On this day in 1989, the first MOTHER game was released in Japan, for Nintendo's Famicom (ie the NES). Very few of you will have played it. Actually, very few of you will have played any games in the series, even the second one, which was the only one ever released outside of Japan, as Earthbound for the Super Nintendo. Which is a shame! They'll hurt you they're so charming.

Which is why I'm going to point you towards Starmen's fan translation of Mother 3 for the GBA. Because it's awesome. And you should play it.

Because you can browse and download the book for free. While the luxurious book costs $20, and a hi-res .pdf file of the thing costs $6, there's a low-res version up on Fangamer's website that can be read and, if you're short on can-reading material, downloaded then printed off.

Isn't as nice as the real thing, but then, some of you are cheap bastards.

[Mother 3 Handbook, via Go Nintendo]

Presented as, basically, a strategy guide for the cult Nintendo title (which has never been released in the West), were this from Prima or BradyGames you'd be shocked by the quality and attention to detail. But the fact this is a labour of love, the product of a bunch of super-dedicated fans of the series and, well, it's just simply astonishing.

The book is lavishly detailed with maps, item checklists and tips, along with illustrations of each character/enemy and even shots of some luscious, hand-made Mother 3 statues.

Because it's a strategy guide, I've avoided taking shots of anything too detailed from inside the book, but for a quick taste of what the finished product is like, check out the gallery below.

Like what you see? The Mother 3 Handbook is selling for $20, and is available from Fangamer. Don't know what the hell I'm talking about and have never heard of Mother 3? This should help.

Itoi, who also works as an ad copywriter and even voiced the father in My Neighbor Totoro, explains that the game's genesis came out of his desire to do RPGs in a new and fresh way:

When we were working on Mother 2, RPGs were all basically "road movies". The main character would set out on a journey and go from town to town. By laying this out in a spiraling fashion, an RPG's structure would start to resemble a simple board game... But I felt that there was a limit to this road movie/board game style of moving from one spot to the next. Kind of like, "Okay, I made it this far, but what's happened to the people in the last town?"

That's when I thought of an RPG in which you stay in a certain town for a long time... You wouldn't get stronger by beating stronger and stronger enemies; the things you could do would increase as you went around the same place over and over... The game would have character relations, and the people would all have their own lives. This way, we could do all sorts of things in the game. For example, someone who recently hung laundry out to dry would be wearing those clothes the next day. I wanted to make an RPG in which you could grow closer to the people as time went on.

Actually, Mother 3 took shape shortly after, and in the game, you're in a village called Tazmily for a long time. That came from this idea.

Interesting — now localize it officially and release it in the West. Kthanxbai.

Itoi, Iwata, and Old MOTHER 3 [Earthbound Central via Go Nintendo]

These Mother 3 clay statues were crafted by Camille Young, the wife of Reid Young, of Starmen fame. They were made for use in Starmen's delicious Mother 3 Handbook, but really, they deserve their own time in the sun.

Mother 3 Handbook [Camille Young, via GameSetWatch]

If so, what's up with Wii title Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse? When asked about the game, Tecmo replied, "Nintendo holds the publishing rights to 'Fatal Frame Wii,' which was developed by Tecmo LTD. and Grasshopper Manufacture and released in Japan on July 31, 2008. Nintendo of America has since then decided not to publish the title in North America – consequently, the title will not be released in this territory. As the owner of the IP, Tecmo feels very unfortunate that the fans of the series in North America will not have a chance to play the game, but respects the final decision made by Nintendo of America."

Previously, Reggie Fils-Aime told MTV Multiplayer that Nintendo "was not the publisher of that title in the Americas."

Fatal Frame Never Coming to America? [IGN via Kombo]

Nintendo funded studio Brownie Brown had a hand in developing Mother 3. Brownie Brown President Shinichi Kameoka said a DS port is possible — though, this is not an official announcement in any regards.

"If we were asked to make one [a DS version of Mother 3]," Kameoka said, "then we would definitely like for fans abroad to play the game."

Brownie Brown "Looking Into" Wii Development [Siliconera via Earthbound Central Thanks, Sarah!]

Gamasutra sat down with Mandelin, whose day job includes translating games like Kingdom Hearts II and anime like Dragon Ball, who estimates that some two hundred thousand Earthbound fans downloaded the Japanese to English patch.

In the interview, Mandelin talks about his ROM hack translation past, the differences between professional and fan localization and what's next for the hobby. A solid read. And in English too!

You Say Tomato: A Pro on Fan-Translating Nintendo's Mother 3 [Gamasutra]

Import a copy of the game, if you can find one. It’s not cool to brazenly pirate stuff! Itoi, Nintendo, HAL, and Brownie Brown worked hard on this game. Can’t find a copy? Consider buying some official merch (below).

Ignore the can't find a copy bit. Buying official merchandise in no way excuses pirating a copy of the game. Honestly I was hesitant to even mention the project due to such concerns, but now an entire page of my email client is filled with Mother 3 subject lines, so there you go.

The Mother 3 Fan Translation [Official Site - Thanks Everyone]

Mother 3 Fan Translation [via Phantom Leap]

The youth with the psychic powers has appeared—it's Lucas! He makes his anticipated debut from the Japan-only release MOTHER 3.

While he is timid in nature, he fights splendidly. Is it possible he can surpass even Ness?!

While a North American release of the actual game is in doubt, gamers who want to immerse themselves in the Motherly musical stylings of Shigesato Itoi's Game Boy Advance RPG hit can do so now. The two soundtracks are titled Mother 3i and Mother 3+ and will set downloaders back a standard $9.99 USD. Much cheaper than import OST options.

Sure to be a hit at your next DJ set. Michael McWhertor

MOTHER3 Music is Finally Available Outside Japan [Starmen.net]

How's that Mother 3 fan translation coming along? Not bad, as evidenced by the above clip of the Game Boy Advance RPG from Shigesato Itoi and Nintendo. It features little more than a handful of rounds against the "Pining Tor" and obviously needs a little work, but it's heartwarming nonetheless for fans of the series.

While Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime's comments that Mother 3's success in Japan "hasn't gone unnoticed" and that "it's certainly something we're looking at" until something formal is announced, the fan localization is all we have at this point. Michael McWhertor

Mother 3 Fan Translation Project

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:

We hadn't gone far before we gave up. In the last year however, we dusted off the tape and decided to continue the otherwise unsatisfying 3 minute video.

The result is fascinatingly silly and worth a view for the kids' age progression and sensibility shift alone. Plus, the battle scenes are pretty annoying, just like in the Mother/Earthbound games. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Sodoshiraso Blog]

Earthbound-like RPG Contact for the DS is odd. It should be. The game is courtesy crazy Japanese game studio Grasshopper Manufacture, who also brought us Killer7. The game is getting English localization thanks to publisher Atlus. Game site Siliconera talked with Tomm Hulett, the game's localization director:

I'm not sure why it didn't do well in Japan, though I do suspect its release just before the highly anticipated Mother 3 had something to do with it. However, Contact's US release will be the only wackiness infusion American Earthbound fans get for a while, so we can at least corner that demographic. I also think most of the DS users in this country are still gamers (as opposed to Japan, where a large majority are non-gamers), so there should be more people who will appreciate the humor featured in Contact. Which isn't to say non-gamers won't enjoy Contact; they totally would.

Is it me or did Tomm contradicted every single thing he said? Regardless, cool game and worth picking up if you are into RPG and even if you're not. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Siliconera]

Here's a look at the Mother 3 game that never was. The title was original planned for the Nintendo 64, but was canned. Rumor has it that the cancellation was due to janky 3D modeling, but this clip looks pretty good. The title eventually found its way to the GBA, finally getting a release earlier this year. Brian Ashcraft

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 Here [FAMIcomplex]

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

GameCube Mother 3 Images Here via 4CR