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[[Image:EarthBound.JPG|right|thumb|Ness, the red-capped boy in this picture, experiences many humorous adventures in ''EarthBound''.]]
'''''EarthBound''''' (known as '''''Mother 2''''' in [[Japan]]) is an [[role playing game|RPG]] for the [[Super Famicom]]/[[Super Nintendo]] [[video game]] system, the second in the ''[[Mother (video game)|Mother]]'' series of games. It is known for its unique graphics, irreverent humor, evocative portrayal of the Western world as seen by [[Japan]], and quirky characters.
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Unlike most RPGs, this game takes place in the present. ''EarthBound'' is set in the year "199X" in a [[United States]]-like country called Eagleland. The main character, [[Ness]], wakes up in the middle of night, in his [[pajamas]], when a [[meteor]] falls close to his house, and decides to investigate. At the crash site he meets a fly, named Buzz Buzz, from ten years in the future who sends him on a quest to destroy the Evil Alien Giygas in this time, because he is too powerful in the time Buzz Buzz comes from. [[Ness]] must then journey through the world, seeking eight "sanctuaries" where the [[Earth]]'s power is strongest in order to gain the strength needed to confront Giygas. Unlike many other RPGs, ''EarthBound'' is not heavily plot or character driven, and is instead essentially a long sequence of various quirky and irreverent quests, most of which are only vaguely tied to a central goal.
==US release==
Releasing the game in the United States was considered somewhat of a gamble, as the game's graphics were very simple, especially compared to other RPGs of the time, such as ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]''. Additionally, the humor of the game is tied to its quirky portrayal of the West, which may not have translated to that region. In an attempt to boost sales, the game was packaged with a complete strategy guide to assist gamers. The game was also extensively promoted within [[Nintendo Power]], with various special offers. Ultimately, ''EarthBound'' was not very commercially successful in the United States at the time of its release, although it has since spawned a large cult following amongst loyal fans. The game which it followed, ''[[EarthBound 0]]'' (or ''Mother'') for the [[NES]], was never released in the [[United States]], though it was fully translated into English. (Nintendo is alleged to have not found the game commercially viable.) ''Mother 3'', the proposed sequel to ''EarthBound'', was cancelled after six years of work on the [[Nintendo 64]] system.
In [[Japan]], ''Mother'' (''EarthBound 0'') and ''Mother 2'' (''EarthBound'') were released on the [[Game Boy Advance]] on [[June 20]], [[2003]] bundled together on one cartridge. ''Mother 2'' remained mostly the same, but ''Mother'' was changed a lot to match the U.S. prototype.
According to commercials for ''[[Mother 1 and 2|Mother 1+2]]'' in [[Japan]] and interviews with [[Shigesato Itoi]], ''Mother 3'' is currently in development for the [[Game Boy Advance]]. Nintendo does not appear to be certain whether or not they want to release ''Mother 1+2'' in the [[United States|US]] or released along with ''Mother 3'' in the US.
[[Ness]] also appears in the video games ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' for the [[Nintendo 64]] and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' for the [[Nintendo GameCube]]. In addition, there are several 3D renderings of ''EarthBound'' characters in the form of trophies in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', and ''EarthBound''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Mr. Saturn]] also appears as one of the weapons.
[[Mr. Saturn]] appears in ''[[Kirby Super Star]]'', which was also developed in part by [[HAL Laboratory, Inc.|Hal Laboratory]].
[[Image:EarthBound.JPG|right|thumb|Ness, the red-capped boy in this picture, experiences many humorous adventures in ''EarthBound''.]]
'''''EarthBound''''' (known as '''''Mother 2''''' in [[Japan]]) is an [[role playing game|RPG]] for the [[Super Famicom]]/[[Super Nintendo]] [[video game]] system, the second in the ''[[Mother (video game)|Mother]]'' series of games. It is known for its unique graphics, irreverent humor, evocative portrayal of the Western world as seen by [[Japan]], and quirky characters.
*Dr. Andonuts - [[Jeff (EarthBound)|Jeff]]'s estranged father, who Jeff rarely sees due to the [[Winters (EarthBound)|Winters]] boarding school he attends and his father's secluded nature. During the course of the game Dr. Andonuts builds many useful inventions, such as the [[Sky Runner (EarthBound)|Sky Runner]] and the Phase Distorter.
*[[Mr. Saturn]] - What all odd looking[http://starmen.net/mother2/images/clay/clay_mrsaturn.png] residents of [[Saturn Valley]] are named. They all speak broken English, and at one point are enslaved by the blob king Master Belch and forced to make Fly Honey.
==Quirks of the game==
*The Runaway Five are thought to be a parody of the [[Blues Brothers]] (especially the two lead singers). This argument is strengthened when one considered that in the original Japanese version, the band wore black suits instead of the colored clothes of the American release.
*One of the [[non-player character]]s in the game looks almost exactly like [[Mr. T]] (though he is never referred to as such or says anything Mr. T might be thought to say). Fans of the game refer to him almost exclusively as such.
*There are numerous references to the Beatles throughout the game, including a person in Onett who questions you on their song, "Yesterday", and you reach Deep Darkness using a "Yellow Submarine".
==Special technology that the game employs==
*Some of the background music of ''EarthBound'' utilizes samples obtained from [[frequency modulation synthesis]] quite extensively.
*Many of the animated backgrounds of the fight sequences in ''EarthBound'' are actually mathematical graphs that employ dynamic variables.
*Because of the unusually orderly structure of the game's memory, it is rather easy to modify in [[ROM]] format.
==See also==
*[[List of SNES games]]
*[[List of Super Famicom games]]
*''[[EarthBound 0]]''
*''[[Mother 1 and 2|Mother 1 & 2]]''
*[[Starmen.net]]
==External links==
*[http://starmen.net/ Starmen.Net]
*[http://earthbound.net/ EarthBound.Net]
*[http://ebipm.net/ EarthBound IPM]
[[Category:Computer role-playing games]]
[[Category:EarthBound|*]]
[[Category:HAL Laboratory games]]
[[Category:Super NES games]]
[[de:Earthbound]]
[[ja:MOTHER]]
==Quirks of the game==
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