Earthbound

[psychokind]

so, i finshed earthbound for the 2nd time. it might be more than 10 years since my first attempt, and i wasn't sure if i really beat it the first time.

i really had good memories of the game, and maybe it shoul have stayed that way. the game is not that good.

the gameplay is solid, but you have to powerlevel sometimes. then theres phases where the enemies are too easy. the story is a mess, and the "randomness" sometimes seems like an excuse for lazy storytelling. the music, if you can call it that, is horrible. the soundeffects are good.

overall i first thought i'm too old to enjoy this game. i don't think that's the case, the game is just not as funny as i remembered it to be. i wonder how it build that reputation it has, maybe it's the only game with that kind of setting. i'd give it a 4/10

anybody else played it? opinions?

[tay120n64]

I played it about three years ago, and ended up having much the same reaction as you. It is completely impossible to enjoy Earthbound when taken at face value, because the game is deliberately archaic and demanding. As for the music, well, if you aren't familiar with Hirokazu Tanaka's work at all, then it is going to come off far too mechanical for comfort.

There are two ways to enjoy Earthbound:

1) Just play around with the game. It was built by very deliberate designers from Nintendo, HAL, APE, and Intelligent Systems who made something that was intended to be little more than a very smart toy.

2) Understand that the game is a statement piece, meant to illustrate various aspects of gaming and gaming culture that remains relevant today. It is also the brain-child of Shigesato Itoi, who poured a great deal of his own soul into the writing. Look in-between the lines.

There are parts of the game design that are well ahead of it's time, such as: "rolling" HP, field enemy aggression/passivity, and preemptive strikes, among other aspects. However, these parts do not adequately add up to a whole that makes up for the poor direction, archaic combat system, and mandatory grinding.

To the game's credit, it is remarkably self-aware, so there IS enjoyment to be had. You just have to ask yourself if atmosphere and wit are enough to make up for an intentionally demanding experience. It's sort of like Spec Ops: The Line in that regard.

Earthbound is probably one of the earliest examples of "Video Games As Art". So, if games are to be considered art, it can no longer be a prerequisite that games must be fun. You wouldn't go see a theatrical drama expecting a sitcom would you? Same principle. We have to separate "enjoyment" from "fun" and understand what a game can be, if they are going to be anything more than, well, games.

I also suggest reading this, if you have, oh I don't know, two hours to spare: http://www.largeprimenumbers.com/article.php?sid=mother2

[inferiare]

You forgot that the programmers were basically Satan if you had a pirated copy early on when your data would be completely WIPED the minute you got to Giygas.

Unrelated, but that's how DRM should work to make sure you're playing a legit copy: encrypt some code into a game file that lets you get to the end, checks then if you're playing on a PS3/WII U/360, resets if you're not and deletes your save file. I say "encrypt into game code" to make it impossible to delete without screwing up being able to play the game at all.


Anyway, I still have a lot of love for this game, for as frustrating as it can be, simply because I enjoy the story. Mother 3 is incredibly depressing and is nothing but suffering the entire time, but Earthbound has a story I enjoy, the music (for as weird and "mechanical" as Tay put it) fits with the way the game plays out, and I would love to someday get my hands on a Mr. Saturn plush. Mr. Saturns are the part of the game I love most, second place is the Happy Happy Cult.

That said, your mileage may vary on it, but that's just perspective/opinion and I ain't going to say you're wrong or right on it.

[SoulBlazerFan]

Having not played it myself and speaking from a purely collector/player stand point... this game is certainly sought after. It's one of what, three SNES games to come packed in with its own strategy guide? The cart alone in the last year has sold between 150 to 260 USD... I know I have been keeping an eye on it.

I have several friends who told me this game was amazing, so there is a level of mystique to it in a way, given it's word of mouth and relative rarity. If you didn't get to play it or own it when you were a kid... you apparently "missed out."

It could also be the bandwagon thing to do, like how most people say Final Fantasy VII is the best game in the series, and for some, the best game ever made... and still hold true to that notion, even though they have never played through any of the other games in the series. I still say VIII is the best for me... but that is a debate to be saved for another day.

[Jason Tandro]

I played it for a bit. I really enjoyed it but I never finished it. I might go back and some time and finish it up. I really enjoy how they were able to take our real world and create such a great fantasy.

[tay120n64]

SoulBlazerFan wrote:

It could also be the bandwagon thing to do, like how most people say Final Fantasy VII is the best game in the series, and for some, the best game ever made... and still hold true to that notion, even though they have never played through any of the other games in the series.

There is a great deal of "bandwagoning" regarding Earthbound, much of it overlapping with the same notions that surround Final Fantasy VII. In both cases, there is this artificial "scarcity" that bumps up the value of each, even though neither is actually rare.

Both games did something unique that at least earns them some recognition, but neither game deserves the blind praise they get. Final Fantasy VII really put JRPGs on the map in NA, and it totally deserves praise for that. Earthbound may not have been successful outside of Japan, but it did some really unique things that no other series at the time did. The gameplay in both series is still sort of average though. There are far more ambitious and polished JRPGs out there if you take the time to look.

[inferiare]

JRPGs were coming out long before FF7 though, and most people praise it for the fact that it had "the best story ever" and that it had "the most advanced graphics and music ever at that time" which... the second is true, sure, but the first one not so much. Government strife stories are interesting and all, but FF7s was kind of... boring in that sense. Yeah it was good and it had good characters, but I never saw it as the definitive Final Fantasy/JRPG title everyone else gives it.

Guess it's that "your mileage may vary" again.

[SoulBlazerFan]

Just out of curiosity does anyone else know how FFVII is viewed in Japan? It is also seen as the greatest game ever as it is here, or seen as just another entry into a great game series? I mean now we have all the games out in North America spread out over all systems, but they have had them released on their original respective consoles in their original, unaltered versions. Anyone know? I'm very interested in learning this as I never bothered to look it up.

[inferiare]

I would imagine that, since they did the FF7 Compilation in Japan, pretty damn well received. They wouldn't have made the extra games (Before Crisis, Crisis Core, and Dirge of Cerberus and the movie Advent Children) for just the Western world, as awesome as that would be. Pretty sure it's the favoured child in Japan too.

[SoulBlazerFan]

Just out of curiosity does anyone else know how FFVII is viewed in Japan? It is also seen as the greatest game ever as it is here, or seen as just another entry into a great game series? I mean now we have all the games out in North America spread out over all systems, but they have had them released on their original respective consoles in their original, unaltered versions. Anyone know? I'm very interested in learning this as I never bothered to look it up.

[psychokind]

well tay i see you work with games nice summary, and i guess you're right. i think the game sometimes just forced the "art" just too much.