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Mother 3 is coming to Switch Online in Japan, but not the US
Nintendo is bringing classic RPG Mother 3 to Switch Online, but only in Japan. It has never released the RPG outside of its homeland.
Nintendo Switch Online adds 'EarthBound' and 'EarthBound Beginnings'
The classic games will be available today.
NASA seeks Jupiter's secrets with historic spacecraft flyover
Every planet in our solar system is famous for something. Saturn has its rings, Mars has its soil, Uranus has that unfortunate name, and Jupiter has the Great Red Spot: a titanic storm that has been spinning for more than 350 years. Though we've peered at the distant gas giant's iconic feature since the 1830s, we still know little about its inner workings. That could change on Monday night, when the Juno spacecraft flies directly over the Great Red Spot for the first time in human history.
Google Photo's Mother's Day video tool is no substitute for a card
Google often likes to dip its toes into holidays and notable days to remind everyone what its apps can do (and could you use them, please?), and it's recently added a special Mother's Day assistant to its Photos app. Given that Google selects the photos and cuts it all together, it's possibly the lowest-effort Mother's Day 'gift' if you've totally forgotten and / or have no intention of buying a genuine card or seeing mom in person next weekend. (But seriously, you have a week and two days left to sort something, pull it together.)
Nintendo brings 'Earthbound' prequel to Wii U
Hippies beware! Nintendo has just revealed that Mother, the 1989 NES console game, has finally come to the Wii U Virtual Console under the title Earthbound Beginnings. The paranormal Japanese role-playing game was never officially released in North America, despite the fact that Nintendo had localized it back in the NES days. The news (revealed at Nintendo World Championships 2015) came as a surprise to gamers, many of whom are hoping that Nintendo might also re-release Mother 3 -- the final and most-loved title in the three-part series. In the meantime, you'll be able to download Earthbound Beginnings from Nintendo's eShop tonight at 6PM PST.
Mother welcomes developers into her creepy connected world
It's often said that "mother knows best," but sometimes, even mothers need council. Alright, so perhaps that's not true for tough, human matriarchs, but it does apply to Mother: the creepy-looking, internet-connected hub that's intended to make your dumb home smarter. You see, Mother communicates with small, multipurpose sensors called "Cookies," and instructs them to monitor one thing or another and report back, so it in turn can relay data and notifications back to you. Sense, the company behind Mother, has come up with various uses for Cookies, such as monitoring steps or sleep, but now it's seeking external inspiration. That's why, next month, it's launching a public API so developers can start dreaming up all kinds of new applications for the sensors. They'll also be able to plug data from Cookies into other apps and platforms -- your step count from a pedometer Cookie could be fed into a third-party fitness app, for example.
Here's a WiFi-enabled Russian Doll that's designed to replace your mother
When doom-mongers portend that technology is destroying human relationships, plenty of 'em will use this as exhibit one. Mother is the brainchild of Rafi Haladjian, the mind behind the Nabaztag, and is a device designed to monitor the objects, creatures and people in your home. The white plastic Russian Doll connects to a series of sensors, called cookies, that measure motion and temperature, and will alert you when it notices a change. For instance, if you strapped a cookie to the door where your meds are kept, but one day forgot to open it when you were due, the device would nag you until you remembered -- just like your own mother.
Buy us this Earthbound Zero NES reproduction cart
Rose Colored Gaming recently unveiled a beautiful Earthbound Zero reproduction NES cart, complete with a slick plastic case and custom cover art. The cart includes an English-translated ROM of Japanese Nintendo RPG and cult classic Mother. Mother never came to the United States, though Mother 2 was released as Earthbound on SNES in North America, and will see a Wii U Virtual Console port this year. The game that followed in the series, Mother 3 for Game Boy Advance, also never saw official North American localization, though fan translators of the game offered Nintendo to use their work free of charge for further Virtual Console localization purposes. As for Rose Colored Gaming's gorgeous Earthbound Zero reproduction cart, there's no price listed yet on its store as it's working to produce "as many of these as possible for as long as possible." We're just saying, this collectible item would be a great gift for a sorrowful Joystiq editor that has lost hope that any future iterations of the series will come to life in a language they understand. [Thanks, Wes!] %Gallery-192781%
Earthbound is an effective band-aid for the Wii U's Virtual Console
A few months ago I opined that the Wii U's Virtual Console, with its limited launch lineup, limited platforms, and limited upgrades from the Wii Virtual Console, was less than ideal. A few things have changed since then: some of the games have launched (for 30 cents), we have a solid launch date for the service in earnest, and there's a more detailed launch list. However, none of the basic issues have been fixed; the Virtual Console carries the same inherent flaws it did in January.But for now, all is forgiven. Because Earthbound.
Earthbound this year on VC in NA and EU
Earthbound (also known as Mother 2) will be available on the Wii U Virtual Console by year's end in North America and Europe."We will announce the actual release date at a later time," said Nintnedo President Satoru Iwata during today's Nintendo Direct.
'Mommy Tummy' simulator takes you from normal to pregnant in two minutes (video)
You can test drive a car before buying it, so why not take the same approach to pregnancy? Such is the idea, apparently, behind the "Mommy Tummy" -- a system that gives women (or men) a taste of what it would feel like to have a bun in the oven, even if they haven't received any lovin'. Developed by researchers at Japan's Kanagawa Institute of Technology, this simulator invites users to don a jacket replete with rubber balloons, vibrators, a water bag and other things you'd expect to find in Buffalo Bill's basement. Once strapped on, the jacket's midsection gradually expands as it swells with warm water funneled in from an adjacent tank, resulting in an immaculately conceived baby bump. A compressor, meanwhile, slowly augments the jacket's chest area, while a separate array of balloons rapidly inflate and deflate, thereby mimicking the kicking and side-to-side movements of a real-life fetus. KIRF mothers can monitor their KIRF baby's vital signs on a monitor, though they'll have to pay close attention. Unlike real pregnancies, the Mommy Tummy's gestation period lasts a merciful two minutes, giving your boyfriend just enough time to formulate a coherent response. Must-see video footage after the break. Update: Turns out our bros at Joystiq got some hands-on time with this bundle of joy at TGS. Check it out. [Image courtesy of Toutlecine.com]
PopCap offering 75 percent off Zuma for yo' mama
Out of observance for this most matronly of holidays, PopCap has reduced the price of its Aztec themed casual puzzler Zuma by 75 percent. Until May 12, you (or your female progenitor) can pick up the PC or Mac version of Zuma for just $4.95 on PopCap's official site. If you ask us, it makes for a much better Mother's Day present than assorted chocolates. Or store-bought flowers. Or bath salts. Or the three-disc Blu-ray Extreme Unrated Edition of Fried Green Tomatoes.
Considering parenthood? There's an app for that
In just a few days, a UK couple will welcome their "iPhone baby." After three years of unsuccessful attempts at pregnancy, the couple downloaded an unnamed fertility calculator app. The mother-to-be, who wishes to remain anonymous, entered her temperature and other information daily. The app then did the necessary calculations to determine when she'd be most fertile. Just two months later, the couple had a little one on the way. Since the Telegraph story doesn't name the app the couple used, we've gathered a few with similar functionality: Fertility and Pregnancy Calculator [iTunes link] Much like the app in the story, this one will help a woman determine when she's most fertile. After that, she can use it to track Jr.'s development. Free. iFertility [iTunes link] iFertility helps women track their Basal Body Temperature and adds an option to share logs with her doctor either via the app or email. $1.99 Fertility Foods [iTunes link] This ebook for the iPhone and iPod touch by Dr. Jeremy Groll presents a diet-based method of increasing ovulation and getting pregnant. Dr. Groll is an OB/GYN specializing in the treatment of infertile couples. This book is an Iceburg Reader book, which are very well done. $15.99 A Barry White album wouldn't hurt, either. As a parent of toddlers, I get much use out of Pocket God [iTunes link], which my 6-year-old loves, PicPosterous [iTunes link] for uploading snapshots to a family gallery and Pickin' Time [iTunes link], which both the 6-year-old and 5-year-old love. We even used Ambiance [iTunes link] for my son when we left his white noise machine at home while on vacation. Last week an iPhone app helped save a life, and this week it helped create one. The tablet better have some REAL magic up its sleeve in order to top that.
All the World's a Stage: Reflections on the passing of a roleplayer's mom
All the World's a Stage, and all the orcs and humans merely players. They have their stories and their characters; and one man in his time plays many roles.Long time readers of "All the World's a Stage" may remember that I wrote an earlier series of three articles, called "WoW is a Work of Art," which I viewed as a kind of launch pad for this column about roleplaying. The first article talked about how when my mom came down with a very serious form of brain cancer, I had to put other things in my life on hold in order to come back to the US and take care of her. I was happy to do this, of course -- it was an honor to be able to be there for my mother when she needed me, but I won't pretend it was very much fun. Cancer is a terrible disease that wreaks havoc on one's body and emotions all in one big punch. Roleplaying in WoW was one of the social activities I could do for fun at that time, a little world I could enjoy without actually having to leave my home and the loved one that I was caring for.Last weekend, the life of my mother was very visibly coming to a close. As the deadline for this column approached, I asked for leave (incidentally the first weekend since almost two years ago with no article in this column), and spent every moment with her I could. She died on Monday afternoon, leaving me an inheritance of countless feelings and thoughts which I shall undoubtedly explore for the rest of my life.Among many other realizations and ideas that have come to mind, I realized that my roleplaying career had come full circle. My decision to play WoW and eventually write about it had begun with my mother's cancer, and now that this cancer had finally taken her life, I wondered, how has this roleplaying contributed to my real life? Has it made me a better person? When I eventually lie on my deathbed as my mother did, will I feel thankful to have roleplayed in WoW the same way my mother felt thankful for all of her experiences in life?
Mother has been earthbound for 20 years, bound for US just as long
Twenty years ago today the original Mother was released for the Nintendo Famicom in Japan. Since then, the Japanese have continued to receive more of Mother's lovely RPG gameplay and storytelling, while other lands have been Earthbound with vague rumors of official releases and fan translations.EarthBoundCentral has compiled a sweet little homage to the series -- check it out after the break. And keep wishing upon a star that Mother finds its way outside Japan ... one day. [Image]
First footage of Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver revealed
As promised, today's episode of Pokémon Sunday brought the now not-so-surprising reveal of Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver. While the actual revelation wasn't particularly mind-blowing, the episode did feature a few seconds of gameplay (posted after the break) that will likely whet the appetites of many a pocket-sized monster fanatic.The gameplay itself isn't that interesting -- the protagonist merely walks in circles a few times -- though we do get a good sense of the Pearl and Diamond-esque art style the remakes will adopt. Also, if this clip is any indication, it looks like your starter pokémon will follow your character around in a Pokémon Yellow-esque fashion. We feel so sorry for Pokémon detractors. If you guys had hearts, that news would make them feel pretty warm.
Brownie Brown interested in DS version of Mother 3
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-34946%
Show and Tell: One dedicated community
We've been talking a lot about Mother 3 recently, and for good reason: the fan community is one of the strongest around, and they function without even a scrap of official love. Still, they soldier on, translating games, and, even better for us in this space, they make things. Of course, a fan translation is about the biggest DIY project we could feature here, but we've already done that. Instead, let's talk other things Mother, and by that, we mean crafts and similarly fun and frivolity. Take the tour of our picks, or just jump right into the gallery below.%Gallery-34946% Show and Tell is all about fan stuff, so long as it's Nintendo-related. We love to see your collections, your crafts, your frosted creations, your t-shirts and swag of all sorts.Just snap a few pictures, tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest. Not a handy type, but found something neat? Send us a link instead.
DS Daily: Motherly love
With the unofficial Mother 3 translation project having reached its goal -- that is, its achievable goal of a playable English version of Mother 3, not the successful shaming of Nintendo into releasing one themselves -- we thought it was a good time to link back to our interview with Starmen.net's Reid Young from last year. And also to talk about the Mother 3 translation project in general.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-34505%
Mother 3 fan translation complete, ready for download
After two years of development (and an endless string of tipsters keeping us up-to-date on every update on the project), the Mother 3 Fan Translation version 1.0 is now available for download, so English-speaking gamers without fluency in Japanese can enjoy the title. You'll need a copy of the Mother 3 ROM (also known as Earthbound 2) to use the patch, as well as your own copy of the imported game for legal purposes, moral clarity and a sense of contentment for supporting the franchise despite Nintendo's insistence to not bring it stateside. 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!]
