As an avid SNES gamer (read: semi-awkward junior high student), I have fond memories of Earthbound, a bizarre little RPG put out by Nintendo in 1995. Unlike most console RPGs (Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger), Earthbound was set in a modern world, and more importantly, had a brilliant sense of humour. Not only did it poke fun at gaming conventions, it featured nods to the Blues Brothers, Beatles and Bowie, featured ridiculous enemies like the New Age Retro Hippie, and also featured some damn fine gameplay.

A sequel was promised back in the Nintendo 64 days, but nothing ever materialized. Until 2006, that is, when the Japanese-only sequel emerged. Awesome, but not so useful if, like me, you don't speak Japanese.

Well, good news — after two years, a fan-led translation project has finally finished, and the results have been available here for the last couple of weeks. Granted, the legality here might be a bit sketchy, but it's worth mentioning, if only as proof of how ridiculously dedicated video game fans can be. Here's a sequel to a game that came out over a decade ago, that by all rights most people should have forgotten about, and a group of people are willing to volunteer their time to not just translate it, but translate it as well as they possibly can. Read the FAQ on the site for a sense of how much effort went into this. Now if you'll excuse me, I know what I'll be doing all weekend.