MOTHER 2 - GÎGU NO GYAKUSHÛ
( Earth Bound - The War Against Giygas ! )
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(c)1994 Nintendo
Cartridge SHVC-MB
Role Playing Game
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Released in America as
EARTHBOUND
( SNS-MB-USA )
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Mother 2, aka Earthbound, is a role playing game by
Nintendo and sequel of Mother originally released in Japan
for the Famicom system. In the years 199X, a weird meteor crashes
in the hills behind Ness's Home in the middle of the night.
The young boy, always eager for adventure, sneaks out that night and goes
on to investigate the situation. Later on, helped by his neighbor
Pokey, he meets Buzz-Buzz on the crash site - this
talking bee from the future reveals him that the evil Giigu
(aka Gitgas) is planning on taking over the world. A prophecy
predicted that three boys and a girls will stop Giigu's
terrific plans, and he knows that Ness, with his psychic powers
(called PSI in the game), is one of them... The boy and his
friends embark on a journey to save the world and find the eight
sanctuaries to reunite the power of the Earth and
defeat Giigu. The game follows the same rules laid down
by other role playing games of the time - it is however a mix of
games such as Final Fantasy and Zelda. The map is
always at the same scale and enemies freely wonder around it - no
random battles. However, fights are turned based and follow a more
traditional approach with a brilliant twist - the game automatically skips
fights against weak enemies (they may even run away from you !). Characters
have their own set of skills and special abilities and they all complete
one another. Ness is the strongest and defends himself with a
baseball bat, Jeff is the geek of the group and can repair
anything, Paula has super-psy abilities and Poo seems
to be good at anything, thanks to his Mu training. Interestingly,
the game can be saved by calling Ness's dad on the phone.
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The first Mother (picture on the left) was released for the Famicom system in 1989.
The game features a young boy traveling the world and fighting a race of
mind-controlling aliens and was created by the Japanese writer and essayist
Shigesato Itoi. Mother was sadly never released outside of
Japan - an American version was initially planned but never made it to the
shelves. A copy of the game was however released to the public in 1998 and
called Earthbound Zero. Mother 2 was then released in Japan
in 1994. The American version was released a year later and went by the
name EarthBound. In 2003, Nintendo released in Japan
Mother 1+2 which compiled the first two games into one cartridge for
the Game Boy Advance. The game was probably to promote the third
opus, called Mother 3, released in 2006 for the Game Boy Advance.
Both cartridges are currently only available in Japan.
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Teaser text from the American version:
GIYGAS INVASION!!! BIZARRE ALIENS ROAM THE EARTH!!!
Intergalactic terror strikes the small town of Onett as a blazing
extraterrestrial object crashes in the night! The earth now faces
imminent destruction by the universal evil threat known as Giygas!
Armed with a cracked baseball bat, a cookie and an ATM card,
a courageous boy named Ness vows to save the planet from hideous
destruction. He must first find his heroic companions, Paula, Jeff and Poo.
Will Ness succeed in his attempts to ambush countless frightening
monsters as he travels ? The ultimate test lies in the impending
encounter with the all powerful Giygas!!
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
O
V
s
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Mother 2 is outstanding. It's a gem of its own that doesn't
compare to any other game out there. And, I must say, the American version
was perfectly translated and keeps all the inside jokes, parodies and weird
references the original had. The game in itself is not groundbreaking - unlike
many of its peers, the game didn't go for a striking visual aesthetic, graphics
are correct but nothing spectacular and the control system is simple but cumbersome
in places. Nonetheless, one of the greatest achievement is certainly the sound
effects and the musics - the game's opening with the weak sound of police sirens
in the background is priceless. But the part where Mother 2 shines
the most is definitely it's witty dialog, funny storyline, strange monsters and
inhabitants. The game is packed with useless information and hilarious situations
with innovative ideas sprinkled throughout. Mother 2 is a game we
either love or hate (especially for its dated interface and overall design),
but in my opinion it's a gem not to be missed. The American version is sadly
hard to find and can be quite pricey...
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