Mother (video game series)

Mother is a role-playing game series created by Shigesato Itoi for Nintendo. The series started in 1989 with Mother for the Famicom, and was then followed up by a sequel, EarthBound for the Super NES, and followed up again much later with the Japan only release of Mother 3 for the Game Boy Advance in 2006.

Like the Final Fantasy series, the Mother games are not a sequential series, but rather three "stand alone" games that feature some common characters, themes, and settings. All three games are tied together with the final bosses.

Although most RPGs depict knights and wizards in pseudo-medieval settings, the Mother series takes place in more modern present-day Western settings told from a Japanese perspective. Mother is set in suburban America in 1988, while EarthBound is set in 199X in Eagleland (an allusion to the United States) and Mother 3 is set on Nowhere Island (with some Western overtones). Enemies consist of everything from aliens, to possessed guitars, to evil hippies. Instead of swords and shields, weapons consist of household items, from Yo-yos to frying pans. The series became extremely popular in Japan, and merchandise for the game was produced, including shirts, handbooks, and even a fully-orchestrated and performed soundtrack. No Mother game, other than EarthBound, has been released outside of Japan.

Games

Mother

Main article: Mother (video game)

Mother tells the story of a young boy who has to journey around the world to save the planet from an evil race of mind-controlling aliens. Along the way he is joined by several friends, and meets many unusual characters and visits strange settings before ultimately confronting the leader of the aliens. The game was a smash hit in Japan, and gamers appreciated its unorthodox and refreshing take on the often formulaic RPG genre.

Nintendo of America planned to translate and release the first Mother game in the United States under the title Earth Bound. Although the game's localization and translation was finished a year earlier, the game was ultimately deemed unprofitable for a Fall 1991 US release, and the planned release was canceled after the game had already been translated and all packaging and advertising was ready.[1]

It was confirmed by former Nintendo employee Phil Sandhop, that Nintendo refused to release Earth Bound in the U.S. because the Super Nintendo had already been released in the country and it thought that very few customers would notice a new NES game because a large number of gamers had already shelved their NES consoles for their new Super NES consoles.[2] Furthermore, the cost of releasing the game with the thick manual and hint book planned would have not been economical.

Some of Sandhop's changes in Mother appear in Mother 2, such as the matix of the command box, the "Help!" command, and Jeff's "Spy" command. All of these features were original ideas of improvement in Mother by Sandhop. The reason for these changes appearing in Mother 1 + 2 and Earthbound, according to Sandhop, is that "with games produced by NCL, the development teams continue to work and tweak their projects that they know will be localized and produced in other territories. Often they will address their own desires that were not completed due to time constraints or not completed to their satisfaction and they will also address issues raised by Japanese consumers as that release hits the street."[3]

In 1998, one of the auctioned beta cartridges of the game was made into a ROM and circulated for download on the Internet. To avoid confusion, the game was dubbed EarthBound Zero by fan translation group Neo Demiforce, as Nintendo had since released the SNES sequel to Mother (Mother 2: Gyiyg Strikes Back!) in the United States under the title EarthBound. This copy was shipped over to a relative of one of the members in Neo Demiforce. Soon after, fans of the series and other video game enthusiasts, at first, debated as to the origin of the original development cartridge.

Today, it is generally agreed that the cartridge is legitimate, as Mother 1 + 2 contains most of the changes found in the NES cartridge.

EarthBound

Main article: EarthBound

EarthBound (known as Mother 2 in Japan) is a distant sequel to the original Mother, with many characters, themes, and tunes borrowed from its predecessor. Many of the characters and settings are very similar, but the only explicitly returning character is Giygas, who swears revenge at the end of the first game (evidenced by Mother 2's Japanese subtitle: Gyiyg Strikes Back!).

Though Mother never saw the American marketplace, its sequel for the Super Famicom/SNES, Mother 2, did. It went by the name of EarthBound in the US and starred a young psychic boy by the name of Ness. It too was extremely phenomenal in Japan, but it did not sell as well in the US, as RPGs were generally unpopular with the American market at the time, and this game was released just as strong RPG titles such as Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger appeared, whose graphics and sound made EarthBound's look dated. However, the game has since developed one of the strongest cult followings for video games in North America, a community which is still thriving even today.

Mother 3

Main article: Mother 3

File:Mother3 01.gif

Lucas and Boney walking around town.

Mother 3 is the third long-awaited (and according to Shigesato Itoi, final) game in the Mother series. Beforehand the game was in development for Nintendo 64, but the project was cancelled due to the release date being near the end of the system's life span (and possibly with issues with the 3D engine and other production problems) The project picked up again for the Game Boy Advance (which was announced on a commercial for Mother 1 + 2). The game was finally released on April 20, 2006, and retained the traditional EarthBound artstyle and the general story and characters that were introduced in the cancelled N64 version. Unlike the first two games, the story focuses on a boy named Lucas and his family on Nowhere Island. Their home is invaded and the peace is disrupted by the mysterious "Pig Mask Army" who dramatically changes Nowhere Island by introducing technology and infrastructure and performing bizarre experiments on the flora and fauna in their takeover. The game chronicles the trials and tribulations of Lucas and his family and friends as they fight against the Pig Mask Army threat.

Currently, the game is only available in Japan, although many EarthBound fans are hoping for a U.S. release. There were rumors from the United Kingdom's Official Nintendo Magazine of a possible European release, although nothing is confirmed yet.

Other games

File:MotherBrawl.jpg

Ness and Lucas together in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

A compilation for the Game Boy Advance, called Mother 1 + 2, was released in Japan Q3, 2003. The game was meant to promote the upcoming Mother 3 (also for Game Boy Advance) as the rebirth of the franchise. Mother 3 had been in development for the Nintendo 64, but it was cancelled due to production problems. The game's story had already been developed, along with the main characters, but at one point, the game's creator reported in a series of interviews that he had written a new script. However, it seems that the original N64 storyline in Mother 3 has remained intact.

Mother 1 + 2 and perhaps Mother 3 are not expected to be released in North America. However, the UK Official Nintendo Magazine magazine suggested that Mother 3 may hit Europe on late 2006. As of 2008, however, Mother 1 + 2 has yet to travel out of Japan.

There are also rumors, according to Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine, of a compilation of the three Mother games for the Nintendo DS, but nothing has been confirmed.[4]

Ness, the main character from Mother 2 is a playable character in all three installments of Super Smash Bros.. In both Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he is an unlockable character by default. Super Smash Bros. Melee features the Mother 2 locations Onett and Fourside arenas to battle in, as well as a Mr. Saturn item from EarthBound. In Brawl, Ness is joined by the Mother 3 character Lucas (readily available at the start), and the EarthBound item representation has been expanded to include the new Franklin Badge (whose appearance is based on the promotional giveaway replica for Mother and Mother 3). With the introduction of Assist Trophies in Brawl, Jeff from EarthBound is one of the many characters that briefly appear on the battlegrounds in the game. A stage set in New Pork City, from Mother 3, and the return of Melee's Onett stage have been confirmed for Brawl as well.[5][6] The story suggests that Ness and Lucas were summoned to the Smash Bros. world after the events of their respective games and teamed up to fight against their mutual enemy Pokey Minch, made youthful again by the Subspace Army. Ness is turned into a trophy by Wario, a member of the Subspace Army, but Lucas survives. Ness was later revived to fight the Subspace Army leader with Lucas and the other fighters in Super Smash Bros. Canon-wise, the two probably still reside in the Smash Bros. world.

Other releases

There were also EarthBound strategy guides, manga comics, apparel and the Mother 2 Soundtrack.

Notable characters

The first two games feature four main characters who are largely the counterparts of the other:

• Ninten & Ness - The main protagonist in both games is a boy in a red cap who rarely speaks (aside from replies such as "Yes" and No"). He is gifted with psychic powers with multiple uses. His main weapon is usually a bat.
• Ana / Paula - Both games likewise feature a female character in a pink dress who is also a skilled psychic. Her main weapon is usually a frying pan.
• Lloyd / Jeff - The main character is later joined by a smart boy with glasses who is very skilled at building inventions, but lacks psychic abilities. His main weapon is usually some type of self-invented gun.
• Teddy / Poo - The last party member in both games is a skilled fighter. In Mother he is a street gang leader with no psychic powers, while in Mother 2 he is an Asian martial arts master and psychic.

External links

US Major site

• Starmen.Net

Japanese major site

• Mother capture
• Mother Party

Japanese official links

• Official Mother website
• Official Mother 2 website
• Official Mother 1 + 2 website
• Official Mother 3 page
• Itoi's Mother 3 website