Earthbound coming to Wii U Virtual Console

Earthbound is coming to the Wii U's virtual console. You may have already seen the news on Nintendo Direct or our coverage round-up, but we have to drive home the significance, here.

The 1995 RPG became a cult classic for its offbeat approach to Americana: a Japanese take on life in American (or Eaglelandian) suburbs and cities, with characters like insidious next-door neighbor Pokey, New Age Retro Hippies, and a cult which worships the color blue.

Though Earthbound was published by Nintendo--no stranger to re-releasing its beloved classics--it has remained SNES cart-bound for nearly two decades, an expensive collector's item instead of a widespread treasure. That will all change this year when it lands on Wii U.

Of course, that mass dissemination may be limited by the home console's relatively slow sales. We've asked Nintendo if it has any plans to publish Earthbound on the 3DS eShop and will update with any comment.