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Earthbound Coming To Virtual Console

by Jeff Cork on Apr 17, 2013 at 05:48 AM

Nintendo announced at its Nintendo Direct presentation that it was bringing Earthbound to the Virtual Console. The SNES RPG game was released in 1995, and its unusual contemporary setting and silly tone has made it a cult favorite ever since.

If you were a sentient gamer back in 1995, you probably recall the game's large box, which contained the game cartridge, a strategy guide, and scratch-and-sniff stickers. The game introduced the young hero Ness to the world, along with his friends Paula and Jeff. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has a special connection to the game, which he mentioned during the announcement: He was one of Earthbound's programmers.

The game was known as Mother 2 in Japan. A Mother 3 was released on the Game Boy Advance in 2006, though it was never made available in North America. Ness has lived on, however, thanks to his appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series of fighting games.

Iwata didn't provide a date for the VC release.