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Earthbound Coming to Wii U Virtual Console in NA / Europe

Never really thought this day would come. It's slightly sad that this suddenly got bumped up to my most anticipated release. That said, it's very encouraging to see them put this game on the service and acknowledge fan requests.

I thought there were licensing or copyright issues with it. I wonder if there was any truth to this. If there was, that'd mean they must have either changed the game or forked over some cash. Either way they would have went out of their way to bring the game over.
 
This looks such a lovely game, this is gonna be epic for PAL gamers. Now all we need is for Final Fantasy 3 SNES to come to Wii U !
 
FyreWulff said:
In a limited print run last appearing on a console that came out two decades ago.

It's still a game, and we'll have a sanely priced legal channel in which to re-acquire the game for old fans and new buyers alike.
Click to expand...

Again the game was promoted pretty heavily and was literally all over the pkace when it came out. I don't believe for a second that the game is rare, I believe it's that demand is high now.

It took a while for the game to find it's audience but it finally did despite Nintendo's terrible advertising campaign.
 
Earthpainting said:
Never really thought this day would come. It's slightly sad that this suddenly got bumped up to my most anticipated release. That said, it's very encouraging to see them put this game on the service and acknowledge fan requests.

I thought there were licensing or copyright issues with it. I wonder if there was any truth to this. If there was, that'd mean they must have either changed the game or forked over some cash. Either way they would have went out of their way to bring the game over.
Click to expand...

From what I had read the issues stemmed from musical similarities to Beatles' songs. I doubt Nintendo shelled out for the rights so I'm assuming they are changing the music or that the lawyers didn't feel it was enough for them to get sued.
 
About damn time. Earthbound is always welcome. However, knowing that whining on miiverse can yield results like the unexpected localization of a 20 year old game is the real news here.
 
Dremark said:
From what I had read the issues stemmed from musical similarities to Beatles' songs. I doubt Nintendo shelled out for the rights so I'm assuming they are changing the music or that the lawyers didn't feel it was enough for them to get sued.
Click to expand...
The "Beatles Music" and references are overblown. They don't have a bearing on Earthbound's legal status. We already know the specific legal issues.
 
What a mind blowing day yesterday was. Is this real life? I can't wait to buy it, and buy it for friends, and buy it for random people online who've never got to play it before. Show enough support and we're sure to get Earthbound Zero and 2!
 
Padawan of Windu said:
What a mind blowing day yesterday was. Is this real life? I can't wait to buy it, and buy it for friends, and buy it for random people online who've never got to play it before. Show enough support and we're sure to get Earthbound Zero and 2!
Click to expand...
I'm not sure how you'd "buy it for other people." There are no gifting options in the eShop (yet).
 
So it's a sort of RPG is it. A bit like Secrets of Mana?
 
cyberheater said:
Okay. I'm not sure why everyone is raving on about this then. What's so great about it?
Click to expand...

The game has a LOT of heart. It's funny, heartwarming, and at times, even challenging. I really haven't seen another title with the exact qualities. It does get a lot of shit when compared to the FF, DQ series, or even Chrono Trigger. But it's meant to be its own entity, kinda like Mario RPG
 
cyberheater said:
Okay. I'm not sure why everyone is raving on about this then. What's so great about it?
Click to expand...
MaverickHunterX said:
More like a simplified Dragon Quest/ Warrior
Click to expand...
The game is more than that by a wide margin. "Simplified Dragon Warrior" sounds like what a joke remark would be when trying to describe Earthbound.

Yeah, the very basis of the game's combat is like Dragon Quest/Warrior. But literally nothing else about it is comparable at all.

90's era "modern" setting, with other imaginative areas.
Quirky and charming characters.
Phenomenal writing for an RPG, with humorous dialogue.
One of the best SNES soundtracks.
Memorable story elements and villain(s).
The general atmosphere of the game is very "out there."
Worthwhile combat-related mechanics, like visible enemies, surprise opening attacks, and rolling HP bars. (things that aren't in Dragon Warrior)

There's a lot to this game. It's a cult hit because of how much more it is than the sum of its parts. And yes, it's a "Nintendo RPG" so it's more comparable with the Mario RPGs than typical Square ones.
 
I'm hoping they put this on the 3DS eshop too because I desperately want to play a legitimate release of this game, only played a bit on an emulator years ago. :[
 
Rash said:
The game is more than that by a wide margin. "Simplified Dragon Warrior" sounds like what a joke remark would be when trying to describe Earthbound.

Yeah, the very basis of the game's combat is like Dragon Quest/Warrior. But literally nothing else about it is comparable at all.

90's era "modern" setting, with other imaginative areas.
Quirky and charming characters.
Phenomenal writing for an RPG, with humorous dialogue.
One of the best SNES soundtracks.
Memorable story elements and villain(s).
The general atmosphere of the game is very "out there."
Worthwhile combat-related mechanics, like visible enemies, surprise opening attacks, and rolling HP bars. (things that aren't in Dragon Warrior)

There's a lot to this game. It's a cult hit because of how much more it is than the sum of its parts. And yes, it's a "Nintendo RPG" so it's more comparable with the Mario RPGs than typical Square ones.
Click to expand...

Sorry, didn't mean it in a negative light. In another thread, I actually got chewed out for voicing that I thought EB was a better game than DQ overall.

Damned if I do, and damned if I don't, I guess...
 
MaverickHunterX said:
Sorry, didn't mean it in a negative light. In another thread, I actually got chewed out for voicing that I thought EB was a better game than DQ overall.

Damned if I do, and damned if I don't, I guess...
Click to expand...
Don't worry about it. The Dragon Quest thing is apt on some level but it's also misleading in terms of why people like Earthbound, that's all. You're not the first one to make the comparison and of course the similarities are there.

Ask any EB fan why they like the game so much and "resemblance to Dragon Quest" is probably one of the last things they'd list. The top three things are probably writing, setting, and art style but I'm just talking out of my ass on that one.
 
MaverickHunterX said:
The game has a LOT of heart. It's funny, heartwarming, and at times, even challenging. I really haven't seen another title with the exact qualities. It does get a lot of shit when compared to the FF, DQ series, or even Chrono Trigger. But it's meant to be its own entity, kinda like Mario RPG
Click to expand...

Rash said:
The game is more than that by a wide margin. "Simplified Dragon Warrior" sounds like what a joke remark would be when trying to describe Earthbound.

Yeah, the very basis of the game's combat is like Dragon Quest/Warrior. But literally nothing else about it is comparable at all.

90's era "modern" setting, with other imaginative areas.
Quirky and charming characters.
Phenomenal writing for an RPG, with humorous dialogue.
One of the best SNES soundtracks.
Memorable story elements and villain(s).
The general atmosphere of the game is very "out there."
Worthwhile combat-related mechanics, like visible enemies, surprise opening attacks, and rolling HP bars. (things that aren't in Dragon Warrior)

There's a lot to this game. It's a cult hit because of how much more it is than the sum of its parts. And yes, it's a "Nintendo RPG" so it's more comparable with the Mario RPGs than typical Square ones.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'll look forward to seeing it in action on my WiiU.
 
Rash said:
The game is more than that by a wide margin. "Simplified Dragon Warrior" sounds like what a joke remark would be when trying to describe Earthbound.

Yeah, the very basis of the game's combat is like Dragon Quest/Warrior. But literally nothing else about it is comparable at all.

90's era "modern" setting, with other imaginative areas.
Quirky and charming characters.
Phenomenal writing for an RPG, with humorous dialogue.
One of the best SNES soundtracks.
Memorable story elements and villain(s).
The general atmosphere of the game is very "out there."
Worthwhile combat-related mechanics, like visible enemies, surprise opening attacks, and rolling HP bars. (things that aren't in Dragon Warrior)

There's a lot to this game. It's a cult hit because of how much more it is than the sum of its parts. And yes, it's a "Nintendo RPG" so it's more comparable with the Mario RPGs than typical Square ones.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it's a '90s setting. The setting is basically an idealized version of "America" from a the point of view of a Japanese man. So it sort of fuses everything from '50s "Leave it to Beaver" wholesomeness, and "greasers", and stuff from every decade to the '90s.
 
Rash said:
Don't worry about it. The Dragon Quest thing is apt on some level but it's also misleading in terms of why people like Earthbound, that's all. You're not the first one to make the comparison and of course the similarities are there.

Ask any EB fan why they like the game so much and "resemblance to Dragon Quest" is probably one of the last things they'd list. The top three things are probably writing, setting, and art style but I'm just talking out of my ass on that one.
Click to expand...

100% agree on all points. My comment was referring to play style (e.g. How one can easily compare the mana series with Zelda)
 
jstripes said:
I wouldn't say it's a '90s setting. The setting is basically an idealized version of "America" from a the point of view of a Japanese man. So it sort of fuses everything from '50s "Leave it to Beaver" wholesomeness, and "greasers", and stuff from every decade to the '90s.
Click to expand...
I'd say you're right. Maybe when I played it in 1996 or so, I felt like parts of it resembled the current times, but now that you mention it there's more than a single decade's worth of culture there.
 
Rash said:
The game is more than that by a wide margin. "Simplified Dragon Warrior" sounds like what a joke remark would be when trying to describe Earthbound.

Yeah, the very basis of the game's combat is like Dragon Quest/Warrior. But literally nothing else about it is comparable at all.

90's era "modern" setting, with other imaginative areas.
Quirky and charming characters.
Phenomenal writing for an RPG, with humorous dialogue.
One of the best SNES soundtracks.
Memorable story elements and villain(s).
The general atmosphere of the game is very "out there."
Worthwhile combat-related mechanics, like visible enemies, surprise opening attacks, and rolling HP bars. (things that aren't in Dragon Warrior)

There's a lot to this game. It's a cult hit because of how much more it is than the sum of its parts. And yes, it's a "Nintendo RPG" so it's more comparable with the Mario RPGs than typical Square ones.
Click to expand...

I think he just means gameplay. You'd be off your rocker to say that the first two Mother games aren't simplified, C-rate Dragon Quests.

Honestly, the gameplay in Earthbound is lousy in basically every manner, the best creative function of the game when it came out was to let you skip actually playing the game. Sadly it can't fix some of the plodding dungeons and other misc problems though.

But where it's an iffy game it was quite a great little adventure. Good characters, story, very inspired art and locales and lots of other bits and easter eggs. I'm unsure of how I feel it all holds up today, I'd imagine the pacing, which was a bit sparse even back in the day is lacking now but I'm sure it's still very much worth a play if it's something you think you'd be interested in.

Mother 3 was so much better though, both as a game and a well paced adventure. It's a shame they can't get off their asses and find a way to publish it here.
 
DeviousAngel said:
About damn time. Earthbound is always welcome. However, knowing that whining on miiverse can yield results like the unexpected localization of a 20 year old game is the real news here.
Click to expand...

Well, that's to be expected. With the internet at large, you can never tell who your actual consumer base is. Miiverse eliminates this problem since it tunes out all the noise because you have to own a Nintendo product to use it. No surprise Nintendo takes Miiverse more seriously.

canedaddy said:
Is it confirmed that this isn't coming to old Wii VC? Did they offer any explanation? That's pretty shitty.
Click to expand...

Why would they ask you to disturb that thick layer of dust that's fabled to envelop every Wii in creation?

But in all seriousness, Wii Shop Channel's days are numbered as it is.
 
Village said:
We would go to your house, tie you down and make you buy it.
Click to expand...

Or, you could just take your Wii U's to his house and he could charge each purchase to his credit card as he downloads it to all your consoles. :p I'm joking. But really, if he truly wanted to buy it for others he could get each of those individuals a 10 dollar eShop card since that's the cheapest one and they could put that towards Earthbound..I'm sure it'll be 8 or 10 bucks anyway :)
 
I don't think Earthbound's gameplay is lousy, per se. On a combat level, it just follows the very basics of RPGs, which is fine. Battles are merely a vehicle used to move the player through the story, but I wouldn't say they're devoid of fun; they're just not mechanically deep.

If anything this helps the game be more accessible. I could see it being a really great starter RPG. Of course, the improvements in Mother 3 are obvious in terms of battles and strategy.

Earthbound does a great job of making up for its shortcomings. Even if you don't appreciate the basic combat gameplay, you can appreciate how the game ditches random battles, includes rolling HP, has interesting and quirky enemies, and funny battle dialogue.

And this is how the entire game is. For every one thing that a person may not like, there are many aspects that are very likable and that contribute to its immense personality.
 
Rash said:
I don't think Earthbound's gameplay is lousy, per se. On a combat level, it just follows the very basics of RPGs, which is fine. Battles are merely a vehicle used to move the player through the story, but I wouldn't say they're devoid of fun; they're just not mechanically deep.

If anything this helps the game be more accessible. I could see it being a really great starter RPG. Of course, the improvements in Mother 3 are obvious in terms of battles and strategy.

Earthbound does a great job of making up for its shortcomings. Even if you don't appreciate the basic combat gameplay, you can appreciate how the game ditches random battles, includes rolling HP, has interesting and quirky enemies, and funny battle dialogue.

And this is how the entire game is. For every one thing that a person may not like, there are many aspects that are very likable and that contribute to its immense personality.
Click to expand...
Threed and Moonside music make up for any shortcoming, along with everything else about the game.
 
As a person who is approaching the series for the first time, wouldn't it be better to play Mother 1 (NES) first?
I know it is not possible as it wasn't realeased outside Japan, but I'm just asking out of curiosity. Would be a more enjoyable experience to play the games in order?
 
Laffer said:
As a person who is approaching the series for the first time, wouldn't it be better to play Mother 1 (NES) first?
I know it is not possible as it wasn't realeased outside Japan, but I'm just asking out of curiosity. Would be a more enjoyable experience to play the games in order?
Click to expand...

Mother 2 and 3 are the only ones with any sort of connection really. they take place in the "same" world, and Share some of the "same" characters. Ness doesn't make any appearance though, they just make bajillions of references.

At first I thought it was a final fantasy thing, until people started directly mentioning the mother 2 crew in 3

If you wish to experience how these games have changed, go for it I suppose.
 
I only have one real problem with Earthbound's gameplay and that's the item management system. Key items like the pencil eraser really shouldn't have taken up spots in your inventory. In an ironic twist even the methods to pawn off or store items take up valued spots. And the bicycle? Was there even a point to that since you can't even ride it once you get your first friend?

You can always distribute these key items amongst the other dudes but since Ness often still has to be the one to use them, it's a pain. This could have been remedied by making a lot of these things one-time-use and letting you get more in the area when it's appropriate. (Like Bubble Gum.) Or just have a Key Item pocket that doesn't limit your battle items like Pokemon eventually learned to do.

Village said:
Mother 2 and 3 are the only ones with any sort of connection really. they take place in the "same" world, and Share some of the "same" characters. Ness doesn't make any appearance though, they just make bajillions of references.
Click to expand...

Mother 1 takes place in the same world.
It explains the origin of Giygas and there's also the reasonably-supported theory that Ninten is Ness's dad.

But yeah, reading up about it should probably be enough.
 
SlaughterX said:
Well this annoucement certainly isn't hurting the ebay price of the game. Just sold my cart for $200 in less than 24 hours.
Click to expand...
For anyone who owns a Wii U (or plans to own one within the year), and doesn't care about collecting, now is definitely the time to sell. It may not drop in price that much once the digital game is released anyway (because the cart will still have value) but you never know.

You also have to take into consideration that not everyone knows about the game's impending VC release, so that ignorance may keep its price high.

200 bucks isn't bad at all. If not used for other personal reasons, I could see this sort of money going towards a Wii U fund for anyone saving up.
 
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