Back in 2006, three things were key in converting me from a lapsed gamer back into an active gamer:
- long train commutes to work
- the Nintendo DS Lite
- the Mother 1+2 GBA re-issue
What the heck is Mother 1+2 you ask? Well Mother is the name of an amazing and quirky classic Japanese RPG series first released for the SNES, then for the GBA. Why am I posting about it? Because today it's out for the Wii U under a name more recognized in the west, Earthbound.
After playing the Mother series, I moved on to the Japanese console roguelike games (Shiren the Wanderer) but I think it was Earthbound that showed me the potential for role-playing games and the importance of whimsy and disregard for following current norms or cliches in the video game industry.
Have a look at the trailer here:
Now if they'd just release a PC version on Desura...
BTW Satoru Iwata (current president & CEO of Nintendo) worked on the game "back in the day" as a programmer and co-producer :)
