Mother 1 + 2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mother 1 + 2 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Unknown |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Designer(s) | Shigesato Itoi (original designer) |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance |
| Release date | JPN June 20, 2003 |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | CERO: All Ages |
| Media | Cartridge |
Mother 1 + 2 (MOTHER 1+2 Mazā Wan Tsū?) is a port release of Mother and Mother 2 (released as EarthBound in the United States) of the EarthBound (Mother) series for the Game Boy Advance.
Contents |
[edit] Promotion
Released on June 20, 2003 by Nintendo, a bonus cell-phone strap of Mr. Saturn was included for pre-ordered packages of the game. Though the strap was originally intended only for those who had pre-ordered the game, it's popularity caused it to be sold briefly on amazon.co.jp. A cost-reduced version of the game was later released for around 2,600 yen, which was packaged with a Club Nintendo serial card.
Though the concept of Mother 1 + 2 was to compile two separate games into one easily accessible package, promotion focused entirely on EarthBound (Mother 2), much to the dismay of long-time fans, who argued that the promotional strategy was reducing the importance of the first game.[citation needed] Mother 2 figurines were made available through the sale of Coca-Cola products.[1][2]
[edit] Changes
For specifics on gameplay, plot, and characters, see the respective sections in Mother and EarthBound.
Though the port was only released in Japan, the versions of Mother and EarthBound included in Mother 1 + 2 are actually re-translations of the English versions of the games even though Mother never got an actual English release.[3] The name of the company that directed the port and re-translation was never announced by Nintendo.
Alterations in gameplay from the original can be found in both games.[4] For Mother, changes related to in-game events, graphics, and items are mostly identical to the ones made in the English prototype.[3] Others includes sound effect changes during battle scenes, the addition of new items, shops, and events, and run and shortcut buttons. Censorship changes were made by altering the graphics of enemy characters depicting smoking or violence, the removal of text relating to alcohol consumption and sexual references, and the removal of religious symbols. An extended ending featured in the North American prototype was also included.[3]
In Mother 2, some general bug-fixes and text-related changes were made, as well as having all background music converted to stereo sound, excluding the music in Master Belch's underground laboratory. In addition, a sleep mode was added, and there are general reductions in sound quality and graphics resolution due to the Game Boy Advance hardware capability.
[edit] Music
The game's score, Mother 1 + 2 Original Soundtrack, was also released. The songs included are different arrangements of the originals, but its title mislead some purchasers into believing that it was a re-release of the original Mother soundtrack. Like the game itself, the soundtrack was not well received by fans because of the low quality of the arrangements, and the fact that the CD jacket contained numerous errors concerning the song titles.[citation needed] However, its release lead to renewed calls for the re-release of the Mother soundtrack, and a "re-mastered version" of the Mother soundtrack was released by Sony in February, 2004.
[edit] Reception
Mother 1 + 2 was scored a total 35 out of 40 by a panel of four reviewers for Famitsu magazine.[5] Although the compilation was not released in North America, Nintendo Power magazine listed Mother 1 + 2 as the most-wanted import game in an 2005 issue.
By the end of 2003, Mother 1 + 2 had sold over 278,000 copies.[6] The reduced quality of background music and the odd changes made in game-text led to sharp criticism, combined with the fact that Nintendo refused to disclose the name of the company that re-translated and ported the two games.[citation needed] Sales declined sharply after the initial release, and Mother 1 + 2 has the worst sales record in the entire series, selling less than the previous-worst 300,000 mark set by Mother 2 (though the game has sold over 300,000 copies if combined with the sales of the "value selection" release).[citation needed]
[edit] References
- This article was initially translated from the Wikipedia article MOTHER1+2, specifically from this version.
- ^ Mother 1 + 2 Promotional Ad. Jeux-France.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-31.
- ^ Hirohiko Niizumi (August 25, 2003). Earthbound figure campaign to begin in Japan. GameSpot.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-31.
- ^ a b c Spotlight: EarthBound. LostLevels.org. Retrieved on 2008-05-31.
- ^ Mother 1 - Famicom and GBA Differences. StarMen.net. Retrieved on 2008-05-31.
- ^ Famitsu scores. GameStats.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-31.
- ^ 2003 Top 100 Best Selling Japanese Console Games. The-MagicBox.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-31.
[edit] External links
- Official Mother 1 + 2 website (Japanese)
- Mother 1 + 2 at Nintendo.com (archives of the original at the Internet Archive)
- Mother 1 + 2 at MusicBrainz
|
||||||||
