Sunday night was an interesting night for both Nintendo and for video game fans. That night is still fresh in my mind. Before the Nintendo World Championships, I decided to go on ahead and watch the pre-show. Sure, nothing special was going to be announced (so I thought). I wanted to be ready for what was going to be a fun evening of Nintendo competition. After a level from Yoshi’s Woolly World was shown off, I heard the commentators say they had a special announcement to share with the audience. Soon, I saw Shigesato Itoi on Twitch and eventually I saw the white Earthbound Beginnings logo against a red background. My jaw dropped to the floor with excitement and I was filled with happiness. We finally were going to get Mother 1 later that night.
Earthbound Beginnings was the best surprise during the first two days of E3. There were no leaks, no rumors, and no clues of Mother’s release to the world. Funny thing is we technically aren’t supposed to be excited for a 26 year old game. After all, The Entertainment Software Association wants us to be excited for the latest in gaming, not excited for old school retro games. Yet, Mother/Earthbound Beginnings was able to get everyone at home and in the audience happy and excited. I hope video game developers took note of this reveal because I would love to see more surprises from other companies just like the old days of E3.
Nintendo finally did the right thing and corrected a 25 year old business decision. I want to make it clear I am no way saying their business decision back then was a bad decision. Nintendo of America had begun working on localizing Mother as EarthBound after it did well in Japan hoping to see the same success. While the game was eventually finished and ready to go to market, Nintendo of America made a business decision to never release EarthBound. Despite putting all the efforts into the localization and preparing the game for release, Nintendo of America felt they were not going to recover their costs, especially when the Super Nintendo was on the way and Role Playing Games were not too popular at the time. It would have resulted in a financial loss. For 25 years, it was locked inside the Nintendo vault. The timing for its release was perfect for both a community of fans who have been clamoring for an official release and for the public who has never had a chance to see it or maybe had never heard of it before. Of course, there are people who want it on the 3DS, or wish it was Mother 3 instead. Be grateful we have Earthbound Beginnings as a start towards making up for the past 25 years. This is our chance to support Earthbound Beginnings and show Nintendo we want and expect Mother 3 in the future. Is it going to be the top highlight of E3? Of course not. When people look back at E3 2015, this will be one of the first memories to come to mind.
Remember Nintendo…..We expect Mother 3 soon.
