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Super Feels Journal (Earthbound/Mother)
11 years ago
General
One of the few things I ever cried from (other than a funeral for obvious reasons) was these games. I always tell my friends this and they always kind of shrug and say "Oh yeah?". I can see why. It's kind of silly to cry at a game that looks like a Saturday Morning Cartoon Show.
I digress. This game series has probably some of the deepest themes that I ever got from a JRPG. It's more than just save the world from some big bad guy with the power of friendship and anime powerz.
The Trilogy of games go over some pretty hard hitting topics, especially for a young adult. A video I want to recommend is a Game Theory on EarthBound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=552iTUDwYb8
Three of the topics that really spoke to me were as follows:
The first topic is a Mother's unconditional love for her child which is the main driving point in Mother (Earthbound Zero)
The second is Growing up and losing that childhood innocence as you explore the world and become a young adult. This is kind of a main point throughout the series.
The third is facing the tragedy of death and coping with the despair that it leaves behind which defines Mother 3.
Though I do have to say, this series will hit you far harder if you have a tight relationship with your parents. There are a few scenes in the game that will make your heart melt if you imagine your parents saying the same things ;.;
One of the themes that really gets me is that once you grow up, you'll never have the innocence of a kid ever again. As you get older, you'll be in your parents shoes if you choose to have a child and the cycle continues. Your parents will get older and eventually die. Your children will grow up and you'll get older. Such is the cycle of life.
These games reminded me of my mortality and made me remember all the greatest things that I have lost and am going to lose throughout my life. I don't want my childhood days to go away! I don't want my parents to pass on! I want to live in a simpler time! I don't want to die!
But that's where the game reminds you of something to help cope with all the despair. It teaches you to enjoy the journey of life and whatever it may bring your way. If you're too busy thinking about the end, then you'll miss the best part! It really does teach you to count your blessings and not to take them for granted.
If you want to play the games, I'd recommend using an emulator seeing as how two of the games were never released outside of Japan. You can buy Earthbound on virtual console I believe. o:
Mother/EarthBound zero: It's pretty hardcore. I would only recommend this if you beat Mother 2/Earthbound and you LOVE the series. It gets pretty broken later on =\. Itoi (Creator of Mother) even said he had no idea what he was doing when he made the end game.
Mother 2/EarthBound: You should probably start here. It's kind of a reiteration on Mother but with it's own story and such. If you only like rpgs because of the GRAFIX then this probably isn't the game for you.
Mother 3: You CAN start here, but you'll miss a few Earthbound references throughout the game and more of a reason to hate the main antagonist.
If you call yourself a JRPG Fanatic and you haven't played this game, then PLAY IT! I promise you. You won't regret it. =]
So next time you see Ness or Lucas in the new super smash bros games, remember that there's far more to those goofy looking kids than you think =]
This is probably pretty long but thanks for reading! I appreciate it ^^
I digress. This game series has probably some of the deepest themes that I ever got from a JRPG. It's more than just save the world from some big bad guy with the power of friendship and anime powerz.
The Trilogy of games go over some pretty hard hitting topics, especially for a young adult. A video I want to recommend is a Game Theory on EarthBound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=552iTUDwYb8
Three of the topics that really spoke to me were as follows:
The first topic is a Mother's unconditional love for her child which is the main driving point in Mother (Earthbound Zero)
The second is Growing up and losing that childhood innocence as you explore the world and become a young adult. This is kind of a main point throughout the series.
The third is facing the tragedy of death and coping with the despair that it leaves behind which defines Mother 3.
Though I do have to say, this series will hit you far harder if you have a tight relationship with your parents. There are a few scenes in the game that will make your heart melt if you imagine your parents saying the same things ;.;
One of the themes that really gets me is that once you grow up, you'll never have the innocence of a kid ever again. As you get older, you'll be in your parents shoes if you choose to have a child and the cycle continues. Your parents will get older and eventually die. Your children will grow up and you'll get older. Such is the cycle of life.
These games reminded me of my mortality and made me remember all the greatest things that I have lost and am going to lose throughout my life. I don't want my childhood days to go away! I don't want my parents to pass on! I want to live in a simpler time! I don't want to die!
But that's where the game reminds you of something to help cope with all the despair. It teaches you to enjoy the journey of life and whatever it may bring your way. If you're too busy thinking about the end, then you'll miss the best part! It really does teach you to count your blessings and not to take them for granted.
If you want to play the games, I'd recommend using an emulator seeing as how two of the games were never released outside of Japan. You can buy Earthbound on virtual console I believe. o:
Mother/EarthBound zero: It's pretty hardcore. I would only recommend this if you beat Mother 2/Earthbound and you LOVE the series. It gets pretty broken later on =\. Itoi (Creator of Mother) even said he had no idea what he was doing when he made the end game.
Mother 2/EarthBound: You should probably start here. It's kind of a reiteration on Mother but with it's own story and such. If you only like rpgs because of the GRAFIX then this probably isn't the game for you.
Mother 3: You CAN start here, but you'll miss a few Earthbound references throughout the game and more of a reason to hate the main antagonist.
If you call yourself a JRPG Fanatic and you haven't played this game, then PLAY IT! I promise you. You won't regret it. =]
So next time you see Ness or Lucas in the new super smash bros games, remember that there's far more to those goofy looking kids than you think =]
This is probably pretty long but thanks for reading! I appreciate it ^^
I'm glad your mom is alive and well xD. Which reminds me, have you played them all? o:
Also to make the end game of EB Zero better, try to get as many Franklin Badges you can before you embark with Teddy. You'll need at least one xD
Or else fear PK Beam Gamma! D:
In the first one, Zero, one part of the game intrigued me: Giygas was willing to take only Ninten with him on his mothership before eliminating Earth since he never forgot the love he was given by George and Maria. Very intriguing stuff. A shame neither the first or third game came here officially and the fact EB was marketed by morons as a "stinky game".
Oh indeed, I have to say, having such a human antagonist (not to mention an Alien one) was something so unique to hear about back then. I mean, how can a bad dude be a bad dude when his number one character flaw is his love for his mummy? lol. Though from what I remember, I thought it was Maria who was Giygas' (I think he was called Giygue in Zero?) only parent since George spent a majority of his life trying to get her back since she was abducted? Man, it's been a long time. I played it for the first time in 2009 xD
Yeah...geez, not only was it marketed badly here but, in addition, it was us as gamers at the time who didn't care for story telling in video games, well, at least the majority. the fact that these games boomed in japan and flopped in the US also didn't help either =[
George did raise him a little in the beginning, but then, as you know, George made off with Giygas's people's secrets and disappeared after that, I believe. But it made me think. What if the all-powerful demonic towering final boss genuinely offered his hand to you? Would you take it? It certainly is one scenario I like seeing happen when the said final boss is compelling.
And that is sad, since I pitied most other people. I loved storytelling in games, even as a little kid, which is why I always replayed FF4 so much as a youngster. I can't tell you how many times I hit New Game on that thing after finishing my previous file. But that's just me. I got into reading very early in my life and enjoyed every minute of it, no matter whether it was books or games. ;)
Geez, I dont' remember that part. It has been 5 years so I'm sure that was bound to happen xD. Ah, well I can Imagine it being like Cave Story where you can chicken out near the midpoint of the game and escape with the coward doctor lol. I do love the option aspect but we all know that beating the bad guy and saving the day is the ultimate payload xD. Though if I were Ninten in that scenario, there would be no way I would turn my back on my friends and the Earth. That's just too much guilt to bear man haha. I'd rather fail trying then living awkwardly with the Alien responsible for wiping out my entire species lol. He'd probably probe or dissect me to figure out where this "love" comes from xD. Cuz you know, science! lol
Thanks for calling it FF4 and not FF2 xD. I still have a friend who calls it 2. lol. But man, FF4 was a master piece. Though you can say the same for most final fantasy games. haha. 4 was great because you started as a Dark Knight and slowly got weaker as you found the path to light. That and it kept the good ol' Classic final fantasy tradition of actually killing off playable characters. FF2 started that and it didn't last too long I believe lol.
what's funny is that I really don't like reading lol. But games are just interactive enough for me to stick through it till the end so I can enjoy a good story haha.
I'd have to say it was Fire Emblem for me. I didn't really get super learned of the gaming scene until i was around 13-14 ie (2003-2004) lol. I missed out on Snes games but I was able to jump back into them when I was a late teen =]. Thank you emulators.
Good to know someone knows what I'm talking about and can understand why these games made me cry lol
I do have to say. The Magicant stage in the new smash bros made me so giddy inside ^^
I remember Earthbound and loving it. I had it on my zsnes emulator along with a few hundred other titles. When my computer died, its hard drive went out in pyrotechnic fashion. I lost everything. I hadn't been able to finish Earthbound. I think, I should get myself another zsnes and rectify that.....
I knew there were other games in the Mother/Earthbound series, but didn't know if they had english translations yet.
and yes! they do have the translations! just search on google for them! :D Earthbound Zero isn't one I completely recommend but it will grant you a better insight on the series. Mother 3 is a must though. If you enjoyed the other games then you'll LOVE this one =].
Been so busy.... STILL haven't gotten to it yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwrPLtEfwuk
Smiles and Tears + the 8 Melodies = too many feels D:
Loved this vid ^^