Earthbound 3 (known as Mother 3 in Japan) was a sequel that almost never existed. Twelve years ago (1996), EB3 was announced for the Nintendo 64; however, development soon shifted to the Nintendo 64DD - which was destined to be a commercial failure - and the game was officially canceled as of August 2000. Amazingly, the game was resurrected in 2003 and slated to be released for the Game Boy Advance sometime in the near future. By 2006, Mother 3 was finished and released in Japan, but for reasons unknown, no efforts were made to translate the game into other languages.

So I have to ask, what was Nintendo thinking by not bringing this game over to U.S. shores? Did Earthbound (Mother 2) for the SNES do that poorly in sales? Was it going to take them too much time to translate the script? Or did they think the Japanese were the only ones who appreciated good RPGs? Whatever the reason, where there’s a will there’s a way, and this game has finally seen the light of English day - without Nintendo’s help.

A smattering of talented coders, hackers, translators, etc., took it upon themselves to deliver a faithful English translation of the Game Boy Advance game - for free - to the masses. Thanks to their impressive work, the game can now be played from beginning to end without the need to learn Japanese. Head on over to their site for everything you’d care to know about the project.

Before getting too excited, however, it should be noted that they only provide an English patch, not the game itself. This means that you will need to find a copy of the Japanese ROM in which to apply the patch. Since ROMs are illegal (for the most part) you’re out of luck if you want to keep your hands clean. Having said that, bear in mind that Earthbound 3 will probably never see the light of an official stateside release. The situation is a bit of a catch 22, so choose whichever side your moral compass points. And please do not ask where to find a copy of the ROM; you’re on your own for that should you choose to follow that path.