About. Damn. Time.  ;D

I felt a disturbance in the Force, as if hundreds of Ebay sellers cried out of Terror and were suddenly silenced.

Hardly.  I seriously doubt this will make any significant difference in the resell price of the original carts.

It will. A good part of the demand for old games is people who want a legal copy. If they can get a cheap, legal copy they drop out of the cart market and thus demand drops.

Earthbound's coming out this year. All is well in the world.

I love how Nintendo's official picture says "Finally."

I just seriously doubt there's a massive amount of people who just want to play the game that:

A) Care if it is legal.
B) Intend to keep it (i.e.: don't want to just borrow it from a friend or flip it after playing it).
C) Would go through the effort of tracking down (and paying for) an SNES copy (and potentially an SNES to play it on)
D) Would fit into all of those above slots *and* would still be willing and content to just download the VC Version.

From the classic games I've watched on eBay, they *rarely* go down in price when a newer version gets re-released.  Sometimes, they even go up.

Most surprising announcement for me. Didn't think it would happen... but glad for all the hardcore Earthbound fans who have waited years for this series to re-appear in the West.

I'll just repost here where all the cool kids are.

Kowabunga says it all! Kowabunga!!!

The legends surrounding this game are too much to resist. Plus there series had some influence on One Piece, its a day one download for me!


Haha, disturbance in the force.

Wonder how they are solving the music rights issues, or whatever it was that arguably prevented a VC re-release sooner in the west?

well... Now I'm going to have to play it.  To tell you the truth I'm not actually looking forward to it.

BILL!! YOUR DREAM IS COMING TRUE

Who's cackling now?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=PnlG59MOYkg#t=112s

;)

Okay now we find out if the demand for Earthbound was a vocal minority or legitimate.  I hope it is such a big seller that it crashes Nintendo's servers.  I want them to see the error of their ways and I hope that it sells well enough to inspire them to offer official Western releases of the other games in the series.  I have an Earthbound cart but I would like legitimate access to the other games and only VC sales of this one will encourage that.

Regarding the value of an old SNES cart, I've noticed that SNES games in general have gone up in price a fair bit in recent years, not just Earthbound but other games like Square titles that for the most part are available on modern systems.  I think the VC has just given retro games more exposure and has inspired more gamers to collect them.  I used to score some total steals on retro games (got Star Fox Super Weekend for FOUR BUCKS!!!) but now it seems that almost all sellers are pretty savy to how much they're worth.  There is just more awareness now.

Earthbound as a cart is valuable partially because it was a sleeper game that didn't get proper recognition until years after it came out.  It isn't the type of game every kid had a copy of like Donkey Kong Country so they're harder to come by.  Keep in mind also that if you wish to read old comics, you can very easily as both Marvel and DC have extensive reprints.  If you want to read the first Spider-Man story, you easily can, but the desire to read it is not why Amazing Fantasy #15 is so valuable.  The fact that is the original release of it is what makes it valuable.  Earthbound is the same way.  It's not just to play it but to have the original release.  And if you had the box and manual that would be really valuable because Earthbound came with a Player's Guide.  The more doodads that came with the game the more likelihood of them getting lost and the rarer a complete copy is.

Why is everyone freaking out about this? Why not Mother 3? That'd be a bigger bombshell.

Because more people want EarthBound, it's also more well known and developed a cult following. Mother 3 pretty much only got attention here because it was a sequel to EB. People have been clamoring for EB for 14 years and never thought it would be re-released. It's huge news.

Because Earthbound is a game that people have actually played.

There's also the fact that most people would have to buy a Wii U to be able to play (and buy) the VC release.  There's a likelyhood that more people have SNES's or retro consoles (with SNES cartridge slot) than Wii U's at this point.

If it came out here, I'd buy it.  EB is the more popular title in the US and European countries though because of its previous release.

Funny, I thought people would freak out more over a sequel to the game they love and can still get very easily versus a game that was never released in the US (hence the whole point of OP Rainfall). I can play EB right now on my PSP. What I can't get is a true translated version of M3 that I'd love to have, and would have an appropriate amount of freaking out over.

so, we're letting Oblivion talk abaout piracy now?

I have before, I don't see why that changes now. I'm not telling you how to get it, nor how to allow your system to get it. 

Oblivion, it is NOT easy to legally get EarthBound. Obviously you dont care about the "legally" part since you admit to playing an illegal version of it, but a lot of people want it legally. And Operation Rainfall was about recent, current-gen games. Mother 3 is a 7-year old GBA game, it would also have to sell a lot more for it to be profitable to Nintendo (as they would have to translate and localize the game).

Yeah, if you went the route of the software pirate, you could play Earthbound on devices you already own like the PSP or PC.  Of course, you could also just as easily play a pirated copy of Mother 3 on those same devices with the English language pack (as seen in the game's Retro Active).  If you care about playing legal copies of your games, though, with near-perfect replication of the original experience, this is the first time you could do that with Earthbound since the late 90s.

I'm sure now that the floodgates are open that Mother 3 will be the next game people will cry out for (personally, I'm more interested in Terranigma and Lufia 2 getting VC releases), but for now Earthbound is the game that people care more about.

@oblivion, you're splitting hairs. Knock it off.

I have Earthbound on SNES. I would have preferred Mother 3 since I never played it. I typically don't buy Virtual Console games. Since the Ambassador Games were free (and you can argue that they're not technically Virtual Console games), Super Metroid next month will be the first Virtual Console game I actually paid for and that's because I have money left over from Trine 2 and Mighty Switch Force and it's 30 cents.

English language packs are not as good as a translated version by the development team. That's why I hate playing the original FFII and III with translations.

No, YOU knock it off. Where the fuck were you when I had this conversation before? I've had this argument three times now. All I said is that I can fucking get EB on my PSP. That's it. Get off your fucking high horse.

Don't abuse me you child. Do as you are told.

Are you kidding me?

No. Be quiet, son, or I may have to take off my belt. Ya got that, pal?

Don't make me break out my Leo gif again.

+1

Hi, I'm "Oblivion", and I like to brag about how I can obtain illegal copies of games without paying for them. I hacked my PSP just so I could play old Nintendo games that are easily available on the Wii. I love pirating stuff because I'm too damn cheap to pay for it.

Realistically this shouldn't matter to me because, as I said, I already have the SNES cart and I'm not going to buy this because I don't need it.  But I still found myself very excited when I saw the headline.  The reason why is that I like the gesture.  Nintendo has for years seemingly acted like this game never existed.  Now they suddenly change their mind?  It gives me the slim hope that Nintendo's attitude towards the series has changed.  They know they dropped the ball on this so they're trying to make it right.  I never expect Nintendo or any company to make no mistakes but I DO expect them to learn from them or correct them.  Nintendo has finally made this right and even their method of doing it with that big "FINALLY" graphic suggests that they know they were dropping the ball on this.

If Earthbound had been re-released a bunch of times already and they were making a big splash about this while Mother 3 stays in Japan then, yeah, I'd be annoyed.  But that isn't what they're doing here.  Re-releases are all about context.  Re-releases of obscure games are a service to gamers while something like DKC Returns is more an attempt to get a double dip sale.  A lot of people benefit from this and specifically wanted it without Nintendo telling them they did.

Maybe we can get EB Zero on the VC next considering Nintendo already has a fully translated version of that sitting in the vaults.

Plan to make this one of my first VC purchases when I get a Wii U. It better sell as this could open a floodgate.

So you hope that good sales of Earthbound on VC will send a message to Nintendo and encourage them to change their ways, but you aren't going to buy the VC release yourself to help make that happen.  Thanks...for nothing.  :@

I'm with Ian. Perhaps above all else, this is Nintendo making a statement.
  As for buying it, you bet I will. I've kept my cart basically under lock and key since my first child was born. Now not only can I play it on an HD set without it looking like ass, but my kids can enjoy it, and not possibly fuck it up.

Woah their.  That might be assuming to much.

http://youtu.be/CMHPtHKfSB4


;D

Ha! Better than a SNES, at least? I think the art is clean and clear enough that it might look rather lovely. I hope? Regardless. :)

I wonder if there will be any changes made...

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m74/nickmitch889/tumblr_m9192qcMqQ1r47wsdo1_400_zps2deb1593.gif?t=1366241901

I have to wonder if this is a test case for Nintendo to see if the market is safe enough to make Mother 4 for the Wii U. Earthbound did not sell well when it was new, but there is a loyal enough following of the series that Nintendo could release it exclusively on the Wii U's eShop. This way it would be all profit for them.

I want to see Earthbound 64 come back. I liked the art style of the screen shots that were released back in the day. I think that EB4 on the 3DS is a more likely release than the Wii U considering #3 was a handheld release.

This was my first thought actually. I have the original cart (dead battery, no saves booo!) and a rom on my phone (too cheap to pay for an emulator so the free version I use doesn't allow you to save, also boo!) so if I need my EB fix I can already get it. With that said, unlike Ian, I WILL be buying this. Not just to show my support, but because I can enjoy the game with saves once more!

If this leads to Mother 3 and a new sequel down the line, awesome, but I will be pretty upset if Earthbound VC isn't the same experience. I've played the game so many times now that I know it like the back of my hand. If even the simplest tweak is made to the music, the whole experience will just feel.. off. Still, I'm just glad its being released because I know so many people who haven't played it that would absolutely love this game. Sure it might not be the exact same experience I had growing up, but at least they get to experience it :)

One's decision to buy or not to buy re-releases of old games in theory should be made on their own merits not on developer's promises to make more games in the series if it will sell well.

In theory.

The SNES9X release was confirmed a few decades ago.

I will gladly pay $9 for a version of Earthbound I can play on the can.

Don't hold your breath for Mother 4. Shigesato Itoi has repeatedly stated that he won't make anymore Mother games. Yeah, Nintendo could make one without Itoi (probably with or without his blessing), but I doubt they would. The Mother series was Itoi's; I doubt Nintendo would make Mother 4 without him and anyone else trying to make it just wouldn't feel right.

Also, the games work really well as a loose trilogy. Ninten (and another party member) from Mother, while never explicitly stated, are speculated and hinted to be Ness' parents. The entire family has ties to Giygas. Then, a certain character shows up in Mother 3 as the main villain. If you played Super Smash Bros. Brawl or read this character's Earthbound wiki entry like I did, you know who it is.

Unlike Nintendo's other franchises, I'd rather there never be another Mother title, certainly not without Itoi and maybe even with him. I want to play Mother 3 desperately, but regardless of the ending, I'd be content leaving well-enough alone. It was written with an ending in mind. I look at the Metroid series and how Super Metroid could have ended the series. Metroid Prime could have easily been a reboot. As much as I like Fusion and don't hate Other M, they suffer because of Super Metroid's fairly conclusive ending. I wouldn't want to see that happen with the Mother series.

If Nintendo did anything I think they would just go ahead and redo the Mother/Earthbound series as a series of 3DS remakes instead of making a 4th one.

I wouldn't be surprised by a new Mother game simply because of Kid Icarus: Uprising. A dead franchise brought back to life. To me that's basically Nintendo saying, "We'll do what we want when we want. You might get Mother 4, you might not." So I'm not gonna hold out hope for one, but I wouldn't be shocked if one was made.

But unlike Mother.  Kid Icarus had things like Captian N to establish a broader personality and a presence in USA.

Have you ever heard of this really niche game called Super Smash Brothers?  I've heard there might be Mother/Earthbound ties to it.

If I ask a Random Stanger before Kid Icarus uprising is who is Kid Icarus.  They may mention he had a game.  If I ask someone who is Ness or Lucas.  They would look at me clueless more than likely.

That is one game.  Who knows the Ice Climbers?  Do you know their names?

I think the Mythical nature of Earthbound is more to its favor then the Smash Brothers Mind Share.

You can't really mention Lucas since his only English appearance is in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I think most Nintendo gamers would recognize Ness.

Sakurai likes including obscure characters. I had heard of the the game Ice Climber, but didn't know their names until Super Smash Bros. Melee.

If you're going to talk about Captain N. helping people know about Kid Icarus, then you can't overlook Smash Bros. helping people know about Eartbound. More people (now) know about obscure Nintendo characters from Smash than they do from Captain N. Hell, Captain N. itself is obscure now.

Captain N? You mean that terribly animated cartoon from the 1980's that featured bastardized versions of famous Nintendo characters? Yeah, only people who grew up in the 80's remember that show.

I can take Smash Bros out simply because its for both of them.

It sure is amazing how many of you instantly remembered it.

I didn't remember it. I haven't seen a single episode of it. I know about it because I go to Nintendo sites like this one.


People in general do not know about Captain N. or the characters that are in it. Not on the same levels as Smash Bros.

Anybody who was a gamer and alive in the late 80s/early 90s knows about Captain N and probably watched it. It wasn't "good", but I enjoyed watching it.

Earthbound is much the same way.

Most people would consider Ness and Lucas Smash Bros Characters more than anything else in the general population.  Earthbound is in its own way in the exact same bout as Monster Hunter.  A dedicated Fanbase but their is a steep drop off the further you go.

I be sort of curious whether at what point you start getting people who know Earthbound is a game with characters in Smash Bros but, don't know its an RPG.

So what? The point is that Ness likely has more clout with Nintendo gamers than Pit because Ness has been in their minds with every release of Smash since '99. Whereas Kid Icarus just dropped off the face of the earth (until Brawl), Earthbound has been a constant part of Nintendo, in one form or another.


When it comes to levels of obscurity, there's no reason to think there won't be an Earthbound sequel because it's too obscure. KI: Uprising proves that Nintendo could easily make a new Earthbound/Mother game. In fact, Nintendo stated in the last Nintendo Direct that they acknowledge how much people wanted Earthbound on VC. They know that people know about it. It'll happen if they feel like it, it won't happen if they don't. You really can't predict it.

As long as Iwata is president and Itoi doesn't want to make another Mother game, there isn't going to be any sequels.  Iwata and Itoi have a very close relationship and so Iwata isn't going to approve any Mother related sequels unless Itoi allows them to be made.  I don't see Iwata breaking up a longtime friendship just to make another game in a series that isn't a very big seller since there's no real money to be made by such a move in the first place.

Even for non-Mother related series, Nintendo's actually pretty strict when it comes to original creators still having control over their series.  For Punch-Out, they still needed the original creators approval.

http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/punchout/0/4

So yeah, right now unless Itoi approves it isn't happening.

So Nintendo has to get Sakurai's permission each time a new Kirby game is made? ;)