Difference between revisions of "EarthBound (series)"

[[File:Phil.png|thumb|left|330px|The localization team for ''Mother'' in 1990. The head, [[Phil Sandhop]], is in the middle, along with translator [[Saori Kumi]] on the right.]]

[[File:This Game Stinks.jpg|thumb|350px|right|A 1995 advert for ''EarthBound'', part of the "This Game Stinks" ad campaign for the game.]]

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.

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.

With ''Mother 3'' finally complete, Shigesato Itoi decided that ''Mother 3'' was the official conclusion of the series, and has stated he has no plans in creating a fourth ''Mother'' installment in the future.