/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.3709373]

MOTHER OF WARS thread?
What is your favorite in the mother series?
For me
Best story: mother 3
Best character interaction :mother 1
Best combat system:mother 2( the mother 3 guts one feels kinda delayed and the note system is unnecesary)

[Anonymous No.3709380]

>>3709373
They are all great. I can't pick a favorite. 1 Has some great moments like singing the melodies for Queen Mary and an awesome sound track.
But they all have really good OSTs. 3 has an absurd amount of music and the music combo system was really unique.

[Anonymous No.3709389]

>>3709373
Mother 1 is the best game in the series for me because it is actually a good NES RPG with an open world and little to spoil the fun.

M2/EB comes second. It's nice, but the world is much more fractured. There's no sense of free traveling, and far too many gimmicky features at times. On the other hand, the graphics are an eyecandy, and the combat is a bit more interesting and more interesting IMO.

M3 is not retro territory, but I'll tell a bit about it. From the world/plot building point of view, perhaps it was very advanced. But the combat felt shallow to me, and the world became completely fractured, with all my favorite exploration parts gone near completely. The visual style was also not totally my cup of tea. So it's my least favorite game in the series, but not to say I didn't like it. It just took a very different approach to many things and I'm not sure I liked it.

[Anonymous No.3709394]

3>2>1 for me
1 and 3 have the best stories, 2 has the neat mechanic where you instantly kill weak enemies, and I love 3's combo system

[Anonymous No.3709424]

>>3709373
They're all very good, it's tough to pick a favorite personally. I think all of them have their own strengths and weaknesses.
>>3709389
3 has the deepest combat though you dummy. I get not liking 3 but it's combat isn't a complaint if you can deal with 1 and 2.
>>3709394
3 also has this, you just don't get experience for it.

[Anonymous No.3709426]

>>3709424
>you just don't get experience for it.
that's why I liked it in 2, 3 did give you the option to run though

[Anonymous No.3709438]

>>3709373
MOTHER is my favorite. Nothing beats the soundtrack and world map, it's just massive. Not to mention it happens to be one of the best RPGs on the NES/FC. Also the description on that box mock up is fucking awful. Like why is that one, horribly puncuated sentence?

[Anonymous No.3709439]

>>3709373
MOTHER is my favorite. Nothing beats the soundtrack and world map, it's just massive. The story is the best in the series, and the locales are really memorable and haunting. Not to mention it happens to be one of the best RPGs on the NES/FC. Also the description on that box mock up is fucking awful. Like why is that one, horribly punctuated sentence?

[Anonymous No.3709441]

>>3709373
>Best character interaction :mother 1
How? Characters barely talk to each other besides the introduction.

>>3709389
>Mother 1 is the best game in the series for me because it is actually a good NES RPG with an open world and little to spoil the fun.
Eh... It's not that good imo, Mother 1 is the weakest to me, everything that it did, Earthbound came and did even better, Mother 1 feels like a beta Earthbound in so many points, the exploration in Mother is not that good too, you have a lot of space to walk but nothing really interesting in it, there's much more sense of adventure in Earthbound since you visit so many places and talk to more varied personalities than just walking miles through pure green and random battles like Mother 1.

>M3
>combat felt shallow to me
Mother 3 can be the most linear in the series, but the combat is by far the best one, Mother 1 has a pretty primitive battle system and some PKs are pretty broken, nothing to distinguish it from a regular Dragon Quest, Mother 3 however picked Earthbound battle system and made it slighty better, not only battle system but others things too, the difficulty is more on point, Earthbound is either too easy or too hard at times, Mother 3 felt much more consistent, also the overworld animations are so full of personality, it was a huge step from the first two games.

I think that maybe you just have a fetish for old rpgs with primitive graphics and the so called "non-linearity", the thing that everybody likes to talk that new games lack, it's nothing more than just wasting hours walking through empty places without importance just to see one hundred random battles and discover that you're in the wrong location all along, some people will say that this is "comfy", and the lack of graphics/things-to-interact makes you use your imagination to fill the voids at your own way, but to the hell with that, I like vr stuff but I'm not blind by it.

[Anonymous No.3709450]

>>3709441
>you don't share my opinion so you must have a fetish
>retro games just waste your time

what are you even doing here?

[Anonymous No.3709451]

>>3709439
>Not to mention it happens to be one of the best RPGs on the NES/FC.
I think that most 8-bits RPGs are pretty crude and few games nailed a truly good gameplay, Mother 1 is probably a top 5, but games like Dragon Quest 3, Final Fantasy 3, Digital Devil Story 2, and a few others are definitively better, though.

[Anonymous No.3709453]

>>3709450
Just like I said here >>3709451 I like 8-bits RPGs, I just think that Mother 1 is not that good.
I still really love M2 and 3, though.

[Anonymous No.3709456]

>>3709451
I don't disagree. DDS 2 is one of the best games ever made, and truly a sight to behold on the Famicom. M1 just nails everything good about DQ but does it better. It certainly earns its place among the games you mentioned, despite being fairly rudimentary compared to them. It makes up for what it lacks in charm alone, which isn't something I would say about many other games.

[Anonymous No.3709464]

>>3709424
>>3709441
> how dare you like thing
I told my personal opinion. To me, there was no point in tactics in M3 when rhythm chains dealt so much damage (AND allowed for criticals). The whole focus was on them. And if you didn't use them, you could prepare to get fucked, as tactics wouldn't save you anyway.

As for bosses, many of them had elemental weaknesses so it was even easier with them. M1 at least had buff system which came handy in boss fights, it was simple but it worked. Yes it was DQ, I don't see how it's a bad thing.

[Anonymous No.3709473]

>>3709464
I imagine how much easier Mother 3 is with the rhytm chains, I already heard about it, but since it's literally impossible to do in emulator (because something about a micro sound delay) I did the whole game normally, the difficulty was pretty high at times but tactics DID saved me, it's not a unfair game if you don't use chains.

[Anonymous No.3709478]

>>3709439
>the locales are really memorable and haunting
Really? I don't remember any of them except for the kid town inhabitants and the gargling guy. They were all pretty plain IIRC.

[Anonymous No.3709481]

>>3709473
>literally impossible to do in emulator
worked fine on my virtual boy, but I did set the frameskip to 0

[Anonymous No.3709483]

>>3709473
Bs, it's difficult in emulators not imposible, git gud

[Anonymous No.3709489]

>>3709478
The soundtrack helps me remember them all, I thought the world really fit together nicely.
>>3709481
You played M3 on a Virtual Boy?

[Anonymous No.3709495]

>>3709481
Don't know about Virtual Boy, but pretty sure I was frameskip 0 too.

>>3709483
Sometimes I got short chains but it felt VERY random, I couldn't do it consistently at all even following the tips, so eventually I just stopped trying.

[Anonymous No.3709496]

>>3709473
>I imagine how much easier Mother 3 is with the rhytm chains
So you beat it without them? Thought so. Congratulations, you missed the whole main mechanic that makes the game a button mashing fest instead of an RPG.

Well, yes it does make it easier, I can't remember how much more damage you deal but it's double damage at least.

> since it's literally impossible to do in emulator (because something about a micro sound delay)
It is possible but it's not perfect. Try RetroArch+mGBA. I beat the game on a flashcart so I don't know for sure, but people do it. It requires training though and it's not easy to learn even on flashcart, as every enemy has different rhythm and the timing is strict as it is. Still I did 16 hit almost on all enemies except for some.

> it's not a unfair game if you don't use chains.
Case in question: there's one part, IIRC you play as Lucas only. It's set in the attic and you get attacked by roaches, mouses and guitars. I was stuck there grinding for hours until I started using rhythm, because it's nearly impossible otherwise. There's no tactic to speak of, you get nearly no alternatives except maybe to run, but then you have a boss and you're fucked.

[Anonymous No.3709504]

>>3709495
>Sometimes I got short chains but it felt VERY random, I couldn't do it consistently at all even following the tips, so eventually I just stopped trying.
As I said try RetroArch + mGBA, it emphasizes synchronization so you may or might get better results.

Pick easier enemies with simple rhythms, then put them to sleep—their rhythm will start playing. Try to hit the rhythm several times. It's not that necessary to get all hits because you will get less and less damage with every next hit.

[Anonymous No.3709508]

>>3709489
>>3709495
had a brainfart, it was Visual Boy Advance

[Anonymous No.3709518]

>>3709496
>>3709504
I pretend to buy a flashcart later to play it english in a legit GBA one day, probably in the so called Hard Mode too.
It will be a good motivation to replay the game.

[Anonymous No.3709519]

>>3709508
I figured I was just being facetious.

[Anonymous No.3709532]

>>3709518
Hard mode is stupid, it was added in by the translators as a little bonus. All it does is double every enemy's health. There is no real reason to play it.

[Anonymous No.3709540]

>>3709532
Yeah I know that it was a simple/unofficial add-on, but still, more HP means that the chains will be a bit less overpowered or something along those lines.

[Anonymous No.3709557]

>>3709540
> more HP means that the chains will be a bit less overpowered
They will remain exactly the same. In fact, you might have to rely on them even more.

[Anonymous No.3709663]

>>3709540
As >>3709557 said it means the very opposite, you will need them even more. If you honestly hate the comboing that much just, I don't know, be a normal person and don't press A when you attack. The game doesn't absolutely force you at any point to do them. Not every game is about making it as difficult as possible. Mother as a series is pretty easy, always was.

[Anonymous No.3709701]

Mother 3 (not retro) was the best one objectively but I feel like Mother 1 was the most advanced for it's time.

When is Ninten going to get some love in Super Smash Brothers?

[Anonymous No.3709709]

>>3709701

[Anonymous No.3709782]

>>3709701
Other then a not completely linear overworld and non tile based movement M1 didn't do that much new. Though I do I do think it's quite enjoyable and a solid famicom jrpg.
>>3709709
The fact they felt they needed to add a different hat to make ninten look less like ness ruins it.

[Anonymous No.3709786]

>>3709701
Ninten is the father of nes

[Anonymous No.3709791]

>>3709786
Her mother looks suspiciously like anna too

[Anonymous No.3709821]

>>3709786
>>3709791
M1 takes place in 1988 and M2 in the 90's, nice try but no.

[Anonymous No.3709862]

>>3709821
it's 1982 in zero, you forgot about the time when george dissapeared, let's say ninten has 10 years
In 1990 he should have 18 years but if we take that x into account it could be any year from 1990 to 1999 , max is 1999 , if he has a kid in 1990 when he's 18, ness would be 9 years old, possible but unlikely and loose because we don't have an actual number of ninten's age

The scene that plays right after you get all the special places shows a sprite that looks like ninten walking towards a house

I'm confused

[Anonymous No.3709878]

>>3709862
Sorry for the shitty quality, it says "el año es 199x" which translates to "the year is 199x"

[Anonymous No.3709892]

>>3709862
>it's 1982 in zero
Good meme, especially as it laterally says 1988 in the intro.

Also ages its fucked.

Canon ages
>ninten- 12
>loid- 11
>ana- 12
>teddy- unknown

>ness- 11 (13 in US)
>paula- 11 (13 in US)
>jeff- 11 (13 in US)
>poo- "a liitle older", take that as you will

[Anonymous No.3709897]

>>3709862
>>3709892
Forgot image, sorry.

[Anonymous No.3709916]

>>3709892
You are right, I either forgot about that or that is not displayed in the US version

[Anonymous No.3709927]

ness is sans

[Anonymous No.3709929]

>>3709916
I reccomend trying Tomato's version. I don't hate Sandhop's translation but I feel like some really good lines were lost or changed too heavily. If you hate the gba version someone made a patch that adds Tomato's translation to the NES version. Unfortunately due to character limits some lines/enemy names are cut or edited but overall I like it.

[Anonymous No.3709965]

>>3709929
Sandhop is canon bro. Also,
>easyring

>>3709709
That looks nothing like the official art for Ninten, which should have at least been referenced instead of disregarded entirely.

[Anonymous No.3709990]

>>3709927
I don't want to see that vid
Sum the autism up for me will ya

[Anonymous No.3710019]

>>3709965
>sandhop
I'll go maximum autism and say the original japanese script is "canon", bro.
>easy ring
Wow it's almost like you can, get this, not use it.

[Anonymous No.3710046]

>>3709929
Is there a spanish translation?

[Anonymous No.3710047]

>>3709929
Teddy looked like a interesting character before I played Mother 1, but he's the last one that joins you, and then leaves your party shortly after... A bit disasppointing.

I think that's one of the reasons for me to want to play Mother 4 so much, I love the kind-hearted delinquent guy motif.

[Anonymous No.3710058]

>>3710046
I don't believe so unfortunately. I'm guessing it's your native language?
>>3710047
Teddy is definitely lost potential. Poo is as well but a little better. The fourth character in the mother series always seems a little sudden, maybe not boney I guess. You actually could sequence break the game and complete it with teddy instead of loid. You could even beat it as ninten alone if you wanted.

I'm mixed about M4. I don't want to cause a shitstorm so I'll just say I think for a fan game I'm impressed.

[Anonymous No.3710316]

>>3710058
Yes, I'm from central america but if you are white that's no problem for me I don't discriminate
Anyways
I'm gonna play the version you suggested , I may have missed out on some dialogue

[Anonymous No.3710386]

>>3710316
The thing is the Sandhop translation either had censorship or dumb changes. sandhop has said he changed stuff he found "childish". For example in the original all the towns had holidays for names but he changed that. The only change I like is he changed "Holy Loly Mountain" to "Mount Itoi" which i do quite like. Some of the changes due to character limit do hinder it, "Redneck" is still "Wally", but overall I think it's pretty good.

[Anonymous No.3710468]

Mother 3 will always have a special place ine my heart

YOU'LL BEEE IN MY HEART

[Anonymous No.3710516]

>>3710019
US Prototype is definitive as evidenced by the MOTHER 1+2 release having all the included changes.

[Anonymous No.3710571]

>>3709782
>Other then a not completely linear overworld and non tile based movement M1 didn't do that much new.
I guess you're not wrong, but at the same time I feel the words "not completely linear" don't do M1 justice.

I think aside from certain few instances, you're completely free to roam the world, which also doesn't have an "overworld", making it a seamless experience. There's also train system which connects the towns—but you can also walk on tracks and even through tunnels if you want to.

This is the most freedom I've had in any RPG on NES (if you know one with a more open world, let me know). I wish they took it further, but alas they didn't: EB went down the lane of fractured world with locations like Egypt and so on. But at the same time, EB had beautiful shops, and I loved being able to walk through detailed malls and such—while being able to purchase things everywhere, like in River City Ransom.

By M3 they said "forget it". They mostly threw away the seamless open world, the interactive shops, and made a linear, fractured world.

In a perfect world, I'd envision M3 like this: keeping and expanding on the freedom and interactivity of the game. Big seamless world, connected by bus, train and ship lines, where you can go from any city to any other city; a bike which actually goes faster than your run speed; fully interactive shops which actually sell you stuff, with better clothing and such, which shows on your character; forests and other surroundings with caves and hidden spots to explore.

[Anonymous No.3710797]

>>3710386
Wow that's kinda shitty, I thought that having towns with holiday names was fucking genius, that comfy feel is well known in the mother series and it served as a contrast for the disturbing enemies like the zombies

[Anonymous No.3710850]

>>3710386
> Translator drastically changes source material to suit his taste
Why is this tolerated?

[Anonymous No.3710880]

>>3709373
i can't compare them. they all have something uniquely great about them.

[Anonymous No.3711686]

>>3710516
Still has the shitty script.
>>3710571
Mother 1 is very good in my opinion it just didn't do much new. Compared to many other famicom turn based rpgs its great. I think all three of them are great for different reasons but I see where you're coming from.
>>3710797
>>3710850
I guess he felt he was doing an okay job, not like anybody would actually know he did that shit then. Today though it would be inexcusable. I get nintendo didn't want to retranslate the game but it still is a kinda dull translation of a game where the writing really matters.
>>3710880
Agreed, all masterpieces for different reasons.

Anyways, bump.

[Anonymous No.3711825]

>>3711686
It's really quite good, and the only real one so it is what it is.
>>3710850
Because the changes were far from drastic.

[Anonymous No.3711870]

>>3711825
>only real one
What? How is the fan translation "fake"? Because it's not official? Well it's closer to the original script so it technically can be more "official". Calm your autism and accept that the sandhop script has flaws.

[Anonymous No.3711924]

>>3711870
I take it you've read the japanese script side by side with tomato's translation in order to make that claim?

[Anonymous No.3712005]

>>3711924
Of course not that's not weeb culture to learn the language.

[Anonymous No.3712107]

>>3709389
Do you think you would have liked Mother 3s visual style on the N64 better?

[Anonymous No.3712115]

>>3709373
Who wrote that vomit flavor text on the back? I understand it's fan made but damn.

Mother 2 is the best.

[Anonymous No.3712119]

>>3709701
Smash Bros interpreted Ness and Nintendo as the same person which is why Mother 1 and 2 play in the background of the magi ant level. Itoi intentionally leaves a lot of stuff like m1 cast being the m2 cast or seller are up to the player.

[Anonymous No.3712401]

>>3712107
I kinda did, actually. What was shown in the videos was more to my liking.

I just thought the pixelated style looked out of place and was more similar to the style of Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga, a game that looks like barf to me. It had its good moments, but the overall feel was meh.

[Anonymous No.3712538]

>>3709892
I heard that Ness and Paula were 13, Jeff was 12, and Poo was 15? I have no source buto it makes sense to me.

[Anonymous No.3712546]

>>3710386
I think the holiday town names was novel, but I just like Sandhop's versions so much more. I can't imagine calling them anything other than Podunk, Snowman, etc.

[Anonymous No.3712548]

>>3711870
I didn't really like Tomato's translation due to some many lines being direct copies of similar ones in M2.

[Anonymous No.3712556]

>>3709701
My hope is, if Ninten IS added, he's a Duck Hunt-style character, paired up with Eve. It'll make him more than just another clone, I feel.

[Anonymous No.3712774]

>>3712546
Couldn't agree more.

[Anonymous No.3712961]

>>3712538
Sounds lile bullshit. In the original release Ness, Paula, and Jeff were all 11. In the US however they were aged up to be 13. Poo is simply "a little older" I believe.
>>3712546
>>3712774
Fair enough. I guess I like the holiday names as it adds to the goofy outsider look of Itoi on the US. I'll be honest and say my first experience with M1 was with his patch so that's the one I know more. Relatively new fan, I played EB initially in 2010 and have been hooked since.
>>3712556
What? I like Ninten but if anything they'll add a non PSI user or the masked man probably. Even then I doubt they'll ever add another character, no real reason to.

[Anonymous No.3713130]

>>3712961
Well, Ninten is more likely because the whole deal with EarthBound characters in Smash is that, Ness and Lucas both represent their entire games, with the moves that they use and such. Lucas can't use most of his PK attacks (which belong to Kumatora), he uses the Rope Snake and mainly kicks (like Duster), etc. The only game not represented is EarthBound Beginnings, and ifor there would be a new Mother character, the likeliest character to be added would be a representer of EB:B as a whole, hence my idea of Ninten & Eve.
also I really don't want to hear any of you getting angry that I called it EarthBound Beginnings, that's the official name and it's not my fault if you don't like it

[Anonymous No.3713131]

>>3712961
Why are you so sure of their ages?

[Anonymous No.3713741]

>>3713131
You are dumb as shit

[Anonymous No.3713753]

MOTHER 3 is best in all aspects, the first two games are kind of shit at telling a cohesive story, and basically have no character interaction.

I do vastly prefer the first two game's atmosphere though. Not a big fan of the world of MOTHER 3.

[Anonymous No.3713824]

>>3713741
Oh okay, you come here yelling about how anyone but you is wrong, giving no reason as to why, and suddenly you're reverting to preschool insults? I know this is 4chan, but wow. You are dumb as shit

[Anonymous No.3714104]

>>3713824
Read the gay ass manual before you try to look like the bee's knees you fucktoy

[Anonymous No.3714189]

>>3713824
Original guy, I'm not this guy
>>3713741
>>3714104

Anyway the ages can be found in manuals. This article talks about it a bit.

http://earthboundcentral.com/2010/09/different-earthbound-clay-models/

The ages were changed in the US to probably try to appeal to a older, more teenage demographic.

[Anonymous No.3714247]

>>3714189
Well, I guess it makes more sense for Ness to be 11 because of how young he sounds in Smash? Iunno, after calling him 13 for so long, it's hard to change. Poo is still 15 in my headcanon until proven otherwise tho

[Anonymous No.3714271]

>>3714247
Fair enough. I guess i see them as more children then teens so I actually prefer 11 over 13 though it was weird as I had thought the ages were the same in both the US and Japan.

[Anonymous No.3714808]

*hides in a traschan* lol I'm so random! BOING! <--- me bein random again _^

A.k.a. "the excellent Earthbound humor"

[Anonymous No.3715110]

>>3714808
Yeah I remember being 14 too and thinking it was cool to be contrarian for no reason. I recommend leaving and coming back when you're 18.

[Anonymous No.3715157]

>>3715110
You didn't address my point in question.

My point is that, while I think that mr. Saturn was a nice "ugly-cute" design, the humor in Earthbound wasn't very funny. The Saturn valley in particular was minions-tier jokes.

Although I don't speak Japanese, I have grounds to assume this might have to do at least in part with the translation, as the main EB translator admitted in an interview that he had to ad-lib a big part of the script due to it having obscure Japanese references and having untranslatable puns and such. Still, despite all difficulties, I rate the game's humor as is, and I found the jokes unfunny and forced in most cases, except for select few ones.

I've seen people here on /vr/ claim the game was funny, and frankly I disagree strongly. That's the whole point I wanted to make.

[Anonymous No.3715176]

>>3715157
You sounded like a shitposter in your original comment. Maybe if you actually made a point like you did here I would've taken your comment seriously.

The EB translation is moderately faithful though quite a bit of lines were changed a bit. It's not hilarious but it's wittier then your typical jrpg.

[Anonymous No.3715183]

The story on Mother 3 was way more interesting than EB. I never played Mother 1 though...I can't get past the 8 bit graphics.

I love 8 bit games, but i'm worried playing an 8 bit rpg will get boring visually.

Has somebody remastered the first legend of Zelda or Mother 1 with SNES/GBA graphics?

[Anonymous No.3715208]

>>3715183
MOTHER is very much worth playing, the graphics shouldn't really be a big hurdle. There's a ROM hack mentioned in this thread the does the graphics up, but I wouldn't recommend playing that one. The unmodified US ROM is really the way to go, just use the Starmen.net guide and you can beat it in ~20 hours, not long enough to get boring. It's not a hard game, and it's so worth playing. I've beaten it 3 times now, and I get something new out of it each time. The music in itself is worth it.

[Anonymous No.3715212]

>>3715183
You sound underage. Nothing is wrong with zelda 1 and mother 1 visually. For their time they're fine.

For zelda 1 it was remade. It had a remake on snes satellview. Multiple fans have tried remaking M1 but only one was released. The 25th anniversary hack exists. Its still 8 bit but updated art. I think it looks terrible personally but I guess try that.

[Anonymous No.3715214]

>>3715208

> There's a ROM hack mentioned in this thread the does the graphics up...

Say no more

[Anonymous No.3715219]

>>3715214
don't play that version, MOTHER is basically perfect as is

[Anonymous No.3715221]

>>3715212

I'm 21. Back in 2008 or so, i found out how to work emulators and i've played dan near all the classic/good SNES, NES, GBA, and GB games.

I like playing zelda games, but i don't have a gamecube or N64...i tried to emulate Orcarina and Wind Waker but my emulator messed up...Minnish cap was fun too.

[Anonymous No.3715225]

>>3715219

Eh, i'll go google hunting again. If not, i'll look for a remasterd Zelda 1

[Anonymous No.3715228]

>>3715219
He sounds like he tried but couldn't do it.

I agree though, looks as good as any 8 bit jrpg. My only complaint is I wish there were a bit more varied tile sets. For example the swamp being the same tile setvas anywhere else kinda sucks but whatever. The 25th anniversary hack makes everything too chunky in my opinion, looks unprofessional.

[Anonymous No.3715235]

>>3715228
I know, I'm just trying to encourage a second shot. It starts slow but it's such a rewarding game. I agree about that ROM hack, I think it's hideous.
>>3715225
http://vimm.net/vault/?p=details&id=296

Remember, if it says 'ZERO' on the title screen, you're doing it wrong.

[Anonymous No.3715246]

>>3715235

Zero is the remake for GBA right?

[Anonymous No.3715249]

>>3715235
Yeah I agree with you, that guy should try the original.
>if it says 'ZERO' on the title screen, you're doing it wrong
Agreed.

The Sandhop translation doesn't do the game justice. I get it was about 25 years ago but still. Earlier I mentioned a hack that puts the retranslation in the NES version, see >>3709929 . Unfortunately due to character limits its kinda wonky but some might preffer it to the GBA's inferior sound and color.

[Anonymous No.3715252]

I like the first the most in pretty much every department, especially the atmosphere. Then I like 3 then 2. Though if I wasn't rhythm dead, I might like 2 more.

[Anonymous No.3715256]

>>3715183
I like Mother 1 graphics. I wish they had the variety that M2 brought. But I love the amount of trees, forests, rivers and so on, and everything has aged surprisingly well compared to many NES (heck, even SNES) games because it's not tied to a square grid.

>>3715246
Nope.

[Anonymous No.3715258]

>>3715246
Zero is an early ROM mod of the prototype which made the game easier for some reason. It's basically an obsolete ROM, the standard unmodified prototype is widely available now so there's basically no reason to play 'ZERO'

The GBA remake is actually really bad, it sounds and plays awful.
>>3715249
I'm actually a fan of the Sandhop translation.

[Anonymous No.3715262]

>>3715235
No, mother 1 was rereleased on gba, not remade. It came with M2 called "MOTHER 1+2"

"ZERO" reffers to the demiforce rom. To not confuse it with "Earthbound" on the snes they added "zero" to the title.

[Anonymous No.3715268]

>>3715262
I own it, I know.
It's a broken port, they removed the tile-based movement and the sound sucks. Anyway it's half-port / half remake since it incorporates all the changes of the US prototype that weren't in MOTHER.

[Anonymous No.3715274]

I'm curious, how many of you found this thing? Or am I being overly conceited about knowing this secret?

[Anonymous No.3715276]

>>3715274
I've never seen it in my multiple playthroughs.

[Anonymous No.3715279]

>>3715268
>tile based movement

The NES version doesn't have that either though.

[Anonymous No.3715281]

>>3715276
>>3715274
Sorry, forgot to mention: it's from Mother 3.

Still no one?

[Anonymous No.3715283]

>>3715279
It does though. At any rate it's certainly better than the sprites just skating over the background like the GBA version.

[Anonymous No.3715290]

>>3715283
Shit, you're right. Could've sworn it didn't.

[Anonymous No.3715297]

>>3715290
It's got that weird-ass built-in input lag so the controls always feel imprecise compared to DQ or FF, but yeah.

[Anonymous No.3715306]

>>3715281
I did, it chapter 1 near Fuel and Lighter's house. A lot of tough tp fined enemies in M3, snow bun and zomadillo weren't found until a few playthroughes.

[Anonymous No.3715313]

>>3715306
Nice. Did you see the XP they give? They are M3's Metal Slimes, basically. I've spent some time grindin' there but then I realized it was pointless with character changes and all.
>tough tp fined
I read that phrase several times until I realized it was a typo.
> zomadillo
Who is this, again?

[Anonymous No.3715383]

>>3715313
I spelled the name wrong. The zombidillo is an enemy found in the chimera factory basement but only after you pull the needle nearby. Pic related is them.

Also you're thinking of the wrong enemy. The metal slimes of M3 are the beanling (found only in chapter 1) and the black beanling (can be found in chapter 4-7 but only one spot). They give you insane experience, the black beanling gives 16,800 experience.

[Anonymous No.3715447]

>>3715383
Ah yes, I forgot about the latter. But as with DQ, there are progressively stronger versions of metal slimes which give you more exp. IIRC black beanlings were very rare and hard to farmm but yeah—the reward was worth it.

Soot dumplings give you 1000 exp, average beanlings give you 538.

[Anonymous No.3715478]

>>3715447
Weird, you're right. I could've sworn beanlings give more but the soot dumplings are better for exp. Apologies.

[Anonymous No.3716636]

I've been wondering: are there any other retro RPGs with seamless world like in Mother, where you can walk freely between towns with little to no transitions?

[Anonymous No.3717757]

>>3716636
You mean besides Undertale? Frankly I'm new to RPG's besides EB and Paper Mario, so I dunno.

[Anonymous No.3717941]

>>3717757
Are you implying undermeme is a retro game?

[Anonymous No.3717954]

>>3716636
Pokemon.

[Anonymous No.3717961]

>>3716636
Most don't honestly. Most take DQ as their primary inspiration and it shows. Other then mother the only other turn based examples that come to mind are pokemon and live a live.

[Anonymous No.3717992]

>>3716636
idk if it counts as "retro" but Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald did this

Strangely they're the only ones in the series that were able to accomplish this

[Anonymous No.3718049]

>>3717941
Indie titles generally are made to look retro, whatever.

Also,
>Undermeme
Why can't people just let this go, this "UT sucks" bandwagon never made any sense. I don't care if 4chan is inherently full of contrarians, but I'm just waiting for the time when it'll be hip to be a contrarian to the contrarians. You know, because we're all fucking sheep.

[Anonymous No.3718280]

>>3718049
Look retro doesn't mean it's retro.

[Anonymous No.3718393]

>>3718280
I realize that, but I never said that that was how it should be. Regardless, I still end up classifying games like Shovel Knight or the Shantae series as "retro," even though they're modern by accident.

[Anonymous No.3718710]

>>3709373
Best story: M3
Best characterizations: M3
Best music: M3
Best gameplay: M3
Best art designs: M3
Best dungeons/bosses: M3

This game is literally perfect for a JRPG.

[Anonymous No.3718850]

>>3718280
No fucking shit Sherlock. God you people...

[Anonymous No.3718965]

>>3718049
>Why can't people just let this go, this "UT sucks" bandwagon never made any sense.
Because Undertale is itself a bandwagon game for underages you schmo

> You know, because we're all fucking sheep.
Projecting

> Frankly I'm new to RPG's besides EB and Paper Mario, so I dunno.
Maybe if you played anything else you'd understand why people hate indie shit

[Anonymous No.3718996]

>>3717954
>>3717961
>>3717992
> TFW you ask for more like a game you like and the only rec is for a game that you've played to death
> TFW Pokemon is more advanced than some RPGs
Man, it's so sad. I really thought there'd be a JRPG like this… And it's ironic some people call Pokemon and Mother "baby RPGs".

[Anonymous No.3719007]

>>3716636
Pokemon, but there's still loading screens in every game but RSE

More recent Tales games do it, but most people hate it and they aren't retro

[Anonymous No.3719059]

Is the first game worth playing? I really want to get into the franchise but dunno what to start with.
I loved Phantasy Star 1, will I be able to handle the grind in Mother 1 or should I use a romhack?

[Anonymous No.3719125]

>>3719059
Here's the deal. There was Mother 1 and it was pretty grindy. Then Earthbound prototype for NES nearly came out, and it lowered the grind and made some other positive changes.

Then Mother 1+2 for GBA came out and it added all the changes made in the Earthbound prototype. So, this pretty much makes the Earthbound prototype for NES the definitive version of the game.

So my advice is: just play Earthbound prototype. The grind is actually slightly lower than in other games of its era. Not a cakewalk but alright still.

[Anonymous No.3719134]

>>3719125
If the GBA version added all the changes in the Earthbound prototype why is it not the definitive version? (Probably sound or brightness issues I assume)

[Anonymous No.3719138]

>>3719125
>>3719134
BTW I know Japanese, in case that changes the answer in some way.

[Anonymous No.3719158]

>>3719134
Cropped screen, significantly worse sound, an if I'm not mistaken few other minor inconsistencies. I've played it and actually liked it, but there's just no reason to pick it over NES version as it's pretty much the same thing but worse. Why did I play it, you'll ask? Because I had a GBA with a flashcart.

[Anonymous No.3719195]

>>3719158
Ok then. I'm assuming there's no JP prototype right?

[Anonymous No.3719205]

>>3719195
AFAIK yes, but there was no big point as Mother got a proper release. NES Earthbound nearly made it to the release in US but was scrapped. They even published the screens of it in the magazines.

[Anonymous No.3719498]

>>3719125
>>3719138
The grinding isn't any different in the prototype. The big difference you didn't mention is the dungeons. The dungeon design changed quite a bit between versions, especially the magicant underground dungeon. Also some other changes to make the game less dickish. The forgotten man would originally send you to the very starting point of magicant if you answered him incorrectly. The grinding and enemies are the exact same though.

[Anonymous No.3719517]

>>3719498
Here is the US version used in the prototype and M1+2.

[Anonymous No.3719520]

>>3719517
And then here is the dungeon on the famicom original. As you can see it's much larger and confusing.

[Anonymous No.3719529]

I'm just gonna go for JP mother then. Thanks everyone.

[Anonymous No.3719582]

>>3719498
Sorry for the misinformation then. Could've sworn it was made less grindy though. Weird.

In any case, if the versions are the same, it's not so grindy really. Just your average NES era grind. No Wizardry IV for sure

[Anonymous No.3719591]

>>3719498
Sorry for the misinformation then. Could've sworn I read it was made less grindy though. Weird.

In any case, if the versions are the same, it's not so grindy really. Just what you'd expect from an NES era game. No Wizardry IV for sure

[Anonymous No.3719756]

>>3719591
Honestly while a bit grindy I never found M1 that bad, at least in terms of famicom jrpgs. Yeah there are some rough patches like duncan's factory or holy loly mountain but it's pretty manageable.

In my 10+ playthroughs of M1 I found there are four crucial points you should grind
>leaving home for the first time
>first time entering magicant
>loid joining you
>ana joining you
With these my playthroughs are relatively good.

[Anonymous No.3719963]

>>3719756
>I found there are four crucial points you should grind
Hm, pretty much the same for me. Generally I grind whenever I get a fresh char.

I agree it's not bad, especially when you know which enemies are dangerous and which aren't. Most of them aren't but when they are it can get rough.
> Ninten got a bad fit of cough
> The truck charged
> The truck charged again
Aaand you're back to the save point.

[Anonymous No.3719971]

Is there a Mother 1 tomato version i can play on the nes or snes with save files?

[Anonymous No.3719983]

I dont see any posts abot the easy ring in Mother 1 + 2. Doesn't that make it less "grindy"?

[Anonymous No.3720006]

>>3719971
What do you mean, on a flashcart? Also, SNES? There's no Mother 1 on SNES.

[Anonymous No.3720020]

>>3719971
A bit confused what you mean? There is a hack that adds Tomato's translation to the NES version however due to character limits in the NES version some lines and names are either shortened or remain the same. The main reason Tomato used the GBA version to translate is that it doesn't have the space limit of the GBA version. If this deters you then also be aware there is a color restoration patch but no music restoration patch.
>with save files
What are you asking, if you can trasfer your saves? I don't think you can between systems, you can just look online for a save at a similar place you are though.
>>3719983
The easy ring reduces the encounter rate while doubling your EXP and money gained from defeated enemies. Some people, even first time players, sometimes complain it makes the game too easy. Personally I only recommend it to new players not experienced with famicom jrpgs.

There actually was a joke mod called the "hard ring" that makes the game ridiculous but it is treated as more of a joke then anything.

[Anonymous No.3720060]

>>3720020
I found a flash cart with tomatoes version and it was something I would like to invest in but if I can't save the game I would rather just emulate it. There's no way I can sit and play through that entire game in one sitting

[Anonymous No.3720234]

>>3720060
First of all you found a repo, not a flashcart. A flashcart lets you play multiple games, a repo only does one.

Second, why wouldn't it allow you to save? Of course it lets you save.

Personally i think paying someone for someone else's translation is shitty but that's up to you.

[Anonymous No.3720750]

>>3710047
I think he had enough time in the party, or maybe he did in my playthrough because my first run was pretty messy due to missing tons of stuff and having to backtrack later.

But Teddy is a great character, the way Lloyd was also perfect.

[Anonymous No.3720861]

>>3710047
>>3720750

Teddy is pretty awesome, I love how he's introduced (by being a boss fight), and when he joins your party his physic attack stats are so ridiculous that he does amazing even if underleveled.
The battles gets severely turned up in difficulty at that point anyway.
His presence in the game is brief, but memorable and enjoyable. It's still definitely wasted potential, there could have been more development, but it's still well done.
Also, there is a way to keep Teddy until the end of the game instead of Lloyd, but you have to go to Mt. Itoi with Lloyd, and find Eve first. Once Eve dies, you go back to the town, get Teddy, and go back. It's not practical, but hey it's cool.

[Anonymous No.3720905]

>>3720234
I just heard that this guy was a professional Japanese translator. Apparently he does a lot of Manga and Anime on a professional level. Also the point with the easy ring was enticing to me because I do not really have a lot of time to play video games anymore do to work and social obligations but would still love to experience the game. They are asking $40 for it which seems a bit high but I hate emulation on PC. That being said some of the overworld changes sort of put me off.

[Anonymous No.3720969]

>>3720750
>>3720861
He sure reminds me of someone

[Anonymous No.3721154]

>>3719059
MOTHER is really easy and not that grindy. Just play the unmodified version, it's a 20 hour game. You beat it when Ninten is like level 30.

[Anonymous No.3721218]

>>3720905
Wow that hack sounds like it nerfed the entire game.

[Anonymous No.3721605]

>>3720905
Oh fuck, it's THAT hack?… Honestly, I think it's pointless, if not just silly.
> All enemy graphics, NPC sprites and tiles are be redrawn from scratch to be more faithful to the clay models.
WHY would you even do that? Who cares if they were faithful to the clay models or not? In many RPGs the concept art is different from overworld sprites, and so what? Even Mother 2 did that. The original was stylistically cohesive, the whole game drawn by pros. But no, we have to fix what's not broken…

I mean, it's fine as an experiment or curiosity—but to call it a definitive "improvement"… That's rich.

That said, I'd be kinda interested in a more "varied overworld", but looking at the screenshots I don't think I want to see it.

> I do not really have a lot of time to play video games anymore do to work and social obligations but would still love to experience the game.
What would you really choose: a half-assed and broken game solely for the sake of it being shorter; or a longer but balanced, authentic, whole experience?

If it's the first, well, it's your choice. But still, paying $40 for a reproduction will be called a ripoff by anyone on this board. If you still don't care—well, I have warned you about it.

[Anonymous No.3721627]

>>3720750
>>3720861
Fun fact: Pippi actually has the same exact stats and scaling as Teddy.

[Anonymous No.3723073]

>>3721605
I hear you and I'm going to have to agree. What do I do about playing the original on my NES?

[Anonymous No.3723153]

>>3723073
Well, I'm not a pro in this, but if you're dead set on playing it on NES, you probably have 2 choices: 1) get a flashcart 2) get a reproduction cart, but of the actual EB prototype.

The first costs around $120 or so for a new one, but overall it's a much better investment if you plan to play other games in the future. Buy once, forget about limitations and prices forever.

For the second, I'm afraid to give you bad advice as I have 0 knowledge about it, so I'd recommend asking here: >>3696492

Finally, I know you said you hate emulation on PC; but that said, NES is emulated nearly perfectly on any platform now, from smartphones and PSP to modded Wii. If you want to save money, time and trouble, probably emulation is the best choice by far. Again, I mention this is just in case, to clear any confusion.

[Anonymous No.3723253]

>>3723153
Here you go: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Iraq-War-2003-16-bit-MD-Game-Card-With-Retail-Box-For-Sega-Megadrive-Genesis/229953_1000001844284.html?spm=2114.12010608.0.0.bubvuG

[Anonymous No.3723256]

>>3723073
>>3723153
Here you go: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Iraq-War-2003-16-bit-MD-Game-Card-With-Retail-Box-For-Sega-Megadrive-Genesis/229953_1000001844284.html?spm=2114.12010608.0.0.bubvuG

[Anonymous No.3723262]

>>3715157
I didn't think it was supposed to be funny, just cute. They weren't supposed to be ugly cute either, just cute. They were just too innocent for this world.

[Anonymous No.3723280]

>>3715157

I think Earthbound's english localization has amazing humor, but I do agree that Saturn Village itself is not really that funny. You must not have a very good memory of the game if Saturn Village is the only example of the game's humor that you can think of.

The funniest parts of Earthbound are the normal human NPCs that you can waste time talking to, who give you advice that ranges from useful to completely useless and irrelevant. I especially love those characters that don't let you into their house when you knock on their doors. I also love the quirky joke enemies and joke temporary party members that don't serve any purpose in battle except to provide entertainment... and the useless joke items are fun to read the descriptions of and try to figure out what they do.

[Anonymous No.3723292]

>>3723256
That URL though
> product/Iraq-War-2003-16-bit-MD-Game-Card-With-Retail-Box-For-Sega-Megadrive-Genesis
wat

A word of warning, check if the saves work. And ask the chink shit thread I linked before buying, never harms to double check when you order from there.

[Anonymous No.3723298]

>>3723256

[Anonymous No.3723325]

>>3723292
I almost mentioned to ignore the weird URL, haha. I'm a member of the aforementioned chink thread, I order from AE all the time. The listing says it saves, and AE actually has buyer protection. So >>3723073 should just double check with the seller and be good to go. They'll be covered regardless. It's not really risky ordering from there.

[Anonymous No.3723423]

>>3721627

Didn't know that, cool. There's also a way to keep Pippi in the party until the end of the game iirc.

[Anonymous No.3723472]

>>3723153
Who makes/what is the best option flash cart right now? There are quite a few to choose from. Kirkzz seems popular for the NES. I'm also looking to get one for my SNES and Genesis. Thanks for the informative reply such a surprise on 4chan!

[Anonymous No.3723490]

I like Mother 1 for the openness it has.
You can end the game with virtually any party if you play it right, and it is pretty difficult at times.
I think it's pretty underrated too, many people hear it isn't good by some Mother 2 fanboy and just don't play it

[Anonymous No.3723495]

>>3723472
Well in the sticky of /vr/ there's a link to emulation wiki. Here's the article on NES flashcarts from it: http://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php/Modding_Consoles/Flashcarts#NES.2FFamicom (scroll for the SNES/Genesis section).

From what I see, the most popular choice for most consoles seems to be the Everdrive (well there's not much choice to begin with). The only big caveat I know of with them is when it comes to SNES games with chips and their support. But then again, a few dozen of games is not that many. There are reviews for them on YouTube and elsewhere, and I'm yet to see any real negative reviews for them. These flashcarts seem to be working perfectly from what I read.

I'm sorry I can't provide actual input, as I only emulate and generally I don't know much about the flashcarts—but people here seem to enjoy theirs and recommend them often. I hope other anons can bring in some input about these. I suggest you make a new thread or ask in some existing thread about these things.

[Anonymous No.3723501]

>>3723490
>with virtually any party
Umm I thought there wasn't much choice? Sorry, I haven't beaten it, last time I got to when Teddy joins you but then I think I lost my save (played it on a phone which I sold later).

[Anonymous No.3723507]

>>3723501
It takes a bit of effort to do, but it is possible. You can skip over Ana and Teddy entirely. Though it still plays the same ending no matter what you do

[Anonymous No.3723558]

>>3723501
Technically speaking assuming you do everything in the order the game expects you to then you should end with Ninten, Loid, and Ana but you can beat the game with anyone of these I believe if you sequence break.
>Ninten
>Ninten and loid
>Ninten, Loid, and Ana
>Ninten, Loid, and Teddy (may be wrong about this one)
>Ninten, Ana, and Teddy

The only party member you actually need to complete the game is Loid as without him there are two points you literally can not continue at. Technically speaking you can go the entire game without ever seeing Ana or Teddy.
>>3723423
I don't think so. To access the zoo you absolutely must return her home. The only melody you can receive with her is the second one in the canary village.

[Anonymous No.3723560]

>>3723558

Yeah, I think Pippi requires some glitch to sequence break, but I know it's possible to get to the end screen with her.

[Anonymous No.3723570]

>>3723507
Heh, reminds of those extreme speedruns people do. Skip the whole party, fight the bosses in reverse order, etc.

On a side note, I also love the game for its openness, and I agree it's really underrated. Then again, I understand why. On the surface, it doesn't look like much; if people only played it for 30 minutes, they wouldn't expect too much from it.

I think it opens up as you play. When you get the buffs, the new items, the new party members, when you open the new territories, it feels like the game finally starts in its full force. To me its power is in the gameplay, which in some areas is more advanced than some RPGs are today.

On the other hand, the first hour of Earthbound is enough to catch players. You have the prologue with meteorite falling, then you go to the first town which is nearly next to your house. Onett is big, bright, and fun to explore, with all the memorable characters and buildings to visit.

It has all the atmosphere/pot building missing from Mother 1, and thus many would be tempted to call it a more advanced, better RPG. But where Mother truly opens up, EB actually starts to feel linear, fractured, and kinda like a drag. Yes, it still has the atmosphere: the cute pixel graphics, all the memorable characters and references from pop culture, the quirky parts, the enemy designs, the psychedelic backgrounds… But even then, I'd say as a GAME, Mother 1 is by far my favorite.

[Anonymous No.3723581]

>>3723560
You have a source by chance? Not shitting on you but I've never heard this and google gives nothing.

[Anonymous No.3723610]

>>3723581

I found this in starmen.net
https://forum.starmen.net/forum/Games/Mother1/33335

Definitely needs hacking, seems like you can change a orange juice for the zoo key and thus keep Pippi.
But yeah it's not possible to do it without hacks, like you can with Teddy, my bad.