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On June 15th, 2015, the game was released for the first time internationally to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series in North America, with the game being given the official title ''EarthBound Beginnings''. Similar to Japan, the game received positive reception, with critics praising its originality, its story, and its music. However, the game did receive criticism for its difficulty and balance issues, especially the difficulty at [[Mt. Itoi]] and the game’s high random enemy-encounter rate. | On June 15th, 2015, the game was released for the first time internationally to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series in North America, with the game being given the official title ''EarthBound Beginnings''. Similar to Japan, the game received positive reception, with critics praising its originality, its story, and its music. However, the game did receive criticism for its difficulty and balance issues, especially the difficulty at [[Mt. Itoi]] and the game’s high random enemy-encounter rate. | ||
[[File:This Game Stinks.jpg|thumb|350px|right|A 1995 advert for ''EarthBound''. This advert was part of the game's infamous "this game stinks" ad campaign, which featured plenty of barf and fart jokes regarding the game and included horrendous-smelling scratch-n'-sniff stickers and spots.]] | |||
With the success of ''Mother'', Shigesato Itoi began to work on a sequel for the Super Famicom, ''Mother 2''. However, the game endured numerous internal delays, with the game’s total development taking 5 years; at one point, the game faced the prospect of cancellation. However, the project was saved when veteran programmer Satoru Iwata joined the development team, making the ''Mother 2'' project now 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). The game was then completed and released in Japan in August 1994. It was then released in North America on June 5th, 1995. While the game was a critical and commercial success in Japan, it received poor reception in America. During the time of ''EarthBound''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s release, the RPG genre was generally unpopular in the west (this eventually changed with the release of ''{{wp|Final Fantasy VII}}''), and the game was criticized by multiple gaming sources and magazines for having simple, cartoonish graphics as opposed to the advanced graphics that were more appealing at the time in games such as ''{{wp|Killer Instinct}}'' and ''{{wp|Chrono Trigger}}''. ''EarthBound''{{'}}s unusual, expensive, off-kilter, and bizarre marketing campaign, "this game stinks", is also thought to be one of the leading causes for the game's failure in America, which was styled after the slime-based gross-out humor of the 90s primarily displayed in {{wp|Nickelodeon}} shows such as ''{{wp|The Ren & Stimpy Show}}'' and which many fans felt did not complement the unique and wacky style of the game; gaming magazine ''GamePro'' also received numerous complaints about the ad campaign and its foul-smelling scratch-n'-sniff stickers than any other ad campaign that year alone. ''EarthBound''{{'}}s poor American sales prevented the game from being released in PAL regions. | |||
However, the project was saved when veteran programmer Satoru Iwata joined the development team, making the ''Mother 2'' project now 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). The game was then completed and released in Japan in August 1994. It was then released in North America on June 5th, 1995. While the game was a critical and commercial success in Japan, it received poor reception in America. During the time of ''EarthBound''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s release, the RPG genre was generally unpopular in the west (this eventually changed with the release of ''{{wp|Final Fantasy VII}}''), and the game was criticized by multiple gaming sources and magazines for having simple, cartoonish graphics as opposed to the advanced graphics that were more appealing at the time in games such as ''{{wp|Killer Instinct}}'' and ''{{wp|Chrono Trigger}}''. ''EarthBound''{{'}}s unusual, expensive | |||
[[File:SSB Ness Artwork.png|thumb|left|180px|Ness in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' for the [[Nintendo 64]].]] | [[File:SSB Ness Artwork.png|thumb|left|180px|Ness in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' for the [[Nintendo 64]].]] | ||
[[File:Earthbound-zero-proto-1.jpeg|180px|The TK-69 cartridge that was dumped online in 1998 by Neo Demiforce. The ''EarthBound'' fan community raised $400 dollars for Neo Demiforce to temporarily own the cartridge for dumping as the cartridge was owned by an unknown buyer named Kenny Brooks, who had purchased it from film producer [[Greg Mariotti]] for $125.]] | |||
Despite this, the game began to receive recognition because of Ness, the protagonist of ''EarthBound'', receiving representation in the 1999 [[Nintendo 64]] title ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' and its successors. Because of this, the game began to receive a large following on internet fan sites such as Starmen.Net (originally EarthBound.Net) and EarthBound Central. | Despite this, the game began to receive recognition because of Ness, the protagonist of ''EarthBound'', receiving representation in the 1999 [[Nintendo 64]] title ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' and its successors. Because of this, the game began to receive a large following on internet fan sites such as Starmen.Net (originally EarthBound.Net) and EarthBound Central. In addition, a copy of the English version of ''Mother'' was found on {{wp|eBay}} and was eventually dumped online by the hacker group Neo Demiforce in 1998 (17 years before the game would be officially released by Nintendo as ''EarthBound Beginnings''), bolstering the [[''EarthBound'' fan community]] even further and simultaneously popularizing the concept of preserving unreleased video games with one of the first unreleased first-party "prototype" titles. Retrospectively, ''EarthBound'' became a massive success, with critics calling it not only one of the best RPGs of all time, but also the most original. The game received praise for its quirky humor and its many parodies of American culture. The Wii U Virtual Console release of the game was the first time the game was released in PAL regions, it was one of Nintendo's most popular downloadable games of all time. | ||
[[File:Tazmily-Square.png|thumb|200px|[[Flint]] standing in the Idobata Square in [[Tazmily Village]] from ''EarthBound 64''.]] | [[File:Tazmily-Square.png|thumb|200px|[[Flint]] standing in the Idobata Square in [[Tazmily Village]] from ''EarthBound 64''.]] | ||
After the release of ''Mother 2'', Itoi began on a sequel to the game, ''Mother 3'' (named ''[[EarthBound 64]]'' by western fans, and ''Mother 64'' by Eastern fans). The subtitle used in the Japanese game was changed several times during development, with one being ''Forest of the Chimera'' (森のキマイラ), but the most common one being ''Fall of the Pig King''. Initially developed for the Super Famicom (and its [[Super NES CD-ROM|CD-ROM add-on]] before it was cancelled), development was halfway completed before moving to the [[64DD]] disk drive add-on for the [[Nintendo 64]], where it was planned to utilize the add-on’s advanced capabilities; it was also planned to be a launch title for the add-on in {{wp|Japan}}. When the disk drive's repeated delays made its future as a viable commercial accomplishment uncertain, the development moved to the N64 console with its cartridge-based format. ''EarthBound 64'' featured 3D graphics as opposed to the 2D art style from the previous 2 games. However, the development team faced many difficulties, forcing the game to have numerous delays across the years of the N64 lifespan. One of the biggest difficulties was how Itoi and his team were inexperienced with developing 3D video games, which was eventually alleviated with outside help and the assistance of the team which worked on HAL's ''{{bp|Pokémon Stadium}}''. While development was steadily progressing along at a healthy pace, with a fully playable demo even appearing at {{wp|Space World}} 1999, further developmental progress would have meant taking away much-needed resources from Nintendo's upcoming console, the [[Nintendo GameCube]]. Additionally, the team also struggled with reducing the scope of the game to fit the Nintendo 64's hardware limitations, with Itoi considering reducing entire sections of the game’s story into a series of images and music. After more delays, the 30-60% game was officially cancelled in August 2000, with Itoi 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 3D graphics. | After the release of ''Mother 2'', Itoi began on a sequel to the game, ''Mother 3'' (named ''[[EarthBound 64]]'' by western fans, and ''Mother 64'' by Eastern fans). The subtitle used in the Japanese game was changed several times during development, with one being ''Forest of the Chimera'' (森のキマイラ), but the most common one being ''Fall of the Pig King''. Initially developed for the Super Famicom (and its [[Super NES CD-ROM|CD-ROM add-on]] before it was cancelled), development was halfway completed before moving to the [[64DD]] disk drive add-on for the [[Nintendo 64]], where it was planned to utilize the add-on’s advanced capabilities; it was also planned to be a launch title for the add-on in {{wp|Japan}}. When the disk drive's repeated delays made its future as a viable commercial accomplishment uncertain, the development moved to the N64 console with its cartridge-based format. ''EarthBound 64'' featured 3D graphics as opposed to the 2D art style from the previous 2 games. However, the development team faced many difficulties, forcing the game to have numerous delays across the years of the N64 lifespan. One of the biggest difficulties was how Itoi and his team were inexperienced with developing 3D video games, which was eventually alleviated with outside help and the assistance of the team which worked on HAL's ''{{bp|Pokémon Stadium}}''. While development was steadily progressing along at a healthy pace, with a fully playable demo even appearing at {{wp|Space World}} 1999, further developmental progress would have meant taking away much-needed resources from Nintendo's upcoming console, the [[Nintendo GameCube]]. Additionally, the team also struggled with reducing the scope of the game to fit the Nintendo 64's hardware limitations, with Itoi considering reducing entire sections of the game’s story into a series of images and music. After more delays, the 30-60% game was officially cancelled in August 2000, with Itoi 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 3D graphics. | ||
[[File:Lucas&Boney.png|200px|left|thumb|[[Lucas]] and [[Boney]] in a reformed Tazmily Village post-timeskip.]] | |||
However, after the success of the [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]], encouragement from fans eventually led to Shigesato Itoi returning to development on ''[[Mother 3]]'' for the [[Game Boy Advance]]. To promote the revival of ''Mother 3'', ''Mother'' and ''Mother 2'' were ported to the Game Boy Advance in June 2003, being the compilation cartridge ''[[Mother 1+2]]'', released only in Japan. The Mother portion featured [[Regional differences in EarthBound Beginnings|all the changes]] that were made in the then-unreleased English prototype of EarthBound Beginnings, while most of Mother 2 remained the same aside from the drop in audio quality due to hardware limitations. A commercial for the game featuring Mr. Saturn ended with the caption "''We're making '''Mother 3''' for the [[Game Boy Advance]] too. Dakota!''". On April 20th, 2006, Mother 3 was finally released in Japan on the Game Boy Advance, featuring the same story, characters, and settings as its Nintendo 64 counterpart. The Game Boy Advance version returned to the 2D pixelated art style that was used in the previous games. ''Mother 3'' received strong critical acclaim in Japan with praise to the rhythm-based RPG combat, but more so on the storyline and tragic events that were rarely seen in its predecessors. | However, after the success of the [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]], encouragement from fans eventually led to Shigesato Itoi returning to development on ''[[Mother 3]]'' for the [[Game Boy Advance]]. To promote the revival of ''Mother 3'', ''Mother'' and ''Mother 2'' were ported to the Game Boy Advance in June 2003, being the compilation cartridge ''[[Mother 1+2]]'', released only in Japan. The Mother portion featured [[Regional differences in EarthBound Beginnings|all the changes]] that were made in the then-unreleased English prototype of EarthBound Beginnings, while most of Mother 2 remained the same aside from the drop in audio quality due to hardware limitations. A commercial for the game featuring Mr. Saturn ended with the caption "''We're making '''Mother 3''' for the [[Game Boy Advance]] too. Dakota!''". On April 20th, 2006, Mother 3 was finally released in Japan on the Game Boy Advance, featuring the same story, characters, and settings as its Nintendo 64 counterpart. The Game Boy Advance version returned to the 2D pixelated art style that was used in the previous games. ''Mother 3'' received strong critical acclaim in Japan with praise to the rhythm-based RPG combat, but more so on the storyline and tragic events that were rarely seen in its predecessors. | ||
