#48 - Earthbound

Earthbound is known as that one game Ness from Super Smash Brothers is from... or was, until everybody and their dogs found out about it probably a bit after playing the original or even Melee. But yeah, it also has a juicy history behind it... stuff about it being a huge risk for Nintendo and a few silly mistakes that had good intentions (ie. every copy having a strategy guide... which makes the boxes bigger and the game cost more to buy).

I'll be perfectly honest - Earthbound is, for all intents and purposes, an above average game at best. The story doesn't quite exist and the gameplay is not quite that good. It's an easy JRPG (although it's a beginner's JRPG done right, at least) that just isn't all that engaging after a while. What gives this game any weight in the long run is its personality. Its eclectic soundtrack (that sounds *bleep*ing sweet, I might add) and sense of humor not only kept my sanity intact; it also made the game feel a lot better to me. I could play this over and over again, based on the music and humor alone, and I'd imagine that a lot of people would be in the same camp... what, you mean this is a great game? Haha, nice try. It's playable at best, but if you want a fantastic JRPG on the Super Nintendo, well, just stay tuned.

Summary - A somewhat above average JRPG with quite a sense of humor and a pretty cool soundtrack.
Rating - 6/10

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