I have bought Earthbound for $90 (!!!), so I must ask before I play Earthbound,what is so special about this game? I'm not talking about the story, I'm talking about the gameplay. It must be special because the game has the biggest cult following I have ever seen over a video game series. I have even heard people say it might be the greatest game of all time.

I have owned Earthbound for my SNES for many years, and I've made many attempts to play through it, but of all the RPGs I own for my Super Nintendo, it's one of my least favorites. That being said, this game has a rampant and loyal fanbase so I know it's a good game, just not my cup of tea. Which is odd considering I do like Mother 3 on the GBA. The best thing you can do is give it a try and go from there. Who knows, it might be the best game of all time to you.

Play it and you shall understand.

never played it but when it releases on the VC ill give it a download

I will...after I complete Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories.
Even if I like Earthbound,it is going to be pretty hard for me to like it better then the Kingdom Hearts series because the Kingdom Hearts series is one of my favorite RPG series of all time. I'll confess I play a little bit of it,and then I stop and haven't played it since. But never fear,I will play it sooner or later.

Seems like questions you should have asked before spending $90. I've gotten tired of recommending it because a lot of people don't like it at all, and I can hardly imagine why. I hope you enjoy it, considering what you spent. There really isn't a whole lot special about the game play aside from the rolling HP meter (which is not revolutionary by any means, but it is a great little addition more games should use). It is all in the story and presentation.

If you at least sort-of like it, try Mother 3. And if playing emulated makes you feel bad, you can order the Japanese copy to make yourself feel better. It'd be no less illegal to play the English-patched ROM, but perhaps more ethical if you're really worried about it. I find Mother 3 to be the much better game, but they are both at the very top of my list as far as video games go.

The Mother series is just really beautiful in gamplay/script/visual regard. Itoi really is an interesting guy, and has made 3 amazing games. You should play it because nothing else is like it.

http://www.retrowaretv.com/home/HappyVideoGameNerd/HVGNEpisod...

This will give you all the info on how much this game rocks

Corbie, I feel the same way. I played the game about a year ago, thinking it would be fantastic, but I was really dissapointed. But, like you, I did like Mother 3.

If you want to know what about the GAMEPLAY makes Earthbound awesome, you're going to be disappointed. It's really all about the presentation, story, ambiance, music, and especially humor. The in-battle gameplay, save for the rolling HP counter, is a straight-up Dragon Quest clone. The out-of-battle gameplay is relatively unusual in not having random battles (Mother 1 did, but not Earthbound or Mother 3), but that's not a unique situation, however nice it may be.

I agree that you should've done this research BEFORE spending that kind of cashola on the game. I sure hope you like it!

That's interesting and good to know. I always think Earthbound detractors would like Mother 3, but I am afraid my recommendation won't be taken seriously since my mind is clearly clouded by Itoi worship. Think we'll see a Mother 3 retro review like we did for Star Ocean (that was another fan-translated RPG retro reviewed here, I think)?

The gameplay itself is nothing special, though the game is very funny and the graphics are very well done.

Story, and humor, never will you fight against evil cultist obsessed with the color blue. Just play the game its worth every penny you spent on it. Oh make sure you fight a lot and level up or you will get slaughtered.

"Green green..." These are the kinds of hilarious in-jokes that only a rabid Earthbound fan will immediately understand. Or at the very least, I like that one, and should it turn out that the majority do NOT find it particularly appealing, I will continue to defend my entirely pointlessly asserted opinion unto death (or maybe not, it depends on the mood I'm in at the time).
Also see: "Noterday? Bzzt...wrong!" (or however that goes precisely, the point being that the first word is in there and is in fact the operable focal point of the joke.)

I've never really understood the fanbase behind Earthbound. Yeah, its charming and a good game, but it has to be the most over nerd-hyped game ever.

Blew, blew. I'm learning to whistle. I'll practice over there.

Yes Adam, I fully plan to review the translated Mother 3 GBA title. And I've always appreciated the diehard fanbase of the Mother series. Nice to see gamers rally around a title that didn't fare well outside of Japan.

Absolutely nothing.

Somehow someone somewhere decided it was the greatest thing since caramel apples and it caught on.

If you go into the game listening to all the praise you have a chance at being greatly disappointed.

@AlexSays: Would you please take your needless negativity elsewhere? At least Corbie admits it's a good game and just not his cup of tea.

Another thing I should say about this game: Unlike more or less EVERY other RPG I've ever played, Earthbound actually makes it a real joy to speak to EVERY NPC, EVERY time you play it! The way they're written makes it a strong portion of what's fun about the game. So it's possible that people who didn't like the game didn't bother to talk around, assuming it would be as boring as just about every other RPG they'd played.

Got to expect negative responses for Earthbound. I'm surprised that's all, actually. I played the game and loved it right when it came out, so it has nothing to do with someone deciding it was good for me, which is absolutely ridiculous.

I don't understand why people like Final Fantasy so much, but I'm not going to suggest its fans are deluded. There's something special about the games, just nothing that particularly appeals to me.

Still, I can see why some wouldn't like Earthbound. I think people should generally try Mother 3 first, though. It's the better game in almost every way and probably would appeal to a lot of those who don't really get Earthbound.