Earthbound

[Jisho23]

My save corrupted, so I'm givin this game a run again.

Every time I play it again, it really does get better. Maybe its because--I feel--rpgs of the same style have lost their flavor, but I'm unsure. What does get better is how many things I catch and find much funnier. Like how the hell was a bee carrying a rock? Why does a greaser-like gang member have a robot?

Thats probably why I love this game: it's really funny but at the same time in a very dry "Wait... what just happened?" kind of way.

I guess, share your love, hatred, things you've found along the way, etc. of this game.

[Einzelherz]

Having only played through Mother 3 I can still appreciate what you're talking about. There is a lot of off beat weird humor laced throughout Mother 3. I just started Mother 1 on my NES and I expect there to be a similar feel. So far my favorite part I've seen (only a few min in) is the Hippie enemy :)

[Haoie]

Pokey's stench still hangs in the air.

[Parodius Duh!]

could NEVER get into this game, Ive tried, but I just dont feel the hype. I think its the characters, id rather be a dark knight over a little boy, any day.

[Jisho23]

could NEVER get into this game, Ive tried, but I just dont feel the hype. I think its the characters, id rather be a dark knight over a little boy, any day.

I think thats why I like Earthbound so much. If you just substituted all of the sillyness (like being a little boy) and kept the general story together, you could have had a serious game. Their decision to make the game a self aware parody that is still a dead-pan serious quest is an astounding choice. And, ironically, the game comes off as less goofy than other more serious rpgs (Secret of Mana especially--it is a damn good game, but its still a really goofy game if you play sans nostalgia).

[Rob2600]

could NEVER get into this game, Ive tried, but I just dont feel the hype. I think its the characters, id rather be a dark knight over a little boy, any day.

I think thats why I like Earthbound so much. If you just substituted all of the sillyness (like being a little boy) and kept the general story together, you could have had a serious game. Their decision to make the game a self aware parody that is still a dead-pan serious quest is an astounding choice.

Plus, Earthbound does get pretty creepy toward the end.

[geezuzkhrist119]

Rpgs based in medival times get boring for me. I love how earthbound changed up the rpgs genre. Screw fighting dragons with swords. I want to fight bears and ducks with baseball bats and frypans.

[soloman]

I think thats why I like Earthbound so much. If you just substituted all of the sillyness (like being a little boy) and kept the general story together, you could have had a serious game. Their decision to make the game a self aware parody that is still a dead-pan serious quest is an astounding choice. And, ironically, the game comes off as less goofy than other more serious rpgs (Secret of Mana especially--it is a damn good game, but its still a really goofy game if you play sans nostalgia).

Mother and Mother 2 are literally Dragon Quest with a different skin and yes, that's why the game is so charming. It's a play on the generic fantasy RPGs that riddled Japanese computers and consoles since someone in Japan found out about Ultima and Wizardry (and it's ironic that those Western pioneering titles are now more popular in Japan where they continued to survive long after they died in the West). You're a hero out to save the world except 90% of your quest is ignored as you roam the countryside doing odd fetch quests that don't seem to have any relevance. It's not until the final hour that everything pieces together and majority of the plot was revealed. Everything in the middle was hilarious, world defining filler.

Mother got creepy towards the end as well. There's absolutely no story related material until you reach the final dungeon and even 17 years later it was kind of jarring to have the characters suddenly speak.

[fahlim003]

Mother and Mother 2 are literally Dragon Quest with a different skin and yes, that's why the game is so charming. It's a play on the generic fantasy RPGs that riddled Japanese computers and consoles since someone in Japan found out about Ultima and Wizardry (and it's ironic that those Western pioneering titles are now more popular in Japan where they continued to survive long after they died in the West).

It does the Dragon Warrior/Quest formula and improves upon by actually having some plot and engaging characters not to mention less grinding. It's the alternate style and setting that do this game service and it feels like a total package. I tried a couple times before managing to carry on in a game and it was worth it - a really memorable game and once it got going (which doesn't take too long, essentially once you leave Onett) it's off and running.

[Jisho23]

I think its bad form to say that Dragon Quest has no story (this is acknowledging that at least the 5th in the series came out when Mother 2/Earthbound hit). And the fact that the game copies the formula isn't what makes it so good. Its the fact that it copies the formula PERFECTLY that makes is spectacular: many serious rpgs--both prior to its release, during, and after--wish they were as genre savvy as this game.

And the creepiness at the end? Come on, it never gets THAT bad. And some of the endgame encounters are the funniest... like "The Soul Consuming Flame" (you have to say the whole thing!).