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[Yuripaw]

Mother 1 takes place in the same world.

Spoiler

It explains the origin of Giygas and there's also the reasonably-supported theory that Ninten is Ness's dad.

I thought the more supported theory was that

Spoiler

Buzz Buzz was Ninten actually, because there is an indication from Starman Jr at the beginning that Buzz Buzz had stopped their plans once before.

 

[Dark Octave]

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.

I'll keep a close eye so as to use this as a guide of what to do when Xenoblade eventually goes digital or re-release.

 

[Dave Long]

These digital releases really don't change the value much. I thought it would too, but it's just not the case. You can play many hard to find or expensive retro games on the current Wii Virtual Console and it really hasn't helped keep cart prices down.

In fact, cart prices are pretty much UP across the board these days! The originals will always be heavily desired.

 

[RawkHawk2010]

I thought the more supported theory was that

Spoiler

Buzz Buzz was Ninten actually, because there is an indication from Starman Jr at the beginning that Buzz Buzz had stopped their plans once before.

Huh, I've never heard that. Interesting.

Spoiler

Something that supports Ninten being Ness's dad is that Ana could also very well be Ness's mom. They have similar hair, the same clothes, and Ness's mom's clay model has her holding a frying pan which, before Paula, was also Ana's signature weapon. There's also a flashback in Earthbound of Ness's parents first giving him his red cap, which has symbolic meaning if you assume it's the same one Ninten wore.

I also just love the idea of a once magical earth-saving hero settling down, sobering up, and becoming a traveling businessman who borrows money from neighbors without paying it back. Gives "Dad" more significance and just seems a very "Mother-ish" thing that would happen.

 

[Makonero]

Huh, I've never heard that. Interesting.

Spoiler

Something that supports Ninten being Ness's dad is that Ana could also very well be Ness's mom. They have similar hair, the same clothes, and Ness's mom's clay model has her holding a frying pan which, before Paula, was also Ana's signature weapon. There's also a flashback in Earthbound of Ness's parents first giving him his red cap, which has symbolic meaning if you assume it's the same one Ninten wore.

I also just love the idea of a once magical earth-saving hero settling down, sobering up, and becoming a traveling businessman who borrows money from neighbors without paying it back. Gives "Dad" more significance and just seems a very "Mother-ish" thing that would happen.

The main problem with the theory is the timeline.

Spoiler

Mother takes place in 1988, and Earthbound takes place in 199X. Considering Ninten's age (12), he'd have to have a 12 year old son by the time he was 23.

Ick.

 

[George Claw M.D.]

These digital releases really don't change the value much. I thought it would too, but it's just not the case. You can play many hard to find or expensive retro games on the current Wii Virtual Console and it really hasn't helped keep cart prices down.

In fact, cart prices are pretty much UP across the board these days! The originals will always be heavily desired.

Yeah. I bet a lot of the people spending hundreds of dollars on eBay for the original have even already played the game via emulator or even previously owned the game and are big fans who want to own the original again. It's about collecting the original game for a lot of people. And it's not like the VC is 100% accurate either, so purists could still want the original for that reason, too. Plenty of reasons the original could hold its value, especially a CIB with guide set.

 

[RawkHawk2010]

The main problem with the theory is the timeline.

Spoiler

Mother takes place in 1988, and Earthbound takes place in 199X. Considering Ninten's age (12), he'd have to have a 12 year old son by the time he was 23.

Ick.

Yeah, good point. (I forgot Mother took place in 1988 and thought it took place in 198X.)

Hey, what if Ninten and Ness are half brothers with the same dad who only talks to them over the phone? And he's always absent from their lives because he's constantly jumping from one wife to the next?

 

[Jacksonlee]

any plans to bring this to the 3ds?

 

[EMT0]

The main problem with the theory is the timeline.

Spoiler

Mother takes place in 1988, and Earthbound takes place in 199X. Considering Ninten's age (12), he'd have to have a 12 year old son by the time he was 23.

Ick.

It's a shame, because that theory would be incredibly fitting.

 

[Erekiddo]

According to an update by kotaku

Spoiler

lol

, when quizzed about any music licensing issues holding this game back, Bill Trinen said he wasn't aware of any.

I called it in a previous post. Watch the game go up completely unaltered.

 

[MaverickHunterX]

According to an update by kotaku

Spoiler

lol

, when quizzed about any music licensing issues holding this game back, Bill Trinen said he wasn't aware of any.

I called it in a previous post. Watch the game go up completely unaltered.

Was just around to post this. So, what fucking took so long?

 

[vid]

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?

Mother (or Earth Bound or Earthbound Zero) has not aged very gracefully. The game is a significant grind to get through, but if you can deal with that, it's definitely worth approaching all three games in order. There is a story tying everything together, and it's interesting to see themes evolve over the course of the series.

If you decide to play Mother before Earthbound and Mother 3, I highly recommend Tomato's translation patch for Mother 1+2 on the Game Boy Advance. It provides a more solid translation of the text, and also offers the option to equip an "Easy Ring" that increases experience and money gain and makes the game far less of a grind.

 

[Aeana]

Mother (or Earth Bound or Earthbound Zero) has not aged very gracefully. The game is a significant grind to get through, but if you can deal with that, it's definitely worth approaching all three games in order. There is a story tying everything together, and it's interesting to see themes evolve over the course of the series.

If you decide to play Mother before Earthbound and Mother 3, I highly recommend Tomato's translation patch for Mother 1+2 on the Game Boy Advance. It provides a more solid translation of the text, and also offers the option to equip an "Easy Ring" that increases experience and money gain and makes the game far less of a grind.

Using the easy ring, there really isn't much of a grind to speak of at all, either.

 

[Gonzo The Great]

Was just around to post this. So, what fucking took so long?

The same reason why Nintendo never released Donkey Kong 64 even though they own 100% of the game, Jetpac included. People really need to stop trying to rationalize for them.

 

[RawkHawk2010]

The same reason why Nintendo never released Donkey Kong 64 even though they own 100% of the game, Jetpac included. People really need to stop trying to rationalize for them.

You sure about that?

 

[Gonzo The Great]

You sure about that?

http://wii.mmgn.com/News/Who-Knows-Why-Donkey-Kong-64-H

 

[MaverickHunterX]

The same reason why Nintendo never released Donkey Kong 64 even though they own 100% of the game, Jetpac included. People really need to stop trying to rationalize for them.

I thought it was because the wiis n64 emulator kinda sucked...

 

[ZeroCDR]

Was just around to post this. So, what fucking took so long?

Saving it for a rainy day I guess, hasn't been exactly sunny skies for Wii U.

 

[Davey Cakes]

I thought it was because the wiis n64 emulator kinda sucked...

There are so few N64 VC releases that I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case.

They really have to do better with the Wii U VC, at least in terms of N64 games.

 

[Yanksfan]

I am considering buying a Wii U now so I can purchase this game and show support for the series.

 

[Amir0x]

Update on Wii U Earthbound gifting promise

Since I last discussed this earlier in the topic, several people have pledged to combine forces with me and contribute several copies of Earthbound themselves. I won't list their names yet because they haven't given me permission to just yet (haven't asked to be honest, so just to be safe), but total so far it looks like we can give away at least 20 copies of Earthbound to neoGAFers for the giveaway topic whenever Wii U gifting comes around.

Look forward to it Earthbounders!

 

[RawkHawk2010]

http://wii.mmgn.com/News/Who-Knows-Why-Donkey-Kong-64-H

"I have no idea why DK64 hasn’t shown up yet, and whether Jetpac would still be in there or they’d replace it with Mario’s Cement Factory (which ate about three years of my life as a child) or something. Or maybe a single-screen 2D shooty version of Jet Race would be more appropriate. Who knows? Not us, obviously, or we wouldn’t be sitting here pitching clueless alternatives."

How does any of that translate to "Nintendo owns 100% of the game"? Loveday (I'm assuming that's who's answering) even says he has no idea if Jetpac would still be included because he doesn't know who actually owns it. Rare aren't exactly brainiacs on the status of what they do and don't own. (It took years for us to finally learn that they own most of the DKR characters.)

Anyway, since Jetpac is a Microsoft IP and Jetpac Refuelled (which includes the original game) is being sold on XBLA, it's an easy guess to make that it's off-limits for Nintendo to use. It's not just a cameo or a cheeky reference, it's an entire game that a primary competitor is selling.

 

[Village]

The main problem with the theory is the timeline.

Spoiler

Mother takes place in 1988, and Earthbound takes place in 199X. Considering Ninten's age (12), he'd have to have a 12 year old son by the time he was 23.

Ick.

Eh, weirder things have happened in earthbound, why not.

 

[Azure Dream]

How does any of that translate to "Nintendo owns 100% of the game"? Loveday (I'm assuming that's who's answering) even says he has no idea if Jetpac would still be included because he doesn't know who actually owns it. Rare aren't exactly brainiacs on the status of what they do and don't own. (It took years for us to finally learn that they own most of the DKR characters.)

Anyway, since Jetpac is a Microsoft IP and Jetpac Refuelled (which includes the original game) is being sold on XBLA, it's an easy guess to make that it's off-limits for Nintendo to use. It's not just a cameo or a cheeky reference, it's an entire game that a primary competitor is selling.

Even with that aside, the game also includes the original Donkey Kong arcade game, I assume emulated or reverse-engineered? Nintendo doesn't own the complete rights to the arcade version of Donkey Kong. That's why they've never rereleased it, instead releasing the NES version, both original and the modified Original Edition.

I'm not sure whether they licensed DK Arcade from Ikegami Tsushinki strictly for DK64, or they just decided they could get away with sliding it under the radar (it's possible Rare didn't even know there was a licensing issue). But they probably don't think they could get away with it again. That means cutting that out too, and hacking work-arounds into the game.

 

[RawkHawk2010]

Speaking of Donkey Kong, I really wish we could get the facts on why the DKCs were pulled from the VC already.

 

[HyperCubed4]

Fuck yes. I'm buying this the instant it comes out.

 

[biosnake20]

I've never played these games. Why are they considered so good? Also can I play them out of order or do their stories connect?

 

[KojiKnight]

I've never played these games. Why are they considered so good? Also can I play them out of order or do their stories connect?

Do note, they have a rabid following, and like any niche following it tends to over inflate the value of things a lot.

That said, if you're into quirky games or RPGs at all, they're definitely worth it.

The stories have some connections but are mostly self contained.

 

[BY2K]

Miiverse works. Nintendo does listen. And think, Earthbound will get its own Miiverse community once it comes out.

Mother 3 in NA WILL HAPPEN EVENTUALLY.

 

[Dereck]

Mother 3 in NA WILL HAPPEN EVENTUALLY.

I am completely unconvinced.

 

[serplux]

Miiverse works. Nintendo does listen. And think, Earthbound will get its own Miiverse community once it comes out.

Mother 3 in NA WILL HAPPEN EVENTUALLY.

Remake on the 3DS GOOOOOO!

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

I am completely unconvinced.

If the crowd of people shouting for these games actually come through and buy this? Of course it will.

 

[Dereck]

If the crowd of people shouting for these games actually come through and buy this? Of course it will.

How are you so sure? Maybe I missed something

Mother 3 came out in 2006, got a fan translation, it never came to NA and EU at all. For Nintendo to translate a Gameboy Advance game, and then release it on Wii U Virtual Console sounds extremely farfetched.

 

[Anth0ny]

If Earthbound does record breaking numbers on Wii U VC... and Wii U VC will have GBA games in the future... you never know.

I don't think there's a very good chance of it happening, but you never know.

 

[Javier]

I thought it was because the wiis n64 emulator kinda sucked...

That's definitely the reason why Harvest Moon 64 is never coming...

 

[Team Filler]

Was just around to post this. So, what fucking took so long?

There's been a small part of me wondering if NoA hasn't been fully accurate with NCL as to the continued volume of demand for these titles (Earthbound, Operation Rainfall games), just playing it off as "that tiny subset of crazy fans at starmen.net" or something similar. The only reason I have to think this is because of the relative quickness of Earthbound hitting Western VC after Mother2 MiiVerse launched and allowed many fans of the west to speak to NCL in a much more direct way than before.

 

[Drago]

I wonder if we'll ever see Mother 1 on VC. There's nothing stopping a Japanese release of course, and the game has already been fully localized for NA, it was just never officially released (and can be put up in Europe too)

 

[Codeblue]

Update on Wii U Earthbound gifting promise

Since I last discussed this earlier in the topic, several people have pledged to combine forces with me and contribute several copies of Earthbound themselves. I won't list their names yet because they haven't given me permission to just yet (haven't asked to be honest, so just to be safe), but total so far it looks like we can give away at least 20 copies of Earthbound to neoGAFers for the giveaway topic whenever Wii U gifting comes around.

Look forward to it Earthbounders!

We should follow it up with a NeoGAF Resurrection Festival.

 

[big youth]

I'll buy a copy to show my support. I emulated it years ago and was thoroughly impressed. Aspects such as auto win battles have probably been praised to death, but it's surprising newer RPGs didn't adopt some of Earthbounds forward thinking ideas.

 

[FyreWulff]

Was just around to post this. So, what fucking took so long?

It's widely known it was perceived legal issues. They're probably just deciding to go ahead and play dumb about it.

 

[Terrell]

How are you so sure? Maybe I missed something

Mother 3 came out in 2006, got a fan translation, it never came to NA and EU at all. For Nintendo to translate a Gameboy Advance game, and then release it on Wii U Virtual Console sounds extremely farfetched.

Sin & Punishment.

That is all.

 

[Dereck]

Sin & Punishment.

That is all.

That was on a console doe.

 

[equippedwithtowel]

That was on a console doe.

GBA games are coming to the VC in the future.

 

[KojiKnight]

Sin & Punishment.

That is all.

That game was in English even in Japan... not the same as completely translating a very lengthy RPG, reprogramming all of the text boxes/fonts/etc, then releasing it on VC.

Earthbound is going to have to sell MINIMUM tens of thousands and realistically hundreds of thousands for there to be any chance.

 

[serplux]

Aww man, do you guys remember the last time Earthbound was announced for the Virtual Console? Good times, good times.

 

[Burning Justice]

Sin & Punishment.

That is all.

As far as I'm aware, all that was translated for Sin & Punishment were the menus. The voice acting was already in English. And most of the other import games on VC didn't even get that treatment. To localize an RPG with even a small amount of text just for VC would be unprecedented, let alone one with as much text as Mother 3.

 

[Tiktaalik]

It's widely known it was perceived legal issues. They're probably just deciding to go ahead and play dumb about it.

Interestingly Bill Trinen has been quoted saying that he isn't aware of any music issues and the game will be unchanged on the Wii U.

http://kotaku.com/maybe-the-earthbound-delay-wasnt-really-for-music-lice-476434126

If true it's simply bizarre that the game hasn't been released until now. It's possible that there has been some cageyness internally at NoA, but NCL simply decided to overrule them.

 

[NEO0MJ]

As far as I'm aware, all that was translated for Sin & Punishment were the menus. The voice acting was already in English. And most of the other import games on VC didn't even get that treatment. To localize an RPG with even a small amount of text just for VC would be unprecedented, let alone one with as much text as Mother 3.

Can't they use the fan-translation? Won't be the first time a company had the fans take care of something for the, I think.

 

[BoosterDuck]

Is Pokey's name going to be changed to Porky?

 

[Karsticles]

Update on Wii U Earthbound gifting promise

Since I last discussed this earlier in the topic, several people have pledged to combine forces with me and contribute several copies of Earthbound themselves. I won't list their names yet because they haven't given me permission to just yet (haven't asked to be honest, so just to be safe), but total so far it looks like we can give away at least 20 copies of Earthbound to neoGAFers for the giveaway topic whenever Wii U gifting comes around.

Look forward to it Earthbounders!

You are a gracious man.