PixlBit

Never played, but always looked like Peanuts the JRPG, with sci-fi/fantasy elements.  Why hasn't there been a good Peanuts game by the way? Has there been a game at all?

You should really give it a try if you get the chance. Nintendo has finally made it available in a few different ways. 

Y'know, I don't think there's a Peanuts game, which is surprising considering how popular that franchise is. 

There have been a lot of Peanuts games.  When the computer animated Peanuts movie came out a couple of years ago, I reviewed a game based on it:

http://www.gamerdad.com/blog/2015/12/09/snoopys-grand-adventure-wii-u-3ds-ps4-360-xbox-one/

Also, there have been a few mobile games, and an Atari 2600 game based on Snoopy and the Red Baron.

Speaking of which, my favorite Peanuts game was a PS2 game called Snoopy vs. the Red Baron.  it was like an arcade flight sim for kids, but it was really fun and adorable.

This game was very esoteric. I missed out on its first release in 1995, and didn't get to really play it until 2013 when it was released on Wii U Virtual Console; I also have it on the SNES Classic Edition. 

Recently I played the fan translation of Mother 3 on a GBA using a bootleg cartridge. That game was pretty heavy in parts. I always wished that the original N64 version had been completed. The N64 got only one or two decent RPGs in its entire lifespan.

I haven't played Mother 3 sadly. I keep hoping that Nintendo will release it in some form, but perhaps that will never happen. 

Nintendo was apparently very close to authorizing an English release but got cold feet over some content it felt would be problematic in the United States, even with a M rating. The two big issues seem to be the Magypsies and an event that happens at the end of the game.  Pretty sure Salsa wearing a shock collar in chapter 3 would probably raise some eyebrows. Pity, I'd buy it if Nintendo released it on Switch.

This is the only game I remember making me cry as a kid cause I hated it. Wasted rental. 

That said, I appreciate the atmosphere much more as an adult and want to try to muscle through my JRPG antipathy to experience it. 

Whoa, hate is a strong word! Why did you hate it? 

Hated; past tense. I just never really liked JRPGs and got stuck very early on as a kid. It was frustrating at the time. lol

Oh man, you're gonna hate me.  So back when I was first trying out to write for The Dallas Morning News, I had to write two game reviews.  One for a game I liked, and one for a game I didn't like.  Since I was big into 16-bit RPGs at the time, the game I chose to write about that I liked was Final Fantasy 6.  The game I chose to write about that I didn't like...was Earthbound.

At the time I felt the battle system was a bit dated and took a few steps back from FF6.  And while I liked the weird story, it was so nonsensical that sometimes it was hard to tell where to go next.  The game came with a strategy guide back then for a reason.

If I had the time, I would love to give this game a second chance, though.  I will say one thing good about Earthbound.  Games like Earthbound and Super Mario RPG really brought good game translation to the forefront and paved the way for the future of translating text in games better.

I think you have to go in to Earthbound with the realization that it was trying to be different and weird. It definitely rubbed some people the wrong way. The story and characters are often bizarre, but that's what makes the game so endearing. The battle system actually added some things that were forward-thinking for the time. And yes, the translation is stellar. So I would say give it another chance and try to see it through to the end. Honestly, I used the player's guide a LOT to get through, but it's worth it. 

I don't think I ever saw this in the wild but it was always talked about as some holy grail game to collect. I'm glad you can download it now in the Nintendo store, I think. 

Yeah, it's almost impossible to find, so having a way to get a digital copy is great.