EarthBound for the Super Nintendo—with its several hundred dollar price tag on eBay—is the stuff of legend, and that’s why Ken Baumann wrote a book about it. As the first in a series of paperbacks to endearingly tribute classic games (including an upcoming one on Super Mario Bros. 2 by our own very talented Jon Irwin), the piece of nonfiction, simply titled EarthBound, dives deep into the history and cultural significance of this old-school RPG about a boy with a baseball bat whacking space men against a psychedelic backdrop. Also, plenty of fawning.
To give you a better perspective on this fabulous game and book, here’s a quote I found particularly illuminating:
Hundred million dollar games like Grand Theft Auto IV are made by reclusive Lamborghini-driving auteurs and massive teams of developers, programmed to simulate American hustle, but I don’t think there’s a game that embraces—and satirizes—America’s sentimental mongrel spirit better than EarthBound, which was produced by less than twenty people, helmed by a copywriter-turned-philosopher.
You can pick it up EarthBound the book at Boss Fight Games, in electronic or paperback format.