Hey, Assembler's. I had a weird thought. I remember a Nintendo Power issue that said something along the lines of "We have an important announcement: It's Mother 3! No, it's really not. Stop asking." I can't remember the exact issue or wording, but I do remember it being a tad malicious. My question is: Why was NoA so hostile towards Earthbound fans when it came to a localized Mother 3? By the way, it is still surreal to have Earthbound Beginnings (Mother, Earthbound Zero) in the eShop. Edit: I found a scan, and it wasn't as mean as I remembered it: Still, joking about a frequently requested game seems like bad form. Is there an explanation for Nintendo's attitude towards the game?
Earthbound didn't sell well when it released and you could find it in bargain bins some time after. It was only during the 2000s (I think) that the game got the cult status it has now and people began to want it. When Mother 3 released I think there wasn't a market for it yet in the West.
Problem with Mother 3 besides translation costs was GBA was pretty much at its end in the US so it wasn't really worth it buisness wise. Had it been made for DS probably could of happened.
If Mother 3 ever comes out it will be either for a handheld or the Virtual console. It could also be included as a free download for a game from a new IP. I don't see it coming out this generation for the Wii U or the 3DS. But, there is always hope and because of hope, Shenmue 3 is being made.
I remember some of my friends were kind of obsessed with that game. I didn't have an SNES at the time; I had a Genesis. Recently a friend let me borrow his copy. It's currently sitting on top of my turntable; I need to finish it some time. I was kind of obsessed with Vectorman for a while, but I didn't know anyone who had that game. I still have the same boxed copy I got brand new 20 years ago.
That, and the game sold poorly in japan. Sales were less than 1 million. With all of those reasons combined, it seems like a waste of effort to localize a RPG like that.
