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Brownie Brown interested in DS version of Mother 3
by Chris Greenhough 
{ Jan 21st 2009 at 6:30PM }
The lack of a localized Mother 3 on the Game Boy Advance must rank as one of Nintendo's more heinous crimes, but that's not to say they can't get out of our bad books. All it would take is, oooh, let's say a DS version of the classic RPG and A MILLION DOLLARS. Or, y'know, just the game.And look, Nintendo, Mother 3 co-developer Brownie Brown is happy to indulge us! Speaking to Siliconera, company President Shinichi Kameoka said Nintendo just needs to give the go-ahead. "If we were asked to make [a DS version of Mother 3]," he said, "then we would definitely like for fans abroad to play the game."
The ball is very much in Nintendo's court, then. Until they take a swipe at it, there's only one way to sample (and fully comprehend) Mother 3's myriad delights.
Gallery: Show and Tell: Mother crafts
Surprise? Brownie Brown considers Wii development
by JC Fletcher { Jan 21st 2009 at 3:35PM }
Brownie Brown has a history of releasing handheld games ranging from okay to good: Magical Vacation and its sequel Magical Starsign, Sword and Heroes of Mana; and, of course, their best work, done in collaboration with HAL Laboratory, Mother 3. But until now, they've only released handheld games. So in a way, it's quite a surprise to hear that, having finished up Blue Dragon Plus, they're thinking about trying their hand at a console game. Brownie Brown president Shinichi Kameoka told Siliconera that "We're optimistic about it and looking into it." But the choice of console platform is rather unsurprising. Brownie Brown is a Nintendo-owned studio, so they basically have two platforms from which to choose for any game they're going to make. Should they move into Wii development, it will be interesting to see if they start with a work-for-hire project or an original work like the Magical Vacation series.
Best of 2008: The most delicious DS homebrew
by Chris Greenhough { Dec 30th 2008 at 3:00PM }
Time to face some harsh facts, people: this time next year, none of us will have two pennies to rub together, and nobody will care anyway, because we'll all be fighting to the bloody death over scrap metal, rat carcasses, and clean drinking water. The good news? You can slow your inevitable descent into abject poverty by no longer paying for your DS games, and instead download totally free homebrew. Hurray!
Not that you shouldn't be selective in what you download -- after all, for every StillAliveDS or Pocket Physics, the homebrew community churns out plenty of garbage. With this in mind, we decided to compile a list of the best homebrew we personally encountered this year. Have any recommendations that we missed? Tell us in the comments! And don't forget we dedicated a whole week to homebrew earlier this year -- you can head here for more recommendations!
DS Daily: Motherly love
by JC Fletcher { Oct 20th 2008 at 9:00AM }
Has the work of the dedicated grassroots Mother 3 movement made you into a fan? Did they make you aware of the series for the first time? Have you been following the progress of the translation? If so, we imagine this is a time to celebrate. Perhaps most importantly, does all this talk about Mother put that Danzig song in your head?
Gallery: Mother 3 Fan Translation
Mother 3 fan translation complete, ready for download
by Ross Miller { Oct 17th 2008 at 12:00PM }
In other news, Earthbound for Wii (possibly Virtual Console) is still rated by the ESRB, and since May 2nd that's all we know about it.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Mother 3 fan translation available this week
by Chris Greenhough { Oct 14th 2008 at 4:15PM }
After almost two years of hard slog, Starmen.net's Mother 3 fan translation patch has finally been completed, and will be released at the end of this week ... a whole month ahead of schedule! That's according to the latest blog entry on the project's site, in which team member Mato records that, "Testing's pretty much over now. Some bugs did turn up over the last few days, but they were all minor and quickly remedied. Some really hard-to-spot typos were also found and fixed."
Joyous news indeed, though the patch will require a few other things before it's of any use: namely a slot-2 flashcart, a GBA emulator, and -- cough -- an entirely unauthorized ROM copy of the Japanese game. While we don't condone piracy, a western localization of Mother 3 doesn't exactly look likely at this stage, and we do condone passionate fan projects such as this one. Hit up this FAQ to learn more, and don't forget to check out some beautiful, Anglicized Mother 3 screens.
Gallery: Mother 3 Fan Translation
[Thanks, Joel!]
Nintendo Power's Sword in the Preview
by Eric Caoili { Jun 28th 2008 at 4:00PM }
As it's been known to do, Nintendo Power wrapped up its latest issue promising a new unannounced title for next month's cover. Given the exclusive reveals the magazine has featured lately, such as Mega Man 9 for WiiWare and the Castlevania Judgment 3D fighter, both arguably megatons, it's hard not to expect another huge surprise!Nintendo Power's preview page for the next issue brandishes the above image and a quick prank on Earthbound fans (as if they needed more teasing): "We'll kick off the next 20 years of Nintendo Power with more big reveals, including a top-secret cover story fit for a king. It's got a lot of heart. Just kidding. It's Mother 3. Just kidding. Please look forward to it."
What could it be? A sequel to Square's lackluster King's Knight? Even better, perhaps a remake of Capcom's Knights of the Round? What are your gueses?
Mother 3 translation seven months away [update]
by Eric Caoili { Apr 20th 2008 at 11:00PM }
Celebrating Mother 3's release in Japan two years ago today, Starmen.net co-founder and fan-translation project lead Tomato posted an update on the unofficial localization's outlook. With ten months of work already behind them, the team predicts that the completed English patch (GBA ROM required) still needs about seven months of hacking, script editing, and testing.
While that may sound like a long time, keep in mind that some fan-driven translations can take years before they're finished, and that's if they even make it past the first months of work before dissolving. Besides, it's not like Nintendo of America is rushing to translate the RPG.
To help you deal with the wait, Tomato has posted ten minutes worth of video showing the team's progress, all of which you can watch above! So close, and yet so far away!
[Update 1: Corrected Mother 3's age -- two years old. Thanks, ShadowX!]
[Update 2: Straight from the horse's mouth.]
Mother 3 battle clips snuck up from behind!
by Eric Caoili { Feb 14th 2008 at 5:00PM }
Unwilling to compromise on the quality of its project for the sake of a quick release, the Mother 3 fan translation crew has been tweaking every setting and smashing every bug in its path to releasing an English patch for the Earthbound sequel. In addition to posting regular updates on the programming process, the team has put up screenshots and videos from its work so far, like the Flint vs. Mischievous Mole movie above. We can't wait to try out that rhythm combo system ourselves!
On a disappointing note, the project's FAQ now states that the translation group no longer has plans to put out the patch before Super Smash Bros. Brawl's North American release, even with the Wii game's delay to early March. It's a painful wait, we know, but at least you'll get a few bonuses* that aren't in the Japanese game, like this secret enemy in the clip after break.
*provided that you have a flashcart/emulator and, uh, the Mother 3 ROM
Dojo update: Flipping out
by Candace Savino { Dec 18th 2007 at 6:00PM }
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You may find the Frigate Orpheon stage to be vaguely familiar, as it's one of the spaceships that Samus infiltrates in Metroid Prime. Of course, something is bound to go wrong, like, say, the stage flipping over on you. After a siren sounds (well, at least there's a warning), you'd best prepare to have everything invert on you, since the stage will flip a full 180 degrees. With some caution and good strategy, the flip can be a nice way to pick off a scrambling enemy.
Also added today was Porky's theme from Mother 3. We think that this militaristic tune is a nice fit when it comes to beating up some folk, but maybe that's just us.
Gallery: SSBB gallery three
Gallery: SSBB gallery two
Read: Frigate Orpheon
Read: Porky's theme
Watch the prologue of Mother 3 ... in English!
by Candace Savino { Dec 17th 2007 at 9:00PM }
We've informed you about the Mother 3 fan translation project before, and now it's time for you to enjoy some of the fruits of Starmen.net's labor. The project is not completed yet, but the team has at the very least finished translating and coding the prologue of the game. You can watch it in the video above (spoilers, obviously), without even having to worry about downloading any unauthorized ROMs or being involved with any yarrrrrring.
The video will also help you further acquaint yourselves with Lucas, who will be showing up as a playable character in one of Nintendo's most anticipated Wii games, Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
From what we've seen, Mother 3 has a certain charm about it, and we can see how fans would be so dedicated in their efforts to bring the game to English speakers. Now, if only Nintendo had the same dedication.
[Via Destructoid]
The video will also help you further acquaint yourselves with Lucas, who will be showing up as a playable character in one of Nintendo's most anticipated Wii games, Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
From what we've seen, Mother 3 has a certain charm about it, and we can see how fans would be so dedicated in their efforts to bring the game to English speakers. Now, if only Nintendo had the same dedication.
[Via Destructoid]
One year later: Mother 3 fan translation project
by Eric Caoili { Nov 13th 2007 at 7:40PM }
Convinced that Nintendo has no intention of ever localizing Mother 3 for release outside of Japan, fans of the Mother/Earthbound series have been working on their own unofficial translation for the endearing RPG. The volunteer group has put a year's worth of work into the project so far and is celebrating that milestone with two releases:
- An anniversary video showing the game played with an English script. It's a preview of not only the team's progress, but of the bugs that still need to be addressed at this stage. You can watch the three-minute clip after the post break.
- An updated menu patch with the most up-to-date translations for Mother 3's menus and chapter titles. Of course, this menu patch and the eventual full translation patch require an unauthorized, completely illegal ROM copy of the game to be of any use. Yarr!
Dojo update: New Pork City?! Get a rope!
by Eric Caoili { Oct 15th 2007 at 4:00PM }
Mother 3 fans are getting everything but the actual GBA game with Super Smash Bros. Brawl -- Franklin Badges, Lucas as a playable character, and now, New Pork City, one of several memorable locations from the Earthbound sequel. The massive arena is one of the game's largest, putting to rest worries that the game wouldn't have any Hyrule-Temple-sized battlegrounds.
New Pork City boasts among its attractions a swinging boat and a stage-specific menace. Before you preview the screenshots at the Dojo, be warned that there are some Mother 3 spoilers scattered around the images. You can also watch a 2D tour of the metropolis after the post break.
Gallery: SSBB gallery two
We bet this Mother 3 shirt is awesome
by JC Fletcher { Oct 2nd 2007 at 2:50PM }
Since we've never been given the opportunity to play Mother 3, we aren't really able to gauge the thematic radness of Edit Mode's new Mother 3 "Emergency" shirt. Still, just as we know that all shirts sold on The King of Games are awesome, we have an inherent knowledge that everything about this shirt is wonderful, except the $50 price tag. We know that the design is pretty nice, and that the warning text on the back is adorable.
The other new Mother shirt, featuring a logo for "The Sharks," comes from Mother 2 a.k.a. Earthbound, and is therefore easily verifiable as being great. You can totally pretend you're in an arcade-occupying, hula-hoop wielding gang led by a smilin', knifin' Frank Fly.
[Via GAME Watch]
Yo mama so cheap, you can buy her at Play Asia for $14.90
by Eric Caoili { Sep 11th 2007 at 10:40AM }
If you caught our interview with Starmen.net's Reid Young, you already know that the chances of Nintendo of America ever bringing EarthBound's GBA sequel, Mother 3, to the states are slim to none. As depressing as that reality might be, you shouldn't let it stop you from experiencing one of the most endearing RPGs ever released.
There are several walkthroughs and guides available to assist you with the game's Japanese text, and, from now until next Tuesday, import shop Play-Asia will be selling copies of Mother 3 for only $14.90, less than a third of its standard price! What more do you need to convince you to pick this one up?
[Via CAG]
