EarthBound, ROM or Cartridge?

I always use my cartidge, thats what I bought it for.

Cartridge, why did I buy it if i wanted to use roms?

I play it on a cartridge I didn’t pay $80.00 for a game I wont play.

Cartridge. I got in early on this one, being the 9th voter. Anyways, I didn’t pay good money for a cartridge for nothing, although I haven’t played in a while (too lazy to bust out the SNES) I still think about the fun times I had with EarthBound. 😀

i sold my original copy long ago, before it was rare 🙁 so now ROM my only option since i can’t afford the cartridge again

I’d buy a cartridge if I could, but I use emulators. Much more convenient, imo. Sure, Nintendo might not be getting the money, but they’re pretty much asking for it, not releasing it on the VC. Even if it’s the law, and NOA has no say in that kinda stuff.

Mother 1+2 on the a portable system (DSi for me) + extra features added to the emulator to enhance/replicate gameplay = love.

Emulators are just too darn convenient. Cartridges are more authentic-feeling, however.

I have the cartridge but I need a new SNES D:

I play it emulated on my Wii. I do own Earthbound but I need to get a new SNES.

Cartridge. Although I did play the rom on my DS once just because I could! (it was a little glitchy though)

I usually play the gba Mother 1 + 2 cart because it’s more convenient. If I played Earthbound proper, I’d probably play it on an emulator, even though I own the cartridge.

I wish I could play it on a cartridge, but I have yet to find one that’s actually, you know, affordable, or not in Japanese.

So, rom it’ll have to be.

Emulation.

Not the half-assed kind that most lazy players pursue, but emulation at it’s best.

I could dust off my SNES and play off the cartridge, or – I can play on my living room HDTV, with video streamed from my iMac upstairs, at 2560×1440, with better shaders and processing filters, using a wireless Xbox 360 controller (also, the triggers increase fps, so I can blast through otherwise boring grinding).

I understand why people prefer the cartridge to playing with their laptop’s keyboard and tiny display. You just have to emulate it right.

Yeah, I emulate. Much cheaper, and if I could afford a cart it’s not like anyone who made the game would get the money. As an English-speaking MOTHER fan, it’s all I’ve got. I usually use ZSNES.

I emulate, but that’s not to say that I don’t have a cartridge.

However, I’m not quite rich enough to own the original SNES EarthBound… but I do have the MOTHER 1+2 GBA game, which I guess counts.

Emulator. It’s not even a question.

I’ve still got my OG cart and love it to death but it’s too much of a hassle to set up the SNES *and* the CRT just for a playthrough of one game when I could just double click zsnes on the desktop. I’m also a big fan of using CC Pro to play (via adapter) rather than the OG snes pad.

Emulator, sadly (I flip between SNES9x and ZSNES). I still have my cart of EB, but my SNES broke long ago.

Ideal choice would be Virtual Console, but you know… =P

I’ve used both. My cartridge (purchased during an overstock sale) is still in the guest bedroom. I wonder if it still works…

I use SNES9x because I feel like it. :\

I play on my MOTHER 1+2 Cartdige =)

my original cartridge from 1995!!!!

It would be a hassle to hook up my old SNES (have to unhook the Wii or PS2-3), but I DO own the cartridge. I just stare at it and smile. 😀

I’ve used both for a long time. I jump on my SNES to play now-and-again, but for doing my Let’s Play of Earthbound, I utilize a ROM (since I cannot afford a capture card).

More importantly, you can play it with an emulator before you’ll want to hold a controller and play your copy.

I only play it on my SNES cartridge. I bought an american SNES just for all the RPGs that came out in the US but not in Europe (I’m from Germany myself) and nowadays I am super happy that I got my EB cartridge for only 39$ (it was only the cartridge and dust cover, no Player’s Guide or Box included).

The only time I play EB on an emulator is, when I don’t have access to my SNES. I then would either play it on my laptop (using bsnes, an emulator which I very highly recommend) or on my PSP (although I don’t know the name of that emulator right now. It might be a conversion of SNES9x, but I’m not sure, as my PSP is with my girlfriend right now).

I also did attempt several EB playthroughs when I didn’t have the cartridge, but I played through the game for the first (and since then only) time on the actual cartridge.

I had quite a lot of sand in my eyes during the final fight with Gyigas when Paula needs to start praying.
Since then I was really hooked to the series.

Can’t wait for MOTHER 4 to be finished, since it looks very promising considering it’s made by the fans 🙂

I…don’t have a cartridge…
🙁

I’ve been waiting for years to play it on a cartridge, for that is the only true way to play the game. I’ve never played the ROM.

PAL gamer right here.

It’s not worth importing an NTSC SNES and EarthBound cart when I can still enjoy playing it on a hacked Wii running a port of snes9x.

Fully agreeing with BreadMaster, though I just make do with a SD TV, so I guess it’s closer to a ‘true’ SNES experience. Whatever that means 😛

It’s not like Nintendo’s receiving any money from the game anyway, right? I’m not even gonna go on the topic of Virtual Console here.

I’m normally against video game piracy, but I play emulated EarthBound to protest Nintendo’s dismissal of the series.

I have an Earthbound cart, and I’ve played through the game on it. But after that, I’ve always used ZSNES for it. It’s just too convenient to be able to play on a nice monitor, or to be able to tab between EB and my desktop. Sure, the cartridge is more authentic, but when I can use a USB controller and speed up gameplay while I’m grinding, who cares about authenticity?

I emulate it using two different emulators: zSNES on computer, and a Wii-based emulator (which for obvious reasons I far prefer using). I have little choice, since EarthBound was never released here and given its astronomical pricing on eBay. I intend to legitimately obtain it and its fellow MOTHER instalments, and the means to play them in the case of the first two, one day, but for now I prefer to focus on the slightly more achievable goal of obtaining Fire Emblem 9.

Emulation. Unfortunately, I haven’t any other option, I’m English and the game was never released over here, which is a shame because I don’t think you get the same thrill as you would an official cartridge.

my cartridge

I’ve been playing it on emulators lately (via Wii, iPhone, PSP, etc.) as opposed to my actual cartridge so that I can say “I’ve beat EarthBound on XX device and XX device” and so on akin to Xbox Achievements/PS3 Trophies. It adds a little fun to my yearly play throughs.

Plus having it on my iPhone makes it so that I have EB playable at all times.

My Cart of course. I’ve had it since ’95 and don’t suspect I’ll ever get tired of it 🙂

I play it on an emulator because it was never released here.

I generally still play it on my SNES with the cartridge, but since we have one of our Wiis modded I did put Earthbound on there for the days when I’m too lazy to hook up the SNES. 😛

I play it on an emulator because i A) have better games to spend my money on B) I don’t currently own a working snes C) for the amount of time that i play in one sitting, save states are so convenient.

I don’t own Earthbound nor an adapter so I can play US/JP games on an European SNES. Maybe one day I will buy it when I find for a decent price but until then I’ll just stick with snes9x (snes hates my usb controller).

I live in Britain so have no choice, I emulated it after I gave up on it being released on the Virtual Console.

I used Zsnes 1.42 because it seemed far more accurate for special effects like the title screen and for sound and music than the newest version or Snes9x. It also allows me to play in the correct ratio that the SNES displays in. Having never played the original I cannot be completely sure which is the most accurate, though.

Well, at first I used Snes9xGX(a Snes emulator for a hacked Wii) so I can still use a controller intead of a keyboard. Now I use a fake Virtual Console Channel that plays EarthBound and another to play EarthBound Zero.

Cartridge!

..but I just recently put it on my Droid, too.

I’m a Finnish but i have this a real game. I bought it about 5 years ago and it’s paid 120 euros. =)

I have Eb on rom too ;D

i actually got two copies of it for my birthday years ago when it came out. i’ve still got one sealed in the box with everything, and one cartridge sitting with the rest of my SNES games (the box and guide for that one are in the attic).

I own a cartridge that I bought YEARS ago from Hollywood Video as a kid, but I like to play my games portable. I play it on an emulator now on my iPhone using snes4iPhone by zodttd.

My older sister downloaded a ROM sometime around ’99, but after discovering starmen.net I found a cartridge in random video game shop in the middle of nowhere. It’s more convenient to use a ROM, though.

Traded a bike for my copy (and box) on Craigslist. So yeah I play it on a cart.

I play it on ZSNES, but only because I can’t find a cheap copy of the cart and my parents don’t want me to get a SNES.

Even though I don’t have access to my SNES currently, and could easily obtain the game on Emulator…I refuse to play it until I get my SNES back.

I don’t have the cartridge so I use the ROM, ZSNES

I have my copy of EB stored at my Aunt’s with my cousin’s large collection of SNES games, so now I use my Modded Wii and play it through a injected WAD file, its the closest to playing the real thing with a old Classic Controller, emulation always made the game too easy for me since I could grind 5-10 levels in 10-15 minutes with the “speed button” and just coast through the game.

Also, has anybody seen the ED [Encyclopedia Dramatica for those not in the know] article for EB? http://encyclopediadramatica.com/EarthBound I found it to be pretty funny, well up to the standard I expect ED to bring to the table.

To everyone who has a cartridge shelved because of the convenience of emulators, please understand that cartridges have a quickly encroaching use-by date. For a plethora of reasons, cartridges are doomed to die within our lifetime (meaning there will be no working original NES, SNES, or carts). So, I’d play it on the cartridge while you can.

ROMs and people who use ROMs because they “can’t afford the game” disgust me. I could work up the money for an Earthbound cartridge in less than a week if I tried. It’s the price of 2 home console games. Surely if you own a Wii you own at least 2 games for it. Mario Galaxy and Wii Fit combined are 1/20th the gameplay value of Earthbound.

And as for the argument that your SNES isn’t hooked up all the time, it is very easy to have it hooked up all the time. You can get a composite video divider at
Radioshack that lets you hook up 4 composite video inputs into a TV with only 1.

And why should Nintendo re release Earthbound if everyone already got it and can get it for free, ILLEGALLY online? Your piracy leaves Nintendo little reason to release EB on the Virtual Console, because the people who have already heard and care about Earthbound play it illegally! Frankly I would be very angry if fans of my work pirated it and distributed it illegally.

Aw, I really want to say cartridge, but I don’t even own a SNES. I emulate. (shame).

PK Saturn, you’re right but at the same time wrong, let me explain :
Maybe the Americans can play the game by buying it, but us europeans are in trouble.Well,i prefer to use roms since the only Earthbounds games i’ve got are 1+2 and mother 3 both for gba, but in japanese it’s a lot harder

Haha, I used to play EarthBound for the first time on my emulator. But now, I have this PS2 game which contains over 800 SNES games!! And guess what? When I pressed the ” 100 BEST ” selection, I found Earthbound on the list! It was a miracle playing on the big screen with the PS2. Beated the game, and I loved it.

@PK Saturn: I think you’ve got that backwards. people pirate it because it’s not available, not the other way around.

To put it this way, would you be upset if people were pirating your work 20 years after you stopped making it available?

*coughromcough*
Well I have no choice! NOA are jerks for taking it out of Brawl.
This gamer wants his freakin game!

I originally played Earthbound on a cartridge, and there’s nothing really like it. It somehow feels so much more at home there. The game really was made to be played like that.
However, for whatever reason I never actually bought the game, so nowadays I play it on an Emulator. It’s still really fun, and the speed up function helps a lot.

@Batandy
http://www.amazon.co.uk/AD-29-Universal-Adaptor-Nintendo/dp/B001ANL1DG

@Starman 99
I never said people people didn’t pirate because the game isn’t available. However, there are numerous copies of Earthbound on Ebay. Q.E.D, IT IS AVAILABLE!

And yes, I would be angry.

Does it matter that strongly whether you play on an emulator or have the cartridge nowadays? If you get the cartridge now, Nintendo doesn’t get any of that money. In fact, the person you buy it from is probably making a huge profit off of it. If I could afford it, I would probably buy a cartridge anyway, though. I’m using the ZSNES emulator for now. :c

I feel that having had played earthbound on an emulator doesn’t give the same nostalgic feel as playing on a cartridge. Parents who let my earthbound corrode in a cardboard box have taken away its original feel, but I still love earthbound.

Still play the same game from 15 years ago, at least once a year. Got my “Big Box” from a Shopko before they started locking games up.

@PK Saturn

Look, I love EarthBound, but saying that Super Mario Galaxy is less than 1/20th of the gameplay value is just absurd.

As for the price, its not like Nintendo is getting the $100 or more you feel willing to drop on a single game, so there’s no need to act all morally superior.

zSNES and fullscreen dat up, and it’s perfect. Legitamacy is a moral question so the level of its’ subjectivity is pretty high, don’t you think?

I personally believe it doesn’t matter, and actually thanks to emulation, the community is at least two times bigger than it would have been if everyone was just being legit.

@PK Saturn

That adapter does nothing about timings, Earthbound would run at a completely different speed (Slower) in terms of logic memory and music.

Only on emulator (Snes9x), because I live in Poland, Europe. And I don’t have a cartridge.

I always play on my Mother 1 + 2 cartridge because I can’t afford a Super NES and the original game.

On Zsnes. I don’t have the cart because I’m a senior in high school, I’m saving up for college and my parents won’t let me have a job. Even thought I finished 4 times, I am looking for the real cart.

@PK Saturn: To tell you the truth, I would have never know that Earthbound existed if I didn’t find the rom. I will not buy a game for $100 when none of the money goes to Shigesato-san, HAL, or Ape. I would rather but games made by these companies rather than pay a large fine for EB.

I see a lot of people mentioning ZSNES – I don’t know if you follow the emulation scene or not, but I’d definitely recommend bsnes at this point:

http://byuu.org/

It’s a lot more accurate, has a more accurate sound core, and emulates the game much more closely to the original. It’s made by byuu, who helped out with the Mother 3 translation, and he’s greatly improved its performance. It’s also being continually improved, whereas most of the other Super NES emulators haven’t had a new release in many years. You can see the full list of features here, it’s pretty impressive.

/endorsement

First time I played, it was on SNEmulDS. Nowadays I play it on the Wii with SNES9x GX and use a classic controller.

@Violet
Super Mario Galaxy being 1/20th of Earthbound IS absurd. Wii Fit AND Mario Galaxy are about 1/20th of Earthbound, so Mario Galaxy is more like 1/45th by itself.
Whether or not Nintendo gets the money or not is irrelevant. The fact is that ROMs are illegal, piracy, and theft.

@Greiv
Legitimacy is both a moral and a legal question, and neither are subjective. The law is objective, as your opinion does not affect it. Whether or not you think robbery is wrong, the law still says it is. The same with morals, as morals do not change based on your opinion.

@Sonicandtails
Different from what?
But the game would still work, no?

@Moonside
Whether or not the money goes to who you want it to does not make piracy right.

I used to play A LOT on emulators back in 2002/2003, discovered many games that way. But now I dislike it immensely and emulated only a few unreleased games since then (like MOTHER 3). My main problem is that I become too much dependent of the emulator’s saving option, it’s speed button (ruining so many things!) and having so many games for free results in not finishing a single one.

An important part of this is that I now have money to spend : ) I think it’s important to mention. Kids don’t have money. So they emulate, like I did. Also, EarthBound is sadly very expensive (yet it also was back then!). But I think it can’t be experienced without the wonderful Player’s Guide, I love that thing.

Also, Europeans have it harder for playing this game on SNES!

^Wow, I’m like this immensely. Only I still don’t have any money to spend :p

I used to play EarthBound on the ZSNES ROM, along with quite a few other games on different emulators, but I’ve since renounced ROMs altogether. I’ve been hunting for the cartridge lately, as I recently acquired a SNES.

I use my Mother 1+2 Cart and my Mother 2 cart

I play it on an emulator mainly because I don’t have a cartridge. One day I’ll get one but who knows when that is. 😛

I play on a emulator, snes9XGX for wii.

I play it on zSNES emulator. I don’t see what’s wrong with pirating it when Nintendo won’t be getting the money for it, anyway. However, I’m hoping I’ll have the means to get a SNES and an original cartridge very soon for the authenticity of it. 😀

I use the SNES9X GX on the Wii’s Homebrew channel.

Same as eggdude9. But, when I’m out of the house I will get a Super Nintendo.

I use a cartridge simply because it lets me feel superior to everyone who emulates, which is the majority apparently.
Honestly, I know I’m a spiteful bastard. I just need a boost in my self-worth every once in a while. I don’t want to wait until the end of the world before I finally get that I’m worth something. I DO, however, kinda want to strangle Asuka.

I use the zSNES emulator. EarthBound cartridges probably cost a lot, and I’m just a kid.

(looks at an earlier post by Mato)

Hmm…I’ll have to try that emulator.

I don´t own a cartridge or a Super Nintendo(I wish I had one…), so I use emulators. For pc I use Snes9X but for now I´m actually playing it on DS with a emulator called SnesEmulDS.
If EarthBound would be released somehow in the future, I Would Definitely buy it.

I use an emulator, but as soon as Nintendo releases it for the U.S., I’m going to buy it to make up.

Cartridge and Guide. Best Christmas gift ever. Being 14, I can’t afford the thing anyway else.

im gona use the homebrew emulator to play earthbound until nintendo gives me my game 😛

I’ve played it on my cartridge the majority of the time I’ve been playing the game, but in the last few years, I’ve just been too lazy to drag the SNES out and plug it in, etc., so I just fire up the old ZSNES.

My Earthbound Cartridge is amazing.

@PK Saturn

You really are the epitome of the few bad aspects of the EarthBound fandom, thankfully there aren’t many who aren’t quite as loony and holier-than-thou as you’re being. Its fine though, I just imagine you in a blue KKK cloak yelling at passersby on the street, telling them of the true calling of the cartridge and never to worship false ROMs or other video games, for they are impure.

Then some kid just whacks you on the head with a baseball bat and tells you to chill out.

@Mato: Wow! bsnes is great! The sound catches some notes ZSNES Doesn’t! Oh and I bet the cave of past is fixed! In ZSNES,I had to window mode it!

I remember when this had only 8 comments. They grow up so fast.

The only earthbound cart I saw in real life was $90, that’s way too much. I would buy a copy if they ever made it for the DS for Virtual Console.

Thumbs up Violet!

Every time one of these types of things come up in the community, we always have some one to cause a up roar.

(Looks at Mato’s Post: I wonder if it plays Clay Fighters? That’s one Zsnes couldn’t do.)

I use a ROM on PSP. I like the portability and controls on that more than on a computer.
Cartridges are too expensive and I don’t even have a SNES in the first place.

ehh both mother 1+2 for handheld or emulator if I have the computer on me.

I do what I want ’cause a pirate is free!I am a pirate!

Snes9x is enough for me and my humble computer. I have it on a flash drive, so I could play at home and the High School Library (The library assistant knew, so he would let me). Could you say it’s portable?

Buying the cart whenever I get the chance though, even if that means buying it before getting an actual Snes.

The emulator is ZSNES…

Personally… I hate the thought of playing ROMs… but I really wanted to play the game.

If I ever find a cart or if its released on VC, I’ll get it as soon as I can buy a points card.

How does snes9x compare with bsnes?

LucasTizma said on Aug. 25, 2010
“Emulators are just too darn convenient. Cartridges are more authentic-feeling, however.”

^That

Oh but yeah, I LOVED playing EB on my PSP back in 2004~5.

I play it on bsnes (amazing emulator) now, but I do own an actual cartridge, which brought me years of great MOTHER entertainment.

I’ve owned the cartridge since the game came out, but when I play the game now, I’m more likely to play it on my Wii emulator just because my SNES cables are old and the picture quality isn’t that great now.

Emulator. There is simply no other way for me to play.

I would buy the cartridge, but then I would also have to buy an american super nintendo in order to play the game, that’s the problem about it when you live in Europe! 🙁
that’s why my only option was to download the ROM, to be allowed to play one of the best games ever!!! 😀

i use an emulator, i own the cartrige but i still need to find a SNES and a adaptor to make my english SNES play american games

I did a calculation before finally going ROM and going legit required me to get an SNES, the cart, a TV with appropriate connectors and USA-to-Europe outlet converters for both the TV and the SNES. Of course, I would import all of these, which is about $20 more for each of them.

I’m very confident in my decision even though I usually buy all my stuff and pirate nothing

@Violet
No, you are the epitome of what is wrong with the Earthbound community. You and many others use ROMs ILLEGALLY and that is one hindrance that gives Nintendo little reason to do a US port. You go around and bash people who use cartridges because you know that you are wrong. YOU are the looney “Holier than thou” KKK member. I never thought I would see the day when use of cartridges was actually OPPRESSED.

So grow up, stop being lazy, get a job, and work for your Earthbound cart if you want it!

I use mother 1 + 2 cartridge

The anonymous is me >_<

I play is on a ROM, since I’m not able to pay 80 dollars to say “I didn’t pay $80.00 for a game I wont play.”

I use ZSNES

@PK Saturn
Are you some kind of cartridge religion?
“Thou shalt not pirate or thou shall go to SEGA Hell”-Said by the preist known as Reggie

I used to play it on an emulator but now that I have an snes I must try to get the cartridge

Emulator for me.
I would buy the cartridge if i had a N64 tough.

I first played it back when I rented it in 95 on cartridge, and bought it a year later at Best Buy. I’ve since sold it though so I play it on an emulator I have hooked up to my TV.

Gotta play the cartridge, for true EB goodness. I’ve had the cartridge since it came out, that’s always how I play it. Getting the SNES out and everything is no problem, since I’ve always got it out anyways!

Sadly, I use an emu. If only for the fact that I don’t have 100 dollars to burn.

Also PK Saturn, learn to relax. No one is calling anyone any names besides you.

@thomas1up
No, I just
A)Don’t want to steal from Nintendo what is rightfully theirs
B)Am not going to participate in illegal activity in order to play a game
C)Am not going to participate in activities that reduce the chances of a re-release of Earthbound

Just because I don’t want this would-be good community to participate in criminal activities does not mean that I should be poked fun at like a religious extremist.

@TheFakePsychic
Actually, Violet said that I was “looney”, “holier than thou,” and imagined me in a KKK uniform.

The first few times I played the game, I had to emulate it. I managed to get a cartridge for a little cheaper than they usually go for last year so that’s how I play now. It would be nice if I could’ve paid Nintendo for it, but they aren’t giving any of us a choice.

@PK Saturn:
What do you mean? “You and many others use ROMs ILLEGALLY and that is one hindrance that gives Nintendo little reason to do a US port.” What are you talking about? People pirate the game because there’s no other way to get it, short of buying it on Ebay. If anything, the amount of people pirating it should encourage Nintendo to re-release it, because so many would buy it.

@/b/ N64? LOL. I hope you’re joking.

By myself I play it on emulator, because I don’t even have an SNES. My friend actually has Earthbound, though (got it FREE at her friend’s Garage Sale, lucky her), and I think I’ve put more time into her cartridge over the emulator. For some reason, it just isn’t as fun to play it on emulation, unless I’m playing Mother 3.

Only problem is my friend hasn’t brought over her SNES recently, which means… I can’t play Earthbound the fun way. 😛

@PK Saturn

I understand that you hate ROMs and Emulation, but that doesn’t mean it’s a devilish thing that should never be touched. ROMs are used mainly for people who either 1. Can’t be bothered to have an E-Bay account or search plenty of Garage Sales, 2. Young people who didn’t have much when it came to video games back then (I myself only own a N64 and Wii, for Nintendo consoles), or 3. People who prefer the comfort of playing games on their own computer chair. All of these options apply to huge Nintendo fans who want to play the hard to get games they won’t be able to get now. Heck, even people who aren’t totally into Nintendo might be interested in getting an emulator.

And I second what Starman 99 said. That’s why I spent an hour of confusing computer time all because it was the first day I had the emulator and as a fan of Earthbound/Mother 2 I wanted Mother 3 with the English Patch. The save patch didn’t work, but at least there was the Freeze Game State thing xD

Rom when I didn’t have a working SNES, Cartidage with my new RetroDuo. Overall I’m still playing on a emulator in the long run. Not sure where I bought my copy by the way. I use the SNESx6 emulator one not the ZSNES one.

@Starman 99
Because if everyone can and does get the game for free, Nintendo has little reason to re release because everyone already has the game illegally. However, if there is very high demand and only a few carts and no ROMs, a many people will be unable to play the game, thus giving Nintendo a large number of people who have no choice but to go with the re release.

@Moogi
1. Ebay accounts are very, very easy to make and only require a few minutes of setup.
2. The young people still have the option of Ebay if they didn’t pick it up the first time. Just because they couldn’t afford it originally does not mean that they will be jobless now.
3. I can play Earthbound on my SNES in my computer chair. Its not that hard to move a chair on wheels, and even if your Computer chair doesn’t have wheels, it should be very easy to move. And if for some reason your computer chair ways over 9000 pounds and you are so lazy and arrogant that you have to either not play the game at all or break the law to play it in your “Special Chair,” you don’t really deserve to play Earthbound.

@PK Saturn

1. Some people just CAN’T have E-Bay. Or they just don’t like it, due to the fact that you could easily get scammed, good sellers rating or not. Especially people who are still under the age of 18 and have parents who’d say no to stuff like that, not that 5 year olds would be asking their moms if they could use 50 bucks to buy EarthBound, but whatever
2. See above
3. Okay, well my couch sucks, but if I HAD to sit in it, I would. Considering my computer chair is large and bulky, I wouldn’t bring it all the way downstairs just to sit in it while I play EarthBound.

Right now I actually do wish I had a cartridge, thanks to the fact that my down arrow on my keyboard is messed up and walking downwards goes in tiny little steps. Same with Crono Trigger, as well.

And, guessing by your hatred with ROMs, you’re probably one of the few hardcore fans who hasn’t played Mother 3.

Actually I have played M3 in the form of the original cart. Don’t assume I can’t play Japanese games.

1. OK, a few people can’t have ebay. However, the number one reason people use ROMs is because they can’t afford the original

WELL OF COURSE WE CAN’T

News flash:
We are in a recession!

Personally, PK Saturn, I wouldn’t know about Earthbound or be looking to buy a cartridge if I hadn’t played the ROM. Also, I really don’t understand what is wrong with pirating a game when the creators won’t be getting any money out of me buying it on Ebay. I also love how you assume that everyone has the extra money to buy a SNES and/or an original cartridge. If you are so elitist and arrogant that you have to exact vigilante justice against people who play the ROM of an otherwise-unavailable, outrageously overpriced game, maybe it’s YOU that doesn’t really deserve to play Earthbound.

Your argument of “everyone has illegal copies, thus Nintendo won’t re-release” is completely invalid. If that argument were true, then Nintendo wouldn’t have released ANY games on the Virtual Console, because those ROMs are available on the internet too.

Also, didn’t you say earlier that morals are objective? Have you never heard of philosophy?

effigy of starman, you get my two thumbs up. 😀

FACT: It is cheaper to build a top of the line computer than to buy earthbound.

ANOTHER FACT: I want to buy it, but dont have the moneys. I have Mother3 though.

@effigy of starman
Just because the creators won’t be getting money doesn’t mean that piracy is legal or moral. It is theft. If you can buy a computer to discuss this topic then surely you can spare a few dollars as an alternative to criminal activity.
So now I’m arrogant because I’m asking you to not be involved in illegal activities?
I’m saying it discourages Nintendo and, to a certain extent, lowers the revenue that would be made from a re-release. After all, many people would say, “why pay for it when you can get it illegally for free?” It works for all virtual console titles.
Yes, I have heard of philosophy. And ironic as it may seem, my philosophy is that morals are objective.

@violet

I don’t even know how PK Saturn looks like but I can still see the image in my head!

@PK Saturn

You think pirating EarthBound is bad? Listen even if you get one off of ebay Nintendo still won’t profit out of it (Or poor Itoi for that matter!) and instead another person will! Also if Nintendo DOES re-release it then chances are gamers will support the official release as it strengthens the franchise.

Cartridge is the only way.

@PK Saturn

Okay, tell me that you haven’t did one illegal thing in your life? I bet you you haven’t lived your life in complete perfection. If you have, are you some type of god or your just completely lying. The way you are acting on this fourm is like a Happy-happy-ist.
I am 17 years old, therefore I was around 3 when Earthbound came out. Making it impossible to even hear about the game. I only found it when I was looking through roms. Thanks to roms I have told others about it and have a mini fanbase. If they re-release it, I will buy it and if I find it at a yard sale I will buy it. BUT, NOT FOR $85 DOLLARS!!!
Get it through you thick skull, if you can: Earthbound won’t be re-released because of copyright issues, not because of *ghost voice* EvIl DoWnLoAdErS. I want you to go through your game and imagine every Mr.T/Beatles/Song/B-Movie reference you can. Oh, and mind you, some people might be offended by Happy Happy-ists, so lets remove them. Oh, and don’t forget about removal of ‘Fuzzy Pickles’ since it references a suggestive theme. Threed might be too scary and Greyhound busses too.
My question is why do you bring Nintendo up every time? I hate to say it but they can’t ‘lose money’ that they already lost. They don’t care anymore. Oh, I JUST LOVE how you say a few dollars for a $85 game. Maybe every tree in your backyard is made of money, but some are pinching pennies just to stay in their damned houses. Or maybe you just live in your mom’s basement. Though I would love to hear her yell when you tell her you spent $85 on a game. GET A LIFE!

(I just had to say, you get onmy nerves and cause me to knit my brow.)

I wasn’t even born when it came out.

Wasn’t released in UK, and I don’t want to have to buy a separate NTSC SNES for the EarthBound cart.

@Moonside: CORRECT!

@Moonside

You officially win the ‘Best Video Game Related Speech of 2010’ Award. I am not worthy *bows*

Emulator, I don’t have an SNES and I don’t plan on shelling out at least $100 for one game.

I can’t afford Earthbound and I’m not playing it via ROM. I’m just waiting for the right opportunity to get one, whether it comes out on VC, if I get it via Ebay (or other online store), or if some bum oddly offers it to me for 2 cents which will never happen. I’ve got other games I can play until the time arrives…

Seriously, I’m beginning to sound like King Boomy from Avatar: The Last Airbender…

I haven’t played Earthbound, legal or otherwise because:
1. I was 2 when the game came out, so I couldn’t consciously go and buy it. All of the games we once had owned were bought by my parents. And, well, they didn’t have the fortune of finding/buying Earthbound.
2. My mother sold the SNES and all the games ages ago, so even if I had the cartridge it would be pretty useless… Unless I bought another SNES, but for only one game is a bit far fetched…
3. I admit that there are other, more recent games for which I have the console to play with in my mind for the time being. And my budget is a bit strained.
4. I can’t stand sitting on the computer playing a ROM when I could be playing it the legal way, which is MUCH more comfortable.

It’s a shame, the game seems to be so cool… maybe when I grow older, I’ll save up some serious money (hopefully the game will be less than 120 USD by that time) and play it, the way it was meant to be.
(However, I admit to have played the translation of M3 simply because my knowledge of Japanese is beyond obscure and SIMPLY had to know what the hey was happening. There is a price difference from importing a more or less recent game to a SNES classic that is in insane demand. Guess which is more affordable?)

I play on an Emulator, but I’d play on an SNES if I could afford to.

I play it on an actual cartrige. The game cost me a lot of money but in all honesty I feel it was worth it. Nothing beats the real deal, or at least for me.

@PK Saturn

1. Okay, so playing Earthbound when Nintendo doesn’t profit from it is theft. By this definition, buying someone else’s cartridge is ALSO theft. Not only won’t Nintendo get the money, but SOMEONE ELSE WHO DIDN’T MAKE THE GAME will get money off of it! How is that not immoral by your convoluted definitions?

2. You obviously did not think about what I am saying at all, because you are making the same exact argument as in your previous post. “Nintendo won’t re-release it because everyone already has it so they won’t make any revenue!” Dude. We have exactly the same access to Super Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda and all the other games they DID release on the VC. That obviously did not stop Nintendo from releasing those games, and obviously did not stop people from buying them. Also, there are PLENTY of reasons why people would buy a legal version over pirating the ROM, including feeling uncomfortable with doing something illegal. It is totally okay to feel uncomfortable with piracy. It is not okay to berate others for choosing it when you know nothing about what you are talking about.

3. Okay, do you even know what the word “objective” means? Here. The word “objective” means “Uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices” or “based on observable phenomena; presented factually.” Explain to me how morality is defined by SCIENTIFIC FACT and not influenced by personal bias.

4. I genuinely hope you never become a police officer, because you would probably the the kind that tickets a driver for speeding on her way to get a dying person to the emergency room because that’s against the law!!!!! And no matter what, the law is always right even though it is made by people who are biased and flawed!!!!!! Also your morals are the ONLY ONES that are right and proven by SCIENCE!!!!

5. “It’s one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it’s another to think that yours is the only path.” I cannot understand why you think it is YOUR job to be everyone’s moral guardian when you have NO IDEA what you are talking about anyway. I think you need to examine your own PERFECTLY OBJECTIVE morals before you throw a tantrum about ours for no good reason.

i go for the emulator because i dont ever want to take my precious eb gem out of its nice safe crystal prison

@Mato

Thanks for the emulator recommendation, I flip between SNES9X and ZSNES because they each have their little problems with some games but BSNES sounds like The One I’ve been looking for.

I used to play on a real cartridge, but now I have the homebrew channel on my Wii and I can play with the classic controller and still have the speedup function of the emulator. Truly the best of both worlds.

@Moonside
I have probably done something illegal sometime in my life, but never have I consciously participated in and DEFENDED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.
I never said that Earthbound won’t be re released because of piracy, I stated that Nintendo loses money that is rightfully theirs because of piracy of all SNES games, not just EB. How about you actually read my posts Mr Thick Skull.
If ROMs were obliterated, the would not lose money on re releases.
Why don’t you grow up, get a job, stop living in YOUR mother’s basement, and work to be able to afford this game, instead of participating in criminal activities!

@effigy of starman
1. No, using and distributing stolen, copyrighted material is illegal. It’s like I said earlier: If there are numerous people who want to play EB but there is a limited number of the game, many people will be unable to play. Therefore, during a re release, people who want to play the game will have no choice but to buy the re release, and therefore the company gets the money they deserve. However, if everyone has illegal copies of the game, they don’t have much of a reason to buy the re release, because they can play the game for free.

2. Yet again, you fail to actually listen to what I said. I’m not saying that Nintendo will make no revenue off a re release, I am saying they will make less because many people who have the pirated game will stick with their free game instead of wasting cash. And you just contradicted yourself. You said people would feel uncomfortable with doing something ILLEGAL (therefore admitting that it is indeed illegal) and then go on to say that I can not tell you you are wrong for doing something illegal. There is a reason something is illegal. It is because it is wrong.

3.Firstly, something doesn’t have to be scientifically proven to be objective. History is objective, but you can’t scientifically prove that the Anabasis took place. I believe moral universalism, that all morals are universal regardless of culture, race, sex, religion, nationality, sexuality, or other distinguishing features. Most people will tell you that theft is wrong, and that is what piracy is. It is an observable phenomena that theft is universally considered wrong around the world.

4. If I were to pull someone over for speeding, I would have no idea until I talked to them that they were on their way to save someones life. If they genuinely were, I would let them go. Don’t tell me what I would do. Even if the law is written by flawed people, that does not mean that theft is not wrong.

5. The thing that disgusts me about ROMs is that most people who use them use them because they are lazy/stingy and are unwilling to drop some money and instead take the easy and illegal route, and other people (such as the creators of the original) sometimes suffer for it. Many people have posted comments about how they play EB through Wii homebrew. If you can afford a Wii, you can afford to stay legit. And if you can’t afford the game, then you don’t steal in order to play it. You don’t seem to be able to get it into your skull that this is theft of intellectual property!

That’s Miss ThickSkull and I live on the second story, thank you! And for you flaming, try harder next time!

I second the bsnes endorsement, it even has a in game rewinding like NesDS!
I would have EB for snes but I don’t feel like shelling out 90 bucks for it, though a Game genie and Mother 2 might be cheaper

I have had the cart since it originally came out and it works, I’m just to lazy to hook up my snes when I want to play it, that spot is reserved for my nes.

@PK Saturn
Saying Nintendo loses money from people pirating Earthbound is like saying Microsoft loses money from people pirating Windows 1.0

Well, the cartidge was never sold in Europe, so I have no way to play it like that. By then, I was a mega-drive player, so I don’t own a supernes. Hence my only way to play is by emulator.

By the way, PK Saturn says that playing it on the emulator “reduce the chances of a re-release of Earthboun”. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time that I buy the cartidge of a game I have already played in a computer. Indeed, sometimes I have paid to see a film or to play a game that I had already enjoied “ilegaly” and which would have completly ignored otherwise.

@Anon
Except that Windows 1.0 will most likely never be re released.

@I won’t say my name
I’m not saying it will reduce the chance of a re release, I am saying it makes Nintendo lose money if a re release happens, because the people who have the game illegal have no reason in their eyes to buy the re release. Read my posts before trying to rebut me.

I still own the cartridge, but I lack a working SNES (or more specifically a working power supply) so I currently need to play it using an emulator if I wanted to play.

GBA cart, Mother 1+2

@PK Saturn
@PK Saturn
The reason Nintendo will not release Earthbound in in this URL:
http://earthboundcentral.com/2010/04/earthbounds-marketing-2-million/#comments

and various legal issues.

So, deal with being wrong about your theory.

Emulator, but since I live in Australia, I can’t play a cartridge, because it was never released in Australia. So I have no choice. I don’t often like to play things on an emulator, but I don’t really have a choice sometimes.

I used to own it and played it on my SNES before I sold it (was moving and needed cash). I played it via Mother 1+2 last, and was thinking about emulating it via PSP but have been too lazy to bother.

I might try to hold out until you release your patch though (even if it is years from now, lol). 🙂

@MoonSide
READ MY POSTS. I said that Nintendo would lose revenue on a re release, not that they won’t re release it for piracy. GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL.

@PK Saturn

Hello there, Mister Ignorant. Thank you for assuming everyone is old enough to get a job, because I’m sure as heck not old enough to get a job.

Are you really too ignorant to notice all the various COPYRIGHT ISSUES in the game that would prevent a re-release now? Are you really too ignorant to notice that SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT OLD ENOUGH TO GET A JOB? Are you really that ignorant?

So, according to you, me, someone who is not old enough to get a job, should be arrested because I use an emulator to play a game when THE FREAKING GAME HAS NO CHANCE TO BE (re)RELEASED?

According to you, Nintendo would lose money if I downloaded a SNES Yoshi’s Island ROM even if I ALREADY HAVE A SNES AND YOSHI’S ISLAND?

According to you, I should beg my parents to give me 100+ dollars so I can get some SNES game?

You have the best logic in the world.

PK Saturn, stop talking. Really, just stop.

When you open your mouth (or type, to be accurate), you come off as a stubborn ass-hole with tunnel vision. If somebody thinks different than your opinion, you go ape-shit; and then you start linking to things that are either unrelated to whatever you’re arguing, or something in an attempt to make yourself look like you have half a clue on what you’re talking about.

You say the piracy of EarthBound keeps it from being re-released? Come on now, that’s asinine. Every game that exists is pirated on a daily basis, and many get re-released. And yes, you yourself said that “piracy gives Nintendo little incentive to do a re-release”.

You know, when you’re correct, people agree with you. Now, NOBODY HERE is agreeing with you. Seriously, get off your damn high-horse and get over the fact that you’re wrong.

@PK Saturn
Ok.
I get what you’re saying, BUT why would the high piracy rate stop Nintendo from releasing Earthbound on VC?
Sure, thanks to piracy some people won’t buy it, but even if not everyone buys it, what do they have to loose?
It’s not like they would loose more money through piracy if they release it on VC.
You can’t stop piracy, especially not with ROMs, but that didn’t stop them from releasing Super Mario Bros, Zelda etc. ,did it?
And hey, making some money seems better than making no money, right?
Also, I think that Earthbound is one of these cases, where piracy actually helped promote the title.
The EB community wouldn’t be so huge If it wasn’t for the (illegal) distribution online, and thus there would be next to none demand for a VC release, making it even more pointless for Nintendo to release it.
And btw, remember who you’re arguing with.
This is a fansite dedicated to all things EarthBound, which means that if you’re writing comments here, you are probably a huge fan.
So I bet that at least 90% of the people here, that said they play it on Emulators would buy a VC release if it ever came out, because these people here are willing to support the developers who made one of their favorite games.

I was going to refute a few of PK Saturn’s posts, but I’m done arguing with a 13-year-old who doesn’t understand simple business practice. Have fun, guys.

@PK Saturn:
Yeah okay, I have exhausted my monthly allowance of patience for arguing with brats. Report me to the proper authorities, and also the other 600+ people who voted “I play EB on an emulator” if you feel so damn strongly about this. Even though a lot of those people probably own a legit cartridge and just choose to play it on their computer or smartphone for personal comfort, but apparently that is theft too?

Honestly, if so many people are disagreeing with you, it probably does not mean you are being oppressed and abused. It probably means you are wrong.

ditto starman 99

Some people just have bricks lodged in their ears.
I don’t want to waste my last 11 days of being 17 years old arguing with this moron anymore.

@Pigmask Private
Do you know what is asinine? Everyone here continuing to state that I said Nintendo wouldn’t do a re release because of piracy. As I have stated multiple times, it makes them lose money that is rightfully theirs if a re release was to happen. Apparently I misworded my earlier posts leading to you believing that I thought Earthbound wasn’t being re released because of piracy. OK? Get it now? Good.
It is called analogy when I draw similarities to something normally unrelated. I don’t do it to look smart, I do it to further illustrate my point/prove a point.
The majority is always correct? So the American majority was right when they oppressed the Native Americans? So the church was right to suppress the idea that the Sun is the center of the solar system and punish great minds like Galileo, just because the majority did not believe him? I don’t think so. The majority is not always correct.

@dimo2
The high piracy rate IS NOT the reason Nintendo won’t do a re release. Read my posts.

@effigy of Starman
I, too have exhausted most of my patience.

@Everyone
I’m sorry that I may have sounded like a moron to all of you. Most of your insults stem from the misunderstanding when I said that Nintendo is robbed when you use piracy (not just on Earthbound, mind). And the fact that you just don’t seem to be able to admit that piracy is wrong.

I voted for cartridge, but I wouldn’t have gotten the cartridges (EB, M 1+2, and M3) if I hadn’t played the EB ROM years ago and loved it.

@ PK Saturn: (because I forgot to point out one thing)

“Everyone here [is] continuing to state that I said Nintendo wouldn’t do a re release because of piracy.”

And yet, these quotes of yours…

“Your piracy leaves Nintendo little reason to release EB on the Virtual Console, because the people who have already heard and care about Earthbound play it illegally!”

“C)Am not going to participate in activities that reduce the chances of a re-release of Earthbound”

“Because if everyone can and does get the game for free, Nintendo has little reason to re release because everyone already has the game illegally. However, if there is very high demand and only a few carts and no ROMs, a many people will be unable to play the game, thus giving Nintendo a large number of people who have no choice but to go with the re release.”

I realize that those were completely idiotic things to say. Thank you for correcting me on those points. However, I stand by my statement that it robs Nintendo of what is rightfully theirs.

@PK Saturn

You might have a point if the game was indeed available on the Virtual Console. As it is, it is not, and doesn’t look like it EVER will be, and this is not to do with emulation, because that hasn’t stopped them from releasing a huge number of other games.

In Europe, we have never recieved an official release of a single Mother game.

In America, you’ve had one. The cartridges have all been sold, Nintendo has the money. There is no robbery going on, unless you count the people selling the cartridges on for exorbitant amounts of money. Nintendo recieves none of this money.

If people were not emulating EarthBound, the series is liable to be almost forgotten and unplayed outside of Japan. If it wasn’t for the emulation scene, EarthBound would be a cult classic limited only to a certain number of people who own the cartridges. Mother 3 would never have been translated, and nobody would realised that Mother recieved an official translation and nobody would of played it.

Emulation keeps the EarthBound community ALIVE. And there is nothing immoral about it. Until Nintendo actually releases it on the Virtual Console, and damn, they’ve had plenty of time to do so, emulation of this particular series does not hurt them, it helps them.

Nintendo did not stop the translation of Mother 3 or its distribution, despite being well aware of it. Nintendo did not include EarthBound in the Masterpieces of Brawl outside Japan, indicating that they never even considered it for a Virtual Console release at the time (admittedly, they haven’t released it in Japan either). Nintendo is happy for the EarthBound fan community to continue as it does, it hasn’t given its overseas EarthBound fans anything since EB was released. No Mother 3, no Mother 1+2, no Virtual Console.

If you say that the only people who should be allowed to play EarthBound should pay hundreds of dollars for what is just a GAME you’re being silly, and that money is not going to anyone special.

Anyway, if the game was released in the VC, I would buy it even though I already played it on an emulator, and I expect this would be true of the vast majority of people here. And since the vast majority of people here don’t own the cartridge and wouldn’t of played the game otherwise, that would be extra money for Nintendo for a game that might not otherwise have gained such a following.

Guys.

You know you’re buying it USED, right?
Ninty’s not making any bloody money if you DO buy it.

(Forgot an important part.)

If it were available in a way where Nintendo/Itoi would make any money, obviously I’d buy it. I’d probably even force my friends to buy it. But until then, none of the original devs are making any money, so it’s mostly just a matter of pride/nostalgia, which is completely understandable.

(If there IS a non-importing way to get it that would still give money to Ninty/Itoi, please do correct me.)

Note that my first comment on this topic included all ROMs, not just Earthbound. Still, Earthbound ROMs are stolen intellectual property, and whether it benefits the community or not doesn’t make it right. The mafia wouldn’t exist, or at least would be vastly different if they were all into being legit. Likewise, the Earthbound community may be smaller without ROMs if you weren’t willing to pirate intellectual property.

Maybe these will clear up what Saturn here is trying to say:

http://www.nintendo.com/corp/legal.jsp
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/help/entry.html?cat=24
http://www.theesa.com/policy/antipiracy_faq.asp

Took me a while to find sources that didn’t contain “wiki”.

Unlike most,i emulate it on my PSP.

Nintendo had no reason to rerelease lots of games on Virtual Console, like Mario Rpg, Ogre Battle, Sin and Punishment, and the like. Those games were heavily emulaated and expensive, but were VC’d anyway.

Not to double-post, but I got the cartridge for the magic of playing it for real. Having a copy of the game would make people who even have it for free, at least a good deal of ’em, want to buy the game from Nintendo. So yeah, I wanted the game and the guidebook for real for sentimental reason, not for elitist reasons.

Please, Kill Stupidity, As Turmoil Ultimately Ruins Nobody’s Intelligence (except the already affected) So Dial-down Ur Magical Brouhaha. readthecapsthere

well i’m actually new to this game but I play it in an emulator (ZSNES), because why would I pay for a cartridge if Nintendo doesn’t even receive money for SNES games anymore? and i actually think that SNES ROM are not illegal anymore (since 2010) because the sales of SNES cartridges are not reported to Nintendo anymore

If I could get the cartridge… you bet I would.

Otherwise… euh… I’ll just say how… the Wii is capable of far greater things, when fused with the power of the Force of HBC… giving the full-screen TV experience EarthBound was intended to be enjoyed. (;

@GoukiKaiser
SNES ROMs are still illegal. The patent for SNES cartridges and SNES systems (I believe) will expire 20 years after the patent is filed for, meaning that they either already have expired or will do so within roughly a year. This simply means that the rights to exclusive SNES consoles (and most other SNES Hardware) will expire. I’m no expert in patent and copyright laws, but I believe that means other companies will be able to reproduce the SNES under different name. The NES’s patent has already expired. This does not mean that Nintendo copyrights have expired. They expire 75 years after the copyrighten material is published (I think). Therefore, EB ROMs will not be legal for another 60 years or so :P.

@MalixDexide
Thank you!

I have a cart

PK Saturn, you are really confident when you speak which probably means you know a lot about this legal stuff.

BUT WHO CARES? This series brings everyone so much joy and brings us together. So what if it’s enjoyed differently?

I first played eb cuz ness was in it, I played on my laptop, got to fourside, then my laptop broke, so I got wiibrew, and finished my game, then i bought it on my bday. I’ve had it for about 2-3 weeks now I <3 it!

Emulator. Snes9x using a usb pad.
I don’t own the cart, however I got the japanese Mother 2 cart for the SFC and the Mother 1+2 GBA cart aswell… next time I’ll be probably playing through the game on the M1+2 cart to spot the differences between versions.
I never (or rarely) used any save state.

Well all of you who say playing on a ROM is an unforgivable crime, have fun playing Mother 1 & 3 in japanese.

Though I own the cartridge and have played through the game a dozen times on the SNES, I most often play on an emulator these days. It is much more convenient and saves me the hassle of tangled cables and a cluttered entertainment center.

I also feel compelled to respond to the idea of “ROMs are illegal and therefore wrong/immoral/whatever” – this is a fine example of a logical fallacy, and I have to LOL at comparing the EarthBound community to the mafia.

@Labrynian Rebel
I do!

@Labrynian Rebel
I dont mind playing mother 1 and 2 and 3 in japanese but played the 2nd and 3rd in japanese for fun in school

Well I beat Earthbound on an Emulator. But my friend had a copy of Earthbound and he left me borrow it. I got to Grapefruit falls and had to give it back to him.

Despite having downloaded a lot of ROMs in the past, I don’t anymore. Those that I have played I am now trying to buy the actual games to make up for it.

With ROMs, keep in mind that Nintendo isn’t the only possible party who could be negatively impacted. People who own the actual game and wish to sell it get cheated as well. A copy of EB may sell on ebay for $50+. Distributing ROMs lowers the demand for the cartridge, and these resellers get less money than they deserve, given the demand for the game.

Sad, but I use emulation… But hey! Not a crappy SNES emulator! I play it… on my Wii.

@PK Saturn

(headdesk)

Why headdesk?

I got a ROM for earthbound set up on my computer today, ans started playing it. All I can say, is it’s AWESOME.
The only problem with the ROM I have is that it glitches up like a scratched DVD sometimes, but it’s better than buying both an SNES AND the game.

@PK Saturn

Because I definitely want to spend $300+ importing MOTHER, MOTHER 3, a Famicom, and buying an EarthBound cartridge..

Mother 1 + 2 real cart. And Mother 3 should be coming any day now…

TOTALLY agreed with Aristoa about that statement.

ROM + zSnes.

Simply because a) I’m too young to buy from eBay, b) Even if I had an account, the game costs WAY too much, and c) when buying from America, the customs charges are too unpredictable upon receiving the item in the UK.

I’d buy it if it were re-released on Wii or something, though. Earthbound is the only game I emulate(Besides Mother 3) and I don’t do it out of choice. The cartridge simply costs too much, and when the money isn’t even going to Nintendo, why would that even affect the chances of a re-release?
Sad but true – Earthbound is highly unlikely to make it to VC or whatever. So the way I see it, whether I buy the game or not, it won’t change anything.

@PK Saturn
Instead of ranting about ROM’s and your “logic” on how they’re bad…FREAKIN’ MATURE AND GET LOST!!! (note:this is coming from a 13 year old)
This is a poll asking people what they use to play, not for being utterly ignorant. Also you except me to get a job in a RECESSION!?

@PK Saturn

Some of us aren’t Americans. The Mother/EarthBound games were never released in Europe for example.

We never got any Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy installments either. The first FF we got was FF7, and the first Dragon Quest, was Dragon Quest 8.
On the Super NES, the only RPGs release in Europe were Secret of Mana 2, Legend of Gaia and Secret of Evermore.

But Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z were just plain huge in France, Spain, Italy, so Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest since the character designs are by the same guy, could have done very well in these countries with the right advertising, so Nintendo took a stupid decision. I guess they didn’t want to translate text heavy games too.

Very few RPG’s were released in Europe during the NES and Super NES era, Nintendo was convinced Europeans didn’t like RPGs or something*rolls eyes*

Nintendo never bothered to release and market any installments of the series outside of Japan and North America, so people not from these two countries who download are not depriving Nintendo of anything, Nintendo never expected the game to sell in these regions, and Nintendo has always been opposed to people playing import version anyways.

And Nintendo USA obviously doesn’t care about the Mother series at all anymore, I mean, Mother 3 translations in English, French, Spanish, and German were commissioned by the developer, and were fully done, but the game was never released because Nintendo of America, and maybe the European Nintendo too, said no, because the plot was too serious for the graphics!

That’s crazy and disrespectful towards the developer who paid with their own money for a full translation in 4 languages only to have Nintendo of America deny them a release!!

My source: http://www.actionbutton.net/?p=422

@all the arguing people, mostly PK Saturn

I already said how I play it, but I’ll reiterate: I emulated it, then went and got a real cartridge off eBay something like four years later when I had the money. Nintendo didn’t get any money for it. I’m sure they would have loved to get my $70-something but instead whomever was selling the cart got it. Money for a redistributed game that had been passed through who knows how many hands while Nintendo only got paid once, presuming someone didn’t steal its oversized box right off the shelf in 1995. I am delighted to have at least two ways to play EarthBound, though I only use the cartridge now.

With all that said, if EB came out on the Virtual Console, I would buy it again immediately. Nintendo can have my $10-$20 that I worked hard for although I already paid five times that for a product that they made but did not get profit for when I bought it.

The simple fact remains that anyone who visits the site and bothers to leave replies obviously loves the game if not the series. But, another fact is that nothing that we do now can really affect a re-release, whether that be by hindering it or helping it. The ONLY thing that we could do to sway Nintendo’s opinion about re-releasing any of the series would be for one of the games to already be available on the market and selling well, which quite obviously is a paradox.

PK Saturn, it is true that piracy can be bad news for artists of any type when their ideas are still for sale. But, Nintendo has no way to make any profit for EB’s cartridge anywhere anymore. I understand that you dislike piracy’s existence, but arguing in a comment section is not the proper place to fight it, especially in a case like this where pirating this particular game poses no consequences other than a guilty conscience. I ask that you please stop debating this.

@Greiv

Your right ! I care about copyright law as much as I care about global warming, even if it’s illegal it’s not like they are going to cross the border to Mexico , go to Tijuana ,just to arrest me

EARTHBOUND RULEZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@Lola

Two questions:

Are you a girl?

Is there any differences between EarthBound(USA)and Mother 2 (Jap) I would like to know before I play any further

@GoukiKaiser

Erm, why?

There are a lot of differences between the two, but they don’t alter the game significantly enough to turn it into something totally different. They’re mostly cultural differences that have been slightly changed in translation, though there are a couple larger and smaller ones scattered throughout. It’s possible to live a fulfilled life and only played one language version of the game, I promise. 🙂

Mato cataloged most of the differences here (which is how I found out about most of them):

http://earthboundcentral.com/m2eb/

@Goukiwhatever

Two redundant questions:

Are you a little boy?

What does gender have to do with anything?

Also, cart.

Also also, no.

@?

1- I’m 16

2-Nothing, I just was asking because of the name Lola

3-Good, because my dad found an old Mother 2 cartridge that he used to play so now I can play it

@GoukiKaiser

Sorry I was an insecure monster earlier, you’re alright.

The only changes made to the us ver. are asinine like the Red Cross and any religious paraphenalia. Gameplay and tunes are intact.

@?
Thanks, also if your a chick that’s so cool, I actually got my gaming skills from my mom

Not everyone should (or would like) to have to learn Japanese to play a game.

God, you people sure do know how to argue about pointless things…

@LucasTizma
That’s how it usually is here…until the source of the problem goes away.

I don’t play games using emulator, but I will be playing the cartridge version real soon. 😀

Emulator. I don’t have the money or a SNES and plus I’m English so i’ll also have to buy an adapter.

Even then games run at different speeds in Europe then they do in america so even if you did use an adapter the game would probably run slower.

I never owned Earthbound, so when Super Smash bros came, or at least, when Brawl came, I decided to dig up Earthbound and co. In fact, It’s was the fact I saw Giygas that made me want to play It.

So I dug up the roms and went to play It. Earthbound got Into my top 10 of Snes video games, the story-line didn’t appeal me much If It’s wasn’t for the bizarre worlds and such. In fact, I only read the Important parts. (Damn you Speeding button!)

And then came Mother 3. Every chapter was a novelfest to my eyes. The bloody hell? The fact that we’ll never get our hands legaly In english, but then again, we got ourselves a great team who translated It perfectly. Many thing caught me off guards and such. I played through the game two time, the second time was to see what’s going on around the village and damn, that’s really something. By the time I had to go to New Pork City, It’s feels like the Town was already nothing despite the folks.

Mother 3 got already marked as my top one game ever since Chapter 1 and that’s tells alot. If I could get my hands on It In japanese, I’d do It now. Even now, I should gather a good 5/10 bucks to get Earthbound at my pawn shop.

I use the rom 😛
I cant afford the cartridge and snes plus idk why but i like playing it on my computer lol.

I use an emulator (ZSNES). I cant afford an earthbound cart, although I did get 1+2 to support the developers. Since I cant read Japanese and the bass sucks, it usually just sits collecting dust.

I use a cartrige, because for one thing, SNES emulators sort of disagree with my computer, and it’s more fun on a console anyways. I had to practically beg for my mom to get a cart, and I didn’t get to buy much of anything else for a while! But it’s just so much more fun to play normally, it’s completely worth it.

My computer doesn’t like emulators either so ill either look for a decent unboxed copy of Earthbound or a VC release to play it.

I was lucky enough to get an actual cartridge and game guide (in poor condition 🙁 ) for free at the age of 4.
6 years later I finally pick it up again and it worked like a fork (well, forks always work unless they’re broken).
Fast forward 6 years.
Now I try to use the cart, but I can’t exactly trust it to work 100% of the time. It’s playable from start to finish, but even on a SNES in great condition, it’ll glitch up once in a while.

I play on a cartridge and i simply love it.

@Someone,
Your Game glitches up? have you tried cleaning it with an official SNES cleaning kit, or even with a clean Q-tip and isopropyl rubbing alcohol? It usually fixes all the problems i have with my games.

To everyone, Have fun playing Earthbound, and keep on gaming. 😀

I play on the SNES emu on my DSTWO flashcart.
In fact, I emulate all the mother games on my DSi.
It’s like a mother collection, + so much more! 😛

Were Can I Play It On Emulator For Pc. I Own The Game On SNES, But Want To Have It on My Laptop So I Can Play It At School When I Get Free Time / Or Bored. Lawl. gohansan25@yahoo.com Email Me The Answer

I play on emulator since i can’t afford an actual cartridge.

I use ZSNES. Someday I hope to be at the right place at the right time and find someone selling the cart for an affordable price, but until that day comes I’m stuck with emulation.

Snes9x GX on the Wii. That’s the way!

Snes9X mac but, might be getting a retro duo system in near future.

where can i find a no- download emulator?

Jon- Jon: Vized Board 😉

Buying the cartridge for collector’s sake is all good and well, but I don’t think some people realize that you’re not supporting Nintendo by doing this–they’re not getting money from you buying a used copy on eBay. So don’t look down on people who use emulators.

I installed a custom game on my Wii Menu to play it.

So… what does THAT classify as?

Quote|a, well technically its a WAD, which would fall under ROM more than cartridge.

I played the first section of the game on a ROM. Then I borrowed a cartridge of the game from a friend and soon completed it.

As of now I just own a copy of Mother 2 and play that instead of using an emulator.

I emulate it only because I can’t afford EarthBound on eBay.

rom sadly
I can’t afford EB

What about the “both” option? I have it on cartridge, but since my SNES isn’t very portable I have played it on handheld emulators.

Both(kinda).I have the value selection mother 1+2 gab compilation and have played through both, but play the snes earthbound on a rom, I live in England and honestly I don’t have the money to buy a snes(I’m 14,never had one), an adapter and Earthbound.

I live in England (not Eagleland) so it’s practically impossible for me to play cartridge.

I play on an emulator, because I can’t afford something so expensive. Sure it’s illegal, and it’s Nintendo’s right to distribute it, but is it Nintendo’s right to NOT distribute it?

I also use a PSP for emulating EB, mainly because it can do SNES emulation better than the DS. Also, the Dingoo can emulate EB fine, and can also do TV-out, so I put in a purchase that.

It not just that the price for secondhand used EB carts are expensive; that alone could be dealt with. But the competition on ebay and elsewhere couldn’t be any more cutthroat if it actually involved cutting peoples’ throats. The average auction for the cart alone is guaranteed to escalate into the $150-200, and the odds are still against you even if you make it that far. I buy was much legit stuff as I can, but screw that.

@PK Saturn
…Nitnedo does not make any money from the carts sold any wheres they do not make them no more. Do you know the story of mother 3 and 1?
Stop blowing crap out your ass. you sound… Dumb…
Also it was only sold in the usa and some parts of canada…Besides japan. You think some people chose to play it in a rom format? Any ways pirating is not stealing its making a copy. how do people get this stealing aspect? its just a copy, Stealing is when you phicialy take something. Copping is where you make a copy
______________________________
That aside
I play on a custom injected wad on my wii. it even has the earthbound banner.
I wont deal with emulators. they are to much unless its mother 3 then I make an exception. Any ways I had to many problems with Snesx9 for wii,

i never had a SNES and Earthbound is basically “a new country” to be discovered where i live.

I dun have a snes so I play it using a rom and emulator but I want one… xP

I’ve always played it on the cartridge. More recently I downloaded a rom version, but I’ll probably finish my cart playthrough before playing on the emulator.

I use ZSNES.

I posted months ago that I play it on a cartridge. I did buy it on ebay for about $85 but I left out that I actually emulated emulated it. I had a lot of trouble with emulators, Zsnes wouldn’t save and bsnes lagged for me for some reason. I beat the game on bsnes but I bought the cartridge after since at that point I had:
1. A SNES
2. Extra money for a three SNES games
3. I was old enough to open a bank account and earn money.

By emulating it I knew already that I would like the game and when I did play the game on a SNES it was a big relief being able to save and run the game without lag.

typo: on the seccond sentence I meant to say emulated it first not “emulated emulated it”

I know it’s quite sad that some of us Mother fans use the emulators to enter in cheats glitches and all that other stuff. However i believe that the people who have an Earthbound cartriage are mor than enough very lucky. I do wish i had an Earthbound game. I would play every day. Even through Giygas does not exist today, in the present.The voting polls speak the peoples truth. I too use an emulator just to play the must best game in the WORLD!

I’m too paranoid about viruses and don’t have a working SNES, so I’m a wimp.

Emulators are so helpful! 😀

Snes9x for iPhone 🙂

I’m French, so I can’t play the original game. I played Earthbound a year ago, on SNES9x GX, a SNES emulator on Wii, so I was playing on TV with a controller, so it was almost the same as playing the original game! ^^

At first I played Earthbound on a ROM (and I still do as of now) but now that I have a real-live SNES, AND I won an auction for a copy of Earthbound, that’ll soon change once the latter arrives in the mail.

Unfortunately, I have not played any of the Mother/EarthBound games.

Since Mother 1 & 3 are not available in English legally and since EarthBound is not affordable anymore (and since I don’t have an SNES anyway), to play these games in English you will have to download ROMs. Which is illegal.

And I do NOT want to break the law. And since these games will most likely never be re-released, it looks like I will never get to play these games.

@ Earth Saturn, out of curiosity, may I ask why you’ve never played any of the EarthBound/Mother games, but you wanted to comment on an EB-based site?

I’ve played all three games in English without downloading ROMs. All it takes for 1 and 3 is Mato’s translation patches, a way to copy GBA ROMs to a file (I used my DS Lite, a Slot-1 homebrew card, and a free, legal download of GBA Backup Tool), and optionally a GBA flashcart.

Yes, SNES EarthBound is expensive, and remains the release of Mother 2 that is in full English. I set money aside, watched for price fluctuations, and finally got a cartridge. It was worth it to me; if it isn’t to you, that’s totally reasonable too.

@Ree I comment here because I absolutely love this series. Regardless if I have never played the games. I also love the EarthBound Central community. I want to talk with other EB fans. As most likely, nobody you know in real life is going to know what EB is.

I have never heard of that way to play the GBA games like that. But unfortuantely, I do not own a DS or GBA. I’m waiting to see what the Wii U is like so I might get it for Christmas.

Besides, isn’t it still illegal to do that if you’re using a ROM? Because you’re still not paying for it. It sounds similar to putting a WAD on your Wii. That’s still illegal. And I do not own an SNES either, so I don’t wanna pay for a cart that I can’t use.

I’m sure there are others here who have never played the games. I hope one day I can play the series legally. But until then I have to just hope and dream.

@Earth Saturn: Cool. Yay for mutual EarthBound love!

Yeah, if you don’t own anything that can play GBA or SNES games, the cost of playing EarthBound games legitimately gets really high. Even non-EarthBound SNES games can reach scary prices, which stinks as that’s my favorite retro system.

I’m no lawyer, but it’s my understanding that the legality of ROMs is all in how you get them and who owns the rights. ROMs that are created by homebrew developers and offered for free download are legally just fine. If I copy a ROM from a cartridge I paid for, that’s legal for my personal use, or at least shaky enough grounds that I think nobody has ever gone to trial over it.

But most ROMs online are commercial games uploaded by people who don’t have the right to distribute them. Uploading or downloading those ROMs is very much illegal.

I hope someday everyone can play all the Mother games legally and for a low price. Keep the dream alive!

@Ree So basically that whole “If you own an original copy of the game, ROMs are legal.” thing is valid here. Thanks for clearing that up! And yes, let’s hope one day the series can be enjoyed legally by all.

I believe the wonderful fans both in Japan and outside of it keep this series alive. I hope the word can be spread about this unique series.