I like it better than Earthbound. I prefer the writing and setting here. I just wish the game itself was better.
I like it better than Earthbound. I prefer the writing and setting here. I just wish the game itself was better.
I like it better than Earthbound. I prefer the writing and setting here. I just wish the game itself was better.
It's the most interesting game in the series, even if the design around the open-ended world isn't so refined. The places feel imaginative and lived in.
>The places feel imaginative and lived in.
I feel the opposite way, most towns feel desolate and lifeless and like tiny pockets of civilization in an endless expanse of flat grass. Having grown up in various <800 population towns in midwestern Ohio, the game feels very nostalgic to me.
It works, considering the setting is rural America. The aliens feel like far more of a threat in M1 than M2.
I enjoy it's more early-mid 20th cent pulpy aesthetic more than earthbound funky-groovy one. Both are good, but Mother 1 just has a certain je ne sais quoi, this game + Steven King books + early pulpy comics
Mother 1 = Peanuts
Mother 2 = 90s Nickelodeon
Mother 3 = Ghibli
I love all 3
Do you also love it's misogyny? I hate games that glorify violence against women.
>making shit up
Miss Giney.
Violence against breasts is amazing! Imagine slapping a breasts over and over again while her big injured boobs flop all of the place lol
Nooo! Don't punch the heckin' titerinos!
>The Older Man is kind to kids. He's making a stern face, but he's actually kind. That's why having to fight the Older Man is awfully sad.
I agree, I prefer the interface, world design and little things like how the teleport ability worked without any kind of loading or transition screen.
The combat is objectively poorly balanced in many places, especially Mt. Itoi, but I didn't mind having to work for it.
I still enjoy Earthbound though.
Gameplay is better in 1 too though
Eh, not really. It's about the same difficulty as EB, but M1 feels more tedious because unlike EB, it doesn't let you avoid encounters that you were going to one-shot anyway.
tell me, which "QOL" romhack did you play?
The fan translation
The only good hack
Is this the new contrarian take? Pretending like Mother wasn't just a dry run for Daddy Earthbound?
This is such a popular take that I'd say it's not even contrarian anymore. I think this way too, I've just played M1 so much that I'm willing to appreciate EB more now, after having M3 and various "kiddy" RPGs try but never live up to it.
see above. Mother 1 has the best gameplay and is actually one of the better NES RPGs, only behind the absolute classics like DQ. EB has the weakest combat in the series, even behind M3 which diluted the fights with rhythm, but at least made the fights interesting. sadly, M3 shat the bed by killing all exploration and trying to mix FF7 and antiutopia with babby's first RPG with a Peanuts strip plot from a Japanese Seinfeld who wasn't that good at making RPGs.
Mother 1 is plenty popular in Japan and considered by many to be the best. Are they also wrong?
You're asking if the people who gave us Doki Doki Panic instead of the real SMB2 are wrong?
>real SMB2
it always was, unlike your gay level pack romhack
Doki Doki Panic/ SMB2 USA is 10000000x the better game, in fact its the best Mario game, you should suicide because theres no room for low IQ homosexuals like you left in society
I prefer playing a Dragon Quest game but in America, thanks.
Mother is the daddy
Earthbound the jr
Mother 3 the grandchild
>Mother is the daddy
the 8-bit version makes me tear up
Disappointed this one didn't get any love in the arrange album.
Atleast the ones they did are great
Still crazy that Catherine Warwick had that voice at 14-15.
They did another arranged album. This time a bit more experimental, but not too much, it's a pretty nice new take.
Also check out what Keiichi is up to these days
I live for weird shit like this, thanks for sharing anon.
Looks like Louis Philippe's still going strong too.
I think it's weird that 1 and 2 leave hanging plot threads around.
Yeah that's part of why I don't really care about playing the other two, they aren't supposed to be the same characters so it's not really appealing to me. Plus I love the 8 bit graphics of Mother, the 16 bit graphics are a little too cutesy for me.
They are def worth playing, and that's an odd complaint considering Mother's graphics are also cutesy. Itoi was always going for that, he made these games for his daughter.
Some friends recommended that I play Earthbound... I was kind of curious about it, but the more I looked into the series it seemed like I should start with the first one. I absolutely did not regret it.
From a conventional perspective it is extremely difficult and you have to do a ton of grinding to get going, but I found it to be such an enthralling, funny, and emotionally affecting game that instead of playing Earthbound I just played all the way through Mother again. It devastated me both times and honestly I might even play it through again before attempting Earthbound. Amazing game.
at least being weak makes sense narratively considering your party is mostly 8 years old
Right... once I learned that you are pretty much supposed to run a away from certain enemies, I really started to understand the game. The whole POINT of it, by the end, is that it is not by fighting/violence that you win, but by passion and love. The whole game is filled with weird little confused suffering people, and you are trying to drive away this massive evil that is just magnifying that, turning people into zombies. The story is amazingly complex.
This is the game that got me into 8 bit RPGs like fantasy star and dragon warrior. I'm not a boomer yet so I don't have unlimited time to play all the obscure ones, but I love to play one or two of these per year, and I'll get around it eventually. Love me some video games and this one is special for me
Earthbound is pretty much a remake of this game with some story beats changed around, to the point that I was shocked how similar they were when I played it the first time. I don't prefer this game, I tend to find the gameplay way too tedious, but aesthetically I find it really nice even though it does feel really empty at points.
At the end of the day, all 3 Mother games are great, and I really don't feel like arguing which is the best.
I beat it with the easy ring first time then beat it again without it. Fun JRPG with a great atmosphere and music.
Though yeah, Mt. Holy Loly is so stupidly unbalanced that it's like getting to that healing cabin near the mid/end is like entering Heaven's gates.
That huge maze factory and the mountain caves leading to Giygas can suck a dick
>the mountain caves leading to Giygas
It gave me a hard time the first time I played the game, but then I figured out these Brain enemies can be completely obilerated by Anna's PSI Block + PSI Magnet. They are useless without being able to use PSI attacks.
Yeah once you learn how you can use certain techniques it really changes the game. The psychic abilities that Anna uses are truly awesome, and its funny how Lloyd burns through his weapons.
Using 4th-D Slip to escape tough battles in Mt. Itoi is also a must.
In the GBA version from Mother 1+2, they included the item EVE's chip, which lets you teleport back to where EVE's remains are. So you can use the Onyx Hook to go back to Magicant and heal for free, then use EVE's chip to go back to Mt. Itoi instantly.
>not using bread crumbs after completing the factory
Skill issue
I have never before played a game that so precariously balanced a desire to learn with a fear of death.
Have you never played a single dungeon crawler or 80's RPG before? What a strange comment.
Those aren't filled with interesting people and things the way that Mother is though... like there are so many weird things in the desert, but also stuff that will just instakill you. I always hated RPGs as a kind, but Mother is genuinely like playing a novel.
I just wish that Pollyanna wasn't replaced by Bein' Friends after Lloyd joins you, but the song that plays in his school is a bop.
I wish Pollyanna stuck around as the Onett theme in EarthBound, but that slowed version in Ness' home is so good I almost don't mind it
the actual real final boss is mt itoi. giygas is just a cool interactive cutscene.
"No crying until the end" is actually a reference to the tears of joy shed by everyone who makes it out of Mt. Itoi
I thought it was the tears of disappointment from realizing that the game literally had no ending, to the point where the localization had to make one up. I feel the no-ending version fits the game better, given how Mother 2 goes.
i bet it was always supposed to be in. mother 1 was infamously rushed.
besides you don't get the extremely kino ending where ninten falls asleep and dreams of everyone he met on his journey. my eyes well up every time.
Maybe, but it feels more memorable without. No fanfare, no congratulations, just silence.
It's still very melancholy, even with the localized ending... you don't even necessarily know if Ninten and Anna ever see each other again. It's nice to know that the gang leader guy didnt just die after the robot battle though.
>I feel the no-ending version fits the game better
I kind of agree with you, but only because of that weird cliffhanger that just went nowhere. 3 being the only one with an entirely conclusive ending is bizarre.
Teddy best character of all games.
One thing I like about M1 is that I feel like every party member has a stake in the plot.
>Ninten is directly related to the entire cause of the plot
>Ana's mom was abducted
>Lloyd isn't as connected but I guess he'll take any excuse to get away from bullies
>Teddy's parents were killed on Mt Itoi, aliens probably did it
>One thing I like about M1 is that I feel like every party member has a stake in the plot.
That's because in many many ways, Mother is a clone of Dragon Quest 2. They got that from DQ2, and it's one thing I love about it (and mother), they introduced the party system to the series (and to many players) so they went out of their way to make sure each character is as relevant as the first protagonist.
The Prince of Cannock was already questing on his own before becoming an ally so it feels like he has as much reason to fight than the main hero, and the Princess of Moonbroke had her home burnt down, her parents and everyone she knows killed, and got turned into a dog. Damn.
This is actually something very few jRPGs do, usually focusing on 1-2 protagonist instead. Even FF6 which tries not to do that has a lot of lesser characters with questionnable or absent motives. I believe this is all goes back to DQ3 and 4 being an even bigger success than 2 so that became the standard. DQ4 tried to make most characters matter (but even then, a couple like Alena's crew don't have a main role, they're literally being back-up) and the Hero still takes all the spotlight. Few are the jRPGs I played which like DQ2 and Mother made sure each character is the party is equal in regards to the story.
It's certainly better than M2 where the cast is basically unrelated outside of "you're the chosen ones" bullshit. Good thing M3 mostly dropped that stuff.
I used to think M1 plot was basic, but I realized it was very fleshed out and to the point. Everything in it made sense and tied together in a nice way, resulting in a short but convincing story with a defined finale. I think it was written well enough to become a short book.
Earthbound isn't bad at all, but its story is all over the place, it's a complete mess that jumps the shark all the time. They just threw every meme idea and 80s reference they could come up with into 1 game.
and Mother 3 is somehow a serious dark plot in a world that feels like complete nonsensical mess of wild west commune, star wars capitalists, ghosts, maya temples, dragons and underwater trannies.
There was an actual novelization but I don't think anyone bothered to do a translation.
I read it. It starts halfway through the game when Nintendo (called Ken in the novel) meets Ana in Snowman. Ana is the main character, more or less, and Ken is a very angry little butthole.
EarthBound's novel was weird too and ends with time being reset with Pokey being Ness' older brother.
You've read it in japanese? any way to read these online?
It's on Mother4Ever, both in English.
There's also those two Pollyanna comics but idk if that was an actual adaptation of the games, the impression I get was that it was just a bunch of artist who made one-off tributes to them and it got compiled by Hobonichi
Honestly, agree. The story def hits better, the ending is honestly pretty sad in a way. Both are great though, and the gameplay design was mastered in Earthbound.
What's the best version of this game to emulate? I've been thinking about playing through the 25th Anniversary Edition hack (with the modified graphics patched out) because they apparently lowered the amount of encounters but I also noticed they changed around dialogue in it. Would it be more worth it to just play the original even with the shitty encounters or is the 25th not that bad?
Play the original.
I can't read Japanese and I don't have a famicom
Play Earthbound Zero.
no switch or wii u
Emulate that like we all do with that game and Mother 3.
3ds? A phone? Literally any machine from 1999 onwards?
its not out for those
So, is /vr/ full of 10 year olds? EMULATE you stupid Black person
yeah i double patched the same way and its fine, i prefer the original graphics but rebalanced
Any thoughts on this?
I played the demo and I liked it. I'm not sure about the liberties they're taking. They teased the addition of Saturn Village but that doesn't really belong in Mother 1. I think there's a parallel project using the same assets and even code that's more faithful.
Music's pretty good. I liked the Starman fight.
Hyped for this. Even if somehow it gets different from original, it looks that it will be fun.
I really like those animations for Ninten in battle. That's a pretty charming way to add some flavor to the combat.
It gives a lot of personality to the characters, I especially like Pippi's smug-ass grin she does before smacking somebody. I'd love to see what the rest of the gang looks like in motion.
Wow that Pollyanna cover at the end is ass
You are a filthy black gorilla Black person.
Anyway, everybody post Ness.
Nessposting
What is a Pollyanna cover?
Timestamped
?t=5740
So, it's the song? Disgusting.
Anyone seen this? If yes, how it was, good or was cringe?
Why do you hate it? I found it amateur-ish, but good enough or at least not shit.
>fangamer
I constantly forget that this site only exists because of EarthBound fans
Only relevant thing about it is Itoi making the ultimate affirmation that Tomato's (original) Mother 3 translation is the definitive EOP experience for the game and that everyone should give up since Nintendo of AmeriKKKa isn't wasting a single penny on bringing it over, only for it to sell like a turd and create more online drama.
i think it has a kino moment where keiichi suzuki listens to his eight melodies demo and it hits him really hard
>BUT IT HAS RANDOM ENCOUNTERS!!! ITS UNPLAYABLE SLOP!!!! NES SUX!!!
The random encounters can be annoying sometimes, in fairness. EarthBound's best addition was that it at least let you see the enemies.
>You will never die on Moonside
Feels good man...
The dancing scene near the end was cute
We don't feally get anything like this in the other 2 games
I love that scene, it's really touching. It's a shame Phil Sandhop had to remove all subtlety from it when the translation is otherwise great.
I like it's setting and tone better. to me the story feels like it's derived from actual small town american urban legends. the aliens, ghosts kidnappings, animals breaking out of their zoo exhibits, a lot of the enemies are just normal animals.
earthbound gets more grandiose and more exotic. mother 1 never loses the rural america feeling.
I'm considering making a romhack for Earthbound but I'd like to know what you'd all prefer
>1/128 drops removed from random loot tables but are scattered as presents in the world
or
>1/128 drops are now the rewards for beating new original bosses
how about just more 1/128 drops? SOK is cool to get but youre stuck in stonehenge base until you get it.
>youre stuck in stonehenge base until you get it.
Spoken like a robot who always has a guide open when he plays a game (because he's terrified of having to figure things out himself) and who always grinds for the most overpowered equipment, no matter how tedious (because he's terrified of the game having any semblance of challenge).
Original bosses would be my preference if you're going to scrap the random drops.
removal of enemy moves that do nothing
Broke: Mother 3 is anti-capitalist
Bespoke: Mother 3 is anti-industrial society
Mother 3 is a metaphor for Japanese history with a helping of environmentalist in there as well.
Mother 3 is anti totalitarism
Woke: Mother 3 is commie fanfiction.
It's against totalitarism though
Everyone is
Stab a communist and a seething janny bleeds
For me it's Mother 1 on the go
Isn't 1 + 2 exclusively in Japanese or did Mato translate that too
1's fully translated. I think there was some work being done for 2 but I don't know why you'd ever play that version. It sucks.
All I know about the GBA version of 2 is that apparently you could use some exploit to kill Giygas without praying and the game goes on pretty much normally
Yeah, for some reason poison affects googee normally under all the special scripting for his last phase, killing him after a few turns. Think it's actually less turns than praying if you get it turn 1
Mato's translation for Mother 1 is exclusively the 1+2 version.
I'm playing in Japanese though.
Holy Mother of SOUL
Teddy needed a love interest imo
Take a melody
No, you!
luv me ninten
luv me anna
luv me lloyd
ate aliens
ate robots
simple as can be
Why did fans make so many "upgraded" graphics hacks? The look of the original is perfect. Actually one of the best looking 8bit RPGs (most other had a very square look, Mother's more organic tilesets on the overworld, giving it a pseudo 3D feel.
Hacks just look cluttered and messy, the original looks retro and classy.
Same, the only negative is the high encounter rate
Not that much of a problem for 8-bit/16-bit RPGs imo, they're so quick that it almost feels like real-time (compared to later RPGs, especially during the CD era with loading times and looooong attack/summon unskippable animations).
I think this is what makes older RPGs a lot more bareable than later ones.
Of course, I prefer seeing the enemies on the map like on Mother 2 and 3, but as far as random encounters go, retro games did it right.
>especially during the CD era with loading times and looooong attack/summon unskippable animations
Yeah, Mother 1 encounters are annoying but they're over quick so it's not as bad as it could be. Persona 2 might be the worst example of what you're talking about.
I just wish enemies faded in faster. The quadruple Mr. Bat encounters suck.
I like it better too.
It has a great melancholy atmosphere.
I like how solitary you are for a long time.
Makes you really appreciate getting a party member and bein' friends.
>I prefer having to walk 20 miles not knowing for sure if I'm even heading in the right direction and getting in a random encounter every 2 seconds.
No. No you didn't. I doubt you actually even played the game.
leave OP alone man. you're so annoying
>if I'm even heading in the right direction
The game has a map that marks all the towns and also marks other points such as random healer houses where you can save, etc.
Random enoc**ters on Mother 1, and other 8-bir RPGs, are fast as frick. Be quick with the menu navigating and you can get battle done in seconds. Choose wisely what kind of attacks you inflict if it's more than 1 enemy so you can take them all in 1 or 2 turns, etc.
I beat it. EarthBound IS the better game in terms of gameplay but the setting and writing is a downgrade.
theres no way to play this in english so i dont know what people are talking about
It is on the Nintendo virtual console thing.
yeah because i can access that
Try not being poor.
ok but where can i play mother 1?
It was officially translated by Nintendo like 50 years ago anon
>Only learns healing magic and support magic with a few offensive spells here and there
>Heavily armored relative to his party
>Melee heavy hitter with a focus on blunt weaponry
Ness is a cleric
It is funny to imagine Paula trying to conjure up psychic power and Jeff loading up his newest gun that he designed as Ness just bludgeons the shit out of whatever's attacking them
Very believable I'd love to see a realistic depiction of this with a confident, large American boy smashing shit with his bat
He's a paladin like Cecil.
Besides clarifying Clerics can do offensive spells too...Ninten is more like a cleric, with no damaging PSI and being the only one with healing PSI and have many supportive PSI. Ness (and Lucas in Mother 3) is similar, but has one powerful PSI Attack. So more like a Paladin, like
said.
idk how anyone can prefer the first game to the second. the biggest reason being able to see/avoid the enemies on screen in earthbound. mother's encounter rate is obnoxious, especially considering how you get bombarded my multiple enemy fights where you have to sit there and wait for them all to spawn in individually. the game is just a huge time sink and unnecessary slog. i played through it once legit, and then the next time i played it i used the easy mode hack which doubles money/xp, but also used a code to disable random encounters entirely at my discretion. ive never cheated in earthbound at all because the game is actually playable.
I am confused too. How do I play the first game? I don't see a way to do that anywhere.
Just google it friend.