EarthBound / Mother 2!

[Amissapanda]

Pictures taken instantaneously! I'm a photographic genius, if I do say so myself. Now, get ready for an instant memory! Look at the camera! Ready? Say, "Fuzzy Pickles!"

Let's Talk about EarthBound/ Mother 2!​

I can hardly believe I searched back tons of pages and couldn't find a topic for this (that wasn't selling/buying a code, anyway).

This game... is my childhood. I first played it back when it was released for the SNES (with that snazzy boxset and game guide). And to this day, it's probably my favorite game of all time. I loved Shigesato Itoi's take on American 90's culture. The game was full of humor, relatable, FULL of pop culture, and had many interesting mechanics of gameplay that games then didn't have (and don't have today). It's the very first game that I bought when I got my WiiU back in May and I was thrilled to see it released on virtual console. I did a really shoddy LP of it (my first one ever), but I plan to redo it soon so I can relive this piece of my childhood and all the nostalgia that came with it.

So, how many EarthBound fans do we have around this forum? : ) Do you have a favorite character? Favorite place/location in the game? How about a favorite psychic move? What part of the game is most memorable for you? The most frustrating aspect?

Let's discuss!

 

[Hyoshido]

Actually can't say much since I've never actually played a Mother game before (Because it's wasn't a thing in Europe till the Wii U release) but Earthbound seems like a game I'd really like to get into!

 

[RhinoK]

I only ever got to Fourside (that's after the Halloween town isn't it?) but that was over three years ago. I played and finished Mother 3 however, and is my favourite JRPG.

 

[Cress]

I've played every MOTHER game except this one.
I live in America, and I've played every MOTHER game except the one that was actually released in America. Yep.

 

[Amissapanda]

Actually can't say much since I've never actually played a Mother game before (Because it's wasn't a thing in Europe till the Wii U release) but Earthbound seems like a game I'd really like to get into!

I hope you enjoy it, should you play it!

I only ever got to Fourside (that's after the Halloween town isn't it?) but that was over three years ago. I played and finished Mother 3 however, and is my favourite JRPG.

Fourside is after Threed, but not for some time (you have to go through the desert first). There's definitely a lot more to the game after that, though.

Oh man, I loved Mother 3, too. It's a contender with Mother 2 for my top spot, to be honest. Rhythm battles are SO fun. And the love the chapter setup of the story. I recently finished my LP for it and I can't wait to pick it up again. I hope they're going to release it for the VC. It seem unlikely that they'll 'upgrade' it for 3DS or something (like Ocarina of Time), but I hold small hopes that it could happen someday, as the Mother series is kind of a cult classic with a loyal fanbase.

 

[Amissapanda]

I've played every MOTHER game except this one.
I live in America, and I've played every MOTHER game except the one that was actually released in America. Yep.

Haha, that's interesting! The only one I have yet to play is the first one.

 

[Ponyu]

Unfortunately, I have yet to play Earthbound, because I'm also from Europe and don't have a Wii U (yet). I did however play Mother 3 and simply love everything about it. I will probably get a Wii U sooner or later (depending on game releases) and will definitely pick up Earthbound then (yay 90s!)!

You say you did a Let's Play, could you give a link to that? I'd like to watch it!

 

[Amissapanda]

Unfortunately, I have yet to play Earthbound, because I'm also from Europe and don't have a Wii U (yet). I did however play Mother 3 and simply love everything about it. I will probably get a Wii U sooner or later (depending on game releases) and will definitely pick up Earthbound then (yay 90s!)!

You say you did a Let's Play, could you give a link to that? I'd like to watch it!

Understandable! It's a shame that they took so long to make it available to Europe and other countries. Hopefully you get the chance to play it. As biased as I am, I really believe it's one of those games that no one should miss out on playing.

And man, I loved Mother 3, too. Amazing game. Heartbreaking, but amazing. The rhythm battles were so fun to combo to. I wish Lucas had come back to Smash, but looks like he's been cut this time.

Oh, sure! I'm not sure which LP you were referring to, but EarthBound is here and Mother 3 is here. Mother 3 is finished, but EarthBound is not. My file got corrupted about 3/4 of the way through the game, which is why I'm going to redo it on WiiU's virtual console version instead when I get the chance. I regret using the emulator, but I didn't have a WiiU at the time, and the actual game was taken by my brother (along with the SNES) when he left some 12-13 years ago.

 

[RhinoK]

Fourside is after Threed, but not for some time (you have to go through the desert first). There's definitely a lot more to the game after that, though.

Oh man, I loved Mother 3, too. It's a contender with Mother 2 for my top spot, to be honest. Rhythm battles are SO fun. And the love the chapter setup of the story. I recently finished my LP for it and I can't wait to pick it up again. I hope they're going to release it for the VC. It seem unlikely that they'll 'upgrade' it for 3DS or something (like Ocarina of Time), but I hold small hopes that it could happen someday, as the Mother series is kind of a cult classic with a loyal fanbase.

I could never pull off the rhythm attacks and my characters were painfully underleveled. I'm sure I only got to mid 50's??? I managed to beat Mother 3 though.

Since you've played both, what is the length comparison? And is it worth playing MOTHER 1?

 

[Amissapanda]

I could never pull off the rhythm attacks and my characters were painfully underleveled. I'm sure I only got to mid 50's??? I managed to beat Mother 3 though.

Since you've played both, what is the length comparison? And is it worth playing MOTHER 1?

The rhythm stuff did take some getting used to. And some songs were more difficult than others. But Duster gets an item called "Battle Memory" in Chapter 2, which allows you to practice the battle music of any enemy you've encountered. Very handy for learning and picking up the beats to combo!

Hm, well, as far as Mother 1 goes, I don't know. That's the one I haven't played. In length comparisons for EarthBound/Mother2 and Mother 3... I'd say they're somewhat similar. I believe EarthBound is a little bit longer, but not by a large scale. It depends on your play style, too.

 

[Ponyu]

And man, I loved Mother 3, too. Amazing game. Heartbreaking, but amazing. The rhythm battles were so fun to combo to. I wish Lucas had come back to Smash, but looks like he's been cut this time.

Yesss, I love rhythm games as they are and since I didn't know about the rhythm battles in Mother 3 until I played it, it was a nice surprise :>

Oh, sure! I'm not sure which LP you were referring to, but EarthBound is here and Mother 3 is here.

Thank you! I will check those out this weekend!

 

[Kazunari]

I should probably finish Earthbound, lol.
Started like 2 or 3 years ago on a SNES emulator on my computer and got up to the Stonehenge Base... I don't even remember why I stopped playing ;A; Probably because of school.

 

[Amissapanda]

Yesss, I love rhythm games as they are and since I didn't know about the rhythm battles in Mother 3 until I played it, it was a nice surprise :>

Thank you! I will check those out this weekend!

Though it wasn't a surprise in my case (I had seen bits and pieces of it elsewhere), it was a really fun battle mechanic that helped me get through some of the more tedious battles. Definitely added an extra element of fun and I like how each character had a different "instrument" sound for their attack combos and even variations for each. It did suck at first trying to get the combo system working on emulator properly, but once I figured it out, the game became about 100x more fun. XD

Haha, well, I'm no special LPer and I use it to help with my poor speaking skills, but I hope you enjoy, nonetheless! Thanks for checking them out. : )

I should probably finish Earthbound, lol.
Started like 2 or 3 years ago on a SNES emulator on my computer and got up to the Stonehenge Base... I don't even remember why I stopped playing ;A; Probably because of school.

It's definitely worth a finish! (At least, in my biased opinion as a huge fan of the game. Haha.) But yeah, completely understandable that life just gets in the way of gaming. Stonehenge Base is at least pretty far into it (I'd say roughly about 3/4 through the game, maybe a tad less). So you've played a good chunk of it, at least!

 

[crestedbooka]

Gosh I have yet to play the first game. I've been a mother fan for like 5 years now? it's rare to see anyone who finishes one of the games and doesn't stay a loyal fan for a long while though haha v:

I'm planning on playing the three games in it's entirety this summer (my summer is in december lol). I played both EB and M3 every summer but this time around I decided to skip one year so I can forget enough about them, and feel like I'm playing them for the first time, sort of (does that make sense? xD)

I wish I had a wii u!! EB would be the first thing I'd get in it... ok and mk8 too maybe haha

 

[Amissapanda]

Gosh I have yet to play the first game. I've been a mother fan for like 5 years now? it's rare to see anyone who finishes one of the games and doesn't stay a loyal fan for a long while though haha v:

I'm planning on playing the three games in it's entirety this summer (my summer is in december lol). I played both EB and M3 every summer but this time around I decided to skip one year so I can forget enough about them, and feel like I'm playing them for the first time, sort of (does that make sense? xD)

I wish I had a wii u!! EB would be the first thing I'd get in it... ok and mk8 too maybe haha

First of all---your username! XD Perfect. Do you have a big grin on your face? (Just kidding.)

I've been a fan for a reeeeally long time (in the neighborhood of 15+ years), but I didn't get too involved in the fandom until more recently. (I tried back in 2004-ish on Starmen.net, but it felt like trying to fit into a group that was already closely-knit, if that makes any sense.) I find myself replaying EarthBound/Mother 2 a lot. I even bought a crappy knock-off of an NES+SNES contraption that plays both types of games (after my older bro left and took the SNES three of us siblings shared with him), but the slightest of movements of the console and the games would freeze, so it was very frustrating. And that left me no choice but to resort to emulator, which is by no means fool-proof, either. I haven't played Mother 1 yet, myself, but I loved EarthBound and Mother 3. The nostalgia factor is always there when I'm playing and it really can make you feel like a kid again.

I do recommend the WiiU, though! I caved and got one with the MK8 bundle (another fantastic game that I've gotten tons and tons of fun hours out of playing online with friends and random people). And I was so happy about EarthBound being on the virtual console. I was almost afraid that Nintendo of America wasn't going to release it, but thankfully this time, they proved me wrong. It looks really nice on both the screen and on the gamepad. If you ever find yourself with the money, the WiiU's prime has arrived. There's lots of great stuff coming out for it, too.

Anyway, it's always nice to meet another fan! : ) Your username definitely made me chuckle.

 

[crestedbooka]

First of all---your username! XD Perfect. Do you have a big grin on your face? (Just kidding.)

I've been a fan for a reeeeally long time (in the neighborhood of 15+ years), but I didn't get too involved in the fandom until more recently. (I tried back in 2004-ish on Starmen.net, but it felt like trying to fit into a group that was already closely-knit, if that makes any sense.) I find myself replaying EarthBound/Mother 2 a lot. I even bought a crappy knock-off of an NES+SNES contraption that plays both types of games (after my older bro left and took the SNES three of us siblings shared with him), but the slightest of movements of the console and the games would freeze, so it was very frustrating. And that left me no choice but to resort to emulator, which is by no means fool-proof, either. I haven't played Mother 1 yet, myself, but I loved EarthBound and Mother 3. The nostalgia factor is always there when I'm playing and it really can make you feel like a kid again.

I do recommend the WiiU, though! I caved and got one with the MK8 bundle (another fantastic game that I've gotten tons and tons of fun hours out of playing online with friends and random people). And I was so happy about EarthBound being on the virtual console. I was almost afraid that Nintendo of America wasn't going to release it, but thankfully this time, they proved me wrong. It looks really nice on both the screen and on the gamepad. If you ever find yourself with the money, the WiiU's prime has arrived. There's lots of great stuff coming out for it, too.

Anyway, it's always nice to meet another fan! : ) Your username definitely made me chuckle.

I love crested bookas and I'm a crested booka at heart (?). I just love how silly they look haha v:

and I know what you mean about Starmen.net?? I tried to join before but I was easily discouraged by the community; not saying it's a bad place, on the contrary, mother fans are usually polite and kind in general xD... posting on there without not knowing other people before hand feels like intruding idk.

And yes! /gets piggy bank ready

 

[spCrossing]

Mother 3 Gameplay wise is much better than Mother 2.
But I do enjoy the witty story and characters in all of the Mother games.

 

[RhinoK]

Mother 3 is the strongest entry IMO, granted I've only gotten halfway through half of Earthbound but I'll finish it by the end of the year.

One of th best things about MOTHER is the music. Even this.... song.

 

[Amissapanda]

Mother 3 Gameplay wise is much better than Mother 2.
But I do enjoy the witty story and characters in all of the Mother games.

Though I like both, but I agree that Mother 3 has a definite edge with gameplay. It's a much later-created game, so they were able to incorporate more (like that awesome combo battle feature). And the story is incredible - it WILL knock you for a loop and then some if you're not spoiled for what to expect. It's the most emotional Let's Play I've ever done. I cried through half of the last battle.

Mother 3 is the strongest entry IMO, granted I've only gotten halfway through half of Earthbound but I'll finish it by the end of the year.

One of th best things about MOTHER is the music. Even this.... song.

I agree, it's definitely awesome. I just have a strong nostalgic tie to Earthbound/Mother 2, since I grew up with the game. It has a lot of sentimental value to me. And it's a little more... light-hearted than Mother 3.

Ahh, Pollyanna. True fact: I have that exact rendition of it on my iPod for work. I can sing it by heart by now. Man, I'm not sure where I'd even START with the music. I love the title screen "name your characters" music, Winters theme, Twoson's theme, Eight melodies, and many others from EarthBound, and Unfounded Revenged/Smashing Song of Praise, Monkey's Love Song, Monkey's Delivery Service, Mind of a Thief, Strong One, and many more from Mother 3. All of the series music is just incredible.

 

[PaperLuigi3]

It's good to see someone else has uncovered this gem. Have you played Mother 1 and 3?
Also, I haven't read any previous posts before this. If this has an obvious answer, have mercy on me and accept me in the fan club of Mother.