like. Let's face it, I hate my personal tastes.

Without wishing to speak for Sean here, I am absolutely certain that he meant that you don't have to make yourself feel bad about disliking things that other people enjoy.  (That's exactly what "victimise yourself" means in this context.)  It is okay not to like things.

I haven't played Earthbound.  The main reason for this is because I don't have the right consoles to play it, but even if I did, I think... I think I might have a hard time actually playing it.  My understanding of the RPG elements is that they are very very old-school and that the experience would be somewhat arduous and grindy, and I'm not sure I'd be willing to put myself through it for a game I already know all about, no matter how great it is.  I'd still buy a copy, though, to support the series.