Nintendo has always seemed to be pretty out-of-the-loop when it came to the Mother series in America, and the messages I get back from e-mails sent to NOA requesting information about these games just re-confirms this.

Many of you will remember years ago when starmen.net was running a project called "Project Ruffini the Dog: speak to the spirit of the game designer!". This project consisted of EarthBound fans worldwide writing their hearts out on paper, and sending these masses of letters via snail-mail to NOA headquarters. Im sure that one turned a few heads that week!
I think it is still important to continue to show Nintendo how many of us there are out there that still love the series, and are patiently waiting for a new release. It would be a shame if Nintendo of Japan and the developers of Mother forgot about us all entirely!

Below I have archived all the letters I have sent to NOA and the replies I got back. Nintendo's replies to e-mail seem to always be 90% scripted, and the 10% worth of actual human-written text is usually so vague, you'd be better off without it. Regardless, onto the letters!!

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
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From: ebhq@earthboundhq.com
Posted At: 14:36:55.000 02/17/2006
Posted To: Nintendo
Subject: Hello.. request for information.

Hello!
I was hoping that this email might be fortunate enough to be directed to some department which may have information regarding the EarthBound(2) / Mother(3) series.

It is my understanding this game (Mother 3, GBA, JAP) is slated to release on the 20th of April, this year (2006) in Japan, and for this I am very greatful. I have already pre-ordered my copy of it online, to add to my collection. The sad thing is, the game is obviously in japanese, so it will become more of a showpiece than a game I can actually play..

It is very unfortunate to hear there is no planned translation work for this title over here at NOA, and I am wondering if anybody can confirm this or not once and for all. Like myself, many other fans have been waiting years for more from this series..

It is sad to think that NOA wouldnt be interested in working to get a title like this translated and on the American shelves, because there still seems to be quite a large surviving EarthBound fanbase, not to mention I'm sure the release of such a title could prove to be quite beneficial for GBA sales over here, (I'd have to buy another one!).. We will all be waiting patiently nonetheless, and look forward to other great Nintendo products in the future.

Thanks very much for your time,

Colin (cooey) Storch
www.earthboundhq.com
Ottawa, Ontario

Subject: Re : Hello.. request for information.
From: "Nintendo"
Date: Sat, February 18, 2006 1:52 pm
To: ebhq@earthboundhq.com
Priority: Normal

Message(#6851-000487-6431\4876431)

Hello and thank you for contacting Nintendo,

To tell you the truth, I don't know why none of the Mother games being released in Japan are scheduled for release in North America. Many gamers would like to see them here! Will this happen in the future? You never know what the future might hold, so keep checking our website's news section (www.nintendo.com/newsmain) for the latest information and announcements.

Once a game has been officially announced, go to our Master Game List (www.nintendo.com/gamelist). Click on the "Show Advanced Filtering" link to narrow your search based on release date, publisher, number of players, etc. When you bring up your desired listing of games, click on the title of a game to view all the information currently available for it. If the information you seek is not yet available, please keep checking back. When there is new information to share on games or other upcoming products, our website is the best official source!

Please note that details on licensed software represent the most current information available from our licensee companies. Also, any posted release dates for both Nintendo and licensee titles are estimates and subject to change. When it gets close to a product's estimated release date, you may want to check with your local retailers to see when it may be available in your area.

If you would like additional information on a particular licensee title, you may want to contact the company producing it. To find information on how to reach one of our licensed publishers, head to the Corporate section of our website (www.nintendo.com/corp/index.jsp), and then click on "Company Connections." Here you'll find a list of all our current licensee companies.

By the way, while you are at our site, be sure to check out the My Nintendo section. Not only does this allow you to monitor the progress of any repairs or part orders that you may have, it also gives you access to the Nintendo Forums where you can interact with other players. Here you can discuss games and systems, and possibly obtain key game play information. Take a look. I think that you will find it helpful.

Nintendo of America Inc.
M. Michel Grimaldi

Nintendo's home page: http://www.nintendo.com/
Power Line (Automated Product Info): (425) 885-7529
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Wow. by far one of the most informative, well written, pieces of junk I have ever seen. It was nice of the guy to "write" back, but I sure dont feel any better now than I did when I sent the danged thing. Oh well!