but I will say this even more strenuously than I've already said it: I'm not really enjoying "Mother 3". Playing it has been work, not entertainment. Occasionally, there'll be a breath of sweeter air. The chapter that's just Lucas and Boney and the spirit of Hinawa in the field of flowers was like an oasis in a desert. The Tazmily townsfolk provide some other emotional moments, and then there's the drug trip on Tanetane Island--but even that felt like a weak attempt at reprising material that was more dramatically and effectively treated in "EarthBound".

When's this game get _good_, dammit? I'm almost to the last chapter.