(Played ver. 1.3 of the top-notch fan translation) Quirky, surreal, subversive, yet with a serious tale at its core. I sadly don't possess an ounce of rhythm in me, so failed to grasp the combo system (not that it's a requirement),

banger 3

Played the fan translation once, so that's a caveat. But in ways this is better than Earthbound, which is also one of my favourite games of all-time. This does really neat things with the mechanics that were in the first two games, and tells a pretty compelling story full of heart and humour in its own right. What it comes down to is, I played EB in my childhood so that's the one that sticks with me, but I wouldn't argue with someone who says this one is better.