Art is awesome. Video games are awesome. Therefore it naturally follows that video game art is awesome. But some art depicts scenes much more gloriously than they really are in-game. We look at these now.
18. Marin Discovering Link
Artwork
Actual Game
17. Link’s Uncle Leaving
Artwork
Actual Game
16. Link’s Uncle Dying
Artwork
Actual Game
15. Link Rousing Turtle Rock in Link’s Awakening
Artwork
WHAT DO YOU WANT?!
Actual Game
14. Battle Against Agahnim
Artwork
Actual Game
13. Zelda II: Dark Link Duel
Artwork
Here, Dark Link seems to neither know nor care that his adversary is actually Will Ferrell.
Actual Game
12. Making A Transaction
Artwork
Actual Game
11. Zelda 1 Fairy Fountain
Artwork
Actual Game
10. Thunderbird Ambush
Artwork
Actual Game
9. Link Vs. Geldman
Artwork
I’M GONNA NEED ABOUT TREE FIDDY.
Actual Game
Darn it, Geldman, I ain’t givin’ you no tree fiddy!
8. Link Facing Lynel
Artwork
WHAT’S THE PASSWORD?!
Actual Game
WHAT. IS. THE. PASSWORD.
7. Link Lost At Sea
Artwork
Actual Game
6. Link’s Convalescence
Artwork
“…what the HECK happened to your boobs?”
Actual Game
5. Face Shrine Revelation
Actual Game
4. The Amazin’ Flyin’ Rooster
Artwork
Actual Game
3. Hinox Smash!
Artwork
Actual Game
2. The Seven Sages
Artwork
You came to the wrong neighbourhood.
Actual Game
That moment when you notice they’re all holding elongated Facebook logos. What has been seen…
Blimey, it’s been a while! But I’m glad to be releasing this.
Today, we’ll look at that one game that Nintendo will never localise…as if that would narrow it down. Anyway, we’re talking about Mother 3!
Mother 3 & the N64DD
The most important thing to realise about this game is that like many, manygreat titles, this was originally planned to be an N64DD title. In faith, Shigesato Itoi started its development on the Super Famicom, basically the Japanese SNES, but nothing, and I do mean nothing, is known about that phase.
I probably haven’t made this all that clear before, but the N64DD was supposed to be a very, very powerful system, by the standards of the time. The reason I say “supposed to” is that we did (and by “we” I mean the Japanese) get a few games, but very few with an actual story. Mostly, we got either stuff that was really more minigame-esque (Mario Artist series) or expansions to existing N64 games (F-Zero X Expansion Kit).
Let’s face it, the only complete, “normal”, storied games on the N64DD were SimCity 64 and the 2 Doshin the Giant games. That’s it.
In fact, there are more cancelled N64DD games than there are finished ones! I’m not even exaggerating!
Anyway…Mother 3 started out on the N64DD. It was called
MOTHER 3 豚王の最期 (Butaō no Saigo)
Lit. “The Pig King’s Final Moment” Not a bad title.
On a side note, this game was to have Rumble Pak support. The text under the game’s subtitle says “振動パック対応” (Shindō Pakku taiō) meaning “Rumble Pak support“.
Characters
Okay. In the demo that was released of the game, there are a few different characters. Let’s start with this guy.
The screenshots and footage, strangely, are very reluctant to show this bloke’s face. Anyway, while it has never officially been confirmed, it is generally accepted that this is Flint. This is his Mother 3 GBA sprite, for comparison.
Apparently, the decision to make him look like a member of The Gap Band was met with approval.Baby…you dropped a Cuddle Bomb on me.
His clay model, who apparently has lockjaw, looks even closer to his N64 render.
Okay, let’s start with the obvious changes. His hat was changed from a camouflage green to brown with a yellow and brown stripe, and the hat itself was changed to look more cowboyish.
The long , blue trenchcoat, which obscured most of his body, was completely done away with, and replaced with a vest.
Flint in his N64DD render has a strange, green object on his chest in one screenshot. It is unknown what this is. It was removed and not replaced for his GBA render.
Although it’s very hard to see Flint’s boots in his N64DD render, they have been changed from tall, dark brown, nondescript boots to a lighter shade of brown, with a different kind of boots, which adds laces and a distinctive sole.
His facial hair has been changed. Where his moustache was originally much thinner, his GBA version boasts a thick, curling moustache. Also, where the N64DD version has only mere stubble where a beard should be, the GBA version actually has no beard at all.
Where the N64DD version has exposed arms, the GBA render has yellow sleeves.
Everything else stayed more or less the same. The red kerchief around his neck remained consistent. Also, based on screenshots and the footage, it would seem that Flint played a very large role in the game. In all of the footage, Flint is the only character being played as. Thus, this means one of two things: either Flint was THE main character, with other characters being minor, or he played a much larger role in the game. In the final game, he is only played as in Chapter 1 and subsequent minor parts of the game.
Next is Claus.
Pictured: Old age incarnate.
As you can see, he looked nothing like his GBA counterpart. He has coloured, green eyes, a white shirt, green trousers, black high-tops, and a fanny pack.
His more famous brother, Lucas, looked no better.
When I was a boy, we didn’t–oh crap, I am a boy.
Also, they have an extremely disturbing prerelease picture.
“Come play with us, Daddy.”
They radically overhauled these designs for the GBA, of course.
In fact, the only things that remained were the hair colours, and the fact that they were both twins. Shoulda kept the fanny packs, though.
As for the story aspect, it can only be assumed that the brothers had more or less the same prominence and importance as they do in the GBA version. They appear somewhat rarely in the videos, however.
Next, we have Boney.
Yeah, I remember Boney! He’s that cute little brown pooch with that little orange handkerchief and–
OH GOD NOOOOOOOO!!! KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!
You can tell he’s mad and hacked off, too. Even the promo poster with the whole family shows this.
“If we do our best to look constipated while crying for help, maybe he won’t notice!”
The hair-raising hound appeared very prominently in the beta videos, next to Beta-Flint. In the final version, he played a much bigger role in Mother 3 than King did in Mother 2. I don’t know exactly what role and prominence he had in the beta, and frankly, I’m too scared to find out.
DCMC
The band appeared pretty well fleshed out in a prerelease screenshot.
The guy on the far left just may be the most racist thing I’ve ever seen.
The band was overhauled for the GBA.
Pictured: Not racism.
Pigmasks
Even in the beta, Porky’s porcine army was a very important component of the plot. In fact, the plot mostly revolved around them.
As you can see, they looked radically different, carrying spears as opposed to guns, and being grey rather than pink. Also, they were very ugly. Well, more ugly. And judging by the fact that they don’t appear to be wearing masks, they may not have been called Pigmasks at the time. Finally, with great regret, I show this picture to you.
Hmm…
Pictured: Lies, damned lies, and statistics, all in one convenient image.
Next, there’re
Returning Mother 2 Characters
We’ll start with easily the most recognisable face of the Mother series, Ness.
Also, in the following picture, he’s just standing still, in the middle of a town, facing two innocent, unwitting girls. Watching. Judging.
” ‘sup?”
Ness seemed to not have very much prominence, and was merely one of these. However, he didn’t appear in the final game, which is more or less fortunate.
Next, we have Mr. Saturn.
Mr. Saturn watches you pee. And he enjoys it.
In the final game, there is a Saturn Valley, which houses many Mr. Saturns. This makes him one of the very few characters who returned from Mother 2.
And Dr. Andonuts–
For some reason, thiskeeps playing every time I look at him.
Interestingly, the good doctor has an unused line that is a probable reference to Ness in the code of Mother 3. Bolding and italics mine.
“Young lad.I’m reminded of my son’s friendwhen I look at you. I’m not sure if we’ll ever meet again, but I’ll always be rooting for you folks.“
Dr. Andonuts actually appears, and in a prominent role, in the final game.
thelinguistgamer 