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EarthBound Beginnings: Difference between revisions
I added some things to the development section of the "EarthBound Beginnings" page, including links to some outside wiki's pages.
NintenBOUND (talk | contribs) m (I altered 'beneathe' (a spelling error) to 'beneath'. I also corrected the italicization for "EARTH BOUND".) |
NintenBOUND (talk | contribs) (I added some things to the development section of the "EarthBound Beginnings" page, including links to some outside wiki's pages.) |
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== Development == | == Development == | ||
Development for the game commenced in the late 80s, after [[Shigesato Itoi]] pitched the idea of a modern-day RPG game to [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]. Beforehand, Itoi was well-known for his copywriting career in Japan, although he habitually played the Nintendo [[Famicom]] with a passion. He was not skilled at Miyamoto's [[Super Mario Bros.]], but he became an avid fan of Enix's [[Dragon Quest]] franchise. While playing the first game late at night, he pondered the changes he would make to the RPG formula if he were in charge, as RPG games at the time primarily consisted of knights and princesses in a fantasy medieval-european setting. While they were flourishing, he didn't know anything about medieval Europe, and he started to imagine an RPG game set in contemporary times. He continued developing the idea, and, later on, while he was at Nintendo for other business matters, saw the perfect opportunity to propose his ideas for the project to Shigeru Miyamoto. He stated how the modern-day setting would be unique because it conflicted with the standard RPG formula, as real life did not support magical powers and the children could not simply brandish firearms. He also enthusiastically suggested ways for how these natural limitations could be overcome to produce a distinctive and exceptional game. | Development for the game commenced in the late 80s, after [[Shigesato Itoi]] pitched the idea of a modern-day RPG game to [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]. Beforehand, Itoi was well-known for his copywriting career in Japan, although he habitually played the Nintendo [[Famicom]] with a passion. He was not skilled at Miyamoto's [[Super Mario Bros.https://www.mariowiki.com/Super_Mario_Bros.]], but he became an avid fan of Enix's [[Dragon Quest]] franchise. While playing the first game late at night, he pondered the changes he would make to the RPG formula if he were in charge, as RPG games at the time primarily consisted of knights and princesses in a fantasy medieval-european setting. While they were flourishing in Japan, he didn't know anything about medieval Europe, and he started to imagine an RPG game set in contemporary times as he found a modern-day setting more investing and interesting. He continued developing the idea, and, later on, while he was at Nintendo for other business matters, saw the perfect opportunity to propose his ideas for the project to Shigeru Miyamoto. He stated how the modern-day setting would be unique because it conflicted with the standard RPG formula, as real life did not support magical powers and the children could not simply brandish firearms. He also enthusiastically suggested ways for how these natural limitations could be overcome to produce a distinctive and exceptional game. | ||
Miyamoto's reception was lukewarm at best; while he praised Itoi's ideas, he calmly and gently told Itoi that his project proposal was in no way an indication that he could actually pull it off. Itoi's work in the advertising industry had not prepared him for the game development of the game industry; while he was used to fleshing out concepts and ideas and executing them with a team, even if they didn't quite achieve their original vision, the development of a video game was significantly different: the plan to create something, no matter how impressive it was, was meaningless unless it could actually be achieved. Itoi would have to be an active participant in the development of the game, something that he had no experience with. The proposal stage of the project wasn't the part that impressed everyone, like he had originally thought: he was no different from anyone else who presented their ideas to other game companies (aside from his fame). Miyamoto then reluctantly asked: "I know it's a lot of work, but...how about starting over from the beginning and making it simpler?" | Miyamoto's reception was lukewarm at best; while he praised Itoi's ideas, he calmly and gently told Itoi that his project proposal was in no way an indication that he could actually pull it off. Itoi's work in the advertising industry had not prepared him for the game development of the game industry; while he was used to fleshing out concepts and ideas and executing them with a team, even if they didn't quite achieve their original vision, the development of a video game was significantly different: the plan to create something, no matter how impressive it was, was meaningless unless it could actually be achieved. Itoi would have to be an active participant in the development of the game, something that he had no experience with. The proposal stage of the project wasn't the part that impressed everyone, like he had originally thought: he was no different from anyone else who presented their ideas to other game companies (aside from his fame). Miyamoto then reluctantly asked: "I know it's a lot of work, but...how about starting over from the beginning and making it simpler?" | ||
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The development for ''Mother'' began in the city of Ichikawa in the western Chiba Prefecture. In order to participate in development, Itoi had to take daily commutes from Tokyo to Ichikawa, which was exhausting for him. But at the same time, as he stated in an interview, he "wanted it more and more." Itoi also showed his dedication to the project by writing the entirety of the game's script. Earlier, Itoi had mentioned that he fevored work atmospheres that felt like an extracurricular club consisting of volunteers who worked out of an apartment, which Miyamoto tried to accommodate for the project. Miyamoto himself also received criticism from some to consenting towards a celebrity and hiring a copywriter (Itoi) who might not have been up for the task. Later on, Miyamoto stated that his decision to move forward with the project was based on his confidence in Itoi. | The development for ''Mother'' began in the city of Ichikawa in the western Chiba Prefecture. In order to participate in development, Itoi had to take daily commutes from Tokyo to Ichikawa, which was exhausting for him. But at the same time, as he stated in an interview, he "wanted it more and more." Itoi also showed his dedication to the project by writing the entirety of the game's script. Earlier, Itoi had mentioned that he fevored work atmospheres that felt like an extracurricular club consisting of volunteers who worked out of an apartment, which Miyamoto tried to accommodate for the project. Miyamoto himself also received criticism from some to consenting towards a celebrity and hiring a copywriter (Itoi) who might not have been up for the task. Later on, Miyamoto stated that his decision to move forward with the project was based on his confidence in Itoi. | ||
During development, Itoi drew upon the Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey | During development, Itoi drew upon multiple sources for inspiration, including the iconic Stanley Kubrick film [[2001: A Space Odyssey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001:_A_Space_Odyssey_(film)]], which can be seen with ''Mother'''s extraterrestrial themes and the importance of monkeys within the game's plot. To provide a fantastical element in the game, the city of Magicant was created, in which its ruler is critical to the story's progression. One inspiration led to another when forming ''Mother'', which Itoi himself calls a "blending of genres". This principle applied to the music as well, The president of Nintendo of Japan at the time, Hiroshi Yamauchi, was impressed by Itoi's work on ''Mother'' and proposed the idea of a new company meant to support new talent within the video game industry. Itoi then formed the company Ape Inc. on March 1987 with him serving as chief executive producer, which then joined the ''Mother'' development team towards the end of the game's development. In coming up with the name for the project, the word "mothership" provided the primary influence for Itoi, but the title held other meanings as well, such as the John Lennon song "Mother" and the game's "motherly" feel compared to other RPGs at the time. While the development was painful for a multitude of reasons (It was littered with detailed limitations due to the RPG's contemporary setting, which the team had to overcome), Itoi felt that by the end of the game's development, it had turned out to be something "really interesting." | ||
== Release == | == Release == | ||