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Schlupi’s review of... Earthbound.
Hello Gbatemp! This is my first published review here, I hope you enjoy it! I decided that I would take a stab at this and I wanted to start with something I know best.
Tell me what you think of it.
Earthbound was released for the SNES system in 1995. The game was bundled with a great, grand, colourful box. The game was marketed heavily; more than any other Super Nintendo game at the time, and it was sold with the phrase “This Game Stinks.” Despite heavy promotion, coupons, games, merchandise, and a misleading commercial, the game was doomed with pitiful sales and all the copies were cleared out of stores at bargain prices (I remember when I was young I saw it for 30 dollars new at Best Buy in 1999). With the motto “This Game Stinks” I wonder why...
It was not until Super Smash Bros was released in 1999 that Earthbound’s fanbase began to really grow. Upon clearing Super Smash Bros on the Hard difficulty, without using a Continue, you unlock Ness. Considering Super Smash Bros was made by some of the same people as Earthbound, I am not surprised that they included him in the roster. People started to gain interest in Earthbound, and they soon fell in love with the game for it’s unique, quirky story, bizarre and hilarious dialog, and trippy battle scenes. By the time Super Smash Bros Melee came out, Earthbound’s value soared and became a valuable gaming centerpiece for any retro collection. The game became immensely popular. People started hoarding SNES games at this time, because they were going cheap. Retail outlets and rental stores sold games dirt cheap to make room for their new N64 stock. Earthbound was lost in the midst...
Earthbound box. Bright and colourful.
I had Earthbound when I was a young boy. I grew up with video games, playing NES and SNES since my birth in 1992. It was one of my favorite games in my (or my Dad’s?) collection. I had to part ways with it in order to get a GameCube (my Dad had me sell all my NES, SNES, and N64 games, over 300 games, JUST for a GameCube). I wanted Melee so bad I could not resist. I got dollars and pennies for all my valuable SNES and NES collection... it was not until recently I acquired a copy of Earthbound to call my own once again.
Ahhh... reunited at last.
The game starts up with a fuzzy red screen, almost as if the television is acting up. As you continue to watch, you see a newspaper headline:
At this point you know the game is going to be strange (although, the UFOs do not make any sort of appearance in the game
). You start out by naming your characters, the default names are Ness, Jeff, Paula, and (hahaha I though it was funny when I was little) Poo. You also name your dog, favorite food, and favorite thing. The defaults are King, Steak, and Rockin. The game starts it’s introduction scene, playing eerie music displaying a colourful town, called Onett. The game is said to take place in 199X, showing that this is one of few RPGs that take place in a modern setting.
You are greeted by a young fat boy named Pokey Minch (or Porky, if you wanna be anal about “original” naming), who says you should go look for his little brother. He also seems to want to check out the cool meteorite that crashed at the top of the hill in town. When you examine it, a (Not) Bee named Buzz Buzz appears. He tells you how he has traveled from the future, and it is your job (along with three other destined children) to save the world from an evil alien named Giygas. On the way home you are attacked by the game’s mascot character, the Starman. Buzz Buzz easily makes quick of him, showing off his superior strength. You bring Pokey and his brother back home and Buzz Buzz is simply squashed by their mother (ok, maybe he was not so strong after all).
In his dying breath, he leaves you the epic item known as the “Sound Stone”. He tells you your duty -- You must collect the Melodies from “Your Sanctuary” locations spread across the land. Along they way you must meet your friends, and join forces, resisting evil... and ultimately harness the power of the Earth once all the melodies are gathered. You gather up your stuff, daylight commences once leaving the house, and your adventure begins here with epic fanfare.
That is the premise of this game, in a nutshell. It makes more sense if you play it.
The gameplay is similar to that of the Dragon Quest series, whereas the battle is turn based and your party is “facing” the enemies. You don’t see your party members, but you do see their attacks flying in an array of flashy colors. The enemies are single sprites, who are anything from ants to aliens; the enemies are bizarre to say the least. There are Hippies, who use Rulers to measure things easier (does NOTHING in battle), Bats that cause themselves to be confused by sizing up the situation, dinosaurs, dogs, and even enemies that are just straight references (Diamond Dog boss is so “David Bowie” about it
). You level up and gain new abilities, called PSI, which are basically psychic powers that Ness, Paula, and Poo have; Although Jeff only uses tools and explosives, he does not have psychic powers. The battles feature waves, swirls, and blobs of trippy colours that make battles a very unique and interesting experience each time. Countless songs in battle and in the game in general pay homage to popular music in history -- for example, one of the battle themes have an opening riff that sounds just like Chuck’s Johnny B. Goode. The game is littered with references that a cultured person can appreciate.
The humour of the game is very unique. The writer, Shigesato Itoi, took years upon years to perfect his script. He has a very unique style of writing and it is definitely portrayed in his games. Every NPC says something interesting -- some baffling, silly, or even insightful. A lot of them even break the Fourth Wall. Review critics and fans alike praise the game for it’s dialog, which really sets it apart. I myself find the game hilarious, and I have played through it at least eight times and I laugh every time. It never gets old to me. The characters in the game are also great. They are colourful and varied and never fail to impress.
The game’s controls are simple, the L button checks things and talks to people. the A button brings up the menu, where you can do the same, along with checking/using items, equipment, and checking stats and PSI. the B buttons shows health, and the X button brings up the map (once acquired in Onettt Library). In battle you use A to select things, B to cancel. Curiously enough there is no run button, despite the game’s predecessor and sequel (Earthbound Zero/MOTHER and MOTHER 3, Earthbound is MOTHER 2) having one. Nobody knows why Earthbound has no run button.
The game commands outrageous prices on Ebay. The cartridge alone fetches 100-125 average at the time of this writing, and the price is only going up. The guide goes for 60-80 in good condition, and together they go for 150-180. A full set, in good condition, goes for 400 and up... and don’t even get me started on the other games and merchandise. Things as simple as figures, plushies, and keychains fetch 40-100 dollars. If you are a collector get a copy NOW. I have been monitoring sales for years now and the price keeps going higher and higher. Just two years ago you could get the game alone for 70 bucks. Almost double that now...
There are modified WADs for a Wii Channel and dozens of emulators you can play the game on, whether on the Wii, PS3, PC, iPhone, DS, or PSP, you can play Earthbound on just about anything. I highly encourage playing this game (any the other two in the series) for any RPG fan. Hell, I suggest it for ANYBODY who wants a unique gaming experience. The game is a timeless classic, and it is my favorite game of all time. I promise you it is worth your time. Make sure to keep an open mind, though, because just like any good RPG, it takes time to capture your attention. You may be turned off by the somewhat simple graphics (they are great, just not as good as some other titles at the time, like Chrono Trigger, Star Ocean, etc). but they are great once you get used to them. The music composure is amazing and there is nothing else like it.
I give the game a 10/10, Just because I can.
Stay tuned for my next reviews, I plan to make tons more (from Flash carts to games, systems, movies, and more) and I hope you all enjoy them. I will work on my writing, so I don’t drag on and on ( I tend to do that
) and I will gladly except constructive criticism.
Thanks for your time, enjoy your day Gbatemp!
-Corey K-
Hello Gbatemp! This is my first published review here, I hope you enjoy it! I decided that I would take a stab at this and I wanted to start with something I know best.
Earthbound was released for the SNES system in 1995. The game was bundled with a great, grand, colourful box. The game was marketed heavily; more than any other Super Nintendo game at the time, and it was sold with the phrase “This Game Stinks.” Despite heavy promotion, coupons, games, merchandise, and a misleading commercial, the game was doomed with pitiful sales and all the copies were cleared out of stores at bargain prices (I remember when I was young I saw it for 30 dollars new at Best Buy in 1999). With the motto “This Game Stinks” I wonder why...
It was not until Super Smash Bros was released in 1999 that Earthbound’s fanbase began to really grow. Upon clearing Super Smash Bros on the Hard difficulty, without using a Continue, you unlock Ness. Considering Super Smash Bros was made by some of the same people as Earthbound, I am not surprised that they included him in the roster. People started to gain interest in Earthbound, and they soon fell in love with the game for it’s unique, quirky story, bizarre and hilarious dialog, and trippy battle scenes. By the time Super Smash Bros Melee came out, Earthbound’s value soared and became a valuable gaming centerpiece for any retro collection. The game became immensely popular. People started hoarding SNES games at this time, because they were going cheap. Retail outlets and rental stores sold games dirt cheap to make room for their new N64 stock. Earthbound was lost in the midst...
Earthbound box. Bright and colourful.
I had Earthbound when I was a young boy. I grew up with video games, playing NES and SNES since my birth in 1992. It was one of my favorite games in my (or my Dad’s?) collection. I had to part ways with it in order to get a GameCube (my Dad had me sell all my NES, SNES, and N64 games, over 300 games, JUST for a GameCube). I wanted Melee so bad I could not resist. I got dollars and pennies for all my valuable SNES and NES collection... it was not until recently I acquired a copy of Earthbound to call my own once again.
Ahhh... reunited at last.
The game starts up with a fuzzy red screen, almost as if the television is acting up. As you continue to watch, you see a newspaper headline:
At this point you know the game is going to be strange (although, the UFOs do not make any sort of appearance in the game
You are greeted by a young fat boy named Pokey Minch (or Porky, if you wanna be anal about “original” naming), who says you should go look for his little brother. He also seems to want to check out the cool meteorite that crashed at the top of the hill in town. When you examine it, a (Not) Bee named Buzz Buzz appears. He tells you how he has traveled from the future, and it is your job (along with three other destined children) to save the world from an evil alien named Giygas. On the way home you are attacked by the game’s mascot character, the Starman. Buzz Buzz easily makes quick of him, showing off his superior strength. You bring Pokey and his brother back home and Buzz Buzz is simply squashed by their mother (ok, maybe he was not so strong after all).
In his dying breath, he leaves you the epic item known as the “Sound Stone”. He tells you your duty -- You must collect the Melodies from “Your Sanctuary” locations spread across the land. Along they way you must meet your friends, and join forces, resisting evil... and ultimately harness the power of the Earth once all the melodies are gathered. You gather up your stuff, daylight commences once leaving the house, and your adventure begins here with epic fanfare.
That is the premise of this game, in a nutshell. It makes more sense if you play it.
The gameplay is similar to that of the Dragon Quest series, whereas the battle is turn based and your party is “facing” the enemies. You don’t see your party members, but you do see their attacks flying in an array of flashy colors. The enemies are single sprites, who are anything from ants to aliens; the enemies are bizarre to say the least. There are Hippies, who use Rulers to measure things easier (does NOTHING in battle), Bats that cause themselves to be confused by sizing up the situation, dinosaurs, dogs, and even enemies that are just straight references (Diamond Dog boss is so “David Bowie” about it
The humour of the game is very unique. The writer, Shigesato Itoi, took years upon years to perfect his script. He has a very unique style of writing and it is definitely portrayed in his games. Every NPC says something interesting -- some baffling, silly, or even insightful. A lot of them even break the Fourth Wall. Review critics and fans alike praise the game for it’s dialog, which really sets it apart. I myself find the game hilarious, and I have played through it at least eight times and I laugh every time. It never gets old to me. The characters in the game are also great. They are colourful and varied and never fail to impress.
The game’s controls are simple, the L button checks things and talks to people. the A button brings up the menu, where you can do the same, along with checking/using items, equipment, and checking stats and PSI. the B buttons shows health, and the X button brings up the map (once acquired in Onettt Library). In battle you use A to select things, B to cancel. Curiously enough there is no run button, despite the game’s predecessor and sequel (Earthbound Zero/MOTHER and MOTHER 3, Earthbound is MOTHER 2) having one. Nobody knows why Earthbound has no run button.
The game commands outrageous prices on Ebay. The cartridge alone fetches 100-125 average at the time of this writing, and the price is only going up. The guide goes for 60-80 in good condition, and together they go for 150-180. A full set, in good condition, goes for 400 and up... and don’t even get me started on the other games and merchandise. Things as simple as figures, plushies, and keychains fetch 40-100 dollars. If you are a collector get a copy NOW. I have been monitoring sales for years now and the price keeps going higher and higher. Just two years ago you could get the game alone for 70 bucks. Almost double that now...
There are modified WADs for a Wii Channel and dozens of emulators you can play the game on, whether on the Wii, PS3, PC, iPhone, DS, or PSP, you can play Earthbound on just about anything. I highly encourage playing this game (any the other two in the series) for any RPG fan. Hell, I suggest it for ANYBODY who wants a unique gaming experience. The game is a timeless classic, and it is my favorite game of all time. I promise you it is worth your time. Make sure to keep an open mind, though, because just like any good RPG, it takes time to capture your attention. You may be turned off by the somewhat simple graphics (they are great, just not as good as some other titles at the time, like Chrono Trigger, Star Ocean, etc). but they are great once you get used to them. The music composure is amazing and there is nothing else like it.
I give the game a 10/10, Just because I can.
Stay tuned for my next reviews, I plan to make tons more (from Flash carts to games, systems, movies, and more) and I hope you all enjoy them. I will work on my writing, so I don’t drag on and on ( I tend to do that
Thanks for your time, enjoy your day Gbatemp!
-Corey K-