Mother 3 Screens

A while back I posted about how I had a friend in Japan whom I was going to ask to get me the deluxe boxset of this. Of course, this was when i still had a job, so as such I cancelled it. However, he just e-mailed me today and said that he did go ahead and purchase the thing.

A little background: I've known this guy for at least....15 years or so, way back from third grade. He was actually the one who told me to try out Earthbound. In fact, in probably what was my first CAG-like experience, he told me that he had found a complete copy at Blockbuster for only $25. It was quite the magical day when I A) went to a wholesale store and bought a package of Nerds grape/strawberry candy, and then B) proceeded to Blockbuster and found a complete Earthbound. It was sugar highs and bag ladies ahoy.

That summer I'd play through it and absolutely declare it one of the finest games ever made, and essentially the best RPG on the SNES and all time. I still think that.

Anyway, after I negated the deal, he apparently went ahead and got it. He's in Japan teaching English under the JET program, and furthermore actually knows Japanese, having been his degree in college.

Finally, he was a bigger RPG nut than myself, and has completed some of the most grueling tasks in all RPG-dom. For example, he got the Gutsy Bat and Sword of Kings. He leveled all three Secret of Mana characters to weapon levels of 9 with each weapon AND spell. He spent numerous days over a period of weeks leveling Laharl up in Disgaea to where he could kill the hardest enemies (I forgot who they are, but one of them is a big hulking badass devil guy, followed by a penguin).

You have never met someone who is so driven through tedium merely for the challenge. It was insane watching him play something. We'd rent Final Fantasy 3, and within 2-3 hours of having it, he'd found a way to get his characters well past level 40. I'm not even kidding. You just don't see that level of commitment and application anymore. I sure as hell know I can't do it. It's goddamn inhuman.

He doesn't play much else these days beyond the occassional current generation RPG (which is usually Final Fantasy, or a strategy RPG), and tends to play a lot of the NES/SNES rpgs under bizarre conditions. For example, attempting to beat them as fast as possible, with weak characters, using the least number of steps, getting all the endings, etc etc.

All I'm really trying to say is that this guy is essentially my best friend, loved Earthbound, and knows all there is to know about RPGs. So I'm going to trust his opinion about a game when he gives me one. There'd be no reason for me not to.

Given that, here's what he e-mailed me.

I actually bought the Mother 3 Deluxe Box, more out of curiosity than anything else, and so far its decent, but not incredible. Don't believe anything you hear from the majority of the idiots who don't know a damn thing about Japanese who are just tooling through the game based on other people's poorly created walkthrough's and translations. Overall I say the game gets a 7/10 (I'm just about done with it). Mostly because of its less than interesting first half that drags on aimlessly without any real reason. There's a lot of funny stuff and creative parts, but I felt a little let down by the easyness of the game... but maybe I'll just let you see for yourself.
Click to expand...

'Course, I still take that with a grain of salt.

I just wanted to give a heads up from a gamer who knows the game and happens to be able to know both English and Japanese.

/returning to reality now
 
[quote name='Strell']A while back I posted about how I had a friend in Japan whom I was going to ask to get me the deluxe boxset of this. Of course, this was when i still had a job, so as such I cancelled it. However, he just e-mailed me today and said that he did go ahead and purchase the thing.[/QUOTE]

Your friend sounds about as hardcore as they come. The Earthbound/Mother series always struck me as targeted at the more casual RPG gamer, so maybe that has influenced his opinion (plus, it was you who declared it the best SNES RPG way back when, not him).

Also, localization could have a lot to do with it. Even understanding both languages, I imagine the content is changed quite a bit by NOA conversion, i.e., even if your friend completely understands the text as written, it wouldn't be as entertaining or engaging as text that is rewritten to suit Western tastes.

Just a thought.

It's awesome that he got the set for you. Do you know how much they cost in U.S. dollars? Are they already sold out? Is there any way to get them, other than eBay?
 
A friend of mine (that speaks Japanese, too) imported it, and so far says the game is everything he wanted it to be. He said it seems as though the narrative has a bit more of a purpose from the get-go than in the previous two titles (something he really appreciates, as he's much older than when Earthbound hit).

Also, he said the battles are fun, something he hadn't really expected of an RPG nowadays.

Strell, perhaps the game feels easy to your friend because he's so hardcore about RPGs? Is that what's affecting his opinion, overall?

I'll also point out that things "not having a point" is a mark of Itoi's style of writing (which is why, for example, we get NPC conversations in Earthbound that drag on and on, with no real punchline at the end).

So, like you said...grain of salt.

I still want them to bring the damn thing over here. Bah, your friend is lucky. *shakes fist*
 
I just wanted to clarify a few things.

1) Aye, my friend is hardcore, but our tastes in RPGs is almost the same. I think he likes FF4 more than me, as I favor FF6. All the talk about what he's completed was more to reinforce the idea that the guy knows what he is talking about, not to necessarily sound like...he's one of those basement couch lump people. He enjoyed Earthbound for what is was.

2) I also think the "easyness" he's referring to is the fact that in Earthbound, when you moved to a new area, no matter HOW much you had leveled up, the enemies could pwn the shit out of you. Best example? Fourside. You've just gotten out of Threed and traversed a damn desert (which in itself was a chore), only to go into the mall and get Paula - your damn healer - stolen. THEN you fight enemies like a boiling cup of coffee, who can do a splash damage attack and send NINETY DAMN POINTS OF DAMAGE TO YOUR CHARACTERS. Son of a BITCH. You had to run in that area.

That pattern continued throughout the game. My guess is my friend is telling me that such occurrences are either non-existent or minimized.

Anyway, I trust his opinion quite a bit. I don't have his drive, but we're much the same in terms of preference.

As for no more Mother, I think that is an even more jarring announcement than anything else. I wonder why Itoi doesn't want to make more? That is seriously....disappointing. There's so much that is beautifully eccentric about Earthbound, that I can't fathom the idea of there never being more down the line.

Maybe he'll make another series or something. Or maybe some fanmade games will appear. I dunno. I get the feeling that Mother 3 ripped all the motivation out of him, which is just as sad a realization.

It's kind of like when Bill Watterson stopped Calvin and Hobbes and said "I feel like I can do nothing more for the characters." I hate to see legacies die.
 
[quote name='Strell']
As for no more Mother, I think that is an even more jarring announcement than anything else. I wonder why Itoi doesn't want to make more? That is seriously....disappointing. There's so much that is beautifully eccentric about Earthbound, that I can't fathom the idea of there never being more down the line.

Maybe he'll make another series or something. Or maybe some fanmade games will appear. I dunno. I get the feeling that Mother 3 ripped all the motivation out of him, which is just as sad a realization.

It's kind of like when Bill Watterson stopped Calvin and Hobbes and said "I feel like I can do nothing more for the characters." I hate to see legacies die.[/QUOTE]

He worked on the game for 10 years... I think he's sick of it. I don't blame him.
 
[quote name='Strell']
2) I also think the "easyness" he's referring to is the fact that in Earthbound, when you moved to a new area, no matter HOW much you had leveled up, the enemies could pwn the shit out of you. Best example? Fourside. You've just gotten out of Threed and traversed a damn desert (which in itself was a chore), only to go into the mall and get Paula - your damn healer - stolen. THEN you fight enemies like a boiling cup of coffee, who can do a splash damage attack and send NINETY DAMN POINTS OF DAMAGE TO YOUR CHARACTERS. Son of a BITCH. You had to run in that area.

That pattern continued throughout the game. My guess is my friend is telling me that such occurrences are either non-existent or minimized.

[/QUOTE]

You is not hardcore Mr. Internet Strell man! The desert is a hawtness level up zone:

Step 1: Find Criminal Caterpillar
Step2: Run into said caterpillar
Step 3: Reap massive EXP
Step 4: Repeat until you are many powerfuls for Fourside

This game has to rock...it's the only beautiful thing left in the world =(
 
[quote name='Strell']The first desert Caterpillar doesn't give you the EXP the other desert does.

Plus it's a bigger waste of time to find him in the first desert. Heat stroke wears you down too fast.[/QUOTE]

...
I need to go replay Earthbound. After I finish Parasite Eve 2, I swear I shall play it and then explore this mystery!
 
[quote name='Strell']2) I also think the "easyness" he's referring to is the fact that in Earthbound, when you moved to a new area, no matter HOW much you had leveled up, the enemies could pwn the shit out of you. Best example? Fourside. You've just gotten out of Threed and traversed a damn desert (which in itself was a chore), only to go into the mall and get Paula - your damn healer - stolen. THEN you fight enemies like a boiling cup of coffee, who can do a splash damage attack and send NINETY DAMN POINTS OF DAMAGE TO YOUR CHARACTERS. Son of a BITCH. You had to run in that area.[/QUOTE]

Difficult, sure, but I wouldn't hold the fact that Mother 3 doesn't put you through that against it. If anything, it just means the game's charm/brilliance can hopefully be enjoyeed without frustrating the Hell out of me.



Reality's Fringe;1869512 said:
...
I need to go replay Earthbound. After I finish Parasite Eve 2, I swear I shall play it and then explore this mystery!
Click to expand...

I've been thinking the same thing lately!

After New Super Mario Bros. is sufficiently conquered in a few weeks, joing me for the Summer of Earthbound! All shall rejoice!
 
I'm not surprised they didn't announce anything...it would have been pretty out of place in their presentation yesterday.


Still, hopefully when things die down they'll make an announcement....

*sigh*
 
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