Mother hasn't forgotten about you

Nintendo's "ho hum" attitude towards the future of its Mother/Earthbound series in the States confounds me to no end. OK, so Earthbound on the SNES didn't break sales records--that's the case for quite a few of the Japanese giant's titles, yet they've brought out sequels for many of them.

First we didn't get a the Mother 1+2 compilation for the GBA, and now we're not getting Mother 3 either (as far as anyone can tell). Thankfully it seems we don't need to rely on Ninty for either title, as the emulation community has stepped up to the plate to release English-language patches for both games.

Unfortunately, neither is all that close to being done. In the meantime, though, the great crew at GayGamer.net have posted a video of what has been completed of the Mother 3 project. Check it out here http://gaygamer.net/2007/03/mother_3_translation_gameplay.html

Finally--Heroes of Mana footage

One of the gazillion games I'm looking forward to playing on my DS is Square's Heroes of Mana. That decision is based solely on the few screen shots I've seen of the game, however. Well, those days are over now as a brief trailer for the game has hit the Internet for all our viewing pleasure (http://www.gamebrink.com/nintendo-ds/2313-Heroes_of_Mana-video-2.html). Just a tiny bit of gameplay is included, but it should certainly be enough to whet your appetite for more.

Do the time warp: Zelda BS

Ah, I loved the SNES (Super Famicom if you're a purist). Some of the best gaming experiences I've ever had were on that system: Final Fantasy 4, 5 and 6, Secret of Mana, Zelda: A Link to the Past, Yoshi's Island--the list goes on an on.

One game I wasn't able to experience was the remake of the original Zelda on Nintendo's Japan-only BS system. It's more in the style of A Link to the Past and looks quite enticing for a Nintendork like me.

Go Nintendo put up a great YouTube video of a translated version of the game (available on a computer near you if you're into emulation). Check it out to see what all the fuss is about: http://gonintendo.com/?p=14049

What do you think about the cutesy My Sims?

Wow, this one is strange. Along with the fairly straightforward port of SimCity coming to the DS, EA is bringing a new version of its popular Sims series to the Wii--and it isn't like any Sims you've ever played before.

Unlike the borderline realistic appearance of the hit PC and console versions, the Wii version seems to take its cues from Nintendo's Animal Crossing games. Everyone and everything is cute and cuddly--like little Stay Puffed marshmallow men.

I probably won't be picking this one up, but not because of the PG appearance. There's just too many other top-notch titles coming to the Wii this year that are grabbing my attention instead. If you haven't yet made up your mind, check out this video that just appeared on Siliconera: http://www.siliconera.com/index.php/2007/02/26/watch-the-sims-remade-for-wii/

Dawn of Mana makes an appearance

Square sure has been mum on the subject of the American release of Dawn of Mana for the PS2. Heck, I've hardly heard anything about the Japanese release of the game either, and it's been out for a while.

Well, the game is set to come to our shores in late May, and you can bet I'll be picking it up (even if it can't possibly compare to its SNES brethren). For those of you who feel the same way, take a few seconds to ogle the official cover image here. Hopefully it will help tide you over...