Earthbound lets loose a fury of funny and never slips up.
User Rating: 10 | Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu SNES
Mother 1, the precursor to Mother 2, known as EarthBound outside of Japan, was sadly never released in North America or any other country other than Japan. The game was actually fully translated into English and even had instruction books ready for printing, yet never saw the light of day due to Nintendo's word. Mother would have been released late in the NES' lifetime, and with the new Super Nintendo console on the horizon, Nintendo didn't believe a decidedly odd game such as Mother would sell well, only causing Nintendo to loose money. The Super NES was released in 1991 with many smashing titles alongside it. News on big names like Zelda, Mario, Final Fantasy, and Donkey Kong drowned out talk of Ape Studios' project. But near release in Japan much action was taken: Mother 2 was incredibly publicized by Nintendo! There were Mother 2 comics, toy figures, commercials and ads everywhere. Even the box of the game drew attention! Instead of a typical box, Mother 2 came in a large, colorful box and was packed with a player's guide. Even the guide was stylish. Who can resist scratch and sniff cards--which subsequently made the games slogan "This game stinks!"? Needless to say, Mother 2 was released to massive sales in Japan. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the North American release. Nintendo had high hopes for EarthBound after they saw Japan's sales numbers. But the game did not sell as well for lack of excessive advertisement and, maybe, the not-so-flashy graphics. It just didn't cater to the Final Fantasy audience. Role Playing Games are mostly seen as a Dungeons and Dragons type of affair with wizards, warriors and what-not. EarthBound is nothing like this, making it a first in the genre. Gone are "Ye Olde Item Shoppes." They and other buildings are replaced with the more modern city-like structure of Markets, Hospitals, and Bakeries. It's an interesting twist that gives EarthBound its own feel. It is refreshing and different; two things that many RPGs lack. The characters only add to this feel. Instead of playing as a sword wielding Elf Prince destined to some obscure rescuing of a princess, the player is cast as a normal thirteen year old kid who fights with a baseball cap and bat and just happens to have psychokinetic powers. Other characters include a frying pan wielding blonde, an air gun shooting geek, and an young ninja-boy from the sky. It could be best described as eccentric, though silly does the job. The story of EarthBound is loony and full of humorous dialogue and characters. It all starts out in the city of Onett as the young boy Ness wakes up to a knocking sound. It appears to be his friend and neighbour Pokey. Pokey tells Ness that a something strange has happened and his little brother is missing. It is up to Ness to help find the boy. After the opening event of the story, many other events occur to bring the "chosen four" together. The main part characters add the personality that Ness doesn't have from his lack of speech and are fun to watch develop. The first friend ness meets is Paula, a blonde teacher at a preschool in Twoson who has been mysteriously kidnapped. Second is the blond haired school booy Jeff who comes from Winters to rescue Ness and Paula. Last is Poo the young ninja who comes from a city in the sky to assist the threesome of Ness, Paula, and Jeff. EarthBound is played on a 1/3 overhead view plane just like most other RPGs. One thing to note is that there are no random battles in the game. EarthBound is actually one of the first RPGs to have this feature. Being able to evade enemies, though they will chase the player when approached, adds a new gameplay element. It makes it so that the players has a choice between fighting and running; something that can impact the difficulty of the game. If the player spends most time evading, the boss fights will surely get them. But it is a smart idea to run when low on hit points or there is a tough enemy that cannot be beaten at the current level. The battles in EarthBound take place when contact is made with an enemy. This is a place where the game shines. While on the field map with an enemy present, the player can engage in battle one of four ways. If the enemy is approached from behind and caught off guard, the player has an advantageous opening attack. However, if the player is snuck up on, likewise happens for the enemy. Then there is a draw of sorts, where the player and enemy meet head on. No advantages occur from this type of encounter. The fourth and final way is if the player's character is around 4 levels more powerful than the enemy, the screen will flash on contact and the player will automatically win without a fight. Each face-off in EarthBound is represented in first person view from the protagonists' side. At the top of the screen there is a menu with all the commands for a character and a Hit Points and PSI Points meter below. Each party member has options for attack (which is worded in whatever way the weapon attacks. Ex. Slingshot=shoot, Bat=Bash), Goods, and Defend (lessens damage from the next enemy attack). PSI using members also have the option to utilize PSI at the cost of PSI Points. Every party member besides Ness also has use of a special power of their own, which can come in handy at times. A few menu options are only available to the lead party character. These are Auto Fight (puts the computer in control of the character), and Run Away. The enemies stand in rows which provides a tactical standpoint as some PSI attacks can hit one row of foes. How Hit Points work is another innovative feature in EarthBound. Hit Points are calculated on a bar that is not unlike a car's mileage meter. Upon being damaged, the character's HP meter doesn't subtract the total immediately. Instead, it gradually drains down opening up the opportunity to save a comrade by ending the battle before the gauge depletes. EarthBound's leveling up system is a bit different than other RPGs. Whereas most games have only a Hit Point and Magic Point boost, EarthBound offers other stats that effect gameplay. These different elements are Hit Points, PSI Points, Offense, Defense, Speed, Guts, Vitality, IQ, and Luck. These variables are upped randomly from level to level with some characters being more proficient in one than another. When executing a normal attack, depending on the Guts and Luck of the character, a "smash" hit will sometimes be performed, doubling the normal hits power. Also, some items can be used during combat by certain characters. Weapons like Jeff's bottle rockets can achieve a good amount of damage. Some combat items are just in there for humor though. Things like the ruler or protractor have no effect. The graphics in EarthBound aren't a strong point, but the simplified artwork does fit the game's lighthearted tone well. Having simple graphics doesn't detract from Ape's ability to craft goofy and brilliant models, though, and the creators have done so. It's fantastic that every enemy has its own attitude derived from the looks of the creature. The music and sound also hit the right spot when it comes to the game's feeling. Upbeat tunes in the perfect spaces amplify the atmosphere and silliness. The sound bytes are also entertaining. You hear the bottle rockets blasting off in battle and the smash of a bat when fighting and other clicks and whirs in different lands. EarthBound is a good game that I can easily recommend to Role Playing Game lovers or those just looking for a good laugh. It's a very slick romp through strange worlds that is sure to keep its niche audience pleased.
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