16-Bit Gems - #10: EarthBound - A History [3/3]

[@switch1e]

This video is so nostalgic to me. I remember watching it like ten years ago. It probably is what finally got me to play the series.

[@starbeam6521]

yea thats the same for me as well. i think i was nine at the time when i first watched these series of videos, and my mind was blown away. if it wasnt for roo, ssff and chuggaaconroy, i dont think my interest in video games would be here today, especially when it comes to the mother series.

[@grahf4215]

Speaking from first hand experience, another reason for this game not selling well is that retailers didn't actually let anyone buy the game. I only remember this vaguely as I have a somewhat bad memory for no reaso but I was at my grandmother's house for my twelfth birthday and my father took me to some place (I think Sears although it could've been the Big Apple or the Staten Island Mall) that had a video game section and told me to pick something out. I had remembered the ads for Earthbound from wherever and so that's what I picked. Except that the clerk told me that they didn't have any in stock and that they never had any in stock. Yet the box was in my hands and I was telling him that it was right here. He kept arguing with me that it was just one of the oversized display boxes. Soon my father, brother and uncle were all yelling at me to pick something else as well. As you can imagine, I was so frustrated and that's what I remember most about what happened. That all of these people were not listening to me when I kept telling them that what I was holding was the game and that if they just opened the fucking box they'd see for themselves. That somehow I was a complete idiot because I was twelve and they were all adults so they knew more than me. I don't know how long the arguing went for but it felt like an hour although it was probably about five to ten minutes. Finally one of them opened the box to see that I was right the entire fucking time and that there was in fact a game in the box. So I while I did get the game, I never met another person who ever owned one. We moved around many times and nobody I ever knew had it. They all had or played other RPGs and like me, that was all they played for the most part but I seemed to be the only one who ever had that game. That could be a result of the strange marketing or the price of the game but it could also be that many copies were just thought to have been oversized display boxes due to the game coming with the full sized strategy guide. Fuck, I'm frustrated just remembering that whole debacle. If the me then was like the me now, I would've thrown the fucking box at someone's head to get them to listen because they were all being too fucking belligerent to listen to a kid. Hell, I probably should've just taken the box since the asshole employee thought it was empty anyway.

[@Maniac536]

There’s a life lesson in there that I think the general public isn’t taught enough. Age doesn’t mean you’re smart. I was smarter than both my parents since I was 9...

[@towermoss]

i remember renting Earthbound from Blockbuster Video over and over until I completed it. Sometimes I got it just to read the included guide again. It was a golden age...

[@baserocks1]

thats how i bout it

[@facerip356]

That's what I did too. Summer of 1995. I even remember fighting with my Mom to let me keep it day after day because I wanted to beat it. And we were getting charged late fees for every extra day I kept it. I saw so many advertisements for EarthBound but really didn't know anything about it. I can still remember the experience of playing that game. It was like nothing else.

[@austenlangford]

I find myself keep coming back to your videos over and over again even though they are old..... you are great at reviewing a games history keep it up

[@anonymous0s0egion]

The fact that NOA never interfered with the translation project of mother 3 makes me immensely happy. It shows that they hold a respect for the fans of that particular franchise, yet still hold their stance that releasing it wouldn't have made business sense. Plus I got a free game out of it all, although I did purchase a copy of the japanese version to show my support and have never owned a GBA. This series of videos was an amazing and insightful watch, thank you. Subbed by the way.

[@GamerSketch]

12 years later and were still waiting for Mother 4 / Oddity. I don’t know how much longer I can contain my hype

[@JohnyTheWizKid]

If that game were to be on any physical format, what console would it be on?

[@jojutlamoon]

wow! your knowledge of the history of these games is encyclopedic. i've been a fan of this series for 15 years, and you just made my week.

[@JPLC]

Excellent video series. As a long time Earthbound fan, it's nice to see that word is still being spread about the game. Keep up the great work.

[@edgarchpa]

That friggin'! "I Miss You..." at 8:05 always makes crack a little tear

[@sexycavetroll2788]

I love these videos. miss having roo around on youtube. hope everyone is doing well

[@crazy1111111111]

very well said...this series is truly a hidden gem. the journey us fans had to take inorder to achive the ability to play mother and mother 3 was long, but in the end we where able to get what we deserve

[@oonemesisoo1337]

this whole 3 part series dropped a nostalgia bomb on me and warmed my heart... im glad to see others got the same feeling from the game as me and my brothers.

[@birjman]

It's great to have a concise and entertaining source of Mother history for people new to the series. I thought the articulation was top notch and everything was very cohesive. Also, nice touch adding in Jared(BlkhtRaven)'s 3D Mother title Screen. He's got new stuff coming down the pipeline.

[@ClanOfTheGrayWolf]

Thanks, blkhatRaven. And in case you couldn't tell, I really loved the redone Mother intro that you made recently. Amazing work.

[@Gorlokk666]

Man, I remember in 2010 when I was going to buy a copy of EB for around $90 and thinking "Nah, that's just too much, it will go down eventually." And now it goes $200+, even with the virtual console release. Guess the only way I'll get this game is if I find it hidden in a pile of stuff at a flea market or something lol.

[@cupofjoe2251]

Gorlokk i got a full box copy taunting me and im dirt poor with kids.

[@vdogaymer]

I loved the original and knew about the heartache of the other games never being released. To add insult to injury was the Smash Bros, teasing us with characters never released here in the U.S. I appreciate how thorough you are with your documentaries. TY

[@GOREFESTS]

I'm just so glad Ness and Lucas was included in Brawl, it really helped let people know about the games. But seriously this video was amazing, big thanks from a Mother fan in Mexico!

[@SkyTowerKurogane]

Amazing how a exposition heavy video such as tis can be so entretaining to watch.Congrats.

[@chalie091892]

Wow. This may be the greatest game review I've ever seen. Great work.

[@RPGtourguide]

1:38 I imagine the dialogue bubbles are the exact word-for-word conversation about Mother 3's development. :P

[@SeekoGT]

This was amazing. So much information I never knew about my most favorite game of all time. Thank you very much for this.

[@Krains123_]

I feel so sad hearing the history of this... I literally shed a tear. Knowing that there are so many fans who got screwed over, but they still stand strong. Its inspiring.

[@AmrasFelagund]

Nevermind. I just saw in the credits. Good job, and many thanks, for such an awesome Retrospective!

[@tukkek]

Can you please upload a single-segment version of this episode? I'd love to favorite and share it.

[@Feelin_DanDy]

The credits music made me shed tears!! I love Mother sooo much...WAAAaaaaaa *sob sob*

[@Myrope]

Man, I remember when I first found that song used at the end... Hearing it at the end of this review made me feel just so... satisfied!

[@ClanOfTheGrayWolf]

@Perroramirez Actually, it's taken from the song "Smiles and Tears" at the end of Mother 2 / EarthBound. You should be able to find a wav of it somewhere using the Google.

[@bigglewings]

Mother 4 is looking nice. I like the touch where the level up songs for the characters harmonize with each other.

[@JohnyTheWizKid]

And it would be dubbed in the West as Earthbound 3, yes?

[@Lifesuit]

Thank you for these videos. I'm crying a little.

[@EarthToJapan]

Watched the whole thing; it was informative and funny to watch. Thanks for this.

[@Geothro]

Dude, amazing job! this video is about 100,000 views shy of what it deserves.

[@GreenPrinceRukio]

This is really my fav RPG of all time plus the songs are amazing

[@UuOwOuU]

i remember seeing all the adds in nintendo power about earthbound and it got me pumped. it was the first RPG i got into. little did i know that the genre would become my favorite. i bought earthbound in like 1992? and it's still one of my favorite games.

[@anton1990]

09:58, okay, that is seriously the best version I've ever heard of Pollyanna, WHERE DO I FIND IT??!

[@Saskidan]

Thanks for this man, really enjoyed your presentation of the history of eb.

[@battlinjoe2592]

The fact that Earthbound is finally comin' to the US again puts a smile on my face.

[@DarkHari]

I'm so glad I'm fortunate enough to own a copy of Earthbound AND Earthbound Zero. I fell in love with the Mother series. Favorite Series of all time...

[@ClanOfTheGrayWolf]

I have to admit, I was a bit surprised at the Magypsies when I first played Mother 3, but I really don't see why NoA should have much of a problem with them nowadays (if they can put out stuff like GTA: Chinatown Wars, RE4, and Conker's Bad Fur Day)

[@TheOnlyRounder]

I got EarthBound a few days ago well for christmas and im happy I like how your EarthBound is in mint condition and you have the guide

[@marcdaniel0321]

Stellar job man. Excellent work!

[@mirrorpiece]

mother 3 had the most original ending of all time.. and marked the ending of one of the best trilogies ever. Thats what makes the earthbound franchise so great. They are so different from all other games. Even though myself being part of the fan base, its still touching to see how many peoples lives got changed by these games. I am european myself, but very proud owner of a Earthbound cartridge, and soon owner of a complete mother 1 + 2, and mother 3.

[@Pendy555]

For many years I felt the same kind of pain when it came to Dragon Quest. I still do to a certain extent when it comes to certain side games/re-makes. Keep up the good fight!

[@Hendrix1326]

I don't care how much I have to cough up, when I have the extra cash, I will be buying another EarthBound cart for myself in the future. Simply awesome game, transcendent!

[@Reacted1991]

where i could i find the credit song i want to add to my mother playlist

[@ClanOfTheGrayWolf]

@Maniac536 I certainly wouldn't mind anyone linking to this video. Thanks very much for the offer. Anything that can be done to spread the word of EarthBound is ok in my book!

[@DemitriosX]

I've been enjoying your videos years after you've retired from making them. Thank you so much all the work, it really was something to experience. I have a favor to ask: could you tell me who sang the version of Pollyanna at the end of this video?

[@KlingonCaptain]

Wellll, now that EarthBound is on the 3DS Virtual Console (bought it yesterday) are you going to do a new video?

[@ImmacHn]

This video made me cry >.> I have been watching this 16 bit gems one after another and had a breakdwon after this one.

[@AlexChama]

Wow... that story was touching. I'm happy to have found you via vsauce, saw you had some retro gaming videos, got hooked up to this game though within half an hour, never having heard of it before (always pondering who the f*** this Nes is in the Smash games... :,D) Thank you so much, I guess I just fell in love with the game and the community. I'll grab any ROM I can get and try to buy any version's game that's reasonably priced. As a side note: Thank you eBay for making such purchases easier!

[@ivanorozco9673]

and the remixed music that jake kauffman arrange is incredible jake's arrangment of the moon theme is fantastic ^_^

[@Corshba]

It's sad that Nintendo hasn't had any plans for the Mother series, but at least recently, Itoi tweeted that he's working on expanding the Mother series but stated that it's not Mother 4. He just wants to "make Mother playable." I'm praying each night for a trilogy release on Wii U and/or 3DS!

[@TolaMacarino]

Where'd you get that a capella version of "Naming Friends?" It starts at around 1:22 Thanks!

[@GrandChiefSmackaho]

So who sings the version of Pollyanna that starts at 10:00? It's really fantastic.

[@DarkSimonX]

Your best video game review so far and i really enjoyed earthbound it was very different.

[@millieman76]

I've played all 3 Mother titles. Each was a great game. Earthbound 2 was a bit of a surprise with Gyigas and the lost cave. But Mother 3 for me, hands down, was the best RPG I have played in my entire life. No other game now or to come will ever change that

[@ClanOfTheGrayWolf]

It's a 3D rendering of the Mother intro by blkhatRaven. You can find it on KZbin by searching for "mother 3d intro".

[@Xineal]

Part of me wishes I had been exposed to EB a long time ago so I could be part of some of those incredible petitions. I feel so grateful now that I am able to play the Mother series freely thanks to this awesome fanbase.

[@JohnEveryfan]

There is a Mother 4! There is a temporary website for it at the moment but in 9 days on 13/8/13 the official website, were you find "big updates" to the project and eventually download the game itself, WILL LAUNCH. It is the very fan made game mentioned in this video.

[@pjcreations]

Thanks for making this! It was really well made! I wonder what ever happened to Ben Landis? He was a good piano player...

[@abloogywoogywoo]

An excellent history series. The only thing I wished you had gone into a little more detail was the aftermath, you give Ness featuring as a character in Brawl which was great, but specifically you could have also given a mention to Ape becoming Gamefreak, and thereby creating the Pokemon Mew/Mewtwo as a throwback to their antagonist Giegue/Gyiyg from Mother 1 & 2. Not to mention the subtitles "Giygas strikes back" and the Pk movie "Mewtwo strikes back" means Nintendo does acknowledge Mother. :D

[@Ardhamon5000]

Aaaannd Mother 4 is being rebranded.... such a shame..

[@RPGtourguide]

Ardhamon5000 Definitely a shame, but I’d rather they go this route than have the project be shut down entirely.

[@MacDaddyNook]

Great job, I learned so much. I think the ending worked very well. God, I swear I always get misty-eyed when I hear Pollyana. XD

[@KryztalKitsu]

This was an excellent review! I really want to play it now! XD Super Smash Bros. is the first time I've heard of Ness and I remember thinking, "Who on Earth is that guy??" Ever since then I've wanted to play his game and wondered why I had never heard of it before, but now I know why. Thank you for your insight. ^_^

[@ClanOfTheGrayWolf]

@TolaMacarino It's called "Fun Naming", by Katon on the Rock Candy 5 Album from Starmen *dot* Net. You can find the titles to all the music I used in the credits, by the way.

[@srnefe]

1:22 I love the acapella for this song, where can i find it?

[@frogmaster82]

We are getting it over here too. They brought it up in a Nintendo Direct last month and I nearly shat myself.

[@UnboxedtvNet]

This is the video that sold me on you guys, Earthbound saw even less love her in Australia as we didnt even get that game, or Chrono Trigger or Super Mario RPG. I dont know why but Aussie seemed to have a hatred for RPGs in the 90's

[@alonsoquijano6749]

Where do I get the music of Pollyanna at the end of the video? Please tell me.

[@dragosandrey31]

plz SOMEONE REPLY!! THE IMAGES AT 06:31 LOOK GREAT SO COULD SOMEONE TELL ME WHERE TO FIND THEM?

[@MPThreeee]

Hey Roo, I have a question. I live in europe, and earthbound was never released here. Should i get a ntsc to pal converter for my italian snes or just go with the emulator and live with the guilt...?

[@ivanorozco9673]

that song you heard at the end is a fan remixed version of the mother 1 song pollyyanna which the name of the fan remix is called home again you can find this song on youtube by typing earthbound home again ocremix on the youtube search bar i hope that awnsers your question

[@Videogamer80]

Hell I wanst even alive for earthbound and this touches my heart

[@eperger]

@overseer06 they said its up to the company that capcom is using to localizes it and if they dont well lets say NOA is going to need a presidient who will localize both also 1 other thing how many people cried at the end of mother 3 i sure did

[@wesleyhall1318]

Supposedly, that Mother 4 project will finally be released this December. But there's not been much word from the team in months, so who knows if that's true or not.

[@zacotb]

Wesley Hall 10 months later, still nothing.

[@ivanorozco9673]

the name of that acapella song is called fun naming which is part of the fan-made earthbound album called rock candy just type rock candy 5 katon fun naming on the youtube search bar to find that song i hope that awnsers your question

[@SuperEvilduck]

what is the song called you used in the credits i searched evey thing you put under music in your credits but i did not found the song i hoped for :(

[@CriticalFlaw]

4:17 Perfectly explains why Nintendo re-released Earthbound on the WII U, given how much it's under performing compared to the WII

[@scottmonahan8705]

Thanks and good job ive always wondered the story behind Earthbound and y we never got Earthbound 64. I remember playing for hours on my snes as a kid and wanting more lol.

[@Synicade]

At 9:57 he states "I'll see you in the next part of this video" This video has ben rumored for years, with no word from ClanOfTheGrayWolf. Fans have speculated for ages what this next "video" would have been.

[@zackschilling4376]

I remember FF2 and chrono Triggeer being 69.99 at toys r us and Earthbound being more like 90 dollars. It always interested me but I never bought it cuz of the price. Since then I ve enjoyed it and ur vids . Roo keep up the good work

[@RPGtourguide]

“No way Nintendo could ignore their fans in the west when it comes to (Mother 3), right?” All the years later, still getting ignored. 😔

[@zacotb]

Mother 1 has been released as Earthbound Beginnings. Let's hope this trend continues and Mother 3 is also released.

[@Goolian761]

***** Looking at best belling titles on the eshop last week, I saw EB Beginnings/Mother 1 as the top selling game on the Eshop, not top selling VC game. Overall Top selling of all games (Beating Splatoon of all things). This HAS to send a message to Nintendo that there is a LARGE following of Earthbound now and from a business standpoint, releasing Mother 3 would be very beneficial despite the amount of effort to translate the game for a western audience. I believe we're getting Mother 3 in some form or another in the West in the near future.

[@zacotb]

Goolian Well, most of Splatoon's sales have been retail. EB beginnings isn't anywhere near the number of Splatoon sales.

[@Goolian761]

YoungOTBWY Ah, I forgot about retail purchases, my bad.

[@zacotb]

Goolian It's cool. Either way, EB beginnings is selling really well. Let's hope Nintendo gets the clue and releases Mother 3.

[@HAMMlicius]

6:38 epic rhyming for poo, matches what happens when you first play as him petty much exactly

[@HANKSPOOP]

yeah i wrote that long before the announcement. i was actually COMPLETELY unaware of the new scratch n sniff cards! do you know where i can get some?

[@TheScorpion0081]

I can definitely see where you are coming from, and I already know that the story isn't going to warm up to everyone. That said, just because you don't like the series, doesn't mean that the game isn't going to sell. There is a substantially large fan base for the game in the US, and most playthroughs of the game here have become very popular. You aren't apart of that base and that is fine. But don't doubt the game or insult its fanbase. Let's see what happens first then decide.

[@doger235]

Secrets of Evermore is also an rpg with a similar feel as Earthbound.

[@TELMEman]

@ClanOfTheGrayWolf Actually, the Happy Video Game Nerd gave a pretty legit reason. The year Mother 3 was released was 2006, a full two years after the DS was released. Also, since Mother 3 was a text heavy RPG, it would have taken them till 2007 to release it. This in mind, were you focusing on the new games on the GBA at the time? I know I wasn't.

[@SlobbyMcSlob]

Great documentary. I really hope someday Mother 3 gets to America, even if they have to remake it for DS. The Magypsies (blamed for a lack of release) really aren't that bad.

[@kubikill]

2:33 Cutomer Service?

[@mikigirl18]

Boy is Mother 3 heart wrenching. Without spoiling anything, it's simply a phenomenal story.

[@wyatt8740]

@ComputerLunarVidGamR I didnt see it (the playthrough). I just finished playing MOTHER 3 a few weeks ago.

[@djpu153]

mother 4 is coming in just 1 year yeah!

[@skarmachild]

YEAH DUDE FUCK YEAHH

[@JordanMcLeodCavaradossi]

whats that song called in the end i love it what's it called

[@jgcooper]

"mantain business momentum for the wii or the ds" is that so hard for them to accomplish by for example mother 1/2/3 remake for wiiware? or localized virtual console release? even for the ds. it just seems to make perfect sense.. idk

[@mmagee1964]

Does anyone know who does those pictures at 6:30 ? I'd like to know who does them and I can't see the words well on video.

[@ryan489]

I'm relatively new to the Mother series. Of course I heard about Earthbound when it came out and how good and cool it was. For one I didn't own a SNES and 2 I had no idea where they even sold games at the time. I got the EB rom years later and it just sat there until I finally decided to buckle down and actually finish it. I loved it and I loved Mother 3 which I finished this week. It's really too bad that NOA has had a dismissive attitude toward the series it's great and now I know why.

[@Donez02]

What song is that on 7:31 its beautiful

[@Jordan3DS]

That Mother 4 game is coming out this year, and ironically enough I just found out about it today :D

[@pixelatednoose3999]

aaaaaand its gone

[@Videogamer80]

Someone please give me a working link to the mother 4 website. I can't find it

[@lostone13]

I have been playing earthbound for a while I just beat again last week why oh why can they not make more games like this.... Greatest epic game EVER!!!!!

[@shinyespeon2926]

Well, now all the Mother Fans can give to the cause for NOA to translate M3! EarthBound is out on Wii U!

[@GiordanDiodato]

Yeah, Mother 3 on 3DS VC.

[@shinyespeon2926]

Why The *Hell* Not?