Whenever someone mentionsEarthBoundto me, I flash back to that time I sat on my bedroom floor drawing pictures of Ness on envelopes. My goal was to send the marked envelopes toNintendo Powerand put a note in each one demanding work onEarthBound 64to resume. I don’t know if I ever sent the letters, but I do remember feeling deflated — as if my entire videogame world crumbled because of Nintendo’s deaf ears and tight belts.
And the bad news never seems to stop. According toa Starmen.net source,EarthBoundwon’t be released on the Wii’s Virtual Console anytime soon. The port has been mired in a legal hell as a result of the original game’s numerous references to popular culture. Nintendo of America’s lawyers are uncomfortable with the material and want it changed. Nintendo’s Japanese wing — for whatever reason — have refused the exclusion of the content.The crew at Starmen also revealedthat the ESRB rating months agowas nothing more than an “internal” blunder. TheEBport was problematic from conception. Perhaps as problematic as our desire for a new release.
