I think I’ve made it blatantly clear that I love Earthbound. What I haven’t made clear is that I think it’s total and utter BS that other installments of the Earthbound series (aka Mother in Japan) haven’t been officially released in North America. I don’t know if it’s licensing issues, or if Nintendo of America flat out refuses to bring it over (kind of like Xenoblade and The Last Story, to name a few) but whatever the problem is, it sucks big fat hairy balls–if I may be blunt.
But I think I’ve found out what really happened. It includes Nintendo security teams, Reggie and a Nintendo logo.
For those of you that haven’t played Earthbound and plan on someday spending $140 on a copy of it, there really aren’t any spoilers below. The plot has been changed to reflect that of Earthbound’s struggle for localization. So, enjoy.
There’s always emulation.
Yeah, it’s kinda illegal if you don’t own the original, but if Nintendo is gonna repeatedly hold back from their fans, maybe they deserve it…?
Until they rerelease the games, they’re not making money on them, anyway, so do the right thing and emulate!! :P
I agree with this. There is even a translation patch for Mother 3 that is pretty well-known for it’s quality right here: http://www.romhacking.net/trans/1333/
It’s super easy to find Gameboy Advance or SNES emulators and ROMs on the Googler. Both don’t require much as far as computer power and will run pretty well on most any modern computer.
As for the morality issues, you can always promise yourself to buy it when/if it comes to the States. Or perhaps import the Japanese version if you can’t stomach the idea of playing something without giving the company money. Either way, why deny yourself the experience? Just IMHO. :)
I love Earthbound. It is my favorite game of all-time. I was lucky enough to buy it for $28.14 used about a decade ago. I can’t believe Nintendo when it comes down to it. What is the purpose of not releasing it on virtual console or even talking about it in interviews? Oh well, I guess the fan translation of Mother 3 will have to suffice for now.