EarthBound (universe): Difference between revisions
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== Franchise description == | == Franchise description == | ||
[[File:SSB64 Congratulations Ness.png|thumb|The four main party members from EarthBound appear in Ness's [[congratulations screen]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 64]]''. From right to left they are: [[Ness]], [[Paula]], [[Jeff]], and [[Poo]].]] | [[File:SSB64 Congratulations Ness.png|thumb|The four main party members from EarthBound appear in Ness's [[congratulations screen]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 64]]''. From right to left they are: [[Ness]], [[Paula]], [[Jeff]], and [[Poo]].]] | ||
An influential Japanese copywriter, actor, and television personality named Shigesato Itoi took a foray into the Nintendo-dominated video game market of the late 1980s despite some initial skepticism from Nintendo's higher-ups about working with celebrities. He and then-Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi formed a new subsidiary called Ape Inc. | An influential Japanese copywriter, actor, and television personality named Shigesato Itoi took a foray into the Nintendo-dominated video game market of the late 1980s despite some initial skepticism from Nintendo's higher-ups about working with celebrities. He and then-Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi formed a new subsidiary called Ape Inc. and Itoi pitched to Shigeru Miyamoto an RPG game set in modern day. this pitch was approved, and the game would release in July of 1989 for Famicom as ''{{iw|wikibound|Mother|video game}}''. Itoi wanted to make an unconventional take on the primarily sword-and-sorcery themed RPG genre. The game was set in a humorous rendition of contemporary America realized in the town of {{iw|wikibound|Podunk}} and had the player assuming the role of {{iw|wikibound|Ninten}}, a neighborhood boy with psychic powers who would go on an adventure that would eventually lead to him confronting {{iw|wikibound|Giygas}}, a villain that would become a series regular and one the few connecting elements of the series. It featured conventional objects such as baseball bats and yo-yos as stand-ins for weapons that could be equipped and a variety of bizarre and comical enemies such as possessed automobiles, crazed animals, and hippies and gang members. It also featured a very odd blend of simplistic character designs and dark themes and undertones. The game sold very well in Japan, and an English localization immediately began, with a planned fall 1991 release date with ''Earth Bound'' as the intended Western title. However, marketing executives anticipating the mid-1991 release of the Super NES decided that the prototype NES game would be too costly to produce and market, and the localized product was shelved with no foreseeable plans for a future release. This was the case until 2015, when the translation was finished and released for the [[Wii U]] [[Virtual Console]] as ''Earthbound Beginnings''. | ||
[[File:SSBU Congratulations Ness.png|thumb|The four main party members reappear in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' with updated designs.]] | [[File:SSBU Congratulations Ness.png|thumb|The four main party members reappear in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' with updated designs.]] | ||
Itoi returned to design a sequel for the Super Famicom, ''Mother 2'', though the title's development was troubled by a new inexperienced development staff and was stretched across five years, nearly facing cancellation. The project was only saved when late veteran programmer [[Satoru Iwata]] joined the development team, now making the ''Mother 2'' project a joint effort by Ape and [[HAL Laboratory]] (HALKEN at the time), separate studios based at separate locations (employees would regularly have to travel between studios to work). It was released in August 1994 in Japan and, unlike its predecessor, actually saw a Western localization the following June, under the first public occurrence of the name ''{{b|EarthBound|game}}''. However, while the game's Japanese sales figures were relatively close to the original's, it sold poorly in the West because of an unusual and ineffective marketing campaign and the fact that American audiences were largely indifferent to JRPGs at the time (this would only end with the 1997 release of ''[[Final Fantasy|Final Fantasy VII]]'', which brought the genre to the mainstream). These poor sales even prevented the game from being released in the PAL regions. Critical retrospectives, however, portray it as not only one of the best RPGs in the 1990s, but also one of the most original, both in its approach to established JRPG mechanics and in its uniquely quirky humor, storyline (which is comparatively more light-hearted than its forerunner), character, and bizarre psychedelic aesthetic, as well as its many parodies of American culture and JRPG - and science fiction - storytelling conventions. Some publications have named it the defining example of a cult classic, with substantial fanbases in both Japan and North America. | Itoi returned to design a sequel for the Super Famicom, ''Mother 2'', though the title's development was troubled by a new inexperienced development staff and was stretched across five years, nearly facing cancellation. The project was only saved when late veteran programmer [[Satoru Iwata]] joined the development team, now making the ''Mother 2'' project a joint effort by Ape and [[HAL Laboratory]] (HALKEN at the time), separate studios based at separate locations (employees would regularly have to travel between studios to work). It was released in August 1994 in Japan and, unlike its predecessor, actually saw a Western localization the following June, under the first public occurrence of the name ''{{b|EarthBound|game}}''. This game saw new protagonist [[Ness]] and his friends and their adventures across time and space to save the world from Gyigas. However, while the game's Japanese sales figures were relatively close to the original's, it sold poorly in the West because of an unusual and ineffective marketing campaign and the fact that American audiences were largely indifferent to JRPGs at the time (this would only end with the 1997 release of ''[[Final Fantasy|Final Fantasy VII]]'', which brought the genre to the mainstream). These poor sales even prevented the game from being released in the PAL regions. Critical retrospectives, however, portray it as not only one of the best RPGs in the 1990s, but also one of the most original, both in its approach to established JRPG mechanics and in its uniquely quirky humor, storyline (which is comparatively more light-hearted than its forerunner), character, and bizarre psychedelic aesthetic, as well as its many parodies of American culture and JRPG - and science fiction - storytelling conventions. Some publications have named it the defining example of a cult classic, with substantial fanbases in both Japan and North America. | ||
More development and release date woes awaited the ''Mother'' franchise following ''EarthBound''. Itoi immediately began development of the series's second sequel for the Super Famicom in 1994, which was then moved to the Nintendo 64DD add-on for the [[Nintendo 64]], popularized by the media as the then-upcoming ''EarthBound 64''. When the ill-fated disk drive peripheral was met with commercial failure, the game was cancelled and restarted its development cycle on the Nintendo 64 itself, where it was initially expected to be a launch title for the console's Western release. But Itoi's development team was inexperienced with developing three-dimensional titles and the Nintendo 64 hardware itself, and the project remained unreleased even as ''EarthBound'' was included by [[Masahiro Sakurai]] as an unlockable franchise in the original ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' in 1998. Itoi eventually announced the official cancellation of ''EarthBound 64'' in August 2000, citing that he did not want to make anything other than "something truly special" in addition to the project becoming too complex with its interest in three-dimensional graphics. [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] subsequently became interested in finding ways to salvage some of the work, though this had to be put on hold because the ''Mother 3'' development team was put on Nintendo GameCube projects. Meanwhile, the translated prototype of the Western version of the NES game was discovered and purchased by a fan translation group, which was modified, retitled "''EarthBound Zero''", and distributed through the Internet as a ROM image. | More development and release date woes awaited the ''Mother'' franchise following ''EarthBound''. Ape Inc. would immediately disband after completion, though most would come back to form the modern day [[Creatures]] to assist [[Game Freak]] to develop ''{{iw|bulbapedia|Pokémon Red & Green}}'', which why they share ownership between Game Freak and Nintendo. Itoi immediately began development of the series's second sequel for the Super Famicom in 1994, which was then moved to the Nintendo 64DD add-on for the [[Nintendo 64]], popularized by the media as the then-upcoming ''EarthBound 64''. When the ill-fated disk drive peripheral was met with commercial failure, the game was cancelled and restarted its development cycle on the Nintendo 64 itself, where it was initially expected to be a launch title for the console's Western release. But Itoi's development team was inexperienced with developing three-dimensional titles and the Nintendo 64 hardware itself, and the project remained unreleased even as ''EarthBound'' was included by [[Masahiro Sakurai]] as an unlockable franchise in the original ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' in 1998. Itoi eventually announced the official cancellation of ''EarthBound 64'' in August 2000, citing that he did not want to make anything other than "something truly special" in addition to the project becoming too complex with its interest in three-dimensional graphics. [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] subsequently became interested in finding ways to salvage some of the work, though this had to be put on hold because the ''Mother 3'' development team was put on Nintendo GameCube projects. Meanwhile, the translated prototype of the Western version of the NES game was discovered and purchased by a fan translation group, which was modified, retitled "''EarthBound Zero''", and distributed through the Internet as a ROM image. | ||
Itoi and Nintendo eventually decided to rerelease both ''Mother'' titles in Japan as ports compiled on one Game Boy Advance cartridge, ''Mother 1 + 2'', which was released in June 2003 in Japan and included all of the enhancements the English prototype had made to the original ''Mother''; to the dismay of fans, this was never released in the West either. However, Itoi realized he would once again be pressured into reviving | Itoi and Nintendo eventually decided to rerelease both ''Mother'' titles in Japan as ports compiled on one Game Boy Advance cartridge, ''{{iw|wikibound|Mother 1 + 2}}'', which was released in June 2003 in Japan and included all of the enhancements the English prototype had made to the original ''Mother''; to the dismay of fans, this was never released in the West either. However, Itoi realized he would once again be pressured into reviving his shelved project, an idea he was initially opposed to, but encouragement from fans led to his decision to restart development for the game for Game Boy Advance, which he approached as though he were developing his magnum opus. After three years of development, ''{{iw|wikibound|Mother 3}}'' (essentially now a Game Boy Advance recreation of ''EarthBound 64'') was finally released in Japan in April 2006, twelve years after development began and over a year after the launch of the handheld's successor, the Nintendo DS. This Game Boy Advance title returned the series to a two-dimensional aesthetic but placed more emphasis on a serious plot and character interaction and tweaked gameplay elements of its predecessors. The game saw new protagonist [[Lucas]] and his adventures with his family and later his newfound friends as they try to save the world from being destroyed entirely. It was released to critical acclaim that praised its new rhythm-based but otherwise simple approach to turn-based combat and, most significantly, tragic storytelling and characterization that achieved a rarely seen degree of depth in titles in the genre. | ||
Unfortunately, Nintendo of America would once more decline to localize the game for Western audiences, once again apparently because of fears that its inconvenient timing at the end of the commercial lifespan of the platform it was based on would negatively affect its sales. The fansite Starmen.net made headlines in October 2008 when it released its own English translation patch that could be applied to a copy of the ROM image of ''Mother 3''. This monumental translation effort was spearheaded by professional translator Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin and the patch received over 100,000 downloads from the website in the first week of its release. Despite the project not being completely legal, it became one of a handful of unofficial video game localization projects that officials in the video game industry did not formally object to, but instead expressed admiration for. In the meantime, the ''Mother'' series has regularly appeared in every subsequent ''Super Smash Bros.'' game to date, including ''Mother 3'' being focused on in 2008's ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', though Itoi has announced that he has no plans to direct a fourth ''Mother'' game and reaffirmed this statement several times. In the years to come, developers large and small would create role-playing games that would draw heavy inspiration from the world, humor, and battle system of the ''Mother'' series, including the critically-acclaimed {{uvm3|Undertale}} in 2015 by [[Toby Fox]], and more recently ''{{iw|wikipedia|Omori|video game}}'' in 2020 by omocat. Although the series is seldom referenced directly by Nintendo, the rights held to it by Itoi have enabled the continued development of merchandise and other projects honoring its legacy, such as a collaborative tribute book and a rearranged version of the first game's studio album. | Unfortunately, Nintendo of America would once more decline to localize the game for Western audiences, once again apparently because of fears that its inconvenient timing at the end of the commercial lifespan of the platform it was based on would negatively affect its sales. The fansite Starmen.net made headlines in October 2008 when it released its own English translation patch that could be applied to a copy of the ROM image of ''Mother 3''. This monumental translation effort was spearheaded by professional translator Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin and the patch received over 100,000 downloads from the website in the first week of its release. Despite the project not being completely legal, it became one of a handful of unofficial video game localization projects that officials in the video game industry did not formally object to, but instead expressed admiration for. In the meantime, the ''Mother'' series has regularly appeared in every subsequent ''Super Smash Bros.'' game to date, including ''Mother 3'' being focused on in 2008's ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', though Itoi has announced that he has no plans to direct a fourth ''Mother'' game and reaffirmed this statement several times. In the years to come, developers large and small would create role-playing games that would draw heavy inspiration from the world, humor, and battle system of the ''Mother'' series, including the critically-acclaimed {{uvm3|Undertale}} in 2015 by [[Toby Fox]], and more recently ''{{iw|wikipedia|Omori|video game}}'' in 2020 by omocat. Although the series is seldom referenced directly by Nintendo, the rights held to it by Itoi have enabled the continued development of merchandise and other projects honoring its legacy, such as a collaborative tribute book and a rearranged version of the first game's studio album. | ||
While never acheiving the same mainstream success as [[Mario]] or even other RPG franchises, the ''Mother'' franchise has received a cult following that has only grown in the wake of the internet and continued representation in the form of cameos and the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series. Merchandise being made about the franchise to this day and fan projects that would go on to be successful game releases in their own right is a sign of this fan devotion, as arguably more popular franchises do not share this privilege. | |||
==In ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''== | ==In ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''== | ||
