Mother 3 Claims the Cover of Issue #21!

Not an April Fools' Day joke! As I said a few days ago, I wanted to wait until we were far enough past that day of Internet untrustworthiness to let you all in on the direction we're heading for our next issue, and yes, the iconic Mother 3 will indeed be the next game to grace the cover of NF Magazine.

Issue #21 will be called "Lost in Untranslation" and turn its attention to the many different Nintendo games of the past few decades that fans living outside Japan never got the chance to play . . . officially, at least. A central feature will profile several of Nintendo's biggest unlocalized titles, from the well known to the obscure, examining the circumstances surrounding the decisions not to translate each one. Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin, our Interview section subject from Issue #20 and the driving force behind Mother 3's fan translation, will return in this issue with the first installment of a new localization-focused column for the Retro section. Tom Lipschultz of XSEED, who just wrapped translation on Return to PopoloCrois, will offer us his insights into what goes on during the game localization process.

And much more! The localizations of Nintendo's titles have certainly been a prominent point of discussion and debate recently, so the Nintendo Force is diving into the topic.

Now, on the subject of Mother 3 being the cover game – we're not confirming anything on Nintendo's behalf here. We don't have to, seeing as how we'll all know one way or another if the game's rumored official English translation is actually going to be confirmed soon enough! Here are the different scenarios for that, as I explained to the NF team when we started prepping this issue:

Scenario 1: Mother 3 in English is Announced & Goes on Sale on April 20

Diehard Mother 3 fans know that this upcoming April 20 will be the game's 10th anniversary – marking one full decade since the original release of the game in Japan. It would be a perfect time for Nintendo to finally pull back the curtain on an official English translation, don't you think? Nintendo's done just this sort of thing before, with EarthBound Beginnings last year – an English release of game was announced in a short video presentation and then put on sale immediately. It could happen again.

Scenario 2: Mother 3 in English is Announced on April 20, But Doesn't Go on Sale Immediately

I don't think this scenario is nearly as likely, as it would mean Nintendo would get the fans incredibly hyped and then not let us buy the game immediately. But it's a possibility, so we'll include it here.

Scenario 3: April 20 Comes and Goes with No Confirmation, So We Look to E3

With this scenario, we'll get to the end of this issue's production cycle and be in the same position we've been in for the past 10 years – not knowing one way or another if Mother 3's coming in English, officially. If this happens, then everyone's eyes will be on E3 to be the place where the announcement finally comes – that's where EarthBound Beginnings was announced last year and where Mother 3 was joked about during Reggie's skit two years ago, so it wouldn't be out of place. Nintendo might also like to have an infusion of a guaranteed positive fan reaction to build on at the beginning of the E3, since this year's going to be a big one with the reveal of NX, The Legend of Zelda for Wii U (and probably also for NX) and more. 

Scenario 4: E3 Comes and Goes with No Confirmation

Finally, the worst case scenario. If we get past both the 10th anniversary date and this year's E3 and Nintendo still hasn't said a word about Mother 3 in English, then that would, to me, be the point when hopes and dreams for it ever happening could finally be laid to rest. In that case, this next issue of NF Magazine would serve not as a celebration of a long-awaited announcement finally happening, but instead a eulogy to a game we'll never get officially. Not nearly as fun, but still timely and appropriate.

As you can see, there are lots of different ways the next few weeks/months can go with regards to Mother 3. It might not even be called Mother 3 any more by the time the issue goes to press! But no matter which scenario happens, now is the time for this spectacular game to claim a well-earned spot adorning the cover of the biggest Nintendo magazine on the planet; a position that it should have enjoyed with Nintendo Power a decade ago!

To create the cover art itself, we're working with the incredibly talented Ruy Fernando Estrada Rivera, a clay modeling expert who first created physical models of the cast of Mother 3 10 years ago – and his skills have only improved since then. You can take a look at his past work with sculpture in his DeviantArt gallery here, and attached to this Patreon post is his brand-new work-in-progress take on the game's core cast of four heroes striking new battle poses. They'll be finished, posed together and given an enemy to battle against to create the final cover art tableau. Please look forward to it!

That's all for now, Force fans, but we'll have more to reveal soon! All current patrons will get this issue delivered in early-to-mid May, but help us get the word out to new subscribers as well! Newcomers have until April 30 to sign up here on the Patreon page in order to make it on the mailing list for the Mother 3 issue!

~ Lucas M. Thomas