I have this distinct memory of running down the train tracks with Lloyd and Ninten in my party and thinking it felt exactly like something straight out of Stand By Me or a dozen other eighties coming-of-age films – and that's exactly what makes MOTHER so special to me. It perfectly captures the time period in which it was made and, more than its successors, truly feels like a childhood adventure much in the same way one might journey to the end of the road or go camping with their family.

My favorite MOTHER game. And yes – it's MOTHER. I refuse to call it EarthBound Beginnings.