Earthboring

[Anonymous No.2314727]

Never beat earthbound before
Got an everdrive
And ..... earthbound is really, really dull. So much talking, battle system is grindy and simple. I'm about to go get Paula. Should I keep at it?

[Anonymous No.2314738]

>Should I keep playing a game I'm not enjoying.
Probably not anon

[Anonymous No.2314741]

>>2314727
>not wanting to talk
The game only exists for the story and the environment. It's just reworked dragon quest. If RPGs like this aren't for you, then quit it anon.

I thought EB0 was great.

[Anonymous No.2314753]

Should have played with ez mode ring.

[Anonymous No.2314758]

Anybody else found Itoi's secret landmine on the desert?

[Anonymous No.2314760]

>>2314741
Strangely enough, I love the original Dragon Quest. Just got an English patch for the DQ 1 & 2 super famicom game.

[Anonymous No.2314772]

>>2314760
DQ1 is honestly one of my favorite RPGs. It's so charming.

[Anonymous No.2314853]

God, the game is so boring. And I love rpg like dq or fallout or saga, so grinding is not an issue. It's just that the game felt like "oh boy, a new area with new harder monsters, time to level up.. again.." And I know it doesn't make sense because all fucking rpg are like that, but in this game it just didn't click. Also, I dreaded having to go around and talk to all the npc, thing that I like in other games..

Not a single Mother game did it for me. They all suck.

[Anonymous No.2314940]

>>2314853
So glad I never tried to buy this fucking thing.

[Anonymous No.2314953]

>>2314760
It's normal to like DQ and not be into Earthbound.
Honestly out of all the Early DQ-inspired RPGs like Shisenden, Lagrange Point, Silva Saga, Glory of Heracles, etc the entire Earthbound franchise is at the bottom of the list.

[Anonymous No.2315038]

>>2314853
>"oh boy, a new area with new harder monsters, time to level up.. again.."
I can understand this in Mother, but in Mother 2 you really have no need to grind unless you want to be overpowered. And if you still feel the need to grind, there are two places in the game where you can grind for 5 minutes and easily go up 5-10 levels.(Belches base and the underworld right before the 7th melody).

The only area where I really recall doing any grinding was the very start, since the first melody boss almost requires the first PSI.

There are plenty of complaints to lob at Earthbound, but being grindy isn't a valid one.

[Anonymous No.2315051]

>>2314853
I also could never get into the Mother games (with MAYBE the exeception of 3), and I do love DQ and really old-school RPGs. I think what didn't click for me is the lack of coherence. In Mother stuff happens just because and you're supposed to think it's all funny and wacky. The "charm" is meant to make you forget that the overall plot of the game is nonsensical. Most old school RPGs have a very basic plot but at least it makes some amount of sense. Mother's writing really is style over substance, with the actual substance coming right at the end for the original Mother (with the alien's "mom" backstory) and never really clicking at all for Mother 2 (unless you're one of those edgy hipsters who thinks the Giygas battle is a profound art statement). Mother 3 did have its anticapitalism message throughout, so I think that's why overall it worked better. Even if the whole Dragon/drag queen/needle angle never really made much sense either and was still relying on "wacky" to function.

Mother 1 and 2 have non existent character development and the worst antagonists ever who rely on never doing anything to appear "mysterious" and trick you into thinking they're cool. Mother 2 especially relies on a bunch of never seen and never explained deus ex machinae for the final conflict, it's very embarrassing. But some people just like the style so much they can overlook all of this, and I think that's the only way to enjoy the games.

If you don't like the style of the game OP just stop playing. You're really not missing out on anything. I forced myself through the first two games, the first one as a kid because I had the cart. The only game worth playing is 3, if at all.

[Anonymous No.2315097]

>>2315051
I really love Earthbound but I do agree with your criticism of it. In fact, I think you *need* to love it to enjoy it. Otherwise it's just a poor DQ type RPG. The only element I think is objectively good, great even, is its music.

[Anonymous No.2315098]

>>2315051
Perfect synopsis. That's really why the game doesn't work. It's grindy, not in the sense that you have to spend a long time grinding, but that the battles are boring and require no real strategy.

Instead, you're supposed to enjoy the mood of towns, but I just don't see the appeal of the 'everyone is an irreverent weirdo' take on characters.

[Anonymous No.2315103]

>>2315051
>the first one as a kid because I had the cart

How old are you?

[Anonymous No.2315110]

Uh....OP....You picked the worst possible installment to try to "get into" the series. I would actually be very very surprised if you were having a blast at this point. You have done the equivalent of playing vanilla Final Fantasy I and then promptly declaring that all Final Fantasy's are shit.

[Anonymous No.2315113]

>>2315110
Where should I start?

[Anonymous No.2315117]

>>2315110

Mother 1 is the best way to get into the series though, unless Famicom RPGs intimidate you with the encounter rate somehow. I find Mother 1 to be rather easy. I also don't get why people say it's "grindy". You don't need to actually grind on Mother, or Dragon Quest for that matter. If you need grinding you're doing it wrong.

Also, I believe OP posted a pic of Mother 1, but he's playing Mother 2. He mentioned Paula.

[Anonymous No.2315129]

>>2315113

Mother 2 is the perfect balance between the new of 3 and old of 1. Unfortunately there is a very good possibility now that I read your post in some detail that you are playing 2. At which point I would say "If you are not having at least a marginal amount of fun don't even bother with the others; this series is not for you.".

>>2315117

Did you play Mother 1 without the easy ring?

[Anonymous No.2315825]

>>2314753
this

[Anonymous No.2315831]

>>2315129

>Did you play Mother 1 without the easy ring?

Yeah, twice. First on emulators (the unreleased EB Zero version), and then a second time on GBA (Mother 1+2 compilation version). Next time I feel like playing through it again will probably be the original Famicom version with the original dungeon designs.

I think, for a Famicom RPG, Mother is rather easy already. It only gets really tough in the last part, but by then you've got every PSI power you need, plus onyx hook to get back to magicant anytime to heal, then use Eve's memory chip to go back to mt. itoi, so I really didn't find any particular part to be overly challenging. Grinding was also not necessary at all, I think I finished the game with everyone below level 30. Pretty sure it can be beaten with everyone in levels 20 or 21.

[Anonymous No.2315836]

>>2314727

>most boring part of the game

Lies, it has the tank ride, the giant robot boss fight, and the monkey cave (which is a proto-Saturn Valley, even has the same music. Except instead of Mr. Saturns, there's lying monkeys)

[Anonymous No.2315971]

>>2314727
I'd like to make a public service announcement for all the kids out there who try Earthbound cold in 2015 and then ae shocked they find it boring. Earthbound's real charm is the nostalgia it brings up when you play it. The reason it was so wildly loved when it came out is that when we played it back then it felt like this whimsical throwback to the 8bit rpgs many of us grew up with.

But if you were born after 1980 or '85 at most then you probably didn't develop that nostalgia for the 8bit era in the first place so it's not going to grab you in the same way.

So if you want to play through a cool little RPG that was a throwback even in it's day but that evokes an earlier time then you may be in for a great ride. Howvever if you're expecting some lost gem that will blow your mind, look elsewhere.

[Anonymous No.2316045]

>>2315051
>edgy hipsters
And just like that, the validity of your post is discarded

[Anonymous No.2316052]

I really do wonder now how (if at all) the gaming landscape would have changed if Earthbound Zero had actually been released in the US. Would there have been more RPGs localized? Would Mother 3 have come out? Would Earthbound have the fan base it does now?

[Anonymous No.2316137]

that's not earthbound, that's mother

if you are already tired of the battle system, then you should just quit now, because it's not going to get any better. the last time i played through earthbound, i just used the turbo button for every battle - i wish i could have done that the first time when i played it on a real snes. other than the extremely repetitive battles, its a great game. and in pretty much every snes rpg, the battles get extremely repetitive and boring eventually.

the main reason to play earthbound is the story and the characters and the dialogue - if you don't like that, then i don't know what to tell you. go play call of duty or something if you want mindless action and don't have enough of an attention span to read some text and enjoy a great story

[Anonymous No.2316145]

>>2316137
>the last time i played through earthbound, i just used the turbo button for every battle
You missed out on the fucking amazing music and sound design and I feel sorry for you

[Anonymous No.2316150]

>>2316052

i doubt it would be very different - there's a reason they didn't bother releasing mother 3 in the us. the way earthbound was marketed was such a massive blunder that it effectively destroyed any chance of the game becoming a huge popular success in the states. besides that, the mother series really isn't for everyone. it's never really had a huge following, even in japan. i think it's because when most people play a jrpg, they expect something really serious, with final fantasy quality graphics and the mother series is basically the opposite of that. the fanbase has always been small, but extremely dedicated and loyal, to the point where they painstakingly translated mother 3 to english in assembly language and made the largest and most complete fan translation in the history of romhacks.

[Anonymous No.2316157]

>>2316145
oh i didn't miss anything, i remember the music in the battles very fondly - especially the giygas music and the rock n' roll music in the frank battle. i only fast-forwarded through the random battles with minor enemies which all have the same music - not the boss fights.

[Anonymous No.2316240]

>>2315971

Dude, I was born in '88 and like the Mother series just fine (and for entirely unrelated reasons to your working theory). It's not my favorite RPG series of all time, but it easily earns its keep in the top ten.

[Anonymous No.2316253]

>>2316150

>it's never really had a huge following, even in japan.

The situation is a bit more complex than that, I'm afraid. You see, over in Japan Itoi _himself_ is rather well known: and for reasons completely unrelated to the Mother series. So while Mother is indeed much more well known over there (in that they've heard it exists and can give you a rough plot summary), it's only _by proxy_ to Itoi's pre-existing success. You know what I mean?

[Anonymous No.2316260]

>>2315971

or maybe it's just a good game?

*rolls eyes*

[Anonymous No.2316394]

>>2315103
Sorry, I meant the *second* one. I had Earthbound as a kid, I'm not Japanese so I obviously didn't have Mother/Zero.

>>2316045
Read the context, there's nothing edgy or hipster about liking Earthbound with the sole exception of overhyping the cool but completely senseless, unexplained, and deus-ex machinae-ridden final boss as artsy or deep. The only good thing that does is breaking the fourth wall.

>>2315098
>>2315097
Thank you both, like I say I can understand people really loving the charm and wackyness and letting it carry you through the game. More power to you. For others irreverent weirdness will just be irreverent weirdness and the game will never be fun.

I guess the problem is the fanbase, more specifically Earthbound Central and the like. They really overhype and oversell the game. It's just a quirky and wacky DQ clone. If that's how it was talked of people who enjoy that would try it out. But instead it's treated as a quintaessential RPG and even as proof that games are high art and stuff like that, which of course is bound to disappoint many players who aren't into wacky and random.

That said, Mother 1's ending IS very well made.

>>2316253
Yeah, it's "Itoi's game" and that's why it was even made and got sold in the first place there.

[Anonymous No.2316519]

>>2316240
>>2316260
I didn't mean to imply it's not otherwise a decent game or that the nostalgia aspect is the only thing to enjoy about it. But there's a thread here at least every few days or so since forever about someone asking why Earthbound isn't as amazing as the hype suggested. I'm just pointing out why it got it's reputation and to keep that in mind when playing it for the first time.

[Anonymous No.2316529]

>>2314727
Shit really starts picking up after you get Paula. I remember first playing it and it took me a few months to get there, but after that I beat the game within a couple weeks.

[Anonymous No.2316534]

On the subject of grinding, one thing Mother/Earthbound does that I wish every JRPG did was have lower level enemies run from you, and should you fight them, it's an instant win. I really wish that was implemented in everything since then, and I'm surprised there haven't been any similar mechanics (that I'm aware of).

[Anonymous No.2316540]

WTF is the "easy ring" thing ?

[Anonymous No.2316549]

>>2316540
A ring that makes the game easier, funnily enough

[Anonymous No.2316550]

I'm really confused as to whether OP is referring to the "Earth Bound" ROM of EarthBound Zero on the NES or the actual EarthBound on the SNES.

He has a screenshot of EB0 but mentions Paula.

[Anonymous No.2316552]

>>2316540

Addition to tomato's translation of the Mother 1 portion of the "Mother 1+2" compilation for GBA. Claimed to offer much-needed rebalancing for players who found the original too grindy (personally I find the values he used a bit too heavy-handed). It takes the form of an equipable ring in a present box in your room at the very start of the game (likely taking up the same spot as the by then disused map item).

Threadly reminder the bastard never properly finished Mother 1 + 2.

[Anonymous No.2316572]

GENTLEMEN.

I've been planning on playing the trilogy for educational reasons for some time. I just started emulating Mother through the "Earthbound Zero: Improved" rom found here:
>http://fantasyanime.com/legacy/earthb_down.htm

But I'm also aware of the fanslation of Mother 1+2 for the GBA, which has the easy ring and such.

What the fuck's the best version of the game to play? And I'm not looking for challenge in the slightest. I just want to play through the games as painlessly as possible to see firsthand what the hype's about and form my own conclusions about how I enjoyed the games.

[Anonymous No.2316584]

>>2316572
Honestly I would skip Mother 1 and just play Earthbound, you'd get burned out otherwise. The first one really isn't essential, despite what some people say. Everything's already been spoiled for you, so just try to enjoy it.

[Anonymous No.2316595]

>>2314727
>battle system is grindy
Besides the Onett Arcade and Peaceful Rest Valley, not really.
Earthbound is one of those few RPGs where status ailments and enfeeblement are important.

[Anonymous No.2316609]

>>2315051
The theme of Mother 3 isn't so much "anti-capitalism" as it is "anti-hegemony". Conquering nations in the name of free trade is only one facet of modern imperialism.

[Anonymous No.2316631]

This is pretty much how I feel about almost every JRPG. Pretty much the only one I've managed to actually stick with was Persona 4, and that's just because I eat up generic high school animu shit.

The gameplay is always beyond terrible. Turn based games revolving only around who attacks when should have died in the 80s. At least the later hex based western games have some interesting strategies that aren't just "spam attacks, buffs, and get rid of debuffs".

I fucking wish I could stick with these games. They've probably got interesting stories, but I can never stand the gameplay for long enough for the story to kick in. If all these old titles were like Ys, I'd have 50 times more fun.

[Anonymous No.2316843]

>>2316394
>Yeah, it's "Itoi's game" and that's why it was even made and got sold in the first place there.
I've read that when Itoi first presented his idea, Miyamoto turned him down. I doubt that he would have done so if it was only made as "Itoi's game."

[Anonymous No.2316847]

>>2316843

Yeah, Miyamoto declined him because he thought, while Itoi had an idea for the story and overal scenario in the game, there wasn't any solid concept gameplay-wise other than "dragon quest clone", also Miyamoto isn't a big RPG fan, he prefers action games (I believe Mother was the first RPG he actually played all the way through).
The one that actually greenlit Mother was Yamauchi! The "evil yakuza guy" who says RPGs are for losers...

[Anonymous No.2316868]

>>2316847

I still don't get why you call him an evil Yakuza. Nintendo wouldn't have had problems with them if their company president was one, I think... As far as why he greenlit Mother, as I said, Itoi's pretty much famous in Japan. He prolly viewed it as a personal favor.

>>2316572

There is no definitive version of Mother 1. No matter which one you play you will be making a tradeoff. I would skip to 2, then play 3. Boom, you've just experienced the majority of the Mother universe.

[Anonymous No.2317085]

>>2316868

>I still don't get why you call him an evil Yakuza.

tongue in cheek, you always see people call him "evil", "yakuza", "tyrant", etc.

>He prolly viewed it as a personal favor.

A favor? that's very yakuza on his part!
Really though, who knows why Yamauchi accepted Itoi's proposal. As far as I know, all we know is that Miyamoto declined it at first, and Yamauchi told Miyamoto to call itoi back and accept the proposal. There's a Miyamoto x Itoi interview translated where they talk about this.

>>2316868
>I would skip to 2, then play 3. Boom, you've just experienced the majority of the Mother universe.

Skipping on Mother 1 would result in missing a big part of the series universe, though. It's like playing Mother 3 without having played EB, you wouldn't get who the main antagonist is.
I'd say, if you're going to play the series, play them all, and in original release order. It's just 3 games, and Mother 1 is barely 20 hours long.

[Anonymous No.2317097]

>>2317085
only remarkable things he'd be missing about mother 1 are a few song reprises, namely pollyanna, snowman and the beginning of gyiga's fight

[Anonymous No.2317104]

And if you think the game is bad, the final dungeon is an absolute nightmare.

[Anonymous No.2317109]

>>2317097

The whole gyiyg part makes a lot more sense if you played through Mother 1. Otherwise he's just some evil space entity that's the embodiment of evil... rather generic. When in reality he's just a child missing his/her adoptive mother. You got to see Gyiyg's total breakdown in M2.

captcha: nness

[Anonymous No.2317113]

>>2317109
I completely forgot about that. I thought he was seeking revenge against ninten's grandpa who stole the secret to their magic psi powers or something

[Anonymous No.2317116]

>>2317113

Revenge was probably one of the reasons. After all, earthlings were responsible for taking away his mom

[Anonymous No.2317842]

>>2314727
I'm having fun playing Earthbound Zero (mother 1)
i guess things are a chore but i dunno
i really like the vibes and moods of each area and the music
its a real slow cook kinda game and i guess i like the childish simplicity

then again its like my chill game right now, always play at it at like 2am in the morn when im sleepy, just chippin away at it. I just got Tedd? or whoever the thug leader dude is suppose to be called cause i have custom names

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr4j2dwMg-8

that intro music always makes me feel happy and sad at the same time for some reason