/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.552240]

>Earthbound is overrated

Never played the game yet, but since /vr/ opened, I didn't see anyone claiming it's the best game ever made, but instead I keep seeing daily threads about how its overrated... anyone care to explain what's going on?

[Anonymous No.552271]

It's one of those "cool to hate" games

[Anonymous No.552265]

Vocal minority

[Anonymous No.552275]

>>552240
A lot of the flack is from the absurd price of physical copies

[Anonymous No.552276]

>>552240
You need us to explain how public opinion and backlash works?

[Anonymous No.552278]

>>552240
Considering how cheap the game was on release and what a commercial failure it was at the time. It's now the "cool" thing to own.

[Anonymous No.552297]

>>552278

to be fair the box art is pretty lame and that's how most people bought games back then

i remember walking through a sears back when sears was relevant and seeing Mega Man X's box art.

>HOLY SHIT IS THAT MEGA MAN....WITH NEW ARMOR?
>HE MUST BE EVEN MORE POWERFUL
>-reads back-
>ITS NOT EVEN MEGA MAN. ITS A WHOLE NEW MEGA MAN. MEGA MAN X. X!!. HOLY SHIT

>DKC2
>Holy shit look at all these bad guys to fuck up sweet

>Contra III
>OH FUCK LOOK HOW BADASS ITS CONTRA WITH ALIEN DEMON THINGS LOOK AT THAT EVIL MOTHER FUCKER IN THE BACK

>Earthbound
>what...is that? is its arms on its hips? is there a kid piloting that? is it a reflection? what?

[Anonymous No.552302]

It's a game that, while good, isn't the godsend it sets out to be by any means.

It's just one of those things people began liking en masse because of the plot and setting being different for typical rpgs.

Even EB fans don't think it's THAT good, from what I've seen.

Also, the cart prices are a blatant example of bullshit people can pull with what's not that worthy of a game. The game itself runs almost entirely on brand recognition alone, and I'm sure if you could derive the truth from its cult following, many people who love it still haven't played it to a worthwhile degree.

That being said, I've started playing EB0 and besides the horrific difficulty, it's very fun.

[Anonymous No.552324]

>>552302

>isn't the godsend it sets out to be by any means

dude the game doesn't even take itself seriously, how does it "set out" to be a godsend?

>Even EB fans don't think its that good from what I've seen

I'm an EB fan. Though, I've yet to play mother 1 or 3, but I had Earthbound growing up. Do I think it is the greatest RPG of all time? Nah. Do I think JRPG fans should try it? Hell yeah I do, because you're in for a treat. Especially if you like Dragon Quest.

[Anonymous No.552332]

>>552324
>how does it "set out" to be a godsend?

Sorry, typo

Should be
>the godsend it's set out to be

[Retro !ps4PmSKnzo No.552361]

I want to slap an Earthbound cart with my dick and sell it at 400 dollars. (Also cum on it.)

Laugh every day if it sells, the owner will have a spermed out game.

[Anonymous No.552372]

>>552332

>should be: the godsend it's set out to be

i'm sorry, what?

>the godsend it's set out to be
>the godsend it is set out to be

do you mean

>the godsend it sets out to be

because if you do then you're still where you started. Not trying to be a dick. Just not really sure what you're getting at.

[Anonymous No.552375]

>>552372
No, I mean that it's not the GOAT GOTYAY that other people seem to think it is.

[Anonymous No.552398]

OP here. So, EB fans don't think the game is the second coming of christ, then all the overrated thing is because of the high ebay prices?

What about the japanese version? I think it's not expensive.... jap EB isn't overrated but american EB is?

[Anonymous No.552424]

>>552398
EB is the only one of the three to come to the states, and thus the only one with an official cart and translation (technically, not considering EB0)

Not to mention, the game assumedly sold much better in Japan, making it more common.

[Anonymous No.552449]

>>552398
Well, I sure don't. I love the game, but it's quirky and not everyone's going to like it. Some people like Terry Pratchett, I don't. You'd think I would, but I can't stand his smug writing. Go figure.

It's hurtful when people tell me I only like it for hipster dickwaving because it's trendy now and that I learned about it from Smash Bros., when I bought the game new at retail years ago.

It's one of my favorite games, and has been since. But it's not the best game ever.

[Anonymous No.552461]

>>552240
>40Replies: >>552275 >>552276 >>552278
>>Earthbound is overrated

It's one of my favorite games ever, but the gameplay is Dragon Warrior plus some extra shit.

You play it for the writing. Emulate it and tolerate the mediocre battle system for the unique writing. It honestly improves as it goes.

Earthbound is one of my favorite games, but gameplay wise it's not that good.

Unless you're into real simple RPGs. I dunno. You play it for the writing.

[Anonymous No.552491]

Which one is the one that can't be emulated? Looking to start the series but I don't want to get stuck on a game I can't complete

[Anonymous No.552496]

>>552491
Pretty sure most downloads you see these days is the patched one.

[Anonymous No.552507]

EB is a pretty great game, it's just that because the fanbase is so obnoxious in its love of the game, it becomes fun to make fun of it.

[Anonymous No.552538]

It's my absolute most favorite game, and even I think it's overrated.

Fucking Starmen.net and fucking hipsters and fucking ebay smiling merchants drive the price up to such retarded heights.

[Anonymous No.552542]

This just in: 4chan doesn't generally hold the same opinion on something as more mainstream websites

You're not going to often see it 100% praised here, but you will on many other sites. You'll also see some people hate on it overly much in an effort to seem cool, or just because they're pissed off at how some people treat it, and the fact that this is one of the few places where they can say how they feel about it without being chastised.

I think it is a wonderful game. The gameplay sucks. Its everything that's wrong with early JRPGs, but the unique setting, story, writing, and tone really sets it apart and makes it worth playing. Its really a breath of fresh air in a fairly stagnant genre. It deserves to be well known for what it is, but some people do take it too far.

[Anonymous No.552552]

I should clarify- if you can play the game, you should, at least to try it out. If you don't like it, fine.

Should you pay 200$ for it? Hell no.

[Anonymous No.552559]

>Earthbound is overrated
>Never played the game yet

[Anonymous No.552565]

>>552559
He's using greentext to quote someone else, or in this case the general sentiment that many people here have. You know; what greentext is intended for.

[Anonymous No.552620]

>>552507
I blame Homestuck.

[Anonymous No.552630]

>>552620
I never read that but what does it have to do with Earthbound.

[Anonymous No.552631]

i've tried to play EarthBound many times, but i just can't get into it. it's really annoying because i know it's a game that i should love but i just get bored by it

Mother 3 is one of my favourite games though

[Anonymous No.552649]

>>552630
The comic/experience/whateverthefuck has a lot of references to it. 4 kids, leaving home, dealing with grown-up shit they don't understand, etc. Some of the 'game' flash animations to further the story are done in a similar fashion as the game.

Earth Bound
Home Stuck

[Anonymous No.552658]

Overrated? Not really.

Overpriced? Definitely.

[Anonymous No.552660]

>>552649
>4 kids, leaving home, dealing with grown-up shit they don't understand, etc

[Anonymous No.552669]

An anon posted this on /vr/ a few weeks back, I think he sums it up very well:

>EarthBound is a game that you're either going to adore or it's going to bore you to tears. In a way, it's a very average game with a billion gimmicks. If the gimmicks don't charm your pants off, you'll probably be bored. So it's a hard game to objectively say "It's great!" It's more like a must try.

[Anonymous No.552675]

>>552649
Oh well that blows. My first game inspired a comic with a terrible fanbase.

[Anonymous No.552678]

Yeah well

A shoobity doobity fizz fozz wozzle doo. Rippety rappety razzberry kerfloffle bop poobity moobity.

And don't let me catch you talkin shit about Earthboud again or I'll clock you right baked potato further a caterpillar string. Understand?

[Anonymous No.552685]

>>552542
>4chan doesn't generally hold the same opinion on something as more mainstream websites
Well it's not just that. Because of the anonymity, people can express their negative opinions to a degree they might not elsewhere; same goes for vehemently defending opinions. And honestly, I've been hearing "EarthBound sucks" long before 4chan existed; I seem to remember it getting really bad reviews at the time.

[Anonymous No.552687]

>>552678
>Understand?

No.

[Anonymous No.552703]

>>552687
What's not to understand, faggot

[Anonymous No.552709]

>>552240
It's a legitimately good game with great moments, and good gameplay.

However, hipsters proclaim it the best game ever despite it not even being close to being the best game in its genre on the SNES. Fuck, it's not even the best RPG released on the SNES in 1995, Chrono Trigger beats the hell out of it, and if it had come out one month sooner, it wouldn't have even been the best RPG released on the SNES that MONTH.

And that's where the hate lies. Personally, I'll be getting it when it comes to Virtual Console, because it is a great game and it probably did deserve more love at some point, but it's easily one of the most overrated games of all time.

[Anonymous No.552713]

It can be charming but the combat sucks.

And...well...that's the gameplay part of the game.

[Anonymous No.552716]

>>552709
>However, hipsters proclaim it the best game ever despite it not even being close to being the best game in its genre on the SNES.

Yes, every person who claims something other than LttP as the best SNES game is a hipster. You are dumb.

And I don't even like Earthbound.

[Anonymous No.552721]

>>552716
Who the hell said anything about LttP?

[Anonymous No.552736]

>>552721

>I lack the ability to think abstractly.

The idea here is that it's stupid to call someone a hipster because the game that they feel is best isn't that popular. It's stupid to chalk it up to people trying to be different or obscure when, in reality, they just might actually like the game.

And if I may add, enough people like EB that it's hardly a "hipster" opinion.

[Anonymous No.552748]

>>552709
>hipsters
Fucking hell, this word has lost all god damn meaning.

[Anonymous No.552759]

>>552748
In fairness, it lost its initial meaning long ago.

[Anonymous No.552790]

>>552759
>this is what hipsters actually believe

[Anonymous No.552803]

>>552721
Yeah, if anything it's Mega Man X.

But no, really, it is.

[Anonymous No.552805]

“Hipster” is a term co-opted for use as a meaningless pejorative in order to vaguely call someone else’s authenticity into question and, by extension, claim authenticity for yourself.

It serves no conversational function and imparts no information, save for indicating the opinions and preferences of the speaker.

Meanwhile, a market myth has sprung up around the term, as well as a cultural bogeyman consisting of elusive white 20-somethings who wear certain clothes (but no one will agree on what), listen to certain music (no one can agree on this either), and act a certain way (you’ve probably sensed the pattern on your own).

You can’t define what “that kind of behavior or fashion or lifestyle” actually is, nor will you ever be able to. That’s because you don’t use “hipster” to describe an actual group of people, but to describe a fictional stereotype that is an outlet for literally anything that annoys you.

The twist, of course, is that if it weren’t for your own insecurities, nothing that a “hipster” could do or wear would ever affect you emotionally. But you are insecure about your own authenticity - “Do I wear what I wear because I want to? Do I listen to my music because I truly like it? I’m certainly not like those filthy hipsters!” - so you project those feelings.

Suffice it to say, no one self-identifies as a hipster; the term is always applied to an Other, to separate the authentic Us from the inauthentic, “ironic” Them.

tl;dr: if you believe hipsters exist, you are a plebeian.

[Anonymous No.552820]

>>552803

Either this, Seiken Densetsu 3, or Final Fantasy V (though I'm compelled to knock FFV off the list of best SNES games because the GBA version is the best)

[Anonymous No.552817]

>>552736
Then a new word for a specific group that searches for "undergound & unique" items while having a sense of pride for said item and thus shoving that on everyone's throats via social media must be made.

[Anonymous No.552823]

>>552805
So...wait, if I consider myself a hipster, then do I stop existing? OH SH

[Anonymous No.552826]

>>552817

Uh, no we don't. You missed the entire point of that post, which was "just because someone likes something unpopular doesn't mean they're doing it for indie cred"

[Anonymous No.552828]

>>552820
Playing through SD3 atm and it's fucking awesome but it's far from the best SNES title.

[Anonymous No.552829]

>>552823

RIP in peace, Anon. He's playing Earthbound in a better place now.

Or Mega Man X

[Anonymous No.552834]

>>552828

What other titles would you put over it? I think it's a gorgeous game, not only aesthetically and musically, but also design-wise.

Not looking for a fight, just curious about your tastes.

[Anonymous No.552846]

>>552829
>realizing that after I die I will never be able to play vidya again

[Anonymous No.552870]

>>552834
It's my 5th RPG *ever*, the other 4 being Mario RPG, Paper Mario, TTYD, & MLSS. It's not boring, but it's hard to pick back up after a break. This could be due to the fact that I'm playing it on an emulator

So nevermind, its "shortcomings" are unique to my situation

[Anonymous No.552873]

>>552870

How far are you? I find the game really picks up when you start to do class changes.

[Anonymous No.552876]

>>552846
Fuck you, they have every vidya you could ever want to play in the afterlife.

They have to. ;_;

[Anonymous No.552884]

>>552669
Yep, he does and is the main reason why i call bullshit when someone says they loved the game from the beggining or from the time it was at retail, as a kid that shit is boring , is on the level of mario is missing from that point of view really.

[Anonymous No.552887]

>>552873
Level ~20, just left Bucca, Gladiator/Sorceress/Valkyrie

[Anonymous No.552891]

>>552870

>It's my 5th RPG *ever*, the other 4 being Mario RPG, Paper Mario, TTYD, & MLSS

We really need a term to differentiate role-playing games from adventure games that have stats and turn-based battles

[Anonymous No.552892]

>>552884
You can go suck a fat one, cause I fucking loved mario is missing.

Then again, I was also the only kid who liked geography class...

[Anonymous No.552894]

>>552891
Action RPG and RPG.

[Anonymous No.552897]

>>552891
We do, they're called "Mario RPGs" since it's a genre that consists entirely of Mario RPGs.

[Anonymous No.552908]

>>552894

Isn't action RPG already used for realtime combat-centric RPGs? Like The Witcher

[Anonymous No.552907]

>>552897
Are there any other RPGs with timed hits?

[Anonymous No.552914]

>>552834
>aesthetically and musically, but also design-wise.
>the graphics are shit tier speaking from the capacity the SNES had
>the music is mostly all rip off beatles songs
>the design is ripped from dragon quest with a bunch of gimmicks
Nah, you play the game for the story and nothing else, shut the fuck up

[Anonymous No.552925]

>>552908
Action RPG is pretty much any RPG that doesn't have Turn Based battles.

[Anonymous No.552929]

>>552914
Broseph, I think he was talking about SD3, -NOT- Earthbound. Chill the fuck out,

[Anonymous No.552932]

>>552461

This is my feelings exactly. I like the characters, the setting, the story, but the gameplay and battle system itself bores me to tears. I like to watch others play or just watch people do plays of it on youtube. Not Let's Plays where they never shut up, I mean actual silent playthroughs.

That said, it may be a tad overrated. I feel bad for people that are true fans because I see a lot of bandwagon cause it's the cool game to like.

[Anonymous No.552936]

>>552907
Legend of Dragoon has a similar system. It's only for when you are attacking though.

[Anonymous No.552941]

>>552907

Not trying to be smart but didn't Legend of Dragoon have timed attacks for crits or something?

[Anonymous No.552942]

>>552929
Oh, Then I take that back.
Sorry.

[Anonymous No.552943]

>>552790
I was referring to Jazz enthusiasts, in case that wasn't clear. You know, because you call someone a hipster these days and they flip their shit like it's an insult.

[Anonymous No.552950]

>>552817
The 90s called. They say they have something for you. It's called a 'poser'.

[Anonymous No.552953]

>>552925

So what do we call adventure games that have turn-based battles but aren't about role-playing? Paper Mario and Fallout aren't the same kind of game

[Anonymous No.552989]

>>552953
Why not...Story Driven RPGs? Games like Paper Mario have you on a really set narrative, where games like Fallout 3 are much more "choose your own adventure" than that.

I dunno, just spitballing. Meh.

[Anonymous No.553014]

>>552907

Shadow Hearts series, more or less. Not /vr/ but whatever.

[Anonymous No.553023]

>>552989

Normally in an RPG you create a character, give it a personality through stat points like Intelligence and Charisma and choosing dialogue options. Not necessarily story-driven, just centered around your character who you role-play as. In Paper Mario you're just controlling Mario like you would in any other game, it just happens to be an adventure game rather than a platformer

[Anonymous No.553027]

>>553023
>Normally in an RPG you create a character, give it a personality through stat points like Intelligence and Charisma and choosing dialogue options.
Not really. By that definition, Final Fantasy games after the NES aren't RPGs.

[Anonymous No.553035]

>>552907
Magical Starsign and DBZ: Attack of the Saiyans for the DS both have timed hits and blocks, respectively.

[Anonymous No.553040]

>>553027

I would agree with that definition. Japan has bastardized the term "RPG"

[Anonymous No.553053]

>>552240
It's fans tend to be really, really obnoxious which inspires a hatred of the game in more kneejerk people.
Then again I wouldn't say it's unfair to call it overrated when I know people who consider it a masterpiece that no other game has come close to since.

[Anonymous No.553063]

>>553053
I'm sorry to inform you Anon, but you might know a bunch of hipsters.

I wish you didn't have to find out this way.

[Anonymous No.553065]

>arguing over the usage of the term RPG
Even the arguments are retro on /vr/

Keep going, though, guys. You're really breaking new ground here.

[Anonymous No.553076]

>>553053
>It's fans tend to be really, really obnoxious
That.
That "speedrunners for cancer" event thing that got posted on /v/ a bit had an Earthbound run.
Where the fans sitting on the sides WOULD NOT SHUT UP about how great it was and what made it great.

[Anonymous No.553169]

That game's status is defined, not by the game itself, but by its surroundings and its contrasting place among them.

[Anonymous No.553203]

>>553027

By that definition, fucking Wizardry isn't an RPG.

[Anonymous No.553210]

>>553203
You're right, it's a dungeon crawler.

[Anonymous No.553214]

>>553210

Dungeon crawlers are RPGs

[Anonymous No.553216]

>>553214

>every game with a medieval theme is an RPG

[Anonymous No.553218]

>>553027

Adventure games with turn-based strategy segments

[Anonymous No.553219]

>>553214
Yeah, that's true. The dude who originally started this quote line seems to confuse "RPG" with "CRPG"...

[Anonymous No.553229]

Legend of Zelda: OoT is the best RPG ever made.

[Anonymous No.553235]

>>553216

>every dungeon crawler has a medieval theme

see how i know you're stupid

[Anonymous No.553239]

>>553235

Name one that doesn't

[Anonymous No.553240]

>>553239
Etrian Odyssey

[Anonymous No.553241]

>>553219

"CRPG" is just what they call actual RPGs to excuse the fact that most games that are refered to as role-playing games don't even have role-playing. Borderlands can be considered an RPG to these people

[Anonymous No.553243]

>>553239

[Anonymous No.553246]

>>553239

Take your pick out of the first person SMT games. Mass majority of them take place in present day or the future.

[Anonymous No.553253]

>>553241
no, CRPG is what they call video games that adhere closely to the D&D formula

RPG is just a genre that has a general set of characteristics

this is how it's been for almost 20 fucking years, just get over it already and adopt the new (see: extremely old) definitions

[Anonymous No.553257]

Genre labels primarily exist for the sake of ease of marketing, there's no real point to debating what falls under what when it was a flimsy term to begin with over 20 years ago.

"RPG" sounds a helluva lot more easier to convey to a customer than "Tactical turn based exploration and simulation narrative adventure computer game".

[Anonymous No.553284]

>>553257

This, but people will never accept it. People love labeling things and arguing when said things start being called differently/different but similar things are called the same

the truth is it doesn't fucking matter unless you have to organize a store's catalogue

[Anonymous No.553308]

>>553243

Good game. Tons of grinding, no hand-holding, miserable skill requirements, dungeon crawling.

[Anonymous No.554323]

>>552240
THe game is indeed overrated,

the story is boring and unengaging, you are a kid who is suppose to beat an intergalactic omnipotent alien with some sticks and some molotovs, its fucking retarded, the characters are your average pokemon MCs they basically have no personality perhaps they were lost in the translation . The combat is shit, you basically spam attacks when you grind and nuke bosses with rockets. Thats all there is to it.

The game its closer to an adventure game with turn based combat rather to an RPG, the level design is its strongest point.

Its a shame they just filled the entire world with enemies. 99% of the time you will be wasting it killing the same respawning pieces of shit

Exploring and solving the puzzles is fun, the rest isn't

I'm guessing it was huge by its time but then it was just nostalgia gogles, the same with wizardry , and ultima games

[Anonymous No.554402]

Earthbound is a game that hinges on its story. Some people don't play games for stories. Some people don't like Earthbound's story for various reasons.

Some people liked Earthbound, but think other fans go too far in how much they like it. Some people are sick of hearing it.

Some people hate how inflated Earthbound's price has become.

And, of course, some people just don't like things that they deem popular.

There's probably other reasons, but whatever. Personally, I had a hoot playing Earthbound. I'd give it another play if I had the time.

[Anonymous No.554448]

>>552631
There is no "should love." If you don't like it or think it's boring, don't force yourself to play it or like it.

[Anonymous No.554502]

>>552907
Legend of Dragoon had a combo system that involved hits and Final Fantasy 8 had the timed hits on its attacks.

[Anonymous No.554574]

Just wait until the VC version comes out and play it yourself. Its really fun.

[Anonymous No.554585]

>>554574
>Virtual Console version
Oh hue. :3

[Anonymous No.554587]

>>554574
Also, just try to ignore all of the fandom that surrounds it. Pretend that Starman.net doesnt exist.

This is one of my top favorite games, and even I dont understand the fandom.

[Anonymous No.554602]

Any game thats good is also overrated.

Didn't you know that OP?

[Anonymous No.554953]

The only thing I like about Earthbound is its atmosphere. It's really cool how it takes place in modern day, where most RPGs are medieval/fantasy or science fiction.

But I dislike everything else about Earthbound. I don't even like the story, I think it's boring and a missed opportunity. And I agree with the common sentiment that the gameplay is just awful, the combat is dreadful. Doesn't help that the beginning of the game requires a fair bit of grinding (at least it did for me, maybe I just suck).

Also I'm not a graphics-whore but the sprites look like shit.