Earthbound Beginnings |OT| From Onett to Podunk in 20 years!

I just arrived to
Magicant
and while I've been enjoying the wacky Earthbound atmosphere & sense of humor, the first hours with this game really made me realize what an amazing improvement the sequel has been in all areas.
I'm really missing the HP counter or even the option to check things without going through the menu... Also as others have mentioned: dat encounter rate O.o
 
Is it possible to actually miss melodies? I'm guessing you can't permanently miss them, but it's going to suck if I reach the final area and realize I have to backtrack because I didn't have one.
 
How slow is Ninten??

zlCfzTeIlAgALYOESD
 
The Japanese release has some changes:
http://earthboundcentral.com/2015/06/japanese-wii-u-mother-has-changes/
Of course that doesn't say if all the GBA version/EB0 changes made it.

OnionPowder said:
I'm surprised you have to grind when literally you get an encounter the first step after finishing a battle
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I think some parts of the world have forced encounters too.

Zuhzuhzombie!! said:
As far as we should be concerned, it is as dated as DQ1/2.
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Which makes it funnier there was an NPC that asks if you've played DQIV in the original Japanese release.
 
Interesting that they made some changes to the Japanese version.

Has anyone fought
Giygas
in the English version yet? What's his name?
 
Anyone else's music cutting out at weird spots? I'm just playing through the opening 30 minutes.

EDIT: Seems like it was problem on my end, not the game thankfully.
 
Lol I'm so lost with this canary chick, I'm like level 9 so far and enjoying it. Not really needed to grind much, but damn the encounter rate is insane at times
 
So, I saved Pippi and went back to the graveyard to grind some.... and, uh, the game froze, all I was doing was running around in circles by the graveyard church...
 
L95 said:
So, I saved Pippi and went back to the graveyard to grind some.... and, uh, the game froze, all I was doing was running around in circles by the graveyard church...
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That sucks, I hope you had made some saves.

Could be that the english release had a few unresolved issues due to the ability to run or something.
 
This game really finally picks up once you've recruited your first party member. It was quite similar for me in Earthbound. It's insane how many items you find with only 8 item slots and 3-4 of them constantly blocked by important items.

Man this makes me wanna play Mother 3 so much :(
 
Create a restore point in the desert, just in case. Immediately run into two conscutive rattlesnakes who instantly murder friends. Silently load restore point and act like nothing happened.
 
Kangi said:
Create a restore point in the desert, just in case. Immediately run into two conscutive rattlesnakes who instantly murder friends. Silently load restore point and act like nothing happened.
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This is exactly the best way to play this game haha
 
I had two issues in Magicant last night. Finding the "ATM" (which I did thanks to the help of a guide) and solving the riddle (I forgot to try PSI). I did everything there that I think I can do for now, so I guess I'll try to find a way out...
OnionPowder said:
How slow is Ninten??

zlCfzTeIlAgALYOESD
Click to expand...
I couldn't run from those either. Before I got some decent accessories, they were crushing poor Ninten.
 
Very confused and need some help.

I got to the part where you need to use the diary to get to Magicant, but I don't have the diary somehow. It's not in the present in the basement and I know I had it at one point. It's not with Minnie, and I didn't give it to Pippi. Does anyone have some kind of clue where it might be? I really don't want to restart the whole game because of this.
 
I've been wanting to play Earthbound for ages but I hate to miss on previous entries in a series. Still, I had planned to buy it on the VC this year but now I can play the very first one. It seems it's gonna be a grindfest, but everything I've seen from Earthbound just oozes charm, so I'll try not to get discouraged by the difficulty in Beginnings.
 
Big Nikus said:
I've been wanting to play Earthbound for ages but I hate to miss on previous entries in a series. Still, I had planned to buy it on the VC this year but now I can play the very first one. It seems it's gonna be a grindfest, but everything I've seen from Earthbound just oozes charm, so I'll try not to get discouraged by the difficulty in Beginnings.
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The Starmen.net walkthrough is a pretty good source if you get stuck. I have a tab open on the Wii U internet browser just in case. Very interesting game so far! I just got through Magicant and I think the unearthliness of the game is far more striking than its descendents due to the limitations of the NES. Very stark and strange.
 
I literally played and beat Mother 1 just 2 weeks before Earthbound Beginnings was announced.

My biggest face palm? I dropped the "Easy Ring" not knowing it was and never knew there was a run button. That's even after playing Mother 3.

It was an NES game so I never even thought of pressing L & R. Oh well, at least I played it legit, grinding and all.
 
Just saw this on Miiverse, thought it was pretty brilliant:



(If you need the context, the link has the screenshot from Merryside.)
 
Big Nikus said:
I've been wanting to play Earthbound for ages but I hate to miss on previous entries in a series. Still, I had planned to buy it on the VC this year but now I can play the very first one. It seems it's gonna be a grindfest, but everything I've seen from Earthbound just oozes charm, so I'll try not to get discouraged by the difficulty in Beginnings.
Click to expand...

Maybe it's because I heard about how grindy the game is, but my perception is that it's not that bad.
 
I am at the zoo now and having a blast. I have a tip for newbies, save $500 and buy the wooden bat from the department store, it opens up the game for sure.
 
Makonero said:
The Starmen.net walkthrough is a pretty good source if you get stuck. I have a tab open on the Wii U internet browser just in case. Very interesting game so far! I just got through Magicant and I think the unearthliness of the game is far more striking than its descendents due to the limitations of the NES. Very stark and strange.
Click to expand...

Yes! That's why I love the first game so much. Don't get me wrong, the issues people have with it are all valid, but man does it have some atmosphere.
 
Scarl said:
Yes! That's why I love the first game so much. Don't get me wrong, the issues people have with it are all valid, but man does it have some atmosphere.
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"Atmosphere" is a good word to describe it.

I honestly think Mother/EBB is very eerie a lot of the time. Makes the experience REALLY memorable IMO.

Despite its faults, it's a pretty unforgettable game.
 
I actually think the game's not really a grind fest at all if you play it right
mainly because of that INSANE encounter rate which doesn't give any choice but to grind through it ;-)

Although I like to discover such games on my own, using a guide at least in some areas such as Duncan's factory - which is just a HUGE maze with lot's of encounters and strong enemies - really makes the game a lot more fun (and takes away a lot of the frustration ;-))
 
I'm interested in trying out the first game. I beat EarthBound and Mother 3 already. I asked a friend who recently bought this and he likened it to playing something like Donkey Kong Country 4 on the NES in comparison to EarthBound, haha. But he said the music was brilliant. I'll probably buy this in the end just to show my support for the series in the West.
 
I started playing this yesterday. At least one the overworld, the encounter rate doesn't seem stupid high or anything, it just seems random, primarily. Sometimes you will fight 3 encounters in 5 steps, and sometimes you can run all the way home from Podunk with no encounters. I forget if this gets worse later in some of the dungeons etc.

I'm using a guide and I'm also saving and loading to maximize level ups, within limits. With Ninten, given that there are five main stats that can go up 2 or 3, if the level gives me at least three 3s and reasonable HP/PP then I've been keeping it. When I get Ana I will definitely be maximizing her Fight stat, 50% of the time she gets 0 and 50% of the time she gets 1.
 
Cell_Biology said:
I'm interested in trying out the first game. I beat EarthBound and Mother 3 already. I asked a friend who recently bought this and he likened it to playing something like Donkey Kong Country 4 on the NES in comparison to EarthBound, haha. But he said the music was brilliant. I'll probably buy this in the end just to show my support for the series in the West.
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sounds awesome !
 
Another tip for people new to this game: early on, you will rescue a little girl named Pippi. You're supposed to return her to the mayor, but as long as you never visit him you can use her to help you grind some levels. Your XP will be split between the two of you but it's much easier to stay alive against strong enemies with two people. Walk northwest of Podunk until you reach the zoo and chill out there for a while before you officially rescue her.
 
UncleSporky said:
Another tip for people new to this game: early on, you will rescue a little girl named Pippi. You're supposed to return her to the mayor, but as long as you never visit him you can use her to help you grind some levels. Your XP will be split between the two of you but it's much easier to stay alive against strong enemies with two people. Walk northwest of Podunk until you reach the zoo and chill out there for a while before you officially rescue her.
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Yup, I did this. Pippi is a beast.
 
L95 said:
Yup, I did this. Pippi is a beast.
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She is! She has amazing physical stat growth (the same as Teddy later on).


Also...similar to Earthbound, there is something hidden deep within the desert that's can be difficult to find (even more difficult here than in EB). You get a secret message from Shigesato Itoi!
 
UncleSporky said:
She is! She has amazing physical stat growth (the same as Teddy later on).


Also...similar to Earthbound, there is something hidden deep within the desert that's can be difficult to find (even more difficult here than in EB). You get a secret message from Shigesato Itoi!
Click to expand...

63f813039ae314c1072eee7cc1deac5dad288e106f0b8498918bd23dd9e923d0.jpg


Please enlighten us :)
 
Uncle BAZINGA said:
63f813039ae314c1072eee7cc1deac5dad288e106f0b8498918bd23dd9e923d0.jpg


Please enlighten us :)
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You'll find out when you get there!

There used to be a lot of landmines in the desert, and a dude cleared them all out except for one. If you happen stand on the exact right spot in the entire desert...you'll find it. You can google "earthbound zero landmine" if you want to be more spoiled than that. :P
 
Finished!

Giegue is a pushover with Shield Beta and LifeUp Pi spam. The ending was nice for something that was created by the localizers, though it doesn't hold a candle to the impact that EarthBound's epilogue had on me. And that's just it... it certainly feels like an inferior game across-the-board to EarthBound; but that's like saying you're not as good at fighting as Bruce Lee was. It's a fantastic game with amazing thematic elements, subtle storytelling, and some gameplay hiccups. It's the worst of the trilogy, but still a king among JRPGs.

Very glad this finally made it west. Y'know, after 24 years. Twenty-four-flippin'-years.
 
Kangi said:
Finished!
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I finished it as well yesterday. I was a bit surprised on how fast I finished it - in around 16 hours as compared to the 25 hours for Earthbound.

I wouldn't call it an inferior game since it came out 6 years prior to Earthbound, it's just that Earthbound is better in every aspect, and clearly more modern ;-)

Considering that the game is now more than 25 years old (!) it held up quite well I'd say.

Story wise it really reminded me of what Nintendo has been doing with the Zelda franchise how they reused so many story elements from Earthbound Beginnings in Earthbound.
Btw. it took me like 8 turns to realize that each party member could use the "sing" command. Made it a bit more tedious and dull, but oh well. I agree that the final fight lacked a certain climatic feeling.
 
TanookiTom said:
I wouldn't call it an inferior game since it came out 6 years prior to Earthbound, it's just that Earthbound is better in every aspect, and clearly more modern ;-)

Considering that the game is now more than 25 years old (!) it held up quite well I'd say.
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Yeah. It just suffers from the same fate that Donkey Kong Country, Mega Man, Street Fighter, etc. do: it had a similar-but-superior sequel. Just without also having several more sequels and therefore giving it that charm of being the original among many. Wish fewer people would discount it for that~
 
Curios, even the developer admitted that Earthbound Zero (as is used to be known) was broken. Especially at how unbalanced and hard the game was at the end, and said they never fixed the game.

Has that been addressed in this version of the game or is it a straight port?
 
Sorcerer said:
Curios, even the developer admitted that Earthbound Zero (as is used to be known) was broken. Especially at how unbalanced and hard the game was at the end, and said they simply never fixed the game.

Has that been addressed in this version of the game or is it simply a straight port?
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It's a straight port, nothing has been "fixed" or changed from what I've seen in my playthrough. It even had a few spelling mistakes and sometimes very noticeable slowdown. The extreme difficulty peak towards the end is still there, but it's still manageable.
 
foxuzamaki said:
Speaking of which, have any of the major game sites reviewed this, this is kinda a game no one in the west technically played, you would think they would jump all over this.

You have a amazing voice btw.
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Thank you :) I think a lot of people have overlooked or forgotten about Earthbound Beginnings due to everything else going on this week
 
Jonneh3003 said:
Thank you :) I think a lot of people have overlooked or forgotten about Earthbound Beginnings due to everything else going on this week
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Yeah thats probably true, ironically earthbound zero is probably like the last guardian to another person.
 
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