Kotaku: Mother

How To Improve One of Nintendo's Best Games? Like This.

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:30:00 EST

Kotaku reader Riccardo whipped up this HD version of Mother's opening credits. It, like the game itself, is fantastic. If anything should get you excited about an HD Nintendo gaming system, it's this. More »

What Makes the Mother Series so Great?

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

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They may not be chart-toppers - indeed, the third game has never even been officially released in the West - but the Mother/Earthbound series of role-playing games are some of the most revered and cherished of all Nintendo games (at least among certain cliques). More »

Episode IV: A New Earthbound

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 09 May 2011 06:30:00 EDT

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This piece, throwing Nintendo's classic Mother RPG series (known as EarthBound in the West) and the original Star Wars together, is just too damn cute for words (via 4CR). More »

What If Mother Was A Children's Story?

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 04:40:00 EDT

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The Mother (known in the West as Earthbound) series of RPGs can be enjoyed by kids, but also have stuff specifically for adults. Just like a fairy tale. More »

Talk Of Mother 4 Doesn't Mean It Will Happen

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 07:50:00 EDT

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Shigesato Itoi, who's perhaps best known in Japan as a copy writer and TV personality, already said that there will be no Mother 4. Making Mother 3 was no easy task. That doesn't mean there still isn't hope - however faint that might be. More »

The Annoying Song That's Plaguing Japan

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:00:00 EDT

On March 11, the Tohoko earthquake and tsunami left the northeastern part of Japan in ruins. More »

Video Game Reduced to 30 Seconds of Disapproving Moms

Brian Crecente — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST

Electronic Arts' latest Dead Space 2 campaign is brilliant. Why? Because it uses the power of the disapproving mom to sell violent video games. More »

How The Wife Of Japan's Beloved RPG Maker Challenged Nudity Censorship

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 02:00:00 EST

In the West, Shigesato Itoi is best known for the Earthbound series of role-playing games. He might challenge game conventions, but his wife Kanako Higuchi challenged Japanese censorship more, changing it forever. More »

True Love Is Found In Nintendo Classics

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 03:30:00 EST

Get ready for some feel-good times, as a man and his lady agree to be wed after a night spent dining, drinking wine then playing classic Nintendo RPG series Earthbound. More »

Mother 4 In Development (By Fans, Not Nintendo)

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 00:30:00 EDT

The Mother series, known in the West as Earthbound, are some of the best games to ever grace a Game Boy. They're so good, in fact, that Nintendo of America wants nothing to do with them. More »

Mother Action Figures Won't Need A Fan Translation

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:30:00 EDT

While these Mother figures aren't as charming as those hand-made Mother 3 statues, they do have one advantage: they're made by a toy company, so large numbers of people can actually buy them! More »

Oh Mother, This Looks Hot

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:00:00 EDT

It's July. July in Japan means one thing: unbearable heat. It's not exactly the weather for your typical full body costume. More »

Oh Goodie, Another Mother Statue

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT

Camille Young's handmade, resin statues are exquisite. But she doesn't just make 'em for Mother 3 handbooks! Oh no. She makes them for previous games in the series as well. More »

Happy 20th Birthday, MOTHER!

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:30:00 EDT

The hard-working kids at Starmen got in touch to let us know that today - July 27, 2009 - is the 20th birthday of the MOTHER series, otherwise known in the West as Earthbound. Happy birthday! More »

Get Your Free Mother 3 Handbook

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:30:00 EDT

If you have $20 lying around, and are a fan of Mother/Earthbound, you should definitely pick up the Mother 3 Handbook. If you're a fan of the game and don't have $20...well, lucky you. More »

The Bestest College Webpage Ever

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:00:00 EDT

Pictures of student sitting under trees? Crowded libraries? Professors lecturing? Boring! A school campus in retro 8-bit? That's more like it. More »

Mother 3 Handbook Is Sheer Indulgence

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:30:00 EDT

Remember that Mother 3 handbook we told you about? My copy just arrived in the mail. And I'm lost for words. More »

Earthbound Fans Are Crazy, Yo

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 05 May 2009 07:30:00 EDT

Somehow a fresh, unopened copy of Earthbound turned up on eBay the other day. Bidding was fierce. And at the auction's closing bell, the winner had parted with, oh, over $1000. More »

Exquisite Mother 3 Statues

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:30:00 EDT

Since Americans can't even get their hands on an official version of Mother 3 the game, there's no hope of seeing much official Mother 3 merch. But unofficial merch? Knock yourselves out. More »

Is There A New Mother (Earthbound) On The Horizon?

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:00:00 EDT

Roid is a "non-console" from developer Level 5, but rather, a web portal used by the dev to sell PC and mobile games. The new issue of Famitsu hints at what to expect. More »

This Might Be Why We Don't We Have EarthBound On Virtual Console Yet

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 05:30:00 EST

A rumour popped up today on Starmen.net claiming that Earthbound would never, ever be released on Nintendo's Virtual Console. Made vague mention of potential lawsuits. But lawsuits from whom? Let's take a look. More »

Mother 3 Handbook Will Blow Your Baby Blue Socks Off

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:20:00 EDT

What's the perfect companion to the new Mother 3 English-language translation? Why, this unofficial Mother 3 handbook. It's a guide. Made by fans (Fangamer & Starmen). It's a Mother 3 book. It's a work of art. There's professional printing, there are over 200 pages, and there are even clay model replicas of the game's characters sprinkled throughout for colour. Amazing. The book will be released free online next year, but at $20, the tangible product seems a much better investment. More »

ESRB Rates EarthBound For Wii VC

Mike Fahey — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:20:00 EDT

Here's one future Wii Virtual Console update I cannot wait to write up. The ESRB has recently posted a rating for the classic Super Nintendo RPG EarthBound for the Nintendo Wii. The sequel to the Japanese-only game Mother, the game tells the story of Ness and company as they fight to gather the powers of the Earth to defeat the evil alien Giygas. With a compelling humor, an original setting, and some damn fine graphics for a Super Nintendo game, EarthBound is widely considered to be one of the greatest role-playing games of all time...and now it is rated E for Everyone. There really is only one reason an older game gets a Wii rating via the ESRB, so expect EarthBound to arrive on the Wii Virtual Console sometime in the near future. More »

Earthbound Creator Evaluates Iron Chef Cooking

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 21:20:29 EDT

The man responsible for the Mother series of role playing games, known as Earthbound in the West, Shigesato Itoi, has made a handful of appearances on the TV show Iron Chef, poetically evaluating the culinary skills of master chefs from around the world. If you've ever wondered how a famous writer/game designer would judge a vicious bell pepper battle, your curiosity can easily be satisfied by clicking the play button. This clip comes courtesy of the YouTube surveying prowess of the Select Button forums. More »

Come Drink with Kotaku

Brian Crecente — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:00:29 EDT

We've almost all landed here in Tokyo in preparations for covering the big show that kicks off on in a couple of days. Last night a group of us swung by Mother to make arrangements for tonight's party. The place is funky, like home-made salsa and records of The Velvet Underground funky. We hung out for a bit arguing about Game of the Year and what we would do to Mark if he shaved his weak-sister mustache (remove one of his eyebrows) and then strolled the block or two to the other Mother bar, Mother's Ruin. The owner said that we could make use of both bars if the first one filled up. So that's a goal now. More »

Reggie Explains Why Nintendo Hates America

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:40:18 EDT

You want Cooking Navi for the Nintendo DS, right? What about the recently released Tingle RPG, Freshly Picked - Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland? I hear ya. Any gamer worth his or her salt would spring at the chance to get their hands on some easy to navigate recipes or adventure with an effete elf-man in a green unitard. Sadly, Nintendo is seemingly dragging its heels in regard to bringing games like these—not to mention its language and kanji training software—out of Japan. MTV's Stephen Totilo bravely asks of Nintendo of American jefe "What's up with that?" More »

Mr. Saturn Bobs Up From the Deep

Brian Crecente — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 11:00:42 EST

John Brownlee, who changed both his name and his affiliations when he jumped the S.S. Kotaku for Wired.Com, has posted a frightening image of a Fathead (yes, that's really what they call deep-sea dwelling Psychrolutes) that bears an unsettling resemblance to Mr. Saturn from Mother. More »

A Mother Earthbound Film Years In the Making... Part Two!

kotaku.com — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 09:00:22 EDT

You know, it's a testament to how amazing Earthbound is that even something this gleefully incompetent fills me with pining for more innocent, carefree gaming days. I think you probably have to adore Earthbound to get it though: the digging through the trash for food, the battle noises, the simplistic victory crescendo. I just can't wait to see how they handle Mr. Saturn. Florian Eckhardt More »

A Mother Film Years In The Making

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 12:22:16 EDT

Back in 1995, Shigesato Itoi's Mother 2 (known as "Earthbound" in the West) was released for the SNES in America. The film made a huge impact on young Robbie and Jeff Benson, who set off to make a feature film of the game. They didn't get very far. One of the Bensons adds: More »

The 360: Kid Tested, Mother Tolerated

egauger — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 00:10:09 EDT

First, allow me an angry gibber. This website is so hideously constructed that in Firefox, the google ads overlap the text and the text runs out of the boxes, and having to actually click through the magazine and "pages" just reminds me of the bad old days when I actually had to touch paper. I am tempted to copy the entire article here, because it's good. More »

CNET Has No Idea What "Vaporware" Means

egauger — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 19:40:14 EDT

CNET has a bizarre little slideshow of the top-eleven vaporware titles, with the mysterious inclusion of those who are no longer vaporware (Prey is #3). I think someone is confused about the definition of "vaporware", despite the literal definition being pasted above the article itself. More »

Rumor: Mother Trilogy Coming to DS

egauger — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 21:40:53 EDT

Joystiq put a little skip in my step and a happy bumblebee in my tummy with the announcement that there's a fairly believable rumor floating around about Mother (aka Earthbound) and the DS: More »

The Mother Tattoo

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 15:22:42 EDT

An arm tattooed with characters from Mother (Earthbound)? Yep. The ink is still fresh as it was done a week ago. The tattoo artist said this was one of his more "unusual tattoos." This was found on *surprise* LiveJournal. Go figure. Brian Ashcraft More »

Mother's Mother's In-Store Signature

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 16:21:00 EDT

Mother 3 creator Shigesato Itoi's signature has been discovered at retailer Tsutaya in Shibuya. Not exactly huge news, but still kinda neat. (Yes, I realize I have been going on and on about Mother 3 like a bore, but the game is really that good.) Brian Ashcraft More »

If Mother 3 Had Another Dimension

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 16:22:53 EDT

A Japanese fella with loads of free time and Maya skills to boot has rendered the 2D Mother 3's world in 3D. Neat stuff, and even the battle scenes (which I abhor) look great. Still haven't finished Mother 3 yet (I'm slow, sue me), but I am totally lovin' the GBA title. In fact, because it is a Game Boy Advance title, I perhaps am enjoying the experience even more. It's intimate. Personal. Wonderful. Brian Ashcraft More »

Mother's Mother Says What Makes Him Tick

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 08:22:21 EDT

Game designer, t-shirt designer, TV commentator, copywriter, tomato juice bottler. Mother (Earthbound in America) creator Shigesato Itoi does it all it seems. (And does it damn good.) In an sit down with the online Ping Magazine, Itoi sums up his M.O. by saying: More »

Mama Mia, No More Mother!

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 04 May 2006 10:24:47 EDT

Mother of all Mother games Shigesato Itoi has announced that Mother 3 will be the last installment in the series. More »

Mother 3 On Sale In Japan

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 09:21:25 EDT

Today, the feverishly anticipated Mother 3 drops here in Japan. The game has received solid scores from Famitsu, getting a 10, 8, 8 and a 9 respectively. The mag also says the RPG is the most wanted title in Japan. Dubbed Earthbound in the West, the latest installment in the Mother series is currently Japan-only. More »

Shigesato Itoi Speaks!

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 11:22:47 EDT

Mother's mother Shigesato Itoi has posted an interview on his site, Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun. What did he have to say? Three years ago, when he was in Kyoto on business, Itoi took a cab with Nintendo's Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto, who asked if it would be possible to put Mother 3 on Game Boy Advance. (Not "Aren't you going to make it?" or "Please make it.") Happy, Itoi responded that it was possible. And thus, Mother 3 for the GBA was born. He goes on to talk about taking a month, finding himself and knocking out the script. Further interviews are planned with Itoi revealing more about the creator and the game, which swoops into Japanese retailers this Thursday. More »

Mother 3 Japanese TV Ad

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 10:22:55 EDT

The lovely Kou Shibasaki gets all emotional in an ad for the Game Boy Advance title Mother 3. I dig Shibasaki. I dig Mother. But, this dreary commercial in which she talks about the RPG's emotional power is the pits. More »