February 17th, 2010 | EarthBound

Do you like EarthBound? Want to possibly see it on the Virtual Console? Then grab a postcard, write a simple message asking for it, and send it to Japan!

Background

Things look kind of disheartening for fans of EarthBound; the EarthBound demo was stripped from Smash Bros. Brawl, word is NOA doesn’t want to release EarthBound on the Virtual Console, series creator Shigesato Itoi continues to say he won’t make any more games in the series, EarthBound cart prices are getting ridiculous, with loose carts going for $130 and complete sets selling for $300+, sometimes even over $1000. Even the box by itself sells for $80. Interest in the game is high, but it’s getting harder and harder to even play it legally.

Pretty much everyone in the Western gaming world knows EarthBound has a strong following, but it’s Nintendo’s Japanese headquarters (NCL) that pulls the strings and decides what gets released and what doesn’t. If NCL can be persuaded that there’s a demand for EarthBound, maybe there’s still hope for a Virtual Console release. It wouldn’t be difficult for NCL to make changes to the game if necessary; it’d only take an hour or two and a few changed bytes.

What to do

If you’re a fan of EarthBound and want to show support for the series, here’s what you can do.

Get a postcard, one that features the name of your locale is best. It’ll feel more personal and postcards being sent from all around the world will have more of an impact. Write a simple message, just a sentence or two or three long. Write it in normal text, NOT cursive. Use very simple words. Say you’re a fan of EarthBound (MOTHER 2) and that you’d like it on the Virtual Console. Just keep in mind that the people reading these will only understand basic English. If you’re skilled enough at Japanese, go ahead and write your message in Japanese, but it’s not necessary. If you want to draw a little Mr. Saturn or Ness or whatever, that’s fine too. For the address, put this: Nintendo Company, Ltd.

11-1 Kamitoba-hokotate-cho, Minami-ku

Kyoto 601-8501

Japan Sending a postcard to Japan will probably cost a little more than usual, so stop by the post office and send it from there.

Example

Since I’m in Florida, here’s an example postcard I’ve done:



Conclusion

This isn’t one of those “sieges” where people get crazy and go overboard. If you’re simply a fan of the series and want to support it, then consider sending a simple, heartfelt message to the people that can make a difference. It’s not hard, and at the very least someone will get to see your neat or funny postcard from around the world. And if we’re lucky, maybe fans won’t have to spend hundreds of dollars or resort to piracy to play EarthBound anymore.