Every Monday we post comments and questions readers have. If you have a letter for our mailbag, send it to the Starmen.Net Mailbag, or just use the form below.

Next week's mailbag topic:
What was your favorite music in EarthBound? What's your favorite music submitted to Sm.Net?

Here's this week's mailbag, with co-answer person EBounding!

ok, i got a few questions about the music and such in the game (since it is amazing.) who did it? (i'm just too lazy to look.) what has been put out with earthbound music on cd? i also have questions about alot of strange mp3s i've found of earthbound music (namely a vocal version of the flying man theme and a death metal version of the final battle.)

btw, wickedly cool site, been watching it progress for a while now and amliking what i see.

~Chris

The man who composed the music in EarthBound was Keichii Suzuki. He wrote most of the music, and sampled some other songs. Be the first kid on your block to find them all! To see a slightly incoherent (pissin the online, baby!) letter from Suzuki to a fellow Sm.Netter, check out last week's mailbag.

~diospadre

Whoa there Jimmy (even though your name is Chris), you just asked a mouthful. The talking flying man theme is on the Mother 1 Soundtrack. And that death metal...it's probably just a coincidence that it sounds like EarthBound. You may want to invest in the Mother 1 and 2 soundtracks if you're interested in the music.

~EBounding

Let reidman read this letter. Let an actual Earthbound fan read this letter. I am disgusted by the latest topic, "What did you think Ness and company's personalities were like? They weren't characterized at all, so you got to decide what they were like. How do you see them?"

Who wrote the topic? Yourmamasmama? Diospadre? Whoever did, please, get your "opinions" straightened out. How do I dare ask someone to get their opinions straightened out Simple...because whoever wrote the question didn't really grasp Earthbound at all, and shouldn't be throwing their opinions as if they were fact. If you say that Ness has no character, then I suppose you never felt for him when playing the game. How can one feel for a character that has no personality, really? The player is supposed to connect with the characters, something I found that I did pre t ty well. Through the aid of music and text, we learn about characters who have nearly zero text throughout the entire game. I'll look for when this letter is posted so I can see some ridiculous responses such as, "I think Jeff has l33t crush on Paula, and N355 is an all around tuff, and rough dude who doesn't take any crap from p3opl3z. 1 w4nt mugz0rz!" Yeah, something like that. "How do you see them"? Honestly, I think it's almost sad on the game's behalf if any two people could even see the c haracters differently....

~Ness7

To start this response off, I'll say that I'm the one who makes up the mailbag topics. Sometimes I'll ask #smnet's or #starmen's input, but usually I make it up when it's time to edit that part of the html. That's why sometimes the topic stays the same when the mailbag was updated.

Now, in response to your less than flattering remarks, I'd like to point out that most people have different outlooks and opinions on any given subject, whether it be politics, movies, or video games. To think that you opinion's are the only correct thing, and that nobody is entitled to a different opinion is extremely closed-minded, and this is how things like racism get started.

As you can see from the following letters, there are many different views on Ness and company, and none of them are correct, but at the same time none of them are wrong. EarthBound was a very open-ended game; a lot ( including the characters of our heroes) were left to the player. Yes, some of their personalities were portrayed in things like the music, the coffee breaks, and Lumin Hall, but the simple fact is that everyone interprets these factors differently.

As for your saying that you connected with the characters pretty well, I can guarantee that every person who played the game saw them differently than you, and I can assuredly say that your opinions of them are different from the creators', even though I know nothing of either of you.

Finally, if you really believe that if two people think differently about something is sad, then all I've got to say is that you're going to be in for a big surprise once you find out that its not normal for everyone to feel the same about everything.

~diospadre

Whoa there Jimmy, you just griped a mouthful. If Ness and his friends were here, they would probably be crying from your harsh statements. *weep*.

~EBounding

Hmm...I think I may have to t'ink a bit on this one.

Ness: Well, I can't. He doesn't talk.
Paula: Well, she obviously has the role of "Main Character's love interest", like Rosa in FF4, Aerith in FF7, and all that fun stuff.
Jeff: The game says he's a genius, but he's probably just a chicken in human clothing.
Poo: He's a capitalist pig.
Fun... Also, you spelled a word wrong on the topic. it says "Howw do you see them?" and there's only one "W" in how

~deptstoremook

I agree with your comments on Jeff and Poo. A nerd and a foreign kid have no place in video games! It only makes sense to have walking, talking animals and anti-red activists in EarthBound, doesn't it?

~diospadre

How about a Socialist pig? And that extra W is from the White House.

~EBounding

Ness would be a babe magnet, and and be smart and cool. Jeff would still be a dork. Poo would have cool shades (sun glasses) and would pik up chicks too. And Paula would be happy....get it? HAPPY....yeah

Ness's dad is a phone and lives in Ness's house, but ness just thinks his dads calling him, but the phone is his dad!

~Mad_Ness

Happy? I guess I get it, or were you insinuating something? I'm serious, you really did confuse me.

~diospadre

This will be my thesis for my future Ph.D.

~EBounding

Dear starmen,

I so confused. All I want is the original earthbound. But I think earthbound is the first one, but next to it says mother 2. And on earthbound zero it said mother.(as in mother 1)Can you please just tell me which one is the original one? I just want the first one they ever made.

P.S I be happy to write a fanthought, but I'm new to this site, and I don't know what a fanthought is.(I really feel like and idiot now) and also, do they have any of the earthbounds for PC?

~Wills

Hey, how convenient that you write in about EarthBound Zero when the guest-answerer is EBounding, one of our resident EarthBound gurus (not guruzeths.)

~diospadre

I won't give a sarcastic answer since you're new. There was a super secret prequel to EarthBound. It's called Mother in Japan, and was released on the NES. There's much more to it, so look around more on the site, or ask on the forums. Fun.

~EBounding

First of all, being the hero of the bunch, I view Ness as a kind of laid back guy. He really doesn't take things too seriously, and he does what he needs to do to save the world from total mass destruction, and not much more than that. He's the MVP of the EB team.

Usually, girls are viewed as inferior beings who are unable to take care of themselves. In this case, however, Paula is definitely not a wimpy little weakling. She is just as independent as Ness and she can fend for herself if she needs to. She may not have as many HP as the guys, but she has devastating PSI attacks that will knock your underwear off. She's the kind of girl who'll take a hit, and then hit back...harder.

Jeff is the kind of guy who always avoids dark alleyways at night (and during the day, for that matter). He doesn't really like to fight and he would rather stay at home and work on his next big Science Fair project. Even though he does seem like a craven coward, he is an asset to the team with his bottle rockets and his ability to repair almost anything.

Poo; the foreign friend. He's a quiet type who likes to meditate and eat meat-filled donut sticks. Although all the women want him, he doesn't let that distract him from his training and studying. He's always loyal to Ness and will do anything for the good of the world.

~Ultra Phish

You know, I had a response all ready to go, but then I saw the phrase "Foreign Friend", and I imagined Poo to be Fez, that guy from That Seventies Show. Now you have forever characterized Poo as a funny Indian kid for me. Thanks a lot.

~diospadre

You receieve the virtual gold-star mailbag sticker.

~EBounding

I decided that Ness was like a burly French-Canadian lumberjack, Paula was like a dominatrix, Jeff was like that guy (you know, that guy), and Poo was the most corrupt part of the Dalaamese government. Do they even have a government? Their entire country is a hill. Well, the Vatican is a country and its really small. But its the VATICAN. Wait, I'm rambling aren't I? This always happens to me. You see, I...

(Get taken by the men in white coats)

Canada will have its revenge! You just wait and see! We must strike before its too late!

~Rune

Ya know Rune, I was never really too concerned with your whole Ryoko obsession deal, but this is just scary. To think that you've been taken in by the evils of Canada is sickening. I can only hope that the nice doctors will help you. Come back Rune! Get better!

~diospadre

Do you know what a dominatrix is? If not, do you know what Canada is?

~EBounding

Ness & co. is actually the epitome of the "Standard RPG Party." Ness is the leader, Paula is the magic-using girl, Jeff is the nerdy guy, and Poo is the quiet martial-arts dude. You can see this pattern all the way back in games like FF1. Remember how you were supposed to use the Fighter, the Black Belt, and White and Black Mages? If you qualify the Black Mage as a nerd, it's the exact same group. Coincidence? ...Probably.

~SimonBob

Hey, mages aren't nerdy. They would never think of using *gasp!* illegal fireworks as a weapon. Jeff would, however, making him the RPG equivalent of James Dean, and placing him far from the geek category.

~diospadre

Neat.

~EBounding

All four of them are a bunch of delinquents. Well except Poo, he's just a weirdo. This Ness kid did nothing but beat up peace loving hippies and the respectable police force of Onett. Paula is such a tramp, she runs away from her parents with a guy she just met! Jeff appears to have something to hide claiming he's from winter but not having a winters accent. He is probably and illegal arms dealer since he's always carrying guns and and explosives, not to mention a bazooka for crying o u t load! Also they are a bunch of junkies loading up on magic cake!

~kapong kandqofc

Ya know, youre right. I hear they even made some kids pee in their pants. And what about breaking into people's houses, jumping roadblocks, stealing cookies, and driving without insurance? I sure hope theyre tried as adults, because juvenile hall just isn't enough for these hardened criminals.

~diospadre

See how television fouls up children's minds people?

~EBounding

Anyone can tell Ness is angry. He almost never has a smile on his face (pft, except when he takes a picture). He's so angry he doesn't even like talking to himself!

~Shrooom

Yeah Ness is one angry kid. He may smile when his picture is taken, but he's probably just narcicistic. Then I thought 'but hey, he's happy when he's on the bike, right?' That however, can be attributed to the blood-lust that can only be derived from running down small animals and convertibles.

~diospadre

AND when he's riding the bike. He's so so happy then.

~EBounding

ness smells lik burning

diospadre, stop sniffing that cheese.

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