January 26th, 2012 | EarthBound, Videos | 24 Comments

pirohiko has been constantly trying to improve the TAS record for EarthBound – this time we see the game being completed in 9 minutes and 1 second!

I kinda want to see someone try this on a real console – it’d require an absolute ton of luck but I think it’d be awesome to see some crazy kid with a Power Glove on (or maybe someone wearing the MOTHER 2 jacket) pull off this stuff like it’s nothing

January 25th, 2012 | EarthBound, Images | 9 Comments

doctormoo on Reddit posted this cool custom EarthBound blanket a while back:

Having the main characters is cool, but somehow those rows of Mr. Saturn makes it even better. I think it’d be nice to play EarthBound on a really cold day while wrapped in this for warmth

January 24th, 2012 | Auctions, EarthBound | 37 Comments

Remember that brand new copy of EarthBound that was on eBay the other day? Well, it sold last night for $4700

I think this is the most a copy of EarthBound has ever gone for – just a few years ago we were amazed when a new copy sold for $1000, but now that almost seems… cheap. I checked, and $4700 means that you could either buy EarthBound or a retirement home:

There’s a good side to this, though – now that word about this has gotten out, you can expect many people hoarding new copies of EarthBound to put them up for auction. In fact, here’s an unused copy for sale already:

I always feel kind of bad for the initial buyer when this sort of thing happens – something sells for real high, then a bunch of others show up immediately afterward. The good thing is that if you’re looking for a new copy of EarthBound but don’t want to spend $4700, this is probably the perfect chance. Use the tips and info here to try to get the best deal too!

January 23rd, 2012 | EarthBound, Hacking, Images | 13 Comments

Good ol’ H.S has done it again with some awesome map hacking for the EarthBound Zero remake hack. This time H.S tackled the swamp part of the world, which you can see here:

If you’ve never played the original game or if you don’t remember it clearly, the original swamp area is here for reference:

This is one of those most grueling parts of the game, and it looks like it’ll still be pretty tough in the remake too. What’s even more impressive is that completely new map elements had to be hacked in for this – although the Deep Darkness stuff is swampy, it doesn’t have all the stuff the EarthBound Zero swamp had. So good job there, H.S!

For details and such about design decisions for this map, see here.

It’s still going to be a long, long time until this remake ever nears completion, but I love seeing it slowly coming together like this

January 22nd, 2012 | Auctions, Itoi | 7 Comments

There are a couple neato items EarthBound/MOTHER-related on eBay today – even if you’re not a collector you might find it interesting!

Japanese Signboard, signed by Shigesato Itoi

pk_stan is selling this Japanese “shikishi” signboard, signed by Itoi in 1985. It’s addressed to someone named Tomoyuki, or perhaps it’s the name of the thing in the picture, I’m not really sure.

Official Shigesato Itoi Bass Fishing Tournament Poster

An item I’m selling is this unused, like-new poster (I’d call it a flier or handbill, but I’m pretty sure they were meant to be displayed in stores) promoting a Nintendo-sanctioned, Famitsu-organized tournament for Shigesato Itoi’s No. 1 Bass Fishing (the N64 one).

MOTHER 1+2 In-Store Poster

I’ve had this up for a while now but I decided I’ll just auction it off to whoever wants it, so if you’re in the mood for a nice MOTHER series poster, here you go! I think I picked this up in 2005 when I went on a crazy Japanese auction buying binge. It’s been on my wall ever since, but now that I’ve seen it every day for the past seven years, I think I’m ready to pass it on

While I’m at it, here are some other things of mine I’ve had up for a little while now:

• Mr. Saturn + Master Belch plush set
• Super DX Mr. Saturn PVC Figure

And although not 100% EarthBound-related, Nintendo fans might get a kick out of this Nintendo game from 1970 I’m selling:

Just think, this predates EarthBound by 25 years

Anyway, if you find any cool stuff on eBay or if you’re selling any EarthBound stuff of interest, let me know and I’ll post about it in future updates!

January 22nd, 2012 | MOTHER 3, Uncommon Knowledge | 1 Comment

When working on the MOTHER 3 fan translation, Jeffman and I realized that a number of unused menu systems exist in the game. We managed to make one accessible (hold L and R when entering the Status screen). But there are two others we know about that we never managed to get access to.

Outside Debug Menu
This text data for this menu is in a peculiar isolated block of text. Given what the text says, it’s most likely this debug menu was accessible while walking around outside. It seems like you’d be able to test various things like collision detection, CPU load, and more.

• Reference file

Battle Debug Menu
The text for this menu is found in the same text block as all the battle text. It looks like it’s mostly about checking stats, modifying stats, and stuff like that. We never figured out how to get access to the menu, so it’s still a real mystery.

• Reference file

Since we never uncovered these menus, it’s possible that if someone ever DOES activate them, they won’t look/act right in the translation patch because we never fiddled with the font displaying stuff for them. But I thought I’d share the bare bones info anyway, since I’d completely forgotten about it until now.

January 21st, 2012 | EarthBound, Food | 14 Comments

Esther Zinn sent this in the other day:

Looks like the gaming/baking folks at Snack or Die made a recipe for Peanut Cheese Bars with Mr. Saturn faces! Boing.

(Link)

I’m not very fond of cheese, but even I think this looks and sounds awesome Anyone else have any EarthBound recipes?

January 20th, 2012 | Auctions, EarthBound | 15 Comments

EarthBound prices are blasting off again – I’m not even sure where to begin this time

Complete Copy of EarthBound, VGA Qualified 85+, No Reserve

First is this new copy of EarthBound that’s been VGA graded. As of the time of this posting, there are two days left on this auction, with the price currently at $2,325 and 39 bids. In other terms, we’ve entered the realm were EarthBound is now worth as much as this:

Apparently the VGA uses a microscope to tell if a game’s been played or not, and this particular game’s never been played. So if you want a brand-new copy, keep your eye on it!

Update: with 7 hours left, this is now at $4400

Complete, Barely-Used Copy of EarthBound

If that new copy is too much for you, then there’s always this complete copy of EarthBound, selling for only $1189. So you’ll only need to sell a few gallons of your blood

You might think these are just isolated cases, but in fact an unused copy of EarthBound sold a few days ago for $950.

If super-duper pristine copies aren’t important to you, complete copies do sell for a LOT less than these and I’d recommend them instead. As always, check out this page for info on how to get EarthBound as cheaply as possible.

January 20th, 2012 | MOTHER 3, Uncommon Knowledge | 10 Comments

A little while back I was browsing Reddit when I came across a site that delves into some connections, references, and similarities found in MOTHER 3. The site is called Flint’s Doorknob.

Some of it might just be coincidence, but some of it definitely seems to be on the mark. Check it out if you’re a Twin Peaks fan, Evangelion fan, or just a fan of MOTHER series trivia!

January 19th, 2012 | EarthBound, Videos | 112 Comments

yp95 sent me a link to this interesting review of EarthBound:

He references another video of his, which you can see here:

The troll-o-meter is definitely off the charts, but then again you never know…

For what it’s worth, I think EarthBound has many flaws and it probably isn’t even my favorite game of all time – and I assume that’s probably the same for most folks here. Is that the case for you, the person behind the keyboard?

$39.99 MOTHER 2 PLUSH DOLL DOSEI SAN BANPRESTO PRIZE ONLY NEW	$5.00 EarthBound (Super Nintendo, 1995)
$119.95 Banpresto Nintendo Mother 2 Figure collection 2 NES Jeff POKEY	$52.00 EarthBound (Super Nintendo, 1995) SNES FREE SHIPPING
$79.90 Game Boy Advance Mother 3 Nintendo Lite Import Gameboy	$179.00 EarthBound (Super Nintendo, 1995)
$14.75 LOT 13 EARTHBOUND BUTTONS PINS PINBACKS BADGES NEW 1"	$189.95 EARTHBOUND Super Nintendo RARE RPG SNES Excellent Condition FREE SHIPPING!!

See all 311 auctions here!