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    1. CGA-2026-11 🌍️🪀 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Mother 3

      Introduction There are some people who, when you mention the title Mother 3, feel a warmth in their heart and a stirring in their soul. And then there is everyone else who, when you mention the...

      Introduction

      There are some people who, when you mention the title Mother 3, feel a warmth in their heart and a stirring in their soul.

      And then there is everyone else who, when you mention the same title, go "huh?"

      The Mother series holds a cult-classic status: strongly beloved by those familiar with it, but often completely unknown otherwise. Part of the reason it's somewhat unknown is that the series itself has a somewhat storied and scattered pattern of releases, while the other is that it's known by completely different names depending on where you are in the world: Mother for some, EarthBound for others.

      Stay with me for a moment as we break down the series' release history:

      • 1989: Mother releases in Japan for the Famicom
      • 1989: English localization of Mother is completed but never released
      • 1994: Mother 2: Gīgu no Gyakushū releases in Japan for the Super Famicom
      • 1995: English localization of Mother 2 releases as EarthBound
      • 2003: Mother 1+2 compilation releases in Japan for the Game Boy Advance
      • 2006: Mother 3 releases in Japan for the Game Boy Advance
      • 2008: Unofficial English localization of Mother 3 releases
      • 2015: English localization of Mother releases for Wii U Virtual Console as EarthBound Beginnings

      So, for Japanese audiences, the game had 3 releases spanning 17 years:

      • Mother (1989)
      • Mother 2: Gīgu no Gyakushū (1994)
      • Mother 3 (2006)

      For the rest of the world, the game has only had two releases, out of order, spanning 20 years:

      • EarthBound (Mother 2) (1995)
      • EarthBound Beginnings (Mother) (2015)

      To date, there is no official non-Japanese release of Mother 3. English-speaking audiences have been using this fan translation.

      I have never played any of the Mother/EarthBound games and don't actually know very much about them myself. As our default host this month, I wish I had more to offer, but I hope to learn more as I play. If anyone else wants to chime in with background info, tips, or stories about the series, I'm sure it would be worthwhile as we settle in to explore this month's much-beloved yet still under-appreciated game.


      Mother 3

      Versions: JP, EN Fan Translation

      Platforms: Game Boy Advance

      Genre(s): RPG

      Links: Mobygames, Wikipedia

      Stores: eBay, Nintendo Switch Online JP


      Game Setup

      The main purpose of this topic is to get people up and running with the game. As such, it's recommended that you:

      • Share which version of the game you're playing
      • Share what hardware you're playing it on
      • Share if there are any tools/mods that you recommend
      • Share anything you think is important for people to know before they start the game
      • Ask questions if you need help

      Another purpose of this topic is to revisit the game and its time period:

      • Do you have any memories or associations with this game itself?
      • What about its system or era?
      • What aspects of retro gaming were common at the time?
      • What other games from the same time period are you familiar with?
      • What are you expecting from this game in particular?

      Finally, this topic is the beginning discussion for people starting to play it:

      • Post updates sharing your thoughts as you play.
      • Ask for help if you get stuck.
      • Offer help to others.

      It is recommended that you reply to your own posts if you are making consecutive updates so that they are in the same thread.


      Important

      • Any links to the game should be legal distributions of the game only. Please do NOT link to any unauthorized copies.

      • Put any spoilers in a dropdown block. Copy/paste the block below if needed.

      <details>
      <summary>Spoilers</summary>
       
      Spoiler text goes here.
      </details>
      

      FAQ

      What is CGA?

      Colossal Game Adventure (CGA) is Tildes' retro video game club.

      Each month we will play a different retro game/games, discuss our thoughts, and bask in the glorious digital experiences of yesteryear!

      Colossal Game Adventure is a reference to Colossal Cave Adventure. It's one of the most influential games of all time, one of the first text-based interactive games, and one of the first games to be shared online.

      What do we want to do with this group? Play influential games; interact with each other through text; and share the love for retro games online!

      It also abbreviates to CGA (because we love chunky pixel art), and its name communicates the Colossal amount of fun and excitement that we have with retro video Games in our shared Adventure of playing them together.

      Do I have to sign up?

      No. Participation is open to all.

      There is a Notification List that will get pinged each time a new topic goes up. If you would like to join that list, please PM u/kfwyre.

      Are there restrictions on what/how to play?

      Each month will have a focus game or games that will guide our discussions. Beyond that, there are no restrictions. The philosophy of CGA is to play in a way that works for you!

      This means:

      • Choose whichever version of the game you want.
      • You can use cheats, save states, mods, etc.
      • You can watch a streamer or longplay instead of playing it.

      If you have already played a game and want a different experience:

      • Try a randomizer or challenge run.
      • Play a different version of it.
      • Play a related game (sequel, spiritual successor, something inspired by it, etc.)

      There is no wrong way to participate in CGA, and every different way someone participates will make for more interesting discussions.

      What is the schedule?

      Each month the Insert Cartidge topic will be posted on the 1st, while the Remove Cartridge topic will be posted on the 28th.

      Nomination and voting topics will happen in March and September (every 6 months).

      Schedules are also posted then.

      All CGA topics are available using the colossal game adventure tag.

      What do Insert and Remove Cartridge mean?

      Inserting and removing cartridges are our retro metaphor for starting and stopping a given game or games.

      The Insert Cartridge topic happens at the beginning of the month and is primarily about getting the game up and running.

      The Remove Cartridge topic happens toward the end of the month and is primarily about people reflecting on the game now that they've played it.

      There are no hard restrictions on what has to go in either topic, and each can be used to discuss the game, post updates, ask questions, etc.

      16 votes
    2. Fitness Weekly Discussion

      What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started...

      What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?

      4 votes
    3. What creative projects have you been working on?

      This topic is part of a series. It is meant to be a place for users to discuss creative projects they have been working on. Projects can be personal, professional, physical, digital, or even just...

      This topic is part of a series. It is meant to be a place for users to discuss creative projects they have been working on.

      Projects can be personal, professional, physical, digital, or even just ideas.

      If you have any creative projects that you have been working on or want to eventually work on, this is a place for discussing those.

      2 votes
    4. Timasomo 2026: Sashiko Embroidery Kits

      As someone with ADHD (PI) and hence quite broken executive functioning, this year I'm very proud of myself for setting a (modest) goal and then completing it. My Timasomo goal was to make...

      As someone with ADHD (PI) and hence quite broken executive functioning, this year I'm very proud of myself for setting a (modest) goal and then completing it. My Timasomo goal was to make embroidery kits to sell at the local (extremely small rural) craft fair

      My half table with some of the kits -- each of them contains items made in japan: 100% cotton sashiko special woven thread in 10m or 22m, embroidery needle x 1 (longer ones for easier straighter patterns), momen woven cloth with pattern I pre-drew. And instructions with full colour photos of the finished products, the names of the traditional pattern if they want to look up further info or colour inspiration, and my email if they run into trouble. I also sold additional small bundles of other colours for $1 if they want to do their own design.

      The goal wasn't to make money, it was meant to be an easy way for people to try a new hobby that, for me, had a high initial startup cost: all the Japanese items not easily found on Amazon had to be ordered from Japan with duties at the border. And a few things I tried to get from Amazon were fake drop ship nonsense and the quality really poor.

      Anyway this was a show off piece: light grey thicker border, light blue edges, white center, and a red accent. The pattern I bought from Olympus had all the lines drawn, but someone doing one still get to decide what colour or thicknesses and how they want to join or not join intersections.

      This is the traditional kasumi (mist) pattern embroidered onto an airplane tossaway cotton napkin I decided to re-use as a handkerchief. It has two different blues, red, and a very very faint white wisp that you can feel rather than see.

      This is the easier package template, the traditional Asa-no-Ha Hemp Leaf pattern. So many colour and pattern variations can be highlighted in these simple geometric lines. When I have time I might make a little fabric booklet of the exact pattern done in wider or narrower stitches, in different colour combinations.

      One of the major differences from Western embroidery is that in sashiko you load up a few stitches to inspect for evenness before pulling all the way through, like this (Edit: typo. And also little tips like how knots are done differently or how to do curves or how to set it all up in the beginning and how to make both sides beautiful by hiding the stitches etc. hopefully folks can jump right in and have a cozy fireside craft they can finish and be proud of)

      This is the other kit option, a gradient from half of shippo-tsunagi (Seven Linked Treasures) to a full pattern in the middle with the interlocking circles, and Hana-zashi (flower stitch) with yellow added. The more traditional colouring would be two layers of circles instead of having the flowers be highlighted like this.

      Anyway I got compliments and the people who bought the kits seemed excited to try!

      23 votes
    5. 2026 United States midterm elections distractions topic

      It was quite popular last time so I figure we could use another round of it. This topic is a casual chat space and link drop for literally ANYTHING besides US politics for those of us that want to...

      It was quite popular last time so I figure we could use another round of it.

      This topic is a casual chat space and link drop for literally ANYTHING besides US politics for those of us that want to occupy our time with something other than scrolling feeds and checking the news.


      This will be a noisy topic. Please use the ignore feature if you do not want to see it in your feed.

      57 votes
    6. Timasomo 2026: Bookworm’s Journey Short Story

      Hello! This is my Timasomo 2026 showcase post. It’s a fantasy short story that evolved out of playing the Creation Myths solo journaling RPG. Bookworm’s Journey Short Story Creation Myths Solo RPG...

      Hello! This is my Timasomo 2026 showcase post. It’s a fantasy short story that evolved out of playing the Creation Myths solo journaling RPG.

      Bookworm’s Journey Short Story

      Creation Myths Solo RPG

      You roll dice to get writing prompts as you go through the solo RPG doc. I stuck to my original rolls for all 12 sections, tweaking only one of them as it just didn’t fit at all with how the story was evolving. I use these solo RPGs as a fun writing tool, often exchanging the results with a friend who is also into similar games. This one was getting pretty detailed, so I chose to turn it into a short story.

      I added some artwork drawn on my iPad with a software similar to Procreate and an Apple Pencil. If you read it, and would like to provide feedback, I’d appreciate it. Outside these solo RPGs I don’t write any fiction, so I’m curious how this attempt comes across. I personally have mixed feelings about the final product, but I did enjoy the process a lot. I tend to be my own worse critic, so I appreciate an unbiased candid opinion.

      10 votes
    7. How is your current TTRPG campaign going?

      In the spirit of "what are you reading?", "what are you playing?" etc. threads I see regularly posted in other groups, come tell us about your campaign! Whether you're a GM or a player, share with...

      In the spirit of "what are you reading?", "what are you playing?" etc. threads I see regularly posted in other groups, come tell us about your campaign! Whether you're a GM or a player, share with us what you're playing and how its going.

      What game system are you using and what do you think of it? How many sessions has your current game been running? How's your group doing? Did something cool or funny happen in the last session? What are you looking forward to in the next session?

      28 votes
    8. Humble Choice - November 2026

      November 2026's Humble Choice is now available with 1 Battle.net game and 7 Steam games. Steam Page OpenCritic Steam Recent/All Operating Systems Steam Deck ProtonDB Mafia: The Old Country + 2 DLC...

      November 2026's Humble Choice is now available with 1 Battle.net game and 7 Steam games.

      Steam Page OpenCritic Steam Recent/All Operating Systems Steam Deck ProtonDB
      Mafia: The Old Country + 2 DLC Packs 74 74 / 71 Win ❌ Unsupported 🟨 Gold
      The Outer Worlds 2
      Note: Redeems on Battle.net via account link
      83 59 / 73 Win ✅ Verified 🟨 Gold
      SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance 87 82 / 90 Win ✅ Verified 🎖️ Platinum
      Yakuza 6: The Song of Life 84 88 / 95 Win ✅ Verified 🎖️ Platinum
      Crisol: Theater of Idols 74 76 / 79 Win ✅ Verified 🎖️ Platinum
      Space Haven -- 77 / 84 Win, Mac, Linux ✅ Verified ✅ Native
      DYSMANTLE 77 85 / 90 Win, Mac ✅ Verified 🎖️ Platinum
      Squeakross: Home Squeak Home -- 95 / 98 Win, Mac ✅ Verified 🎖️ Platinum

      Does anyone have experience with any of the games and, if so, would you recommend them? Is there anything in here that you're particularly excited to play?

      8 votes
    9. What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga)

      What have you been watching and reading this week? You don't need to give us a whole essay if you don't want to, but please write something! Feel free to talk about something you saw that was...

      What have you been watching and reading this week? You don't need to give us a whole essay if you don't want to, but please write something! Feel free to talk about something you saw that was cool, something that was bad, ask for recommendations, or anything else you can think of.

      If you want to, feel free to find the thing you're talking about and link to its pages on Anilist, MAL, or any other database you use!

      6 votes
    10. Could we get a page dedicated to spirituality?

      Hello, im new to Tildes, and iv been very active in spiritual subs (from the other website) and i was wondering if its possible to have a page here as well dedicated to spirituality and all...

      Hello, im new to Tildes, and iv been very active in spiritual subs (from the other website) and i was wondering if its possible to have a page here as well dedicated to spirituality and all relating topics? its a great and very popular theme that only grows with time, im sure it could be of great benefit to this platform, thank you!

      22 votes
    11. Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix 2026 - Race Weekend Discussion

      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Mexican Grand Prix
      Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
      10/30 - 11/01

      Next Race:

      Brazillian Grand Prix
      Interlagos Circuit
      11/06 - 11/08

      Qualifying - Spoiler
      Pos. No. Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps
      01 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:17.341 1:16.953 1:16.514 20
      02 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:17.659 1:17.027 1:16.523 22
      03 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:17.506 1:16.944 1:16.633 24
      04 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:17.942 1:16.876 1:16.692 14
      05 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:17.918 1:17.133 1:16.707 24
      06 1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:17.733 1:16.728 1:16.824 21
      07 6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Racing 1:17.385 1:17.047 1:16.900 20
      08 41 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 1:18.210 1:17.135 1:17.117 21
      09 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:18.194 1:17.278 1:17.153 20
      10 27 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:17.868 1:17.306 19
      11 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:18.517 1:17.640 14
      12 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:17.659 1:17.646 17
      13 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:17.727 1:17.680 19
      14 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 1:18.083 1:18.083 18
      15 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:18.521 1:18.885 18
      16 23 Alexander Albon Williams 1:18.630 12
      17 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:18.908 4
      18 50 Ryo Hirakawa Haas F1 Team 1:18.958 10
      19 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:19.072 10
      20 11 Sergio Perez Cadillac 1:19.105 9
      21 77 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1:19.852 9
      DQ 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:17.207 1:17.029 0
      Grand Prix - Spoiler
      Pos. Grid No. Driver Team Laps Time / Retired Pts. Time
      01 5 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 71 2:20:28.772 25 2:20:28.772
      02 1 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 71 +0.799s 18 +0.799
      03 4 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 71 +4.006s 15 +4.006
      04 3 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 71 +10.707s 12 +10.707
      05 6 1 Lando Norris McLaren 71 +11.778s 10 +11.778
      06 2 63 George Russell Mercedes 71 +12.263s 8 +12.263
      07 22 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 71 +20.899s 6 +20.899
      08 13 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 71 +22.041s 4 +22.041
      09 7 6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Racing 71 +22.503s 2 +22.503
      10 18 50 Ryo Hirakawa Haas F1 Team 71 +25.373s 1 +25.373
      11 16 23 Alexander Albon Williams 71 +27.562s 0 +27.562
      12 15 55 Carlos Sainz Williams 71 +28.638s 0 +28.638
      13 12 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 71 +29.475s 0 +29.475
      14 10 27 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 71 +29.977s 0 +29.977
      15 11 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 71 +30.204s 0 +30.204
      16 20 11 Sergio Perez Cadillac 71 +30.695s 0 +30.695
      17 9 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 71 +51.483s 0 +51.483
      NC 8 41 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 58 DNF 0 DNF
      NC 14 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 47 DNF 0 DNF
      NC 21 77 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 42 DNF 0 DNF
      NC 19 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 5 DNF 0 DNF
      NC 17 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 5 DNF 0 DNF
      10 votes
    12. CGA-2026-10 🕹️🏚️ 🦇👻 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Spooky Mansion Adventures

      The sun was barely peeking over the horizon as you stumbled out of the mansion. Behind you, the ominous cackling gave way to agonized shrieks as the sunlight ignited the shadowy figures in the...

      The sun was barely peeking over the horizon as you stumbled out of the mansion. Behind you, the ominous cackling gave way to agonized shrieks as the sunlight ignited the shadowy figures in the doorway, the noise echoing until the doors slammed shut.

      After a long and hectic night, you survived and made it out of the mansions. Even better: you were able to call a repair service from a phone you repaired in the mansion.

      You trudged across the yard slowly, the grass and dirt squishing under each step due to still being damp from the dark and stormy night. Beyond the fence awaited your newly repaired car, a mechanic patiently waiting for payment. You tossed him the requested totem, and he nodded at you before disappearing into a wisp of smoke.

      You climbed into your car, and just took a moment to sit and gaze at the sunrise. Your thoughts returned to all the companions you met last night, who failed to survive long enough to see this beautiful dawn with you. A pity, but hey. At least you survived.

      Probably.

      You might have been replaced with a clone or occult copy with your exact memories. Hard to say, the night got really convoluted sometimes.

      Eh, whatever. You're out now.

      Shrugging it off, you turned on the car and resumed your grand adventure. Oblivious to the face watching from the window of the final mansion...


      The Spooky Mansion Adventures have come to an end! A day late, sorry about that. But I'm sure that extra day didn't kill anyone. Probably.

      As a reminder, spoilers are fully permitted without hiding them in this thread. And on that note, I do have one question:

      What is your canonical death?

      The first death you had in any game. That is how you would presumably die if you were actually there. Though of course, you didn't actually die on this adventure. You're still alive and free to continue to the next leg... Probably.

      I hope you all got to enjoy exploring at least one spooky mansion. Whether you dealt with mad scientists or cults, puzzles or monsters, I hope you had a terrific time...

      If you're still up for more adventures after that harrowing night, the next adventure should take us to Mother 3 with u/kfwyre as our host.

      13 votes