Tag: Earthbound - Page 2
Random This Animal Crossing Island Is Probably As Close As We'll Get To A New EarthBound Game
Onett in paradise
Last week, we heard how a creative Animal Crossing: New Horizons player recreated Hyrule from The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, and now this week, a Japanese player has transformed their island paradise into a place that looks similar to
News New Documentary Uncovers The Amazing Story Of EarthBound Beginnings
A story 25 years in the making
The Mother series – better known as EarthBound in the west – is one of those franchises that benefits from a massive amount of attention from the Nintendo fanbase, despite the fact that the company has done relatively little to encourage such devotion over the years. Sure, Mother 2 was localised as EarthBound on...
News Shigesato Itoi's Company Wants A Manga Artist Who Is A Fan Of The Mother Series
Hmm, interesting...
The Mother series hasn't really been acknowledged since Nintendo released EarthBound Beginnings on the Wii U eShop in 2015, but it hasn't necessarily been forgotten about. Although the series' creator Shigesato Itoi has previously said he's not interested in making a fourth entry, a recent tweet by his company, Hobonichi...
News Sony Music Is Publishing A Special 30th Anniversary Mother Vinyl Set
Now that's the sound of Christmas
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of MOTHER - the first game in Nintendo's popular RPG series and known as EarthBound Beginnings in the west - Sony Music Direct is releasing a MOTHER Original Soundtrack on Christmas Day in Japan. The soundtrack is a UK recording by Keiichi Suzuki's Moonriders. This double album set...
News Old Japanese Magazine Reveals "New" Details About Nintendo's Axed Project, EarthBound 64
Step back in time
Nintendo's cancelled project EarthBound 64 – also known as Mother 3 – began its life in the mid-'90s as an N64 title, and was eventually released as a Game Boy Advance game in 2006. Although the Nintendo 64 title never saw the light of day, there's still a lot of interest in this axed project. In June this year, new footage of...
News Earthbound Creator Shigesato Itoi Felt 'Indebted' To Nintendo When Pitching Mother
"I owe a lot to Mario"
In a wide-ranging interview with GameCenter CX the creator of the Mother series, known as Earthbound in the west, has shared a trove of gaming memories and tidbits about the series' development with the show's presenter 'Arino Kacho'. As you may well already know, the Japanese show features comedian Shinya Arino in the role...
News This Week's Smash Bros. Ultimate Spirit Event Celebrates Mother's 30th Annivesary
Starts this Friday
The Mother (EarthBound) series is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary. As part of the celebration, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be hosting an appropriately-themed spirit event later this week. This event will begin on 26th July and will run for the entire weekend. During this time, you'll be able to get your hands on...
News Monolith Soft Developer Recalls Pitching Earthbound Sequel To Shigesato Itoi
“Iwata-san was there as well.”
Video games can inspire some pretty fervent passions in their fan bases, and few are as passionate as that of the Mother games. Set in modern times, this RPG series follows the exploits of Ness and his friends and is known as EarthBound in the west, but we only ever got the second game on its intended console. The...
News Previously Unseen Footage Of EarthBound 64 Emerges Online
Take a trip back to 1996
One Nintendo 64 game that never saw the light of day, in the end, was EarthBound 64 – also known as Mother 3. The project started out life as a Super Nintendo release before being moved across to the Nintendo 64 and was eventually axed in August 2000. It ended up arriving on the Game Boy Advance in 2006 and since then, all...
Video This Fan-Made Super Smash Bros. Mini-Series Looks Incredibly Promising
Watch this 18-second sample
If the World of Light cinematic in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate left you craving a proper story set within the Smash universe, this new fan-made mini-series might be worth keeping an eye on. As Nintendo seemingly has no intentions to release its own movie or web series based on its all-star cast in the immediate future, a...
News Nintendo Allegedly Cancelled Localisation Of Mother 3 Due To Its Controversial Aspects
Project halted
The Mother series, better known as EarthBound outside of Japan, was beginning to grow in popularity back during the Wii U generation when the 1994 Super Nintendo entry was for the first time ever, released in Europe and certain other territories in 2013 on the Virtual Console. Nintendo followed this up in 2015 with the Virtual Console...
Random High School Student Sends EarthBound Cartridge Into Space
And it still works!
Here's a whacky and wonderful one for you: a copy of EarthBound has recently been sent up to the edge of space, presumably being the only copy of the game that isn't actually bound to Earth. 14-year-old student, Ronnie Doyle, was recently given the chance to send an item of his choosing into space through a donation made by his...
Random Funko Is Confused About Whether Or Not It's Licenced To Make Earthbound Merch
Pop-up shop?
If you're a fan of pop culture collectables then chances are you'll already been aware of Funko's line of big-headed figures, known as Pop! This series of successful toys has covered a wide range of media, including TV, movies, comics, cartoons and - of course - video games. The company has just released a Strider Hiryu figure for...
Music Fan-Made Mother 4 Game Isn't Here Yet, But The Soundtrack Sure Is
Contains over 60 tracks!
GameChops has released the full soundtrack for the fan-made sequel to Mother 3, despite the fact that the game itself still isn't out yet. Created by a dedicated team of fans, Mother 4 certainly looks the part - but it is of course totally unofficial and earlier this year
News Hobonichi Techo's 2017 Product Lineup Features Plenty Of Mother(ly) Love
Earthbound organisation
As seasoned Earthbound / Mother fans will know, series creator Shigesato Itoi now runs a company which - amongst other things - creates "Techo" planners and sells them in Japan. These notebooks are incredibly popular in the Land of the Rising Sun, and eminently collectable thanks to their lovely jacket designs. Itoi's...
Video Take A Tour Of Earthbound Creator Shigesato Itoi's Offices
Welcome to Hobonichi
Shigesato Itoi may not be as active as other Japanese developers, but his impact on the gaming world is immense. Itoi created the Mother series - better known in the west as Earthbound - and across a handful of titles touched the lives of countless gamers all over the globe. These days, he runs Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun - better...
News Campaign Seeks to Spin the Tale Behind EarthBound Beginnings
Kickstart your Mother
EarthBound Beginningswas finally released on the Wii U Virtual Console last year, providing the first official western access to what is known in Japan as Mother. This is far from the whole story, however, The full tale involves an unreleased original localisation, leaked carts, and secret dealings; and a documentary team wants...
Video New Earthbound Secret Discovered in Opening Chapter
20 years later...
Earthbound has been around for over two decades in the US and about a tenth of that time in Europe, but nonetheless it's an old game. Imagine our surprise then when a new as yet undocumented part of the game came to light; pun wholly intended. As you can see from the video below, by having a second controller connected you can...
Review EarthBound (New 3DS / SNES)
This game smells lovely
Well here's a treat for New Nintendo 3DS owners: EarthBound! Back on the SNES, this second instalment of Shigesato Itoi's much-loved Mother series only received a western release in North America (where it sold poorly). Buying a second-hand copy for silly money was most people's only option until the Wii U came to the rescue,...
News SNES Games Finally Arriving on the New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console
Launching in waves over the coming weeks
During today's Nintendo Direct, an announcement many have anxiously been awaiting finally surfaced. Super Nintendo games are coming to the New Nintendo 3DS; they're not, however, coming to older models. Over the next few weeks, many of Nintendo's most beloved titles will be rolling out for the system. For...
News Moving Musical Iwata Tribute Casts Onett Theme in a Whole New Light
8 minutes of Gentle Love
Outpourings of admiration for late Nintendo President Satoru Iwata have continued since his passing in July. The performing duo Gentle Love, consisting of Metal Gear Solid and Bayonetta series composer Norihiko Hibino and pianist AYAKI, have added their own respects in the form of a soulful arrangement of the Onett theme...
Random Fan Creates Custom amiibo of EarthBound Cast and Pokémon Trainer Red
Because wave-waiting just doesn't cut it...
Custom amiibo have become a growing craze since shortly after the launch of Nintendo's NFC figurines, and have ranged from simple paint-jobs to full-blown model changes. It's impossible to keep track of everyone's creations, but Insomniac Games' Environment Artist Bryan Renno has joined the party and has...
News A Different Mother 2 Cartridge Has Recently Surfaced Online
What could it be?
Mother 2 – known in the West as Earthbound – was arguably one of the most unique RPGs to emerge from the fourth generation of game consoles. Eschewing the well-trodden swords and sorcery theme of games such as Final Fantasy, Earthbound was about the adventures of a group of children in the modern age. Additionally, it featured...
News MOTHER 2 Vinyl Soundtrack Heading West
North America bound
Back in March we reported on a Kickstarter campaign aimed at bringing the original arranged Mother soundtrack to vinyl for the first time in North America. The campaign smashed its target funding goal and the project is now well on its way to completion. In a surprise announcement made earlier today, it was revealed that Ship to...
News We're Pretty Sure We Need These Earthbound Techo Planners In Our Lives
Shigesato Itoi mines his past for future greatness
One of the many modern-day pursuits of Earthbound / Mother creator Shigesato Itoi is creating planners, or "Techos" as they're known in Japan. His company Hobonichi makes many of these useful items, which can be used as a diary, notebook or scrapbook. Hobonichi has had plenty of success in its...
News EarthBound Director Shigesato Itoi Pays Tribute to His Friend Satoru Iwata
SNES classic was among Iwata-san's programming credits
To many Satoru Iwata is the former Nintendo President, an executive that was innovative and had an extraordinary relationship with the company's fans. Before that role, however - and occasionally during his time in management - Iwata-san was a highly skilled programmer, contributing heavily to...
News The First Mother Game Is Finally Coming To The West As EarthBound Beginnings
1989 NES prequel gets localised at last
The very first title in the critically-acclaimed Mother series is finally coming to the West. EarthBound Beginnings is the new name for this Western release of the 1989 NES/Famicom prequel to the SNES title EarthBound, which was known as Mother 2 in Japan. This is the first time that the game has ever been...
News Crazy EarthBound Fans Open EarthBound-themed Media Kickstarter
Many other, equally crazy EarthBound fans are backing it
It's 20 years old, with a prequel and sequel never officially released in the West, yet EarthBound continues to possess a significant presence in the gaming world. You can largely thank the game's dedicated fanbase for that; some so dedicated that they're planning to produce a cultural...
News EarthBound Celebrates 20 Very Strange Years of Existence
Proving that fighting piles of puke only gets better with age
It's almost hard to believe that EarthBound (Mother 2) is 20 years old with the way it continues to pop up nowadays. The 27th of August marks the RPG's 1994 release in Japan, however, and paved the way for its strange journey through other parts of the world. Brought to North America in...
Weirdness Earthbound Designer Shigesato Itoi Comes Under Fire For Tweeting About Fukushima Peaches
“If you go to Fukushima you can buy peaches like this"
Earthbound designer Shigesato Itoi who has appeared on a number of Japanese variety shows and commercials, recently came under fire on Twitter when he showed his support of Fukushima peaches to over 600,000 followers. Prior to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, the prefecture was known for...
News EarthBound 20th Anniversary Figures Seeing Release in Japan
The third coolest set of figures you can buy
While the Famicom RPG Mother is celebrating its 25th anniversary (a fact Starmen.net is honoring throughout the month), its Super Famicom/SNES sibling Mother 2, known as EarthBound in the West, is turning the big 2-0 this year in Japan as well. To commemorate two decades of EarthBound, toy company Takara...
News Mother 25th Anniversary Fanfest Teleports in this 5th July
Celebrating the Zero fans have always wanted
Many of us caught the bus with Shigesato Itoi's quirky RPG series through EarthBound, but well before that came his first game, Mother. Also known as EarthBound Zero, Mother was released July 1989 in Japan and, unfortunately, nowhere else officially since. Not one to dismiss a reason to celebrate their...
News Book Focused on EarthBound's Development and Localisation Shut Down by Nintendo
Marcus Lindblom: "I have no desire to rock the boat with Nintendo at all"
Marcus Lindblom was the primary translator and localisation expert for iconic Super NES title EarthBound, and since its emergence on the Wii U eShop last year he's spoken a fair amount about his work on the project. It's emerged, however, from an interview with
Feature 12 Days of Christmas - EarthBound Escaped The Wilderness
Fans rejoiced
If you tell a non-interested observer that the release of a Super NES game on the Wii U caused a frenzy of excitement online, they may raise an eyebrow or, more likely, give you a quizzical look. Why would a game from so long ago be thrilling, when we have all of these highly cinematic HD experiences to enjoy? Of course, being a gamer...
News Designer Creates a 3D Model of Onett from EarthBound
Prompts dreams of a HD game
When it comes to inspiring video game culture Nintendo is arguably top of the class, and one game — among many — that can inspire impressive levels of fan devotion is Super NES RPG EarthBound. Its release on the Virtual Console this year caused a frenzy of excitement after years of waiting, satisfying waiting retro...
News Signed EarthBound Cartridge to Be Auctioned Off for Cancer Patient
“For James”
EarthBound is all about strong bonds; not only within the game but also its fan community. There is nothing that may demonstrate this point more fluently in recent days than the story of a special EarthBound cartridge that will soon be auctioned off during the EarthBound Bash marathon. The cartridge began in the hands of James...
News Fangamer Announces Earthbound Charity Event
Weekend marathon of the timeless RPG for a good cause
Fangamer has been hinting at something big and Earthbound-related for a while now, which should come as no surprise to those who know the company. They wear their passion for the cherished Mother series on their sleeves, so using this love to raise money seems like the perfect marriage...
News Marcus Lindblom - Writing the English Script for EarthBound Was a Giant Step
But it was worthwhile
Writer and EarthBound designer Shigesato Itoi is a cultural icon in Japan and a name well known among longtime fanatics of the game. But the text from the English version of the game came from other, mostly unsung sources. Marcus Lindblom, who chiefly shouldered EarthBound’s localization writing, has had a chance to shine on...
News EarthBound Translator Shares Insight Into Preparing a Cult Classic for the West
"It’s really a glass half full kind of game"
With EarthBound's arrival on the Wii U Virtual Console last week, many gamers can finally gain an insight into why the SNES title has accumulated such a vocal fan-base, despite its modest Western sales — it didn't even reach Europe — when it was originally released. It's a game lauded for its charm,...
News South Park Creators Cite Earthbound as a Major Inspiration for Their Own Game
Praise from all corners
South Park: The Stick of Truth is an RPG based on the adult cartoon series, and one that's had a troubled and challenging development history to date. It is coming, though, and is a project with the full involvement of series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. During a panel at Comic-Con, the two writers behind the...
Review EarthBound (Wii U eShop / SNES)
An RPG experience unlike any other
EarthBound landed on the SNES in 1995 with a dull thud. While the game didn't exactly light up the sales charts in North America and failed to make it to Europe, it has certainly gone on to become one of the most sought-after games in the second-hand market, selling for upwards of $80 as nothing more than a loose...
News Earthbound Arrives on the Wii U eShop Today
Available in North America and Europe right now
Update: Earthbound is available now in North America, with the $9.99 download including a digital version of the original's strategy guide that has been optimised for the GamePad. As the UK eShop news tab promised, the title is now also live in Europe for £6.99 / €9.99. Original Article: So,...
News EarthBound Listing Materializes on Amazon UK
You cannot grasp the true form of Amazon’s listing
We already know that the kooky SNES RPG EarthBound is making its long overdue appearance on the Wii U Virtual Console in Europe and North America sometime this year. Then what’s up with this odd listing for the game on Amazon UK? It may just be a placeholder for a download code, but the £44.99...
News EarthBound Creator Confirms Something Is In The Pipeline
Looks set to be a re-release
The EarthBound series, known as Mother in Japan, has only ever had one game released in North America way back in 1995 when EarthBound (Mother 2) emerged on the Super Nintendo. The game has a large cult following in North America and is incredibly popular in Japan. Creator of the series, Shigesato Itoi, has confirmed...
