Mother 3 Handbook Is Sheer Indulgence

The reason why Nintendo won't release Mother 3 in English is because despite the fanbase being extremely vocal which gives the impression that it is huge, it's actually very small and Nintendo understands this.

OpinionMan

@Kommissar Kayce: It's not hardcover. Just looks hardcover. I have one of my own, you see.

CyricZ

@Derek Rumpler: Well, I know there's a lot of licensing problems with Earthbound. Something about the audio samples they used (songs and such) that Nintendo couldn't justify obtaining the rights to. Something like that. Which is why it hasn't seen a re-release.

But yeah, it would be great to Mother 3 released over here. I've still only played Earthbound, but I do so love that game.

@Kommissar Kayce: *nods* Understood.

I'd be happy if, at the very "least", they slapped all three Mother games on to a Nintendo DS cart and release them here. They have the translations done for the first two (even though the first one never made it here). I don't see how it would take them much work, provided they didn't do a graphics upgrade for the first one.

@Derek Rumpler: I think sending a cease and desist to stop such a niche project would turn out to be a bigger PR mess than the money they are "loosing" from letting this thing continue.
Imagine this: If Nintendo sent the legal papers fans would go nuts and say "well, if you're stopping us is because you guys are bringing this to us right?" And to that we know the answer, Nintendo is not planning to bring this. The translators have said this many times, the second Nintendo announces they are bringing Mother 3 they would stop their project. That never happened.
Nintendo is better off playing dumb than trying to stop this act of "piracy" where Nintendo, by stopping this, wouldnt receive this legally as money anyways since there's no Mother 3 in english anywhere.

Just play dumb and play along.

@Zorantor: Yeah. I agree with this point.

@Ueziel: Not if they released Starmen.net's translation on VC (after a cease and desist and thank you, of course)

I'd get a wii if they put EB and M3 on Virtual Console. Hellz yeah.

@Derek Rumpler:

I didn't say Nintendo did. I know they didn't. I was saying they're denying us something that has enough fan drive behind it to have produced a goddamn hardcover english strategy guide for a game we're not going to get.

@Derek Rumpler: Nintendo's lack of cease and desist must be their apology for never releasing it themselves. That's my optimistic view on it, at least.

@Esper_tricks: My version of heaven means no more crying... Not "crying when I get there, and then again at the last chapter, like a baby..." so I'm not sure Mother 3 qualifies as heaven for me.

Yeah, I got the book a couple of days ago as well and my jaw dropped to the floor when I was looking through it.

@Zorantor:
Nowhere = Utopia (no place)

Pun fail...

But I have to agree, having played Mother 3, it is......Heaven

@Esper_tricks: I believe that had more to do with just Earthbound's music. I don't remember too many songs like that in Mother 3, though it does have a couple songs FROM Earthbound so who knows. But that is yet another layer.

Basically, the game would have cost them something like ten times the amount they could have possibly have gotten back.

@Derek Rumpler: I don't really see how having a translation for a game is bad. The developers make no profit from it and don't go out telling people to download the game (although that's the only realistic method for getting it in the U.S.).

madog

I already have my copy. :)

Charles Guyer

@mcderek3000: You'd need more than an R4 to play it on DS, unfortunately. The DS isn't capable of effectively emulating GBA games run from Slot-1, so you'd have to load it onto a GBA flash cart and run it from Slot-2 as if it were an actual GBA cartridge. DS cases do have a space to hold GBA carts, though, so your plan could still work.

Alternately, do you have a Wii? Install the Homebrew Channel (it's easy!) and play EarthBound and Mother 3 on emulators.

Zorantor

Eat your heart out Brady.
I remember as a kid, receiving the Korean translation of Seiken Detsu 2 guidebook, 100+ pages of GOODNESS.

What a fantastic find!, thank you!.

PsycheE

@snags that make NOA hesitant to bring the series here officially.

Nintendo, in a rare moment of putting fans before business, seems to have decided to look the other way so that folks outside of Japan can enjoy this work of art. And I couldn't love them more for it.

Zorantor

@mcderek3000: cool idea, but its a gba game, not a ds game.

Aleksei Pulchritudoff

@Tracid: No, paperback.

@ShinuZERO: Do it! If you like RPGs even a little bit, you won't be disappointed. The gameplay system is outdated and a bit unintuitive, but the story and atmosphere are second to none.

I'm a huge fan of the Mother series (if you couldn't tell), so whenever it comes up I feel I have a duty to scream and shout about how everyone needs to play it. Consider it a public service.

Zorantor

That's crazy. Come on, Nintendo. Make an effort and put the damn game on the DS or something Jesus Christ.

This book is simply fantastic. I got mine right within the first batch and couldn't be more pleased. Honestly, the best $20 I have ever spent. I love you Starmen.net!

@Mr.Sad:
I think it has already been pointed out that the reason Mother 3 has very little possibility of ever being released outside of japan is because of possible copyright infringement on the games original music.

Not really sure if that's true but from what I've read on different forums and Kotaku, that seems to be the case.

Is this Hard Cover?

@Esper_tricks: Mother 3 doesn't take place in Utopia. The playing of Mother 3 takes place in Utopia.

Zorantor

@kitsuneconundrum: That's the Cactus Wolf! That thing on its head is a Wolf Cactus. It's a symbiotic relationship.

Or something. Probably.

Zorantor

@Ueziel: I think Starmen.net was talking about how they believed that Nintendo's lawyers were afraid of releasing Earthbound on Virtual Console due to references to the Beetles and whatnot.

Also, Mother 3 was surprisingly... almost adult. At least, not 100% child-friendly. The creepy face-monsters, the music, the dialog, of Tanetane Island creeped me out to no end. I was looking over my shoulder, feeling something behind me, expecting a creapy face for a reason.

Let's not even go over the cut battle backgrounds that hinted at a possible different, more insane last boss...

@Dangeresque Wants to Take You For a Ride: Not liking EarthBound is forgivable only for its antiquated battle system. If you can learn to overlook that, you'll find one of the most unique and charming video games ever made. Much like the fan translation and book, the game itself is really a labor of love.

If you ever find yourself lacking in games to play and want to try something different, hoist your Jolly Roger, download a ROM of EarthBound or Mother 3 and give it another shot. I've never met anyone who played any of those games through to the end and didn't absolutely love it.

Fanboy out.

Zorantor

I haven't played the game, but I'm seriously thinking of getting an R4 cartridge and a blank Nitendo DS game case so that I can make my own Mother 3 box (along with photoshopped cover and manual).

mcderek3000

Very awesome!

They don't seem to offer the keychain and art anymore.

I wish I knew about this sooner I could have gotten those with my order.:(

So... Howcome Nintendo leaves them alone?

Not that I want that to happen...

I played through Mother 3 when it was first released, relying on semi-complete online translations and a very patient Japanese-speaking girlfriend to get me through the amazing story.

Since the fan translation was released, I've played through it twice more. I'm really at a loss to think of a game I love more than Mother 3.

That said, I have no idea why I don't own this book already. I'm going to remedy that right now.

Zorantor

@Mr.Sad: The better answer is:

When Mother 3 came out in Japan, the GBA was all but dead in the US. The DS was getting big and Nintendo's own games in popular franchises were even getting smaller releases (see Zelda: Minish Cap, which got a surprisingly small release). Basically, Nintendo saw zero reason to release it because it wouldn't sell at all. Earthbound itself was a massive commercial failure and everything pointed to Mother 3 doing even worse given the overall climate of the US, the state of the GBA and the tone and genre of the game itself.

Also, there are quite a few things in the game that I'm not entirely sure Nintendo would even know what to do with. Beyond the Magypsies and making out with man-shaped air supply machines, TaneTane Island is one of the most evil and ominous things in gaming. I've never had anything else in gaming make me feel as bad or as uneasy as that one section did.

Quickly got bored of Mother 3, but I appreciate the game it is. And for the fanbase to do something like this! Wow!

@Xyless: That's what I was assuming. But I think it's too late- Nintendo has pretty much abandoned the GBA. If there was a time that a port was likely... that time is not now. Too bad, though- I didn't care much for Earthbound (blasphemy, I know), but even in my dislike, I could tell it was a remarkable game. I feel we deserve to see the sequel. Ah well.

i can only think of 4 reasons why Nintendo wouldnt publish this / translate this in English

1.) they dont like money

2.) they dont like us

3.) Microsoft paid them meeeeelllliiooons and beeeeliiooons of dollars to not publish / translate this

4.) Sony paid them meeeeelllliiooons and beeeeliiooons of dollars to not publish / translate this

Mr.Sad

@Kommissar Kayce: Nintendo didn't make the strategy guide. The same people who made the ROM translation did.

I still intend on supporting Nintendo, even though I did break one of my rules and download and hack the ROM to display in English. When I happen to see a Japanese copy of this game and have the money, I will buy it.

There, conscience soothed.

How EB characters are regulars in the SSB games, yet Nintendo ignores the actual franchise is beyond me.

I thought about getting one of these. They're very beautiful. Why Nintendo has never thought to issue a cease-and-desist, especially for the ROM translation, is still beyond me. I hope they never do, but I know they do know about it (Reggie said as much in an interview), but it seems like they just don't care.

Shigesato Itoi already said that he doesn't care who makes Mother 4. Maybe Nintendo doesn't own as much of the rights to it as I thought and are unable to prosecute because Itoi is the one who doesn't care?

@bobafett356: Nintendo didn't make this. The team behind the fantranslation did.

I played through Mother 3 a few months ago and it was quite possibly the most emotional RPG I've ever played. However, when I say 'emotional', I don't just mean sadness. This game deeply makes you feel every reasonable emotion as you progress through its story. I wish I could wipe my mind of its memory just so I could play it again and go through all of the excitement all over again.

Shame on you for not bringing it stateside, Nintendo. Shame on you.

Chris Torres

@Kommissar Kayce: My thoughts exactly. The fact that this exists makes absolutely no sense to me. They are willing to put this much dedication into something for the English audience, but then not even give them a legitimate way to play the friggin game itself in English.

Wow, that's a pretty impressive tome of knowledge right there.

Still wish Nintendo would bring it overseas, oh well.

CosmicElement

@Xyless: Unless you're referring to the part that they aren't giving the game to us?

Xyless

@Meeps: It's not Nintendo. It's starmen.net

Xyless

I just finished Mother 3 a few days ago. It was one of the best gaming experiences I have had in the last 5 years.

I immediately started playing Mother 2 (Earthbound) again on ZNES. Mother 2 was one of my favorite games as a kid...

Super Metroid was my all time favorite SNES title. Earthbound was, and still is, #2.

irvinmus

So!

An english strategy guide.

For a game not being released over here.

That in order to use this book effectively, you have to get a rom and fantranslate.

Then run it on an emulator of some sort, or your DS.

....

Yes... yes Nintendo... I see all your reasoning behind denying us something that enough people want to have produced a scenario like this... yes...

Who's Luke supposed to be? The wolf?

must be hard balancing a cactus on your head.

kitsuneconundrum

This is just getting ridiculous on Nintendo's part.

Meeps

This is a masterpiece of a strategy guide! Amazing indeed!

I never knew Mother 3 took place in Utopia.

This is just excellent. I haven't played though Earthbound or Mother 3, but the dedication behind this makes me want to play them!

OH MY GOD

@bobtheduck: I was playing mine on my Wii. Does anyone know by any chance how to transfer the save file from the Wii to the PSP? I haven't played in about half a year since I've been busy with school, and other games have to take priority on the big screen. Portability would really help with this title for me.

StevenRafael

@bobtheduck: When people code for less powerful hardware, they tend to code better because they can't get away with being sloppy.

@Endless Fighter: My PSP plays this game flawlessly. I can even do the timed attacks... My Pc cannot... Tell me how that's even possible!

The PSP has a 233 Mhz processor. My PC is an aging, but still much more powerful AMD 64 3500+ with 3 gigs of ram and an ATI card based on the Radeon HD 3650 line...

How is it possible an emulator running on a 233 mhz mips processor can run better than one running on my PC??

@Komrade Kayce: My hardcover books fall apart faster than my soft covers... i have some softcover Chronicles of Narnia books that are over 30 years old, but I have a hardcover book that didn't survive 4 years before it came undone... We had a bunch of old hardcover children's books, and they're pretty much unusable because they've fallen apart and are missing pages, but the softcover books rarely fall into that sort of disrepair.

been playing this game for years.......it is the greatest

The only reason why I bought a slot 2 device for my DS (I will go unnamed) was to play the fantranslation. Way to go Nintendo...

shadowlegend

@Luke Plunkett:

Thanks Luke :)

I know I loves mine! ^_^ Got the key chain, extra artwork, a patch, and stickers! ^_^

@Huckleberry: Holy ******* **** this is ******* dedication. Good job, guys.

@Kommissar Kayce: I'm actually playing this on my psp.

Endless Fighter

I remember when i got this in the mail, i was blown away by the amount of work put in to it.

NerdyxTimx

@CyricZ:

Awwwwww.... really? Damn. Thats disappointing, I generally dont like softcover game guides (when I rarely, RARELY buy them, not as guides but to collect) because of how easily they start falling apart with age.

My poor Metal Gear Solid and Parasite Eve guides are in tatters.

@Zorantor: And the Homebrew channel will support the English patch for the game as well.

@OpinionMan: but how much would it cost them when the game's done, translation's done, and frnakly, you're not gonna market a GBA title anyway, so after you comp the tranlators and high-five them, you toss it onto VC for straight profit? i get the argument, but i dont know that it applies here.

beautiful, indeed.

@robodex:

Also a bunch of artists from Starmen.Net as well. Blank slips were sent out to a few so they could send em back with their sweet art. Gotta say it was a lot of fun drawing these.

@Zorantor: It doesn't help that the one time they were able to bring Mother over here, it didn't sell.

I know I bought it though.

@AeroCmdr: I know what you mean, I got my handbook last week but no keychain because those were limited for people who ordered way before me and they ran out of those. I'm actually surprised that Luke just got his handbook today if he ordered before I did.

Still, this is such a great thing to have, I'm very happy with it. Very awesome indeed.

Oh, if by art you mean that card with a drawing on it, those still come with every order from the site I believe.

Masterpain22

@Zorantor: I've met them, but again, it was because of the battle system, and I think they're evil soulless bastards, but other than that... nope.

Actually, you can still get a piece of art -- not just with the handbook, but with anything that comes from the Fangamer store.

RosettaEpaphus

@hazelnutman: It is because Sakurai and Itoi are good friends that the characters even appear in Smash Brothers games.

Marceux

@Nin10dude: I got a Starman, wowhoo

Masterpain22

I have been following the progress of the guide for a long time, and it is indeed awesome :)

Also, the art you got with it--those are standard Fangamer packing slips; essentially what happens is every piece of merch they send out gets a unique, hand-drawn piece of art for the packing slip. When the guide was being shipped, they flew over a bunch of artists from starmen.net and had them all draw up a ton of packing slips. I'm not sure who does them normally, but I think it's generally Reid/Camille.

robodex

Yeah, its sharp. been sitting on mine for a month now till i finish up Tales of Vesperia.

that said, i hear it plays well (timed-attack wise, etc) on PSP, how's it fare emulated on Wii? that was my original plan, hoping it holds up better than on PC.

@ShushKebab: Luke is the person who ordered it, the wolf is a unique drawing included with every Fangamer order.

I will always feel safer with a Franklin Badge on my keychain.

I have played and beaten the game but I literally carry this tome around with me sometimes to marvel at it. It. Is. Stellar.

FMchubs

@Huckleberry:

Got my copy in the mail two days ago, and its pure sex I tell you! An awesome addition for my favourite game of all time!

I didn't get a keychain though... :(

I should add that this guide is more designed towards making you appreciate the details put into the game, than actually helping you through it (though it does an amazing job at that as well).

Projectexodus

@Jennacide:

I'd agree that your reason would be an incentive to bring it to the west... but that is not why it is not here.

Play through the -entire- game and you'll see why NOA would never approve a release of such a title. It looks as if its "for children" but there are significant moments in the game that would have cookie-cutter parents flipping.

Mother 1 and Mother 2 (Earthbound) do not even come close to some "offensive" material in the third.

With that said- if you are a fan in any sense you owe it to yourself to play Mother 3. Ridiculously well crafted game.

Monoxide

@kittenclaw: Yes you are because they're called emulators muthafucka, do you use them!?!?

Think I might have to grab that. Haven't finish Mother 3 yet, but love it overall (slow starter, but great middle so far). Earthbound was a masterpiece.

jargy1

hm. i got mine more than two months ago. why the delay for yours?

@TalahRama: I know of earthbounds existence and want to play it, but live in a place called UK. Am I still a bad person?

@StevenRafael: I don't know if different emulators have different formats for save files, but if they don't, you should just be able to drag the rom and save file to your PSP's emulator folder and it would work. Sorry I can't say for sure :/

I want it....

@Zorantor: I blame it on the trannies. Nintendo needs to come up off the PC bullshit.

@ShinuZERO:

Anyone who knows of Earthbounds existence and hasn't played it in my opinion isn't a good person.

A good reason this game wont come out in the US?

The whole subject of the game is the corruption that "big cities" bring down on little towns... ie the Western do-whatever-you-want culture vs the more disciplined eastern cultures (which are rapidly fading because of our infectious lifestyle)...

just a thought.

@irvinmus: I agree with Super Metroid being at number 1. Earthbound would also be a close second for me as well. Good call.

My roommate bought him and me one. The little card thingy is custom hand drawn for each book. Mine is completely different than his (which is much funnier :( )

It's totally worth giving to the community. Super pro work.

@ShadowXion: I didn't realize that they sent out slips like that as well. Either way, I got a cool picture of giygas when I got my book :3

robodex

Franklin badge keychain!?!? DO WANT!

Project Thanatos

@Komrade Kayce: You seem to misunderstand, I don't think this is something promoted/made by Nintendo themselves, it is a fan package that was created by the people who made the fan translation of the rom this past year. It made a lot of news as I recall.

roninalchemist

@Komrade Kayce: Simple reason, money. Earthbound has a huge following, but didn't turn the kind of profits they wanted. And now that they're literally bathing in money by putting out shovelware and rehashes of all thier franchises, they just don't see a desirable profit margin.

They'd rather piss off the ~1 million Mother fans and sell ~6 million copies of Wii Resort to soccer moms. =|

Jennacide

@AeroCmdr: I'm super impressed that the art is different - I figured they just had some guy or gal sit down and draw Lucas 5000 times (that's what mine has) - but seeing that they do other stuff makes it even more impressive.

And the keychain is awesome, but I refuse to put my keys on it yet - my panderan brewmaster keychain got ruined by actually being used.

ScruffytheJanitor

@OpinionMan:

Actually, that is not true at all. There are legal issues:

[earthboundcentral.com]

(EBC is down at the moment, but check back later to see said legal issues)

@CommentatorHatman: were earthbound sales really that abysmal over here?

@above.

@Zorantor: Homebrew channel, eh? Sounds like fun.

@Huckleberry: Got my copy two or three weeks ago. Amazing stuff. Diggin' the keychain too, that guy is heavy.

@Marceux: The snes game is somewhat known. Also, all the kids playing smash (yes, adults play it too :P) probably think he's a different version of Ash.

@Zorantor: Okay, now I guess I have to play this game. You guys convinced me. Besides, FF won't be here for a long time.

I so want to play Earthbound and Mother 3. :( I just want to legally purchase it from Nintendo, but that will never happen.

@Chris Torres: That's what I said about it after my first play through Mother 3. It really is a very emotional experience, in the way that a good movie can be.

I love the way the game looks like a cartoon, but has such dark undertones to the story. It's fantastic.

Zorantor

@GameBuddy: You're damn right it will.

Zorantor

I second, third, fourth, and one-thousandth all positive comments regarding the work these fine gents have done. Best 20 bucks I spent all year. I'm halfway through the game and loving it, buying this strategy guide is the very least you can do for all the love they put into it.

You also get a bitching cover/foldout poster with the sculpted bosses on it.

I think this is something of a newfangled Geek Bible. Accept no substitutes!

To hell with supporting Nintendo. If they don't release a game in America, then they don't deserve to make any money from it off of American gamers. I have no shame over downloading my Mother 3 ROM. If they want my money, they can release the game in America in English and I'll be glad to buy it.

Ryan Delph

Anyone who is on the fence or doesn't know about it, it's an amazing strategy guide that will keep you gussing how long it took to make it. Must buy.

@Huckleberry:
Exactly my thoughts. MUST GET.

NAO.

@TalahRama: No, my mac won't let me save on them for some reason. When I get one working, I will.

I got the book too, and it was fantastic. You can understand the entire plot without ever playing the game too, which is an incredible help for anyone who never played the fan translation.

Well worth every penny spent.

I got my guide in March.
Worth every cent!

@MudkipPPC: Welcome to Desolate Tatsumairi: ...All you have to do is to switch Macintosh and SNES. :P

MudkipPPC: Welcome to Desolate Tatsumairi

@kittenclaw: You can try Snes9x. It is the best Macintosh emulator for SNES by far.

MudkipPPC: Welcome to Desolate Tatsumairi

@KichiGuy: FF *wishes* it could be Mother.

Man. Wish I would have bought this earlier when the franklin badge was included.

Still need to buy this though even though I already beat it.

@ShadowXion:
That article is only about Earthbound, not Mother 3. Aside from the one mention of the Batman reference in a Mother 3 battle theme.

OpinionMan

I really wonder what the East think of this.

Got it a month or so ago