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The term "RPG" used to mean little more than a game, based in medieval times, where you battled mythical monsters with swords and magic. This began to change in the mid-1990's when a game called EarthBound entered the arena. EarthBound seemed to have Nintendo somewhat excited due to its massive success in Japan (where EarthBound books, toys, and even commercials were popping up). Nintendo put out posters in video game stores/rental joints, ads in magazines, coupons for $10 off the purchase of the game, and other advertisements. Even the box was an advertisement in itself...instead of the typical cartridge-sized game box, Earthbound came in a massive, colorful box which held both the game and the player's guide. The player's guide was cool, especially the scratch and sniff cards at the back. If you could figure out one of the smells, you would get a free prize (which turned out to be an air freshener). Thus the advertising slogan - "This game stinks". The game surpassed the hype. Breaking the traditional mold of its RPG ancestors, EarthBound introduced (and even today continues to introduce) RPG fans to an entirely different experience. The setting is modern, and it shows in every facet of the game. No dragons, no mystical knights, no staff-wielding wizards. Just a normal, 13-year-old kid... who has a comet land in his backyard. Who is then attacked by creatures from 10 years in the future. Who realizes he has psychokinetic powers. Whose main defense against the onslaught of attacks from alien-possessed creatures and humans is a cracked bat, a lucky charm, and an old baseball cap. Just a normal kid. That's only the beginning of the game. From there things get even weirder. ATM Machines. Crooked politicians. Delivery Pizza. Baseball bats, frying pans, laser guns, and ancient ninja skills. Talking monkeys. Possessed road signs. Submarines. Time travel. Jazz concerts. Cults. Alien megalomaniacs bent on the ultimate destruction of the Earth. And one thing that every other RPG seems to lack - bathrooms. So if all this is true, why don't all your gaming friends play EarthBound? Why don't major gaming websites refer to it as one of the greatest RPGs of all time? There are a few reasons. The main one was the lack of economic success. Nintendo hoped to turn EarthBound into an American cash cow. EarthBound disappointed them with low sales. The low sales may have been due to the fact that EarthBound didn't use flashy or high-tech graphics. Instead of pouring all the resources of the cartridge and SNES into graphics, the designers focused on making a FUN game. This turned off many gamers, who were looking for little more than eye candy. Even today the simple graphics serve as a stumbling block, turning away potential gamers. Those who actually play the game understand that graphics mean nothing with gameplay and storyline as amazing and funny as EarthBound's. In lieu of mass-recognition and insane sales figures, EarthBound gained its own niche of gaming fans. Starmen.Net has evolved into a sort of online shrine for EarthBound, and a gathering place for all those who love the game, and look forward to the sequel. Maybe this gives you an idea of EarthBound, but whatever idea you've taken from this description is nothing compared to experiencing the game for yourself. Mother 2 is the Japanese version of EarthBound. In Japan, Mother and Mother 2 were both phenomenal blockbusters. Mother was almost but never officially released here, but Mother 2 did so well and RPGs had started to become more popular in North America that Nintendo decided to try releasing it. It met with some degree of success, but it has never achieved the status of more mainstream games such as the Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior series.
earthbound players guide
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