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Time For Terranigma! Right?

Posted by Nadia Oxford

Friends, join me in a round of "Let's Push Our Effin' Luck." The Virtual Console has done such a good job at not sucking for the past few weeks that it's only natural for me to raise my hopes and watch them get sheared.

So, Nintendo. Square-Enix. Everyone. Time to stop starting and stopping like a nervous thoroughbred. It's time for commitment. It's time for Terranigma.

When you were young, you probably played Soulblazer and/or Illusion of Gaia on the Super Nintendo. Both games provided Zelda-flavoured adventures that were nevertheless unique. Illusion of Gaia in particular still stands out in my mind for its mild hero, Will, a boy with telepathic powers who must jump-start Earth's stagnant evolution. Terranigma actually preceds Will's journey and Soulblazer story-wise, casting the player as Ark. Ark is cast out of his Eden-like villiage and tasked with beginning the very evolution that Will is later called upon to re-direct.

Terranigma plays similarly to Illusion of Gaia, but it might seem unfamiliar because it never made it to North America. It did, however, see a release in Europe. So there's the beauty part: Terranigma already has an English translation waiting patiently for us.

Why do you want to play Terranigma? Because it's expansive, gorgeous and has a soundtrack that rivals greats like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI. Also, I'm holding your mom hostage so you might want to work something out with Square-Enix. Just kidding. Really though, listen to The Underworld theme and tell me it's not beautiful. Choose your words carefully; I am holding a big stick (not kidding this time).

Terranigma also has a pretty epic story going on, but seeing as how you're cast as God Junior, that's to be expected. One aspect I enjoy about Illusion of Gaia is the subtle storytelling, which Terranigma continues. As world shapes around you, nobody screams "Holy crap, it's the Great Lakes!" Except you, of course.

Come on, Nintendo. Square-Enix. Do it. I'll be your friend.

Related Links:

Virtual Console: Now The Best Thing Ever
Reminder: Shining Force is Awesome
Flying Gay Men Invade Virtual Console


+ DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT

Comments

Nemo Incognito said:

I love Terranigma so much, and I hate how it's just become known for being 'that game that got released over there and not here' in States.  I used to believe that if it had gotten an American release at the time it would be considered on par with Zelda or Chrono Trigger now but that's probably wishful thinking.

But yes, best music on the SNES by a head, compensating for a slightly sloppy translation.  The ending and the tunes that went with it haunt me to this day.

October 14, 2008 7:57 PM

Demaar said:

That is one disappointment I have with importing an American Wii. Even though I have access to many of the games that were never released here, I will lose access to the very few gems (such as this) that WERE released here, unless Nintendo come down with a sudden case of acute Radness.

October 15, 2008 2:48 AM

Ian said:

Well, there are actually ways of accessing shop channels of other regions if you don't mind a bit of low-risk hacking via homebrew.  And ways to run the channels you would download (see, you will see them in the system menu, but your Wii will squawk that they are the wrong region if you try to play them without the menu loader that gets rid of that problem).

October 16, 2008 11:25 AM

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about the blogger

John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Hooksexup, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia's prized possession is a certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.

Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.

Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.

Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer living in York, England, where he resides with his archeologist wife. He writes for a travel company by day and argues about pop culture on the internet by night. Find him writing regularly here and here.

Peter Smith is like the lead character of Irwin Shaw's The 80-Yard Run, except less athletic. He considers himself very lucky to have this job. But it's a little premature to take "jack-off of all trades" off his resume. Besides writing, travelling, and painting houses, Pete plays guitar in a rock trio called The Aye-Ayes. He calls them a 'power pop' band, but they generally sound more like Motorhead on a drinking binge.


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