Gaming Chronicles - Earthbound... Finally.

It only took several years of having various emulators, and one of my favorite LP channels doing a play through of its sequel, but I've finally gotten to play Mr. Itoi's magnum opus, Earthbound.

Apparently, this RPG doesn't push the envelope for what RPGs could do. However, having grown up with limited RPG experience (Paper Mario 2, then Final Fantasy in college) that point doesn't mean much to me. Similar to my interest in Final Fantasy, I was playing Earthbound mainly for the music and story. And the dialogue wasn't that bad either!

So instead of reviewing the game, or writing a typical "Gaming Chronicles" about my progress in it (I'm almost to the final "dungeon.") I'll just share some weird/funny bits I found while playing!

One of the best parts of the game are the many zany enemies you'll encounter. For instance, upon arriving in the sunny city of Summers, you might be assaulted by a Mad Taxi! Even previously stationary objects, like lamps or even street-signs:

Not their "real" names - these guys are Ness, Paula and Jeff.

Giygas' power isn't just limited to just stray animals or random people, apparently!

I also appreciated the self-awareness present in the game. That is, the game will acknowledge that it is a game, and play it up for either humor or plot purposes. That trick can get a bit annoying, if it is used too much. There does come a point where there's too much "Hey hey, this is a game," but Earthbound keeps its fourth-wall-breaking to a tasteful level. For example, this sign outside of a building in the city of Fourside:

Soooo meta.

 I don't know if this is a bit of humor from the developers or the translators, but a sequel to Earthbound eventually came to be. (Unfortunately, this game, known as Mother 3 in Japan, was never  *officially* translated to English.) Also, Earthbound did multi-layer dreams decades before Inception:

*cue loud fog-horn sound*

The dream-within-a-dream situation reminds me of the general trippy-ness (pun intended) of the game. All the battles feature undulating, colorful backgrounds. The picture above (with the attacking Crazed Sign) does not accurately illustrate this point. Some enemies, like Sanctuary bosses, feature their own unique battle screens. Eventually, I'll have to face the nightmare-inducing battle screen of Giygas. But not for a while!

I sure don't!

Earthbound has been an entirely enjoyable experience. I did have to grind once or twice, but various circumstances in-game made it enjoyable, like PSI Teleport and the lack of random encounters. In a genre where most main characters wield swords and wear chain armor, Earthbound is a different take on the conventions of said genre. Ness is just a kid (who happens to have a terrible, terrible neighbor - more on that in Mother 3!) who is thrown into his adventure by a meteor and the arrival of his terrible neighbor, the total Jerk with a capital J, Porky.

It's an experience I would recommend to anyone with an SNES or Wii U. I'm not sure that I can endorse emulators, but I'll just say that Google will lead you to some solid ones which can be made to support joysticks.

Anyway! It was pretty easy to write about Earthbound, as it is a very good game. Its predecessor, Earthbound Zero, or simply Mother, is a different story entirely. And an article for another day!

See you later, for now.


[Disclaimer: I'm never good at these, but here goes: piracy is bad, games are good. Emulators are fun, as some games are too rare/over-priced for me to get the actual cartridge. But, if you have a Wii U and want to try a fun game, please consider buying Earthbound. That's all!]

Retrogaming - A Follow-up Discourse

Unwittingly, in my previous entry, I caused a calamitous controversy that needs to be sorted out. I admit, thought, in being remiss in not fully developing my support. For those of you just joining us, in my previous entry, I discussed the highlights of retrogaming as a hobby. Upon checking my Facebook link to the page, I discover that two readers had engaged in a heated debate over what "retro" is, and whether or not old things are automatically "retro." I will attempt to address some of the comments now.

One of the combatants in the argument requested that I list specific reasons for the quality of "retrogames." One major factor is that of the fan following. It can positively or negatively affect others' perception of the games, the game makers and even the game itself. An analogous situation in the film industry occurred for the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Angry fans protested and influenced later additions to the movie itself, and also influence the basic premise of the next movie, The Search for Spock. Similarly, fans of the Capcom game series Megaman also seem to have influenced their chosen game's makers equally. Conscience of the appreciation of the second game in the series, Capcom designed two entries into the series, the ninth and tenth, to have the "classic" look given by 8-bit graphics.

Another series that has a strong following and supports another point of retrogaming is Pokémon. In its refusal to "die away" like other things considered fads in the 90s, Pokémon shows that another aspect of the quality of retrogaming is the presence of strong fan followings. Many of the fans have taken to denigrating any generation of the Pokémon series besides the original. While this is unfortunate, it points out the intense emotions that only time can give to a game. Having broken past the point of mere hype, Pokémon now draws much of its support from its established name.

Hype generated around the release of a new game causes many to buy the game, and say they like it, based solely on what they've heard about it. Games based on movies often receive much hype, only to turn out to be horrible games.

Related to hype is the issue of what I call the "expiring game." Many sports games fall into this category. A sports game will often carry a title like NBA '05, and sell well during that year. When late 2005 and 2006 come, however, the game will be immediately put into the discount bin, supplanted by the next year's title. The games have a proven quality, but few of the games are ever considered true retrogames.

Another issue, especially highlighted by the advent of high definition television sets and increasing graphical development, is the struggle between gameplay and visuals. Many times, I've heard offhand remarks made about the perceived lack of quality in less graphically developed games. They then turn around and praise a game for being visually impressive. Comments like, "Those graphics suck!" and "This game is great, the graphics are awesome!" point out the discrepancy in their views. I can't help but think back to my experiences with my dad and his guitar collection. Over the years, he has owned many different types of guitars, with names of which I can only remember a few. The relevant point I make with his guitars is that even the prettiest guitar can sound horrible; in a similar fashion, many games looks spectacular from the screenshots, only to receive 2s and 3s in their game reviews later on.

Before I go, I would like to comment on an aspect of which I am unsure at the moment. (I am uncertain because it is speculation on things that have not yet occurred.) It occurs to me that the first and second generation of gamers is getting older, and that they will still hold a fond place in their hearts for their first video games. I venture to say that part of the growing retrogaming culture is a result of the coming adulthood and parenthood of gamers. One only needs to look at the number of Atari anthologies and collections to see that the industry is already capitalizing on this fact. As the generations go out and are forced to pay for their own things, they see a need to be frugal with any spending. Any games purchased, therefore, must be of great quality but cost less. Retrogames seem to fit this category perfectly.

Retrogaming - Some Thoughts

What is retrogaming? A fun hobby, or something more? Over ten years, I myself have engaged in this hobby, having collected over 15 different systems representing 30 plus years of video game history. Early on, it was merely incidental that I would get the different systems, as they were originally purchased during their main time on the market, their "generation" so to speak. Eventually, systems like the Nintendo 64 and Sega Dreamcast became last gen, paving the way for their successors and their successors' successors. Now as I look at my collection, I see many games that I won't play, purchased for the sole purpose of "collection."

Retrogaming, by definition, is slightly ambiguous. (Oh, a side note: I once saw something saying that Americans went by the name "old school gamers" and the term "retro gamer" was a European thing; whatever the case, retrogamer suited my tastes better.) The word combines the Latin word for "back; backwards," with the term "gaming." But just how far back does "retro" mean? There is no single consensus within the retrogaming community. Personally, I view systems two generations back as being the starting point from which to go back. Clearly, there are systems that are obviously retro games now, such as the Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and the original Playstation. However, my fear is that a time will come when it will be increasingly difficult to tell the difference between one generation and the one before it - be it in graphics, gameplay, or what else. For now, my view of the seperation holds. But I digress.

One good point of retrogaming is that one can enjoy many good games, often for less than the current releases. It is true that some games become rare, but often they do not. Take for instance, Super Mario Bros for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is was and is one of the most popular games ever released, and is fairly easy to find, either on its own or in the two-game or three-game cartridge with Duck Hunt and World Class Track Meet. The system itself can be found at a modest price, either at a local retrogaming store or on the sites of Amazon or eBay. (One can also get what is known as an "emulator" for their computer and play old games like that. Originally, I was throughly opposed, seeing them as 'cheating.' However, after getting several Final Fantasy games for an emulator, I see the benefits. The topic of emulators is lengthy enough for an entire article, so I will leave this topic here.)

For those reasons, and for the fact of the proven quality of the older games, I retrogame. Also, the interaction of the different companies, and the stories of the different consoles are quite fascinating, but something to discuss another day.