Earthbound's Greatness: Chapter 2
For those of you who don't remember, I started this series a couple years ago when I was the articles staffer. The intention of this series was to dissect EarthBound, the game we all love, and examine piece by piece just what makes it so great. I stopped writing the series when I left the site, but now that I am back I am going to start writing it again.
In the first chapter, I examined EarthBound's modern-day setting and how that made the game as great as it was. In this chapter, I will examine EarthBound's main characters, the Chosen Four. The Chosen Four, the collection of Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo, is quite possibly the greatest party in any RPG ever. No, they probably are not, in theory, strongest group of RPG characters ever, but no group of four heroes is as truly likeable as this group. One of the reasons is the fact that they are, on average, only thirteen years old. They are only kids, but they are sacrificing much of their lives to go on an extremely dangerous quest to save not only earth, but also the entire universe. If I was faced with such a responsibility at that age, I probably would have wet my pants. These kids, however, not only go on this quest but do it with courage. Every one of them also has their own qualities that makes them all so likeable.
In literature, there is a concept known as the "everyman". The "everyman" is a character who has qualities that make him identifiable to all readers. The reader is supposed to be able to place himself or anybody he knows in the shoes of the character. I believe that in EarthBound, Ness is meant to be the "everyboy". The creators of EarthBound created Ness so that the players could identify with him and place theirselves in his shoes. They made Ness look like an ordinary teenage boy and made him wear clothes that would be average for a person his age to wear. He even has the backwards hat and all. To aid Ness being the "everyboy", he does not have a single line in the whole game. This allows the player to give Ness their personality. This is the same technique used in the Legend of Zelda series with Link. Both Link and Ness have the personality of the player, not the one that the creator gave to them. I know, for one, that when I first played EarthBound I saw myself s being a lot like Ness. I can imagine that many other people could see themselves like him too. While he may be an "everyboy", however, he does have a few characteristics that really make him stand out. One thing, as I said before, was his courage. The other is his leadership qualities. He is the one that is able to lead the group of four teenagers to their destiny. Ness's quality of being the "everyboy", coupled with his courage and leadership, make him one of the greatest video game characters ever.
Paula is amazing at being the leading female character in EarthBound. When Ness first meets her, she plays the part of the damsel in distress. He must rescue her from the clutches of the evil Carpainter. Once she is freed, however, she really holds her own. Physically, she is probably the weekest of the Chosen Four. She is, however, one of the most mentally tough characters in the history of video games. She was in trouble, but by mentally contacting Ness, a person she had never met before, she knew she was going to be alright. She has what are possibly the strongest psychic powers of the group. Most importantly, however, is her ability to pray in battle. It shows the player that although she may be in trouble at times, her faith (in whatever it may be) is enough to carry her through. In fact, it is Paula that is the character that wins the final battle for the group. Paula may be the only female member of the group, but she is by no means a weak link.
Jeff is one of the more interesting characters of the Four. He plays the role in EarthBound that Cid plays in Final Fantasy VII, the role of the technological wizard. He may be a nerd, and he does not even have psychic powers like the rest of the Chosen Four, but he is still able to be a key party member through his inventions. He is the one that saved Ness and Paula from the graveyard in Threed through use of technology. Also, like Ness, he is a character that many people can see others in. Many of us could see some of our friends that either act or look like like Jeff. Jeff does not have the abilities that everybody else in the group has, but he is still able to help save the world. He is almost like Batman in that he is a superhero whose superpowers are not really powers at all but rather technology.
Finally, there is Poo. Poo is a great character in that he is so unique compared to the other three heroes. He comes from a completely different culture and makes the Chosen Four a much more diverse group. He shows strong powers that are the result of years of hard training and practice. In fact, his training to become stronger becomes a key reason that he must leave the group later in the game. He, however, is obviously a very loyal friend. The moment he meets Ness, he pledges his allegiance to him. Even when he does leave for that short period, he comes back to help the group just when they need him. Poo may be very different from the other three characters, but is the diversity that makes him a great character.
These four characters together make one of the greatest groups in video game history. Each of them, while great characters individually, are ininitely better as a whole. This group of four teenagers face a task that no other human beings could face, and they do it without fear. The Chosen Four's quest to save the universe gave us one of the greatest games ever created.
For those of you who don't remember, I started this series a couple years ago when I was the articles staffer. The intention of this series was to dissect EarthBound, the game we all love, and examine piece by piece just what makes it so great. I stopped writing the series when I left the site, but now that I am back I am going to start writing it again.
In the first chapter, I examined EarthBound's modern-day setting and how that made the game as great as it was. In this chapter, I will examine EarthBound's main characters, the Chosen Four. The Chosen Four, the collection of Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo, is quite possibly the greatest party in any RPG ever. No, they probably are not, in theory, strongest group of RPG characters ever, but no group of four heroes is as truly likeable as this group. One of the reasons is the fact that they are, on average, only thirteen years old. They are only kids, but they are sacrificing much of their lives to go on an extremely dangerous quest to save not only earth, but also the entire universe. If I was faced with such a responsibility at that age, I probably would have wet my pants. These kids, however, not only go on this quest but do it with courage. Every one of them also has their own qualities that makes them all so likeable.
In literature, there is a concept known as the "everyman". The "everyman" is a character who has qualities that make him identifiable to all readers. The reader is supposed to be able to place himself or anybody he knows in the shoes of the character. I believe that in EarthBound, Ness is meant to be the "everyboy". The creators of EarthBound created Ness so that the players could identify with him and place theirselves in his shoes. They made Ness look like an ordinary teenage boy and made him wear clothes that would be average for a person his age to wear. He even has the backwards hat and all. To aid Ness being the "everyboy", he does not have a single line in the whole game. This allows the player to give Ness their personality. This is the same technique used in the Legend of Zelda series with Link. Both Link and Ness have the personality of the player, not the one that the creator gave to them. I know, for one, that when I first played EarthBound I saw myself s being a lot like Ness. I can imagine that many other people could see themselves like him too. While he may be an "everyboy", however, he does have a few characteristics that really make him stand out. One thing, as I said before, was his courage. The other is his leadership qualities. He is the one that is able to lead the group of four teenagers to their destiny. Ness's quality of being the "everyboy", coupled with his courage and leadership, make him one of the greatest video game characters ever.
Paula is amazing at being the leading female character in EarthBound. When Ness first meets her, she plays the part of the damsel in distress. He must rescue her from the clutches of the evil Carpainter. Once she is freed, however, she really holds her own. Physically, she is probably the weekest of the Chosen Four. She is, however, one of the most mentally tough characters in the history of video games. She was in trouble, but by mentally contacting Ness, a person she had never met before, she knew she was going to be alright. She has what are possibly the strongest psychic powers of the group. Most importantly, however, is her ability to pray in battle. It shows the player that although she may be in trouble at times, her faith (in whatever it may be) is enough to carry her through. In fact, it is Paula that is the character that wins the final battle for the group. Paula may be the only female member of the group, but she is by no means a weak link.
Jeff is one of the more interesting characters of the Four. He plays the role in EarthBound that Cid plays in Final Fantasy VII, the role of the technological wizard. He may be a nerd, and he does not even have psychic powers like the rest of the Chosen Four, but he is still able to be a key party member through his inventions. He is the one that saved Ness and Paula from the graveyard in Threed through use of technology. Also, like Ness, he is a character that many people can see others in. Many of us could see some of our friends that either act or look like like Jeff. Jeff does not have the abilities that everybody else in the group has, but he is still able to help save the world. He is almost like Batman in that he is a superhero whose superpowers are not really powers at all but rather technology.
Finally, there is Poo. Poo is a great character in that he is so unique compared to the other three heroes. He comes from a completely different culture and makes the Chosen Four a much more diverse group. He shows strong powers that are the result of years of hard training and practice. In fact, his training to become stronger becomes a key reason that he must leave the group later in the game. He, however, is obviously a very loyal friend. The moment he meets Ness, he pledges his allegiance to him. Even when he does leave for that short period, he comes back to help the group just when they need him. Poo may be very different from the other three characters, but is the diversity that makes him a great character.
These four characters together make one of the greatest groups in video game history. Each of them, while great characters individually, are ininitely better as a whole. This group of four teenagers face a task that no other human beings could face, and they do it without fear. The Chosen Four's quest to save the universe gave us one of the greatest games ever created.
