EarthBound / Mother - Real Onett

I would have loved this. I really would have. But it looks too much like those damn stupid iOS empire-building games. Well, with the exception to Clash of Clans. If it looked like Clash of Clans, it might actually work, since it has a goofier, more colorful art style.

Just gathering ny thoughts on this a bit.

Not quite sure this series would work in 3D. The character models look fine in the pictures since they're not moving, but depending on how they really move it really won't retain the silly flavor of the series. It would be like a new game. The dragon quest-like battles are pretty stationary so sprites just work better than wiggling 3D models.

It's a bit like Ace Attorney's problem where sprites just feel more expressive in an enviorment that actually shouldn't be realistic and 3D because it's just too wacky. To be fair, I think Dual Destinies did an ok job but I still prefer that split-second expression 2D sprites can convey. A lot of times throughout Dual Destinies you can see the developer wanted that quick 2D expression but in 3D it looks awkward and robotic.

Back to mother, 2D also helps the game express the world's …"joke". The world of Earthbound acts as a kind of spoof of the real world with places like Summers and Fourside. The people living in these areas have very stereotypical faces and expressions, like Earthbound is a massive caricature drawing of real life and Ness' imagination.