It was on a pretty old message board post here, I don’t know if anything more came of it, but I salute shawnachu just the same!

I don’t really follow Minecraft stuff as much as I should, are there any other EarthBound-y locations and stuff that fans have made? I get submissions about people making sprites from the games regularly, but what about actual places?

3D EarthBound Sprites (22) Read More >>>	EarthBound Twitter Stuff (47) Read More >>>
Japanese MOTHER 3 Fan Stuff (18) Read More >>>

I want to get into the Mother / EarthBound games but don’t know where to start. What do you recommend?

So I thought it’d be nice to make a short page about the topic to make everything nice and clear. I present to you The Newcomer’s Guide to the EarthBound / Mother series!

Now I know a lot of people will disagree with where I put MOTHER 1. I spent a lot of time trying to decide where to put MOTHER 1, and in the end that seemed the best place to me, but at the very least I want to bring this point across:

I feel like I’ve left some stuff out of that page, so let me know if you think I should add anything else. And if you disagree with my suggestions, please feel free to chime in with your own order of games!

Basically, I want to try to share the series with more people, so send this suggestion page far and wide! If you ever see anyone ask which game they should start with, give them this handy link for reference

EDIT: I’ve since updated the page to incorporate some of the readers’ suggestions. Keep ‘em coming!

MOTHER 2 Strategy Guide Engrish (35) Read More >>>	MOTHER 2 vs. EarthBound: Items (23) Read More >>>
MOTHER 2 vs. EarthBound, Last Call (43) Read More >>>

Here’s a sample:

Fassad’s English name has a surprisingly unexciting origin. The Japanese name Yokuba/ヨクバ is basically derived from the word for “ambition” or “greed” (“yokubari”/欲張り), and that just didn’t work in English. So I asked a friend of mine, one night, to help bounce ideas back and forth. I figured he was studying Arabic in college and coule help out, so I asked him what various words were when translated into Arabic. After a couple of nonstarters, I tried, “What’s ‘corruption’ in Arabic?” and his answer, “fassad,” sounded sufficiently Arabian-y (given the character’s appearance), as well as just being ever so perfect on multiple levels (given its Arabic meaning as well as the fact that it sounds a whole lot like “façade,” which is ridiculously appropriate on, itself, at least two different levels). And that’s why Ben Cocchiaro is credited under “Special Thanks.” Thanks, Ben.

I’m amazed he remembers so much, it’s been like what, four or five years since then? Man, time flies

As you might recall, I started to write a bunch of translation notes after the patch’s release (see here), but it wound up being so time-consuming that I died. I still think about it regularly though, so there’s still hope for it someday!

MOTHER 3 Fan Translation Done! (11) Read More >>>	MOTHER 3 Chinese Translation (20) Read More >>>
A MOTHER 1+2 & 3 Interview (11) Read More >>>

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

• Reference file

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

• Reference file

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

EarthBound Battle Debug Menu Found (19) Read More >>>	A Quick Look at MOTHER 3′s Script (20) Read More >>>
MOTHER 3 Missing Line Fixed (19) Read More >>>

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

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

Smokey the Crow Tries to Stop (13) Read More >>>	M2EB Update: Fourside 2 (17) Read More >>>
M2EB Update: Fourside (36) Read More >>>

Subject: Appeal from a member of the game industry

Hi Clyde,

I know you’re having a pretty busy (and significant!) week with the Mother 3 patch’s release right around the corner. As a member of the game industry, I have to say I’m REALLY impressed with the results. It looks every bit as good as some professional localizations, and way better than most. Congratulations on all your hard work!

The reason I’m writing, though, is to appeal to your professionalism and ask that you don’t release it. I’m a little scared of all the Furies of the Internet this will unleash, but this might be my last chance to express an unpopular opinion.

It’s true that no company has ever brought legal action against a fan translation–and I think so far, that’s been the right decision, since fan translations in the past generally haven’t posed any threat to an IP. This project sets a new precedent, though: never has there been a fan translation this good, and never has there been one this public. This time it doesn’t feel like a fan translation; you’ve taken your work to a professional level, and for that reason you’re suddenly stepping on people’s toes.

Yes, Nintendo of America has chosen not to bring Mother 3 to the US. Yes, lately they seem to be pretending the entire series doesn’t exist. But why are you putting an expiration date on their right to do so? Series like Kid Icarus and Punch Out!! were ignored for decades, and now they are coming back. The first installment of Fire Emblem is being released next year in English after 19 years in the vault. It was always possible that Mother would make a return. But if your patch comes out, there go all its chances.

A lot of fans on the Internet will be very happy because they’ll get their Mother 3 (and a superior translation of it, at that), but you will effectively be dealing a fatal blow to the IP’s future. Why would the publisher give Mother another thought when their largest target audience for the series would rather bombard their office with phone calls or tacitly condone what basically amounts to mass piracy than wait patiently for them to find a way to release the game in a way that’s profitable (part of those profits go back to the Mother creators and future development of the IP, by the way) whether they do it next year or 10 years down the line?

If you love the series as much as you say, why would you be a driving force behind killing it off for good?

I know you don’t see it that way. I know you mean well and that you adore the series, and that this patch is a labor of love. I also realize that among the people who download it, a very (very!) small percentage have actually bought the Japanese game legally and would otherwise never dream of downloading a ROM. These people deserve to get Mother 3 in English, as does the general public who have never heard about the title’s troubled history, or starmen.net, or your patch. I hope the publisher decides to deliver, and I believe that eventually they will…but that’s their call.

So please–be proud of the work you’ve put into the patch. Be proud of the fact that you have such a significant sway over the future of one of the best game series out there. But please, please, please, as a fellow professional who wants to see these games survive in the long run, I ask you: please don’t release the patch.

Anonymous Localization Producer
(Who Knows He Will Not Be Popular For Writing This)

(Note that all the italics were that way in the original e-mail)

We did indeed have a policy of, “If Nintendo announces anything or even just asks us, we’ll halt the project immediately.” This e-mail came from an anonymous source from what was clearly a throwaway Yahoo e-mail account, so even though I suspect someone at Nintendo sent it, it could very well have been any random person. The fact that they chose to send it right before the patch’s release (rather than the two years or so they had to say something) also made me a little doubtful.

Anyway, there are some excellent points in here, so I’m curious to know what other readers think. Some of them are debatable, like the fact that fan translations = dead IP; I released a Star Ocean translation in 2002/2003 yet an official release of the first game still happened years later on the PSP. Persona 2: Innocent Sin, Final Fantasy V, and Tales of Phantasia are other examples I can name off the top of my head. Still, the guy does make a good point.

So, what do you think? Was releasing the patch good, bad, both, neither, or something else?

Update: I forgot to mention, we checked the mail header info and it seemed to have originated from Japan, but that’s all we could figure out.

MOTHER 3 Translation 1.1 Released (70) Read More >>>	Welcome to the :| Patch (35) Read More >>>
MOTHER 3 Translation Turns 1 (66) Read More >>>

Hi Mato! I just received this in the mail today. It’s a Mother 3+ Piano book that has sheet music for 7 different Mother 3 tracks. Up until when I ordered this a few days ago, I didn’t even know such a thing existed. It seems to be a very new release, with a release date of September 2011!

It’s weird seeing new merch like this after a game has been out for five years. Hey, I’m not complaining though! I haven’t found any info on this anywhere, and thought I would share my awesome find!

Also, I made a GameSwag page for it. (link)

Here’s a pic of the cover:

I never knew about it either, so this came as a surprise. I don’t think it’s official, but sometimes with Japanese merchandise it’s hard to tell.

Here’s a sample, maybe someone with music skills can tell if it’s accurate or not?

Does anyone have any experience with this company’s stuff or other piano books like this one?

MOTHER 3 Piano Arrangements (16) Read More >>>	Analyzing MOTHER 3′s Battle Music (34) Read More >>>
Orchestrated Phantasmagoric (12) Read More >>>

For reference, here’s what I put in the readme about his name:

Pokey, a character from EarthBound, makes an appearance in this game. However, the translators for EarthBound were unsure of how to romanize his name and wound up naming him incorrectly. It’s clear from this game that Itoi intended his name to be spelled “Porky” all along. This left me with a problem: which name do I use? I mulled it over for maybe 8 months or so, and decided to go with how the creator intended it, rather than go with what was a mistake. Additionally, Nintendo of America also seems to take this stance, as he’s now referred to as Porky in Super Smash Bros. Brawl in many places. The name “Porky” also fits in with the big “pig” theme of this game. Leaving it as “Porky” also meant we didn’t have to go through the trouble of hacking a large number of compressed graphics.

I considered trying to add in a little line somewhere saying that maybe Pokey changed his name to Porky at some point, but that didn’t seem quite right. I decided I’d just cover the issue briefly in the translation notes. I hope this helps explain some of this issue. It’s one of those things where whatever choice you make, someone won’t be happy. It’s funny though, because between EarthBound Zero and EarthBound, the antagonist’s name changed from Giegue to Giygas, despite being the same character with the same spelling in Japanese. And now something similar has happened again.

So what do you think? Would you have preferred Pokey or Porky? Were you for one or the other at first but since changed your mind? As a translator, I’m curious to know since it’s so rare to be able to get any feedback at all.

Also, for fun, I’ve added a little poll to this post

Attack of the Porky Statue Trio! (38) Read More >>>	Pokey Tattoo (22) Read More >>>
Itoi, Porky, and Animal Crossing (32) Read More >>>

Incidentally, the top ten list was:

• #1: Final Fantasy X
• #2: Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII
• #3: Okami
• #4: Clannad
• #5: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
• #6: Steins;Gate
• #7: Air
• #8: Final Fantasy VII
• #8: MOTHER 3
• #10: Final Fantasy Type-0
• #10: Little Busters! Converted Edition

So, what do you think? Should MOTHER 3 be higher or lower? Do you agree that it’s tied with Final Fantasy VII? Anything else you can think of that should be on here? I’m mostly amazed at how much Final Fantasy is on here – even though I’m a big fan of the series it does seem a bit excessive

MOTHER 3 Live Itoi Chat (14) Read More >>>	School Band + MOTHER 3 (31) Read More >>>
MOTHER 3: Decade’s 3rd Best Game (31) Read More >>>

Thanks to Major Glory for the tip!

Shigesato Itoi Mentions Starmen.Net (39) Read More >>>	Analyzing MOTHER 3′s Battle Music (34) Read More >>>
Some MOTHER 3 Music Similarities (48) Read More >>>