News Articles
Wednesday8th Apr 2020
Random This Animal Crossing Island Is Probably As Close As We'll Get To A New EarthBound Game
Onett in paradise
Last week, we heard how a creative Animal Crossing: New Horizons player recreated Hyrule from The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, and now this week, a Japanese player has transformed their island paradise into a place that looks similar to
Friday6th Mar 2020
News New Documentary Uncovers The Amazing Story Of EarthBound Beginnings
A story 25 years in the making
The Mother series – better known as EarthBound in the west – is one of those franchises that benefits from a massive amount of attention from the Nintendo fanbase, despite the fact that the company has done relatively little to encourage such devotion over the years. Sure, Mother 2 was localised as EarthBound on...
Saturday1st Feb 2020
News Shigesato Itoi's Company Wants A Manga Artist Who Is A Fan Of The Mother Series
Hmm, interesting...
The Mother series hasn't really been acknowledged since Nintendo released EarthBound Beginnings on the Wii U eShop in 2015, but it hasn't necessarily been forgotten about. Although the series' creator Shigesato Itoi has previously said he's not interested in making a fourth entry, a recent tweet by his company, Hobonichi...
Tuesday22nd Oct 2019
News Earthbound Creator Shigesato Itoi Felt 'Indebted' To Nintendo When Pitching Mother
"I owe a lot to Mario"
In a wide-ranging interview with GameCenter CX the creator of the Mother series, known as Earthbound in the west, has shared a trove of gaming memories and tidbits about the series' development with the show's presenter 'Arino Kacho'. As you may well already know, the Japanese show features comedian Shinya Arino in the role...
Wednesday24th Jul 2019
News This Week's Smash Bros. Ultimate Spirit Event Celebrates Mother's 30th Annivesary
Starts this Friday
The Mother (EarthBound) series is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary. As part of the celebration, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be hosting an appropriately-themed spirit event later this week. This event will begin on 26th July and will run for the entire weekend. During this time, you'll be able to get your hands on...
Monday15th Jul 2019
News Monolith Soft Developer Recalls Pitching Earthbound Sequel To Shigesato Itoi
“Iwata-san was there as well.”
Video games can inspire some pretty fervent passions in their fan bases, and few are as passionate as that of the Mother games. Set in modern times, this RPG series follows the exploits of Ness and his friends and is known as EarthBound in the west, but we only ever got the second game on its intended console. The...
Monday3rd Jun 2019
News Get Discounts On Zelda, EarthBound And More With My Nintendo Rewards (North America)
And physical Super Mario Maker 2 stuff, too
The latest batch of My Nintendo game discounts for North America has now gone live, giving players the usual chance to grab a handful of games at discounted prices and some additional extras to celebrate Father's Day. Let's kick things off with the games, shall we? There are eight on offer in total - some...
Monday4th Feb 2019
EarthBound! Donkey Kong! Fire Emblem!
The latest batch of My Nintendo game discounts for Europe has now gone live, giving players the usual chance to grab some 3DS and Wii U games at discounted prices. There are eight games up for grabs this time around, including the fantastic Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, a spooky adventure featuring our...
Wednesday8th Aug 2018
Random High School Student Sends EarthBound Cartridge Into Space
And it still works!
Here's a whacky and wonderful one for you: a copy of EarthBound has recently been sent up to the edge of space, presumably being the only copy of the game that isn't actually bound to Earth. 14-year-old student, Ronnie Doyle, was recently given the chance to send an item of his choosing into space through a donation made by his...
Friday4th May 2018
News New European My Nintendo Rewards Include Discounts On Zelda And EarthBound
Also WarioWare, Virtual Console & wallpapers
Another month brings another collection of rewards for players to redeem on My Nintendo. We've already seen North America's new selection, which is very heavily focused on Zelda goodies, but now it's time for those of us in Europe to see what's on offer. This month sees a total of four discounts, with...
Monday19th Feb 2018
Random Funko Is Confused About Whether Or Not It's Licenced To Make Earthbound Merch
Pop-up shop?
If you're a fan of pop culture collectables then chances are you'll already been aware of Funko's line of big-headed figures, known as Pop! This series of successful toys has covered a wide range of media, including TV, movies, comics, cartoons and - of course - video games. The company has just released a Strider Hiryu figure for...
Monday7th Nov 2016
News Small My Nintendo Reward Discounts Arrive in North America
You're 'Bound' to love them...
If My Nintendo was a member of a typical social group in a sitcom, it'd be the one that was recast because the original actor wanted too much money. It's just like the charming Club Nintendo that we all knew well, but it's not the same, and arguably not as good. Nintendo has failed to win everyone over with the new...
Thursday25th Aug 2016
News Hobonichi Techo's 2017 Product Lineup Features Plenty Of Mother(ly) Love
Earthbound organisation
As seasoned Earthbound / Mother fans will know, series creator Shigesato Itoi now runs a company which - amongst other things - creates "Techo" planners and sells them in Japan. These notebooks are incredibly popular in the Land of the Rising Sun, and eminently collectable thanks to their lovely jacket designs. Itoi's...
Monday6th Jun 2016
Video Take A Tour Of Earthbound Creator Shigesato Itoi's Offices
Welcome to Hobonichi
Shigesato Itoi may not be as active as other Japanese developers, but his impact on the gaming world is immense. Itoi created the Mother series - better known in the west as Earthbound - and across a handful of titles touched the lives of countless gamers all over the globe. These days, he runs Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun - better...
Thursday14th Apr 2016
Video New Earthbound Secret Discovered in Opening Chapter
20 years later...
Earthbound has been around for over two decades in the US and about a tenth of that time in Europe, but nonetheless it's an old game. Imagine our surprise then when a new as yet undocumented part of the game came to light; pun wholly intended. As you can see from the video below, by having a second controller connected you can...
Thursday24th Mar 2016
Nintendo Download 24th March (North America)
Hyrule Warriors Legends! Yoshi's Story! SNES on New 3DS! More!
It's that time again, dear readers, for the North American Nintendo Download Update. This week has plenty of tempting options to consider, with four Virtual Console games across Wii U and New 3DS, a major retail release on the portable, a Director's Cut from WayForward, some tasty...
Monday30th Nov 2015
News Shigesato Itoi on the Mother Series' Popularity, Denies Mother 4
Apparently, making Mother 4 would be like running a marathon with no breath
The Mother series is perhaps most notable for breaking from JRPG tradition by telling a tale led by children in the modern day. The quirky humor present is an additional bonus, setting the whole experience in a rather bizarre and somewhat dry tone. At any rate, there are...
Tuesday10th Nov 2015
News Moving Musical Iwata Tribute Casts Onett Theme in a Whole New Light
8 minutes of Gentle Love
Outpourings of admiration for late Nintendo President Satoru Iwata have continued since his passing in July. The performing duo Gentle Love, consisting of Metal Gear Solid and Bayonetta series composer Norihiko Hibino and pianist AYAKI, have added their own respects in the form of a soulful arrangement of the Onett theme...
Tuesday27th Oct 2015
Random Fan Creates Custom amiibo of EarthBound Cast and Pokémon Trainer Red
Because wave-waiting just doesn't cut it...
Custom amiibo have become a growing craze since shortly after the launch of Nintendo's NFC figurines, and have ranged from simple paint-jobs to full-blown model changes. It's impossible to keep track of everyone's creations, but Insomniac Games' Environment Artist Bryan Renno has joined the party and has...
Sunday25th Oct 2015
News A Different Mother 2 Cartridge Has Recently Surfaced Online
What could it be?
Mother 2 – known in the West as Earthbound – was arguably one of the most unique RPGs to emerge from the fourth generation of game consoles. Eschewing the well-trodden swords and sorcery theme of games such as Final Fantasy, Earthbound was about the adventures of a group of children in the modern age. Additionally, it featured...
Tuesday25th Aug 2015
News MOTHER 2 Vinyl Soundtrack Heading West
North America bound
Back in March we reported on a Kickstarter campaign aimed at bringing the original arranged Mother soundtrack to vinyl for the first time in North America. The campaign smashed its target funding goal and the project is now well on its way to completion. In a surprise announcement made earlier today, it was revealed that Ship to...
Friday21st Aug 2015
News We're Pretty Sure We Need These Earthbound Techo Planners In Our Lives
Shigesato Itoi mines his past for future greatness
One of the many modern-day pursuits of Earthbound / Mother creator Shigesato Itoi is creating planners, or "Techos" as they're known in Japan. His company Hobonichi makes many of these useful items, which can be used as a diary, notebook or scrapbook. Hobonichi has had plenty of success in its...
Thursday23rd Jul 2015
Video Chill Out With Smooth McGroove's Onett Theme A-Cappella From EarthBound
Released in honour of Satoru Iwata
Fans of awesome video game music with a taste for a-cappella are likely familiar with Smooth McGroove, who's covered a huge number of iconic tracks in his own style. There'd been a bit of a gap (around three months) since his last video at the time of writing, but the singer / composer has now released a fresh...
Tuesday14th Jul 2015
News EarthBound Director Shigesato Itoi Pays Tribute to His Friend Satoru Iwata
SNES classic was among Iwata-san's programming credits
To many Satoru Iwata is the former Nintendo President, an executive that was innovative and had an extraordinary relationship with the company's fans. Before that role, however - and occasionally during his time in management - Iwata-san was a highly skilled programmer, contributing heavily to...
Saturday11th Jul 2015
Weirdness Revenge is a Dish Best Sold on eBay, as This EarthBound Sale Shows
Ouch
Retro gaming, most notably collecting, can be an expensive business. Not all gamers are content with downloading whatever classics pop up in the Virtual Console, as there can be a desire to own the original cartridges and play them on their retro systems. Collections can be treasured, then, but based on an eBay sale can also be used as...
Monday27th Oct 2014
News Crazy EarthBound Fans Open EarthBound-themed Media Kickstarter
Many other, equally crazy EarthBound fans are backing it
It's 20 years old, with a prequel and sequel never officially released in the West, yet EarthBound continues to possess a significant presence in the gaming world. You can largely thank the game's dedicated fanbase for that; some so dedicated that they're planning to produce a cultural...
Wednesday8th Oct 2014
Video Check Out this Adorable Tribute to the Mother Series
That's 'Earthbound' to us
Regardless of who wrote them, fans are the ones who can really tell the story of a game better than anyone, and that statement is no truer than in this video which pays homage to the Mother series, which sadly still only exists as a single game outside of Japan. All of the peculiarity, all of the charm, and all of the...
Wednesday27th Aug 2014
News EarthBound Celebrates 20 Very Strange Years of Existence
Proving that fighting piles of puke only gets better with age
It's almost hard to believe that EarthBound (Mother 2) is 20 years old with the way it continues to pop up nowadays. The 27th of August marks the RPG's 1994 release in Japan, however, and paved the way for its strange journey through other parts of the world. Brought to North America in...
Weirdness Earthbound Designer Shigesato Itoi Comes Under Fire For Tweeting About Fukushima Peaches
“If you go to Fukushima you can buy peaches like this"
Earthbound designer Shigesato Itoi who has appeared on a number of Japanese variety shows and commercials, recently came under fire on Twitter when he showed his support of Fukushima peaches to over 600,000 followers. Prior to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, the prefecture was known for...
Thursday14th Aug 2014
Weirdness How to Order Earthbound-Themed Japanese Old Folks' Undergarments
Headline may be somewhat misleading
They may not be a must-have item for Lolita fashion, but the uniquely Japanese undergarment called haramaki has shed its reputation of being for grandparents only and enjoyed a resurgence of popularity among the young and fashionable in the last decade or so. A haramaki, or belly warmer, is a sweater-like garment...
