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Chances are, most gaming enthusiasts who have connected to the Internet at some point have heard about Nintendo's quirky RPG for the Super Nintendo console, regardless of whether they've played it. Its main protagonist Ness has been a major playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series since its debut on the Nintendo 64 in 1999, though many players have wondered why, as no official sequels or remakes have been made available in America. That is, until now.

Today, Nintendo has humbly added EarthBound to its Wii U Virtual Console system, and its entry has been a long time coming for patient fans. The gaming giant announced in April that the cult classic would be arriving on American and European shores again soon, but no hints were made as to when it would be re-released. After nearly two decades since its debut on the SNES, Ness and friends have arrived to the Wii U.

At $10, EarthBound on Wii U is a steal. Everything from the original game seems to have made its way seamlessly to the new console - even a high-quality reproduction of the original players guide, which can be viewed from the Wii U GamePad. Original cartridges of the classic RPG are also notorious for fetching ridiculous prices online, so ten bucks is definitely worth the ability to play without the hassle of a using an emulator, or dropping several hundred dollars.

As beloved as EarthBound is, however, only time will tell what sales are like for the Wii U Virtual Console port. Despite finding a wider audience through the Smash Bros. franchise, it's understandable that Nintendo may have been wary of re-releasing a game that sold poorly during its initial 1995 release. If the classic RPG finds success on the Wii U console, Nintendo may be more inclined to develop more EarthBound content in the future. President Satoru Iwata recently teased that several games were currently being developed in secret. Could a full-fledged EarthBound update be one of them?

Ranters, are you excited for this piece of video game history to finally be re-released? Are you one of the lucky few to have an original working cart for the Super Nintendo? Let us know in the comments!

After 18 long years, EarthBound is available on the Wii U Virtual Console for $10.

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