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RPGamer.com has discovered that the ESRB has re-rated Earthbound as an 'E for Everyone' title (replacing its old K-A rating, which no longer exists) and has it marked as a Wii title. A quick search on the ESRB's website confirms these findings, which as of this posting have not been covered up or hidden. This is being taken as a sign that Earthbound will soon be released on the Wii's Virtual Console. There has been no official announcement made by either Nintendo or Ape Software, so no more details are known.

This is fantastic news. The Virtual Console, while a great concept with a few gems, has been sorely lacking in a lot of my favorite games, most notably SNES RPGs. With this release of an old classic and cult favorite, perhaps the doors will be opened for more games and companies to jump on the Virtual Console train and try to get a few more bucks out of their older titles. However, for those hoping for Final Fantasy releases, with the rate that Square-Enix is pumping out remakes, I wouldn't get your hopes up for any of those. For now, fans of the series can enjoy the game once more, and people new to the game will be able to discover their love for New Age Retro Hippies and Multi Bottle Rockets.

Those links again:
RPGamer.com
Re-Rating and Wii platform for Earthbound
The ESRB's website

This post has been edited by Neal on 5th May 2008 17:24

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Hey, put the cellphone down for a while
In the night there is something wild
Can you hear it breathing?
And hey, put the laptop down for a while
In the night there is something wild
I feel it, it's leaving me

Earthbound! I finally have the chance to actully play this great classic.

I've always wanted to play this as I've heard great things about it. Can't wait to get it.


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Snake: I'm no hero...never was...never will be...
Meryl: You havn't changed at all Snake.
MGS4 Coming June 12th.

Currently Playing: The World Ends With You, Final Fantasy VI Advance
Next Game To Play: (Actully Finish) GTA IV
Last Game Beaten: Contra 4 (Easy Mode)

I've been waiting for this since the Wii launched. () Thanks for sharing the news.

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Veni, vidi, dormivi.

Quote

I've been waiting for this since the Wii launched. () Thanks for sharing the news. 

Ditto. I lost my old copy of the game and my emulator file got erased so now hopefully i can finish the game.

Quote (MoogleMuffins @ 5th May 2008 15:15)

Earthbound! I finally have the chance to actully play this great classic.

I've always wanted to play this as I've heard great things about it. Can't wait to get it.

Same here. It's almost like I can't be considered an RPG fan if I haven't played it, because so many old-school gamers adore it. Now, that chance has come.

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I say what I wanna say, I play how I wanna play.

It's really a matter of good timing on nintendo's part. Get people playing Brawl, and then get them to play games that have backstory to those characters.

What's really exciting is to see if the response to earthbound will be grand enough that they consider porting over Mother, which although it may seem like a longshot, would not be the first japan-release-only game made available on the VC.

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If internal struggles were as enjoyable and glamorous as the self conflicted wars within video game characters, we would all be statues, reveling in perpetual self war. -Me

Play me on Rock Band 2, GH-WT, or any other Xbox GH!
Xbox Gamertag-MeanJerry

I'm in the same boat as karasuman here. This is one of my favorite SNES RPGs and I have wanted this to come out for the longest time. I'm so excited!

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Is PJ

Its great. I can once again play this great game! Legally! (yes I have a rom, and yes I have a cartridge, but no SNES to put it in)

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Dead Winter. A nice comic.

Now, I love Earthbound, but I can't help but be a little bitter about this news. Why is Nintendo completely willing to throw the US a bone by releasing Earthbound on the Virtual Console, but completely unwilling to give Mother 3 a legitimate English release? The answer is money and effort, of course, but I'm still a little annoyed by it.

EDIT: and yeah... I hate to burst your bubble leilong, but Mother actually isn't very good. It's generic, broken, and a lot of the major plot-driving events are unintuitive enough to be painful. The concept is neat, the aesthetic is cute, and I love the music quite dearly, but Mother is not very good at all; especially when you compare it to its excellent sequel.

This post has been edited by laszlow on 18th May 2008 03:28

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

I had just been thinking about how fun it would be to go through that game again. Nice.

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Hip-Hop QOTW:

"Yeah, where I'ma start it at, look I'ma part of that
Downtown Philly where it's realer than a heart attack
It wasn't really that ill until the start of crack
Now it's a body caught every night on the Almanac"

"Game Theory"
The Roots

After the dissapointment of not seeing Smash bros released on VC after brawl was, im glad to see earthbound will possibly be released on VC Ive always wanted to play this and the other mother games, even if Laz really is right...Earthbound 64 (AKA mother 2) was definately a lot better, and Mother 3 was awesome even more so!

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<DrkMagimaster282> MWAHAHA. I,
DrkMagimaster282, shall wreak havoc and destroy...
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<DrkMagimaster282>UMMMMMMMM...NO.

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This is a game I'm sure to pick up when it does come out. I have my original snes copy around my place somewhere, though I can't for the life of me think where it might be.

Quote (DrkMagimaster282 @ 18th May 2008 13:36)

Earthbound 64 (AKA mother 2) was definately a lot better, and Mother 3 was awesome even more so!

Ummm... what? Earthbound 64 never existed. It was in production at one point, but then died out somewhere on the pipeline. Mother 2 is Earthbound's Japanese title.

And actually, I've heard that Mother 3 is very, very good. The hardcore fans on starmen.net and gamefaqs can't decide whether it or Earthbound is the best of the trilogy. That's how good it is.

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

I know those of us at starmen.net have been fighting for a long time to get Earthbound (re)released back to some system for quite some time now. I held my breath for a long time waiting for Mother 1 + 2 to come out for the GBA. meh...

http://www.starmen.net <---- Earthbound goodness.

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"Yes."
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Oh god, I hope they release this on the VC soon. This is one of my favorite games of all time, and I've been waiting for it to launch on the VC for quite some time now.