zero shift
Banned
So as someone that felt mixed about Earthbound but loved Mother 3 how will I likely feel about this game?
Earthbound Beginnings |OT| From Onett to Podunk in 20 years!
- Thread starter Zuhzuhzombie!!
- Start date
Poltergust
Member
For my playthrough, I decided to be weird and get Ana before heading into Duncan's Factory. I somehow managed to survive my way towards her.
Heck, it seems like it's possible to get Ana in the party before Lloyd. Perhaps I should've went one step further. =P
It's actually pretty neat that the developers took that into account. The clairvoyant that is situated in the beginning of Snowman (who basically tells you where to go next) tells you to go back to Union Station lol.
Heck, it seems like it's possible to get Ana in the party before Lloyd. Perhaps I should've went one step further. =P
It's actually pretty neat that the developers took that into account. The clairvoyant that is situated in the beginning of Snowman (who basically tells you where to go next) tells you to go back to Union Station lol.
I just finished Duncan's Factory and headed to Reindeer. I used a map to get through Duncan's Factory, so the whole experience was pretty painless. Didn't struggle with any of the battles, though in a couple of spots I did get awfully close to losing Lloyd because I wasn't paying attention and hammering on A to get through the battles.
Bread Crumbs are also a godsend
Bread Crumbs are also a godsend
dickroach
Member
it's definitely closer to Earthbound than Mother 3, but it really comes down to whether you dig NES rpgs or not
This game has the most ridiculous encounter rate of any game I've ever played EVER, the battle system, inventory, movement all feel archaic as hell, and there's barely any strategy... but I'm still having a lot of fun. I can't believe I'm playing a new NES RPG in 2015. It's the same feels I got booting up Mega Man 9 for the first time.
Ingueferroque
Banned
Did any game journalist even ask at E3 why this is not on 3DS? I just cant get over it. Its a NES rom.
Great time to mention for other people: H2O Pendant > the other pendants. You will get nuked by fire spells otherwise.
tauroxd
Member
I jsut got to Duncan's Factory and I still do not have any party member. I met Lloyd in the school but he told me that he wanted to try a rocket that a factory made and I assumed that it was in Duncan's... Now I see some of you hvae Lloyd by that point... I assume that I should buy the rockets in a store or got them some place else before heading to Duncan's.
There are actually two fireworks factories. You want to get the fireworks for Lloyd from the Sweet Little factory south of town before heading to Duncan's.
tauroxd
Member
Thanks, I'll look the factory. It's south of the town where Lloyd is?
Yes, south of Lloyd's school.
Mr. Wonderful
Member
Really my only problem with the game is the encounter rate. Other than that, the game has aged wonderfully.
tauroxd
Member
My problem really is about difficulty... The encounter rate wouldn't really be a problem if some random fights would drop you.
Finally decided to give Mother 1 a go after putting it off for so long. The VC version came at just the right time, I suppose. After flailing about in the first area/town to get my bearings a bit, I made it past Magicant and finally gained Lloyd as a party member and tackled Duncan's Factory (holy shit what an asshole). I guess it's pretty clear from here that I have to ride the train to one of three destinations.
Putting that aside: what is up with this overworld? Before I jumped on the train my curiosity got the better of me and I began to wander the countryside, trying to see if I would stumble on anything interesting (mostly avoiding walkthroughs at the moment) and I found myself running more or less due east of the train station on a hill that seemed to go on forever, eventually running into some very strong enemy mobs. After a bit I checked the in-game map and was surprised to find I had gone clear across to the other side! There seemed to be nothing indicating I was even supposed to be up there, what I've seen of this huge expanse I've traveled was nothing but plains and trees: and I still hadn't found any point where the the hill would finally end and I could circle back to the starting point.
By that time Ninten and Lloyd were on the verge of death from the constant battles and there was no chance of hell I could make it back to safer ground so I warped over to Magicant. But at the very least I had gained a few levels and enough coin to get some of those high-priced gear for my guys.
Honestly, was I even supposed to be up there? I didn't get a chance to finish exploring but it just seemed like a whole lotta nothing that could have been avoided with a well-placed grove of trees to keep me from wasting my time. 8-bit rpgs, amirite fellas?
EDIT: just looked up a stupidly-large map of the overworld from Starmen.net just to see what I got myself into. Holy fucking shit, it's just a big stretch of nothing that spans from below the fireworks factory all the way to the far north-east edge of the map. And it's so easy to wander into that mess from the train station, you're practically invited in by the opening in the cliff-sides. Welp, good thing I looked it up... saved myself about 2-3 hours of needless wandering and random battles.
Putting that aside: what is up with this overworld? Before I jumped on the train my curiosity got the better of me and I began to wander the countryside, trying to see if I would stumble on anything interesting (mostly avoiding walkthroughs at the moment) and I found myself running more or less due east of the train station on a hill that seemed to go on forever, eventually running into some very strong enemy mobs. After a bit I checked the in-game map and was surprised to find I had gone clear across to the other side! There seemed to be nothing indicating I was even supposed to be up there, what I've seen of this huge expanse I've traveled was nothing but plains and trees: and I still hadn't found any point where the the hill would finally end and I could circle back to the starting point.
By that time Ninten and Lloyd were on the verge of death from the constant battles and there was no chance of hell I could make it back to safer ground so I warped over to Magicant. But at the very least I had gained a few levels and enough coin to get some of those high-priced gear for my guys.
Honestly, was I even supposed to be up there? I didn't get a chance to finish exploring but it just seemed like a whole lotta nothing that could have been avoided with a well-placed grove of trees to keep me from wasting my time. 8-bit rpgs, amirite fellas?
EDIT: just looked up a stupidly-large map of the overworld from Starmen.net just to see what I got myself into. Holy fucking shit, it's just a big stretch of nothing that spans from below the fireworks factory all the way to the far north-east edge of the map. And it's so easy to wander into that mess from the train station, you're practically invited in by the opening in the cliff-sides. Welp, good thing I looked it up... saved myself about 2-3 hours of needless wandering and random battles.
The overworld map for this game is massive; possibly even more so than EarthBound and MOTHER 3's. It's awfully easy to get lost, and the game doesn't always tell you exactly where to go.
But yeah, looking at the map, that's an interesting area. It really does just wind on and on without any reason. You'd think they'd block it with trees if they didn't want anyone going up there.
But yeah, looking at the map, that's an interesting area. It really does just wind on and on without any reason. You'd think they'd block it with trees if they didn't want anyone going up there.
Played the translated version a couple years ago and couldn't get more than a few hours into it (for many of the reasons already cited), and I *love* EB & M3. I'm going to buy it anyway just to show my support, but I doubt I'll play it again and finish it. However, stranger things have happened, so I'll stop short of saying 'never'.
Tiu Neo
Member
I replayed it and... maybe I was prepared, but all the battles archaic systems aren't as bad as I remembered. Or maybe I was just carving for this type of game, I dunno.
Replaying Earthbound now, after 15+ years. Bought it back when it was released on VC but never got to play it. The evolution is... notable.
Dash Kappei
Not actually that important
Wasn't there a hacked rom which gave you a certain item to reduce the encounters' rate?
I wish it was an option with the VC release... I'll buy it to show support but I doubt I'll play this version, also I prefer RPGs on handhelds so I guess I'll get on that EB Zero hacked rom on my softmodded 3DS
I wish it was an option with the VC release... I'll buy it to show support but I doubt I'll play this version, also I prefer RPGs on handhelds so I guess I'll get on that EB Zero hacked rom on my softmodded 3DS
Yep, Earthbound Zero with the Easy Ring. I'm actually finding this game in its natural state quite fun, so give it a go at least. And I play entirely with Off-TV play so it basically is a handheld haha.
For the record, the Easy Ring hack is of the Mother 1+2 GBA port, not the NES/Famicom original.
Beren the Empty-Handed
Member
I finally sat down and played this, and just finished.
That was awesome. I had no idea what to expect in terms of storytelling other than a vague background, but that was surprisingly touching for an 8-bit game. I also loved Magicant. It's like some otherworldly town that you can visit at any point, and yet it was also so bizarre. I ended up enjoying all of my time there, (late game spoilers)
The couple of twists and turns in the story ended up playing out really well, and the music (Eight melodies specifically) worked very well with these moments. The game world wasn't as humorous or strange as Earthbound's, but it achieved a kind of off-kilter style that ended up serving it well. I could see parts of the tone that would be expanded on in Earthbound, but this was actually distinct from Earthbound and Mother 3, which pleasantly surprised me.
I was also surprised by how many PSI abilities and usable items there were. I thought it these things would feel more barebones, but they were actually solid.
As far as criticisms go, yes the encounter rate and sheer difficulty at the end were a bit much. I spent quite a bit of time grinding and Ana still ended up being very frail, a lot more so than Paula in Earthbound. The inventory system was cumbersome, but I'm not going to bash an NES game too hard for that. The map layouts in general also felt a bit unfocused, and I fully admit to using an online map for places. Without one, I would have stumbled around for a longer time than I think the game intended.
But really, as far as NES games go, this is still incredible. This game had character and style, and I had a great time. I might go back and replay Earthbound soon, because I just didn't feel like I got enough. I'll wait though, I want this game to soak in and give myself a little time to reflect. And I'll be humming Pollyanna in my head.
That was awesome. I had no idea what to expect in terms of storytelling other than a vague background, but that was surprisingly touching for an 8-bit game. I also loved Magicant. It's like some otherworldly town that you can visit at any point, and yet it was also so bizarre. I ended up enjoying all of my time there, (late game spoilers)
so when it was destroyed I was actually kind of heartbroken.
I was also surprised by how many PSI abilities and usable items there were. I thought it these things would feel more barebones, but they were actually solid.
As far as criticisms go, yes the encounter rate and sheer difficulty at the end were a bit much. I spent quite a bit of time grinding and Ana still ended up being very frail, a lot more so than Paula in Earthbound. The inventory system was cumbersome, but I'm not going to bash an NES game too hard for that. The map layouts in general also felt a bit unfocused, and I fully admit to using an online map for places. Without one, I would have stumbled around for a longer time than I think the game intended.
But really, as far as NES games go, this is still incredible. This game had character and style, and I had a great time. I might go back and replay Earthbound soon, because I just didn't feel like I got enough. I'll wait though, I want this game to soak in and give myself a little time to reflect. And I'll be humming Pollyanna in my head.
Hey has anyone else noticed that the music seems really low for certain tracks, especially the store theme? It's strange, when I bring up the menu with save states and option and go back into the game, the music becmoes loud again, but only for a few seconds before it goes really soft again. Is this something with all NES VC games or is this just something with Earthbound Beginnings?
I just finished this game. What a ride! I have now completed the full Mother trilogy. Hands down my favorite gaming franchise. Earthbound Beginnings, while technically my least favorite in the series, still had a wonderful collection of moments that were fresh. Such a deep, meaningful, packed game so far ahead of its time. Itoi is one of the only true game auteurs as far as I'm concerned.
Heavy's Sandvich
Member
I don't want to create a new thread for this, how reliable are the Mother 3 GBA carts going on ebay? The ones that have been translated, am I a-ok to buy them?
Depends on who made them, I guess. None of them are official, of course, so it's not like there's any QC
I started playing on Sunday and just got Ana in my party and I'm off to explore Reindeer and Spookane. The Duncan Factory dungeon was pretty fun, I love those huge, maze-like dungeons that put a major drain on your resources... except my first time through, Lloyd was dead so I couldn't set off the rocket!
Not really looking forward to the Mt. Itoi grinding but I think I still have some ways to go before I hit that point.
So this game has a lot of questionable design decisions, as 8-bit RPGs are prone to do, but I'm still enjoying myself. I've beaten EB and Mother 3 and haven't really played this before (apart from the Japanese ROM years ago for a bit)... it's very tough, with huge areas to explore... but I do like that. The world map is really impressive in scale for an NES game.
Not really looking forward to the Mt. Itoi grinding but I think I still have some ways to go before I hit that point.
So this game has a lot of questionable design decisions, as 8-bit RPGs are prone to do, but I'm still enjoying myself. I've beaten EB and Mother 3 and haven't really played this before (apart from the Japanese ROM years ago for a bit)... it's very tough, with huge areas to explore... but I do like that. The world map is really impressive in scale for an NES game.
Same I finally played through the trilogy myself. Loved each and every game and enjoyed my time spent with them. Mother 1/Earthbound Beginnings was a very fun experience for me, for myself I found the combat and overall difficulty to be much more balanced than Earthbound, though you had to deal with the encounter rate and not be running away alot. It also blew me away just how big and open the world was, along with the objectives of the game being very non-linear, especially compared to 2 and 3. It's like as the stories got more complex, the games themselves became more linear and less about exploration.
IrishNinja
Member
so, i bought this on VC but im finally playing this on an old repro cart i've had forever with the easy mode patch, and...it's still super grindy/crazy high encounter rate sometimes, haha. i need to boot the VC one & see if that changes much.
working on my 5th melody but determined to finish this before the switch drop next week! man, you really need a guide sometimes in this game.
working on my 5th melody but determined to finish this before the switch drop next week! man, you really need a guide sometimes in this game.
Yeah, you definitely need a guide for Mother 1 sometimes. It's a surprisingly big game and the progression from one area to the next isn't always logical.
That said, I actually think Mother 1 is generally my favorite in the series, though some days I guess I lean more Mother 2 or 3. 1 has this unique tone that the other two titles don't have. It's part Peanuts, part ET, part...I don't know. It just has this amazing Americana pastiche thing going on with some serious gut-punches and heaviness going on, and sometimes it's easy to miss, like Teddy's whole backstory. Yeah, the encounter rate is totally bogus, the random encounters are predetermined too far in advance, and there's a lot of empty space, but damn if I don't love that game to bits. So damn good.
Davey Cakes
Member
Earthbound Zero is a NES RPG. Period. There's nothing else to say. It's a bit brutal, especially with the encounter rate and ridiculous difficulty hikes.
I love the game for what it is but have to admit that it's almost unfair in its progression system. The moment you think you're gotten anywhere, you get your ass kicked. I recommend grinding pretty much all the time, especially in Magicant after you get Llloyd. But hardly any grinding will prepare you for the moment you get to Snowman and get attacked buy 3+ wolves at once. Again, PSI is key and getting Ana as soon as possible is essential.
Even then, the swamp and Mt. Itoi are perfect excuses to run and use 4th-D Slip all the time. Mother is the only game I've ever played that actively encourages running from battle.
Worth finishing, but you have to persevere through everything the game throws at you.
I love the game for what it is but have to admit that it's almost unfair in its progression system. The moment you think you're gotten anywhere, you get your ass kicked. I recommend grinding pretty much all the time, especially in Magicant after you get Llloyd. But hardly any grinding will prepare you for the moment you get to Snowman and get attacked buy 3+ wolves at once. Again, PSI is key and getting Ana as soon as possible is essential.
Even then, the swamp and Mt. Itoi are perfect excuses to run and use 4th-D Slip all the time. Mother is the only game I've ever played that actively encourages running from battle.
Worth finishing, but you have to persevere through everything the game throws at you.
IrishNinja
Member
you're not wrong there...i just broke a tank after taking out a huge bot, so i'm in some monkey cave now.
for years i heard Mother 2 was just a remake, but just like Metal Gear 2 & MGS 1, there's by far enough of its own stuff here to warrant fans giving it a run-through.
for years i heard Mother 2 was just a remake, but just like Metal Gear 2 & MGS 1, there's by far enough of its own stuff here to warrant fans giving it a run-through.
IrishNinja
Member
damn, from Yuca Desert to Youngtown...it's crazy how, after playing so much Earthobund as a kid, you finally play this one & it feels like someone took your favorite tunes & turned them into 8-bit midis, haha. it's so cool.
That's an apt comparison...especially since the music is so amazing! I really think that EBB has the best soundtrack of all three mother games. What it lacks in complexity it makes up for in memorability. Plus, the actual album released alongside Mother in Japan with vocals is simply my favorite video game related soundtrack. I listen to it all the time at work. Bein' Friends and Pollyanna are such perfect classics.
Yeah, the Mother album is one of my favorite music albums period. If I could give my life a theme song, it would be Pollyanna.
IrishNinja
Member
finished!
satisfying, and while the roots of EB are here, it totally did its own thing - even the relationship with would-be Paula was more intimate. new locales, different take on gigyas, etc.
glad i played through. final areas (well, the ones without help!) were brutal till i remembered i could just 4th dimension my way outta there, haha. ended around level 30.
great game, bummed there's no more Itoi for me to play at the moment. more earthbound fans should indulge! on easy mode, though
satisfying, and while the roots of EB are here, it totally did its own thing - even the relationship with would-be Paula was more intimate. new locales, different take on gigyas, etc.
glad i played through. final areas (well, the ones without help!) were brutal till i remembered i could just 4th dimension my way outta there, haha. ended around level 30.
great game, bummed there's no more Itoi for me to play at the moment. more earthbound fans should indulge! on easy mode, though
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