Let's see where do I begin? Well when I was young my dad worked for blockbuster video and was the district manager, I don't quite remember what the policies of that store were at this point but I believe it was along the lines of if there are are too many copies of a certain game then employees got them for a discounted price. Anyway my dad brought me all sorts of games when I was a child. I was very privileged when it came to video games. One day my dad brought home a game called Earthbound, I had seen it in a few nintendo power issues but didn't know much about it other than "it looked cool." He rented it for me because Blockbuster only got in one copy. I played it and really enjoyed the graphics, the ability to go anywhere I wanted at any time, and most of all, it felt like I was the main character and no other game had done that for me. I only made it into the town and couldn't beat Frank. This was my first ever RPG and didn't understand most of the concepts. It was time for my dad to take the game back and I started playing more games.

Later on I went to Blockbuster to see what games were new. I saw many games I'd like to try out but for some reason I wanted to play Earthbound again, games like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 3 sat before me and looked a lot like Earthbound to me but more importantly I kept thinking about that one game that I really liked. I rented it again and still couldn't beat those sharks and their leader Frank.

Months pass and I rented that game probably 20 times or more, I couldn't buy it because it was the only copy and no stores carried it even though me and my mom searched high and low to find it. That single copy was the only one that existed in my mind.

None of my friends had ever heard of it and I kept telling them about every little detail from the music to the way you can talk to everyone and explore the whole world! They didn't understand why I loved that game so much and they probably never played it to this day.

One day Blockbuster didn't have the game anymore, some other customer broke the cartridge and it was gone. I cried that day. I actually cried like a family member had passed. I loved that game, but it was a game, why did I feel that way? It was a piece of plastic that had a circuit board on the inside. Why did I care so much? I know why, it was MY game. This game meant everything to me, I never really hung out with many kids after school or really go over to friends houses to play. I went immediately home from school straight to my SNES to play this game. I had my family in real life and loved them and I still do, but the people in this game, were my friends. Pokey and Picky next door, the kids at the club house, I knew these people and I was Ness.

My dad was however able to save one thing, the strategy guide that was left over from the Blockbuster copy. I held onto that guide and took it with me everywhere, I dreamed of visiting Saturn Valley and going to the big city of Fourside. I knew no matter how good I got at that game I would never get to those places because I could never get out of Onett. I always wanted a chance to play that game again but figured the chance would never come again.

Years passed and I was in middle school, I met new friends and played new games and systems. I never forgot Earthbound though,in fact I finally met people that had played it! I felt like we had a personnal connection, like I had met a person from the game in a way, "how else would they know about it" I thought. It was great meeting people that knew of this extraordinary game.

Then one day I went to an EB games that just opened nearby my house, I looked around at the games seeing what I would like to buy with my allowance. Then I saw something amazing, 2 copies of Earthbound in that enormous display box just sitting on the top shelf, It felt like it was gazing down on me much like the cover depicts a Starman looming over Ness. I felt this adrenaline rush like I'd never felt and had to have that by any means. I asked the clerk how much he wanted for it, "You know that's only an empty box right?" I felt crushed for a moment, "Can I still look at it?" I asked, the clerk agreed and handed me the box. I held it in my hands and I knew there was something in there, "Even though it's empty can I still buy it?"I asked, "I'll have to check with my manager." Moments felt like centuries, will I finally get to play it again or will they make sure this "empty box" sits on display for aesthetics? The clerk came back out, "She said $20 would be fine if you want it." He said, "I'll take it!" I said with a huge grin on my face. I finally owned the game that loomed in my mind for nearly 6 years.

I took it home and started playing. At this point in my life I was more accustomed on how to play RPGs at this point so I caught on very quickly to things I missed as a kid. Within about an hour I beat Frank. "I could never do that before" I thought to myself. Within a week I finally reached Saturn Valley, a place I knew I'd never get to as a child. I played and played and played. I met many new "friends" and traveled distant lands. Then I reached Giygas, It to this day was the most unique and amazing boss battle I'd ever experienced. The fact that I was the one to deal the final blow to Giygas, not Ness, Me. I helped the characters beat the final boss. It was great, I even got to see my name in the credits like I really had a hand in helping with this game. It was truly the greatest game I'd ever played.

Years passed and I'd beaten the game maybe 20 or 30 times. I graduated high school and got to see the release of Mother 3, I pre-ordered the game and got the Deluxe box. I got it in the mail and it was instantly one of my most prized possessions. It wasn't until a while later I was actually able to play the game using the help of the Starmen.net english patch.

Later on I started collecting more and more Mother merch. I Finally got to play and beat Mother for the first time about a year ago. I went with the love of my life (also a Mother fan) to both get our first tattoos. She got a tattoo from the movie "The fifth element" and there was only one thing for me to get, a starman symbol on my arm. To this day I believe if you google search starman tattoo I'm still on page one, I have a rolled up white zelda t-shirt to show off my piece of ink.

I feel like this game helped shape the person I have become. The way I see and enjoy life, the way I love to help people that may need me. I truly feel like I am Ness. Much like how Ness was always me in the game. No game can ever replicate this experience that I've had with this one. To this day I have beaten the game over 50 times and I'm currently on my next run of the game and it has not changed at all from the first time I pressed start when I was 8 years old.

I hope that you've enjoyed my story if you've read it to this point. I hope there Is nothing I've forgotten. I would love to hear your thoughts because after watching your videos I know that you would understand my love for this amazing series. Thank you for your time.