Don't let the title of this article fool you; I like other RPGs. I'm just standing up to point out to you that EarthBound is the best. After reading Boomerang's classic article series on Starmen.net, "EB vs. FF7", I have thought much about the true greatness of EarthBound. Here is what I've come up with:

Right now, the best cartoony RPG I can think of (besides EB) is Super Mario RPG. When I say cartoony, I don't mean graphically. I mean gameplay-wise, the game feels like a cartoon. Now, what do you look for in a great cartoon? Humor! That's also what we look for in great cartoony RPGs.

EarthBound was funny. We all must admit that. Even if the jokes were pretty corny, we all chuckled a bit when the boat captain threw his shoe at the Kraken. But, EarthBound's humor was under control. They didn't get to wacky very often, and when they did, it was settled down by more serious emotions. Take the closing credits, for example. We not only got a good laugh watching the characters run across the screen, but we also got to reflect at the good times we had, as we read through the photo album.

Super Mario RPG was a little on the serious side. Sure, there was a ton of physical comedy and a sack-load of jokes, but when did they all take place? At the beginning of the game. SM RPG's humor only stretched as far as Yo'ster Island, and as we progressed closer to Smithy, the game felt too much like Final Fantasy. It felt way too serious to be a cartoony game. Even when there was humor, a lot was too zany to watch. At first, it was pretty funny when you had to chase that purple crocodile around, but after you'd caught up to him four or five times, you got annoyed, right?

So, the score for today comes to...