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     The final boss of Mother 3 is the Masked Man, or as we know now, Claus. At the very beginning of the thread, I said this game has one thing that is my favorite of all video games. Finally, we come to it, the final battle. I like this very much, even more so than Mother 1 and Earthbound, and considering how unique and memorable those final battles are, well, I hope you enjoy this as much as I.    The lightning attack has incapacitated everyone but Lucas.     The Masked Man starts off with some slight damage from the lightning strike. Now, I know what you're thinking.  First move is to use Healing Omega to revive the party.     That will just cause the Masked Man to use his lightning attack and rekill everyone but Lucas. This fight is Lucas vs. Claus.    The Masked Man attacks twice, and will go between his sword and a gun-type attack. Defense Up and Shield are honestly not worth the effort for this fight.  This is where the rolling HP meter comes in. Lucas has plenty of time to attack while it's rolling down, and no matter how you buff yourself, Lucas will take mortal damage. You want to attack while you're rolling down and then use Lifeup Gamma when you're close to death.  That said, there's one last detail about this fight.  The Masked Man is Claus. Lucas has the courage to take on many fearsome enemies, but this is different. He's fighting his brother. Even if your family has turned into an emotionless killing machine, could you bring yourself to attack them?    It's a good idea to let your HP refill completely before continuing the text box. That gives you more time to... Uh... Well, we can't attack, buffs are useless, and there's no point using Lifeup until we're close to death.   The only thing to really do is Guard. Guard is the usual defense option that you never use in RPGs. In Mother 3, it has a bonus of slowing down the descent of the rolling HP meter. So this entire fight is doing nothing while your brother constantly tries to beat you to death. That's why Lucas's inventory should be nothing but Mementos and your best PP-restoring foods.  Of course, that's not all the Masked Man has up his sleeve. He's pulled three needles. He, like Lucas, knows the power of PK Love.    And he will not hesitate to use it against you.          The battle continues. The Masked Man refuses to cease his attacks, and Lucas can't bring himself to use his weapon or his PSI.       There is nothing else to do. Lucas just has to keep taking the Masked Man's brutal hits, and hope that Claus is still there.        Claus, please remember... I've been looking for you for so long...              Can Claus be saved? Now that Lucas has the drive to attack, is it best to take out the man threatening the fabric of the world? Can we survive long enough to get through to him?    Yes! He's family!              I bet they'll accomplish things together that they couldn't alone. I'm sure they'll argue a lot, too. And I can see them helping each other out when they need it.   I bet we'll mix them up a lot until they get bigger... Claus... ...and Lucas, huh... How do you want them to grow up to be?  Oh, I was just going to say...  Great. Then it's decided.           The Masked Man's attacks have significantly weakened. Maybe...?        Maybe...         It's Claus!            I'm really happy you could be with me just before the end... Dad. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. Lucas. I hope we meet again someday. Thank you. I'm sure we'll meet again.   Claus was just hasty, that's all. You'll forgive your hasty brother, won't you? The time has come for you to pull the Dragon's last Needle. Both Hinawa and Claus have entrusted fate to you. Believe in yourself, and pull that final Needle. Nothing needs to be sealed away anymore. Let's make the Dark Dragon sealed underground our new friend. Pass your heart on to the Dragon! Pray to it from the bottom of your heart. Ask it to protect all life in this world. Me, and everyone else... We all believe in you. So now you need to believe in yourself.   Yes.           And so...   Lucas saved the world with his wish.    Using the courage in his heart, Lucas wished for a better place.     A place with no evil. A place where everyone can begin again.    SILENCE  ...Not quite yet, sorry. You'll have to hold your tears back just a little bit longer.  I wasn't being sarcastic. Welcome to the new world of Mother 3.   It's okay. This isn't a dream. I thought everything was about to be destroyed...but everyone is alive! The only way to describe it is as a miracle. Did the Dragon's revival give power to all life? That nearly scared me to death. But I guess this is what they mean by, "A crisis gone is easily forgotten." In any case, everyone's just peachy-keen now. That was scary. That was the very definition of scary. Hey, everybody! Goons is over here and doing just fine! Goons. Thank you so much for everything. And for helping Lucas and the others. This world might've been completely destroyed, had it not been for you. To be honest, I was so scared the moment Lucas pulled the last Needle. I did have faith, though. I had faith, but I felt a kind of fear so bad that I almost expected my entire body to blow apart. But, as you can see, everyone is just fine! We've regained something incredibly immense! Dunno why, but I can't stop my tears from comin' out. What is this feeling? What could it be? This is the first time I've ever seen you cry, Kumatora. You're really cute, now that I look. Even mole crickets are living creatures too, you know! Heehee! Who poked you in the back? Guess who! Incidentally, I'm Wess. And it wasn't me. I'm Alec. I didn't poke you in the back, Goons. He's playing innocent, but Wess was the one who did it. We're both alive and well. Isn't that right? We're both well. I was just considering living a quiet life as a Snake Rope now. If you happen to find that kind of sad, then please talk to me... and say, "Thanks." And, "Your jaw saved us all." No ordinary snake could've done that. Nor an ordinary rope. This conversation is turning out to be long, just like the snake I am. But I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. Goons, was it? I'll be certain to etch that name into my mind. Have a good new year! Have a good new year!   Now that my saving job is over, I think I'll settle down and take care of the tadpoles. Thank you for everything. No, wait, it's the other way around. Woof! (I'm doing well, too!)  SILENCE     Thanks. I feel so utterly, incredibly thankful for everything you've done. Thanks for everything. I wish we could always be together. We just met, and now we have to say goodbye. All the people of this world are saved, thanks to you. Thank you, Goons. *giggle* That was fun, Goons! Let's meet again sometime. We can meet as many times as we want. Goons! Bye! What's the world there like? It looks like things will work out here, but what about your world? Will it be alright? Hey, other world. Be good to Goons! Thanks. Goodbye. Goodbye... Goodbye! Thanks so much! Come back sometime! Thanks for everything. Goons!!! We'll meet again sometime, right? Don't forget us. Goodbye. Thanks. We sure had a lot of fun, didn't we?     Thank you for following this Let's Play of Mother 3.    This is the part where I'd usually sum up the cast, but I don't really know what to say for this game.     I mean, we've talked a lot about the Tazmily crew.    They were a bit selfish at times and a bit thick in the head at other times, but they're good people in the end.    Even if they all brainwashed themselves to be that dumb.    But overall, in the end, they're good people. Probably would've ended up alright if not for Porky.    Now, these guys, talk about dependable. Duster has a nice underdog story, being a gimp thief chosen to protect the memories of the Tazmily people, even if he doesn't remember his memory is in that egg.    Of course, the DCMC crew is up there with the Runaway Five. And Kumatora is a pretty awesome fake princess.    The various twisted creations of Dr. Andonuts and the Pigmasks were appropriately messed up just enough to be both funny and scary.     drat it, Rope Snake.    That not enough? Here, have all these random NPCs too!   And these animals, too! Poor Dragos.    The Magypsies were fabulous, of course. More games could use characters like the Magypsies.  That is a lot of save frogs.    Although not always the most fearsome foe, the Pigmasks usually got the job done and were threatening enough to be a force to be reckoned with.       The family may have been torn apart by unfortunate circumstances, but in the end they came together and held through.    And of course, I can't finish this without mentioning the most important character of this journey, Flint's doorknob.   First off, enjoy this nice piece featuring the themes of each game in the series.  Second, thank you very much for following along with this Let's Play.  This was the most work-intensive one I've finished yet. I've made close to two hundred separate sprites and have around three hundred Tindeck links. And then there's all the various battle themes...  But trust me, it was worth it. I'm really happy with how this turned out.  Plus, it was great to revisit a game I've only played once before and gain a new appreciation for it.  The first time I played it, I certainly still enjoyed it and fell for the emotional parts as hard as anyone, but it wasn't Earthbound.  It's a lot smaller, more intimate, and goes in a completely different direction than the first two games.  Now, it's my favorite of the series. It takes the charm and brilliance of the first two games and goes in completely new directions, with wonderful results.  Earthbound had moments that could get to you, but man, this game really knows how to get to your heartstrings. And not just with tragedy, either.  You cheer when Salsa finally escapes his seemingly never-ending torment. You smile seeing Duster find his place in the world. You scratch your head as Lucas undergoes a bad trip. You're creeped out when you see a friendly dragon turn into an aggressive robot.  This game is its own thing, and I love it for what it is.  And of course, it's a drat shame it never got a proper English localization. Though that said, Tomato did a fantastic job and can't get enough praise for bringing this to us.  OK, I'm running out of wistful things to say about a video game and there's still a few more memory screenshots to go. Uh, this run took 25 hours.  Of course, the core of this game is the family. How it's torn apart, how it forces Lucas to grow after losing everything, and seeing the end result.  Do you think Lucas would save the world if his mother was still alive to coddle him? Nah, Claus would be the new Ness or Ninten in a world-saving adventure while Lucas would manage items or whatever.  Instead, Lucas was forced into being a hero, and that makes his story all the more remarkable.  Thanks for all the great discussion and fan stuff and everything as always!  And to close things out, here's Hinawa about to eat a bird. Take some time to enjoy the updated logo in the final screen of the Let's Play.   You may cry now.
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May 13, 2015 23:51
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The very very last song in the game is one of my favorites of the series for whatever reason. Thanks for sticking it out through this immense game, dude!
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May 14, 2015 00:01
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I remember staring at my computer in shock at the ending. I was so certain that we were gonna save Claus with the power of love or fraternity or something like that. I was totally devastated. Excellent, EXCELLENT job at this game Mega. Thank you.
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May 14, 2015 00:08
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I was tearing up just from reading this update. That's how intense the final battle is, folks. If I played through this again, I'd probably cry at the end, just like I did during my first playthrough and the last time I played through. And the first time I played through Mother 3, I shouted "NO!!" at this part. This loving game, man... it knows how to make you break down. When it's all said and done, though, I will always prefer Earthbound over Mother 3, both because it's longer and I prefer its more carefree tone. It all comes down to personal preference. Rich Uncle Chet posted:Good lord, just thinking about the Absolutely Safe Capsule TERRIFIES me. For all the over the top violence, gore, and grisly grim imagery a lot of games can come up with, the most chilling thought comes from a Nintendo game of all places. But the idea of being immortal but trapped in a tiny prison where you can't do or interact with anything runs shivers down my spine way more than any Mortal Kombat Fatality, Dark Soul's grotesque monster, or any other 'traditional' scary imagery. get that OUT of my face fucked around with this message at 00:13 on May 14, 2015 |
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May 14, 2015 00:11
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Now that the Love Theme has popped up, I can post this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7qg4xCkEQs I thought I remembered seeing some screens that suggested that there was more to the final boss, like some Giygas-level mindfuck stuff, but I guess I must have misread it. Good LP. Good game.
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May 14, 2015 00:13
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Waffleman_ posted:I thought I remembered seeing some screens that suggested that there was more to the final boss, like some Giygas-level mindfuck stuff, but I guess I must have misread it. Good LP. Good game. I think that was originally the plan before it got scrapped. There's some stuff about it here, though I'm sure some Mother-related sites go more in-depth on it.
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May 14, 2015 00:18
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When I played this for the first time, "You must be so exhausted." is what got me. drat.
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May 14, 2015 00:20
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I've beaten this game twice and I still managed to be caught off guard by the "Goons" epilogue.  How sweet. A great way to end the game after such a heartwrenching climax. Thanks for the LP, Mega64. It was a lot of fun.
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May 14, 2015 00:20
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Wow, this game just knew exactly how to end. Was tearing up the entire update. That final boss fight is really something else. One where you can't even fight him, that's just a great way to wrap up a game, especially this game. This game just has a way at getting to you. It just feels so genuine and pure, like watching a child face a cruel world, but it just leaves you with this hope, that even though things can be bad, it will always work out. It feels like when you're a kid and you start to realize that the world isn't exactly all nice and kind, but you try anyways to make it as good as it possibly can, and you succeed. The ending just felt so good, to see it all work out. I've never played any of the earthbound/mother games so this is my only exposure to it, and I have to say, I heard a lot of great things about it, but it really did exceed my expectations. Fantastic work on the LP too, by the way. I could tell it took a lot of work, and I appreciate it.
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May 14, 2015 00:20
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Oh yeah, now I can go over the subtle Mother 3 spoiler that was in Lucas's reveal trailer for Smash 4. Skip to the one-minute mark for a sort-of recreation of the final battle- the only thing missing is a mask over the Masked Man shirt Lucas. Otherwise, that Lucas has a beam sword, and the other Lucas has a Franklin Badge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJCf0f0DrJ4
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May 14, 2015 00:20
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I've refrained from gushing about how this game uses music to absolutely great effect, as anything I'm capable of writing isn't going to do justice for it. Except this: http://tindeck.com/listen/dfhwj Every single time I hear that I get a lump in my throat. Thanks Mega, for the LP. Waffleman_ posted:I thought I remembered seeing some screens that suggested that there was more to the final boss, like some Giygas-level mindfuck stuff, but I guess I must have misread it. Good LP. Good game. This was cut content. And it's properly spooky.
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May 14, 2015 00:22
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Great job, Mega. I haven't played this game in years, but the end still got to me. I'm going to go eat my ice cream and cry somewhere.
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May 14, 2015 00:26
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And I finally get around to this LP right as it ends.  Congrats on the completion of another great LP, Mega. It was an enjoyable read over the past few days.
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May 14, 2015 00:28
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Now that the end has come, I guess it's time for me to post this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZZGRIh9En4 Makes me tear up every time I see it.
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May 14, 2015 00:28
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Y-Hat posted:Nothing drives someone to insanity faster than complete and total isolation. It's why solitary confinement is such a terrible punishment to inflict upon people. Then again, Porky is already plenty deranged to begin with, so maybe he wouldn't be suffering all that much, even after the heat death of the universe (which Itoi says the Capsule will survive). I don't think reality has sunk in for him yet. EDIT: Also, thanks for the LP.
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May 14, 2015 00:34
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Doubt I'm gonna do any more batches of avatars, so if anyone has any avatar requests, I'll make it for you.
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May 14, 2015 00:34
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Absolutely fantastic job Mega. Thanks for doing a great job with this game. 
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May 14, 2015 00:37
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This will always be one of my favorite games. If you haven't played it, do yourself a favor and do so, it makes the final fight so much more compelling. Excellent LP.
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May 14, 2015 00:50
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PopeCrunch posted:When I played this for the first time, "You must be so exhausted." is what got me. drat. When I played Mother 3 for the first time, this was the line that got me as well. A few years later I watched my fiancée play it, and we both burst into tears at that line. Powerful stuff. Great job with the LP, Mega.
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May 14, 2015 00:57
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Jesus Christ, I don't think I've ever shed tears at a goddamn LP before. Thank you for the amazing LP, Mega64.
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May 14, 2015 01:06
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It's been years since I beat Mother 3, before the translation came out. So, throughout this LP, I had all the context. I knew what was coming. Still teared up. Great job showing off this genuinely touching game, Mega64. It was a great way to experience it in its entirety again.
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May 14, 2015 01:16
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A great LP for a great game. Thanks for all your hard work, Mega 64.
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May 14, 2015 01:40
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drat.... I didn't think I'd cry this time round as it was only a SSLP but it still got me. This is why I like Mother 3 the most, not just the sad parts but the happy ones too. It really draws me into it's story more than any other game. Thank you so much for this LP Mega64. Oh and for the avatar too, it'll be a nice memento of this. You really captured the game so well that I reacted to the plot as if I were playing, all the details you put into this LP paid off.
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May 14, 2015 02:03
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Thank you for all the effort you put into this LP, Mega64. From the millions of dialogue sprites, to transcribing the Mr. Saturn letters as images, to a collage of pieces of Leder to get him to look just right. And the music links and animated gifs of important scenes (I will never forget Wess shaking his rear end). Superb SSLP all around.
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May 14, 2015 02:11
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Thanks for the great LP. I lost my save a while back, and you've inspired me to start it up again from the beginning.
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May 14, 2015 02:24
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I don't believe I posted at any other point of the LP, but I was definitely watching it. Thanks for doing such a good job with it, Mega64.
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May 14, 2015 02:38
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This ending hit me really hard the first time through, but the line "You'll forgive your hasty brother, won't you?" still makes me tear up. Yeah, I can forgive him. 
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May 14, 2015 03:17
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This was a really sweet game, and the first time I've seen any of the series. Thanks for showing it off!
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May 14, 2015 03:45
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Zebia posted:Now that the end has come, I guess it's time for me to post this: If you don't do moonspeak, there's an English version of the song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lql3TE5fS-U edit: fixed link. Going to cry in the corner too
Pooncha fucked around with this message at 04:12 on May 14, 2015 |
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May 14, 2015 04:07
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So, is it possible to get here without the Franklin Badge? It seemed really easy to miss getting it, but I'm not sure if you were plot-locked into making it or not.
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May 14, 2015 04:28
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I'm like 99% sure it's a plot item and you always get it.
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May 14, 2015 04:38
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Watching how the original boss battle was supposed to look is completely worthwhile. Honestly creepy as hell, and it's almost a shame they didn't use it, but I'm both glad they didn't, and was initially a little disappointed at the same time, largely for the same reasons: revisiting the boss fight of Earthbound with that level of emotional impact would've been a bit much. It also could've been seen as a retread, or as completely hamfisted (no pun intended). I guess one of the main reasons that I'm glad they didn't go with it is that I had absolutely no spoilers going into Earthbound's endgame, well over a decade after it was made, and it was so jarring that I just kind of stared at the screen for a while after I beat it, and felt really-- I don't know. It didn't really feel like a victory. I'm not used to a game pulling that insane of a switch-up on me, either, so it felt like getting punched in the face. That fight was insane, easily one of the best end bosses I've seen in a video game, and made the endgame of Mother really heartbreaking as a retroactive playthrough. It ultimately comes down to being a once-a-series gut punch you can get away with. Doing it twice-- idk. It'd depend how they did it, and I don't doubt that it would've had its intended impact, but, yeah. I think it's a better deal that they only did that once, and I came away feeling honestly glad that they showed restraint in that regard. People in this thread who haven't played EB should really check it out. It's grindy, but it's fun. As a side note, in the end sprites, at least two of them make it look like Porky was trying to turn him into some human/starman chimera, which is just-- weird. Great job with the LP, Mega. It's been fun to follow along even after playing both this and Earthbound 3 times over. EDIT: VV oh hey there VV Old Boot fucked around with this message at 04:55 on May 14, 2015 |
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May 14, 2015 04:50
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Thanks for the great LP, Mega64! It's been too long since I played this game, and I loved revisiting it.Mega64 posted:I think that was originally the plan before it got scrapped. There's some stuff about it here, though I'm sure some Mother-related sites go more in-depth on it. I was disappointed at first back when I first saw the video about this stuff. The Giygas background was one of the best iconic things I loved about Earthbound, and those unused backgrounds seemed like they would have been even more disturbing than Giygas in context. So it seemed like a shame to miss out on such a powerful gutpunch of content. But revisiting the game again, I can better see why it got changed. Some of those backgrounds almost give an impression like Lucas or Claus or both must be going into total mental breakdown, but by now we've seen that Lucas has grown strong enough to get through this. And Claus is also able to come to his senses. It's not all trauma and doom and gloom either, there is some relief in having that closure and a last chance to say goodbye. The game doesn't need to completely beat you over the head with freaky imagery to get across how realistically painful this is for Lucas.
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May 14, 2015 04:53
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Thanks for the LP! Mother 3 was one of those games I followed the translation of way back when it first came out (Actually, I recognized Tomato first from Bahamut Lagoon, so I figured it'd be fine. Turned out a way better translation than Bahamut Lagoon. Go fig.), and it's been ages since I played it, so it's greatly appreciated for me. Helped me remember why I like it more than Earthbound-for all that Earthbound does the surreality better (in my opinion anyways), and the modern setting is much more of a thing, Mother 3 just has insane detailing, a better plot overall, and more interesting battles. Honestly, though, they're pretty different games. It's kinda odd, considering how well Mother 3 works as a sequel to me.
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May 14, 2015 05:02
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I've kinda been lurking reading this but holy crap I teared up reading the end. I've played this before but man, of every game I've ever played, every book read, show or movie watched, every story enjoyed, THIS is the one story that will almost ALWAYS make me choke up. I think it's because my brother and I have always been rather close so the final battle against Claus hit especially home. One thing I always wondered. Lucas pulled the final needle, so he got his wish. But does Claus pulling any affect anything? I always assumed that if Lucas had pulled ALL the needle, the world would have simply POOFED into a better place. If Claus had gotten all of them, the world would have been destroyed. But my assumption was that since Claus pulled three, and Lucas pulled four, the dragon kinda went both ways. Like, having been influenced by both Lucas and Claus, he destroyed the world, and then made it new again, just because Lucas happened to be the one to pull the majority. The dragons actions were influenced by the heart(s) of whoever pulled the needle, right? Did anybody else think something along these lines?
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May 14, 2015 05:04
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KharlanTree posted:One thing I always wondered. Lucas pulled the final needle, so he got his wish. But does Claus pulling any affect anything? I always assumed that if Lucas had pulled ALL the needle, the world would have simply POOFED into a better place. If Claus had gotten all of them, the world would have been destroyed. But my assumption was that since Claus pulled three, and Lucas pulled four, the dragon kinda went both ways. Like, having been influenced by both Lucas and Claus, he destroyed the world, and then made it new again, just because Lucas happened to be the one to pull the majority. The dragons actions were influenced by the heart(s) of whoever pulled the needle, right? Did anybody else think something along these lines? I wonder that too, and I'm sure it's meant to be up to wildly different interpretations. Porky seemed to believe the dragon would follow his wishes if he got his robo-slave Claus to pull more needles. But one of the Magypsies said they couldn't sense anything either good or evil when Claus pulled a needle. So would Claus' influence have even counted for anything when he was just robot-like? Or would it be more like a null result, and only Lucas' intent would've made a real difference anyway?
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May 14, 2015 05:17
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Bifauxnen posted:I wonder that too, and I'm sure it's meant to be up to wildly different interpretations. Porky seemed to believe the dragon would follow his wishes if he got his robo-slave Claus to pull more needles. But one of the Magypsies said they couldn't sense anything either good or evil when Claus pulled a needle. So would Claus' influence have even counted for anything when he was just robot-like? Or would it be more like a null result, and only Lucas' intent would've made a real difference anyway? Maybe that was Porky's real intent. Maybe he assumed the Masked Man's lack of any real intent when pulling needles would have made the dragon simple erase existence. Not destroy in the sense you see in the finale, but simply everything (including Porky maybe?) disappearing.
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May 14, 2015 05:24
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Mega64 posted:I think that was originally the plan before it got scrapped. There's some stuff about it here, though I'm sure some Mother-related sites go more in-depth on it. Was there seriously no occasion to use "Butch Eating Entire Loaf of Bread?"
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May 14, 2015 05:24
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There it is. This is the line that always, always makes me cry. I hope you can remember that smell, Lucas. Hold on to it. 
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May 14, 2015 05:31
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I suppose this is the point where we can cry now? I can't really relate to the loss of everything Lucas has gone through, but drat does this game present it really well. All things considered, the ending to this game is one of the few things that actually got to me when I first played it. Glad you made this LP, Mega64! It was a nice trip down memory lane.
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May 14, 2015 05:33
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