Open Ends, Open Minds
There are many opinions regarding Mother 1 and 2. Some people say that the games are direct sequels, and that Ness and Ninten are the same. Others will say that it's completely different, that the two games are of the Final Fantasy School of unrelated sequels. I, however, fall in the third group. That group says the games are sort of variations of the same story, that they don't take place after each other, but are somehow related, as if they start at the same point but change a few things around.
Think about it. Ness and Ninten--there are a few differences, but really, they're too close to be unrelated. Especially when you consider that the first person he meets is Ana, a girl with the same bow and pink dress as Paula, her Mother 2 counterpart. And then you have Jeff and Loid. Two glasses wearing, chili-bowl haired nerds. Of course, the hair color is a little different, but once again, that's pretty close. (Work with me here!)
Then, problems come. There're Teddy/Jack and Poo, two complete opposites. One a gangbanger type, and the other a Mysterious Prince from the East. Well, as I said earlier, the characters Ness and Ninten could have taken different paths.
Now I'm at the point of my article. One of the greatest parts of EarthBound is its open endedness. Even if they aren't really connected, you can say they are, because there isn't gobs of FMV and they don't even name the characters.
In conclusion, I'd like to say that a great game doesn't send you down a set-in-stone path. It lets you fill some things in yourself. After all, would you rather play a game, or watch a video?
There are many opinions regarding Mother 1 and 2. Some people say that the games are direct sequels, and that Ness and Ninten are the same. Others will say that it's completely different, that the two games are of the Final Fantasy School of unrelated sequels. I, however, fall in the third group. That group says the games are sort of variations of the same story, that they don't take place after each other, but are somehow related, as if they start at the same point but change a few things around.
Think about it. Ness and Ninten--there are a few differences, but really, they're too close to be unrelated. Especially when you consider that the first person he meets is Ana, a girl with the same bow and pink dress as Paula, her Mother 2 counterpart. And then you have Jeff and Loid. Two glasses wearing, chili-bowl haired nerds. Of course, the hair color is a little different, but once again, that's pretty close. (Work with me here!)
Then, problems come. There're Teddy/Jack and Poo, two complete opposites. One a gangbanger type, and the other a Mysterious Prince from the East. Well, as I said earlier, the characters Ness and Ninten could have taken different paths.
Now I'm at the point of my article. One of the greatest parts of EarthBound is its open endedness. Even if they aren't really connected, you can say they are, because there isn't gobs of FMV and they don't even name the characters.
In conclusion, I'd like to say that a great game doesn't send you down a set-in-stone path. It lets you fill some things in yourself. After all, would you rather play a game, or watch a video?
