I played some Blaster Master today for the first time in 20 years [Archive]

Steven

11-24-2008, 10:49 PM

We kids LOVED it back in the day. Hmm, it wasn't "too special" was my reaction today :p

Still enjoyed it, but it wasn't as "awesome" as I remember it being. I liked the quasi-Metroid style of play, but controlling the protagonist in the overhead levels was a bit too clunky for my liking. Still a decent to solid game though.

Wondering... what does everyone here think of Blaster Master? And since we're on the subject, what games have you played that you hadn't played in 5, 10, 15, even 20 years and changed your tune on -- whether good or bad?

seizurebot1011

11-24-2008, 11:02 PM

I have always loved that game. I remember back when it first came out they used to play the commercial for it so much that I eventually memorized it.

CDiablo

11-24-2008, 11:55 PM

I love the game......but it is in dire need of a save or passcode, it takes a good couple of hours to beat.

Quintracker

11-25-2008, 12:07 AM

For some reason I never could beat the last guy. I remember the music mostly, had some great tunes.

BHvrd

11-25-2008, 12:26 AM

Beat it several times back in the day, still a good platformer though getting out of the vehicle doesn't quite have the same charm as it did back then and really lets face it, that's what made Blaster Master great.

I remember the first time I played it I just constantly kept hitting the select button and jumping in and out, lol.

RASK1904

11-25-2008, 12:33 AM

Blaser Master Rocks. It was good and is still good. Ive always liked it. I remember you could hit the bosses with bombes and press pause and they would continue to take damage. Then unpause and they'd be dead. I think it only worked on the odd numbered bosses or something.
Thanx Rask1904:rockets:

Jorpho

11-25-2008, 12:56 AM

Play the GBC version! It's fresh and has lots of new content!

Having played through the NES version with an emulator I am truly astonished that anyone managed to finish it back in the day without savestates.

kedawa

11-25-2008, 01:28 AM

I really should check out the GBC version.
The Genesis sequel was pretty mediocre, as i remember, and I think that soured me on the whole series.

Octopod

11-25-2008, 07:04 AM

I love Blaster Master. What a fun time.

carlcarlson

11-25-2008, 08:46 AM

I loved it but I never got out of the first level. I always wanted to try the sequel but I've never heard anyone say it was a good game.

Blitzwing256

11-25-2008, 08:51 AM

I managed to beat the game back in the day, the final boss is actually one of the easier bosses if you know what to do, if you are always moving and follow a V patern around him you can easily avoid all his hits, if he stops he's about to use his whip, just quickly move in the other direction and he'll miss every time (use grenades the whole time)

I went so far as to aquire a famicom prototype of it (has some differences) and a neat stage select that you can use whenever you reset the game (but you retain any items you aquired) pretty neat overall.

SegaAges

11-25-2008, 09:45 AM

Wondering... what does everyone here think of Blaster Master? And since we're on the subject, what games have you played that you hadn't played in 5, 10, 15, even 20 years and changed your tune on -- whether good or bad?

I remember blaster master, it was awesome.

there was also duck tales. i actually went back to that about a month ago on an emulator, and that game is hard. i used to dominate that game, now i struggle to get through 1 level, but then again, i used to play that game alot.

also, rolling thunder. man was i good at that game. i need to go back to that.

also 1 i desperately need to play again is super sprint. i used to be able to get super far in that game.

NE146

11-25-2008, 10:01 AM

I could beat it pretty regularly back in the day. I did try playing it relatively recently (last year?) and was wondered how in the heck I could have ever beaten it so easily since I now find it really difficult and die pretty regularly at the bosses.

Draven

11-25-2008, 10:21 AM

I had pretty much the same experience with Blaster Master. It lost its appeal over the years, but its still a very enjoyable title. I remember spending alot of time with Hogan's Alley in my youth, but the repetitive nature of it killed all enjoyment for me when I rediscovered it later. That's the only one I can think of off-hand that really disappointed me.

PresidentLeever

11-25-2008, 10:37 AM

It's a great concept but I never beat it, got too frustrating with all the backtracking and cheap hits (you often get hit when entering new rooms). Overhead levels felt really clunky and rushed, I agree. But the bosses were cool.

With a bit more polish it would be up there with the best on the nes.

XYXZYZ

11-25-2008, 11:09 AM

I loved Blaster Master, played it to death back in the day. You really had to dedicate some time to play it, and like CDiablo said it really does need a way for the player to take a break (we have savestates now!) I managed to finish it a couple times, but I usually never see it all the way through because by the time I get to stage 5 or 6 I get tired of it and want to do something else.

What do you guys think of the story? The original game was called Chou Wakusei Senki Metafight, and I have no idea what the story was about. The story about Jason trying to rescue his pet frog from a radioactive hole in his back yard was fabricated for the western release.

http://www.sara.to/sigure/trea/p69.jpg

http://www.sara.to/sigure/trea/p68b.jpg

TurboGenesis

11-25-2008, 01:20 PM

Having played through the NES version with an emulator I am truly astonished that anyone managed to finish it back in the day without savestates.

savestates in the 1980s/90s = leaving the NES on for days at a time.

I was guilty and still am for leaving my NES on for days at a time while the game was on pause� Right now, I have Metal Storm on pause in my NES as I am here at work.

Blaster Master is a favorite of mine and I like to revisit it every so often. When I re-buy it in 2001, I play it for the first time in 10 years and it was amazing how it all came back to me. I was able to remember with little issue of where everything was and what way to go. It seem like a smaller and short game now� it seem like a longer game when I was little.

grolt

11-25-2008, 01:51 PM

I haven't played this since I was a kid, but back then this game was grail. I remember it pretty vividly even today - my brother and I even had this Tips VHS tape that talked about that pausing cheat and how to defeat some of the later bosses. It was a beast to finish though; I don't think we ever did. Still, it's this, Duck Tales, Battletoads, Ninja Gaiden and Super Mario Bros. 3 that make up the NES for me.

Steven

11-25-2008, 02:50 PM

What do you guys think of the story? The original game was called Chou Wakusei Senki Metafight, and I have no idea what the story was about. The story about Jason trying to rescue his pet frog from a radioactive hole in his back yard was fabricated for the western release.

Heh, what do I think of the game plot? Typical NES random silliness :D
See also, Monster Party, heh heh.

But I love bizarre-o plots, even if it makes little sense. Kinda adds to the atmosphere. Blaster Master had that lovely introduction with nice color tones. Set the mood right for me.

rbudrick

11-25-2008, 07:34 PM

Blitzwing256

11-25-2008, 08:22 PM

completely differnt level layout,
theres two gb ones, i beleive the later one was more of a port, but the gbc one has very diifernt level layouts (i've only gotten to level 2 on mine) I think the game had a sub-tittle like blaster master-Blasting agian? its worth digging up a copy (its cheap) and trying it out, I also beleive it had a password system but don't quote me on that.

err scratch that, its called "enemy below"

kupomogli

11-25-2008, 08:50 PM

Blaster Master kicks ass!

Even to this day I still enjoy playing it every once in awhile. I've only got to the stage 6 boss. Never beaten him. After having to continue I always end up quitting. Even though I've never beaten the crab boss, I still think the hardest boss in the game is the stage 3 boss.

c0ldb33r

11-25-2008, 08:59 PM

Great, thanks... now I've got the stage one music in my head. you know the part, when the vehicle first takes off into that cave.

kupomogli

11-25-2008, 09:21 PM

Stage 2 music is the best in the game I think.

pseudonym

11-25-2008, 10:01 PM

Awesome game but I don't think I've ever made it all the way the end in this one. Some boss late in the game always pisses me off and I end up turning it off.

Jorpho

11-26-2008, 12:11 AM

We need a link to the always entertaining and informative HG101 article:
http://www.hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/blastermaster/blastermaster.htm

Iron Draggon

11-27-2008, 12:47 PM

Blaster Master is the ULTRA BADASSNESS... it was the game that would've convinced me to get a NES, if I could've afforded the inevitable addiction that would've ensued from getting one... I guess that's the main reason I sat the whole 8BIT era out... my parents wouldn't have bought me all the games I wanted, and I was still too young to make enough at a real job... but I almost asked for one, so I could play this game and Gyruss... also Dragon Spirit, Castle Quest, and Legacy of the Wizard... of all the NES games I was introduced to by friends, those are the ones I wanted most... but I knew there were many more that I should have also... like Shadowgate... it rocked too... Blaster Master 2 on Genesis and Blaster Master Blasting Again on PS1 totally made up for me missing out on a NES and a copy of Blaster Master of my own though... I thought they were both totally awesome sequels...

The Clonus Horror

11-27-2008, 07:19 PM

Beat Blaster Master back in the day. Haven't played it recently. Two games that are still as fun for me are Zanac and Jackal.

Volcanon

11-27-2008, 10:21 PM

I never got past the stage 5 boss. The no passwords no saves limited continues was a mosnter.

Sotenga

11-27-2008, 11:50 PM

Blaster Master is supreme. I grew up on this game, and it's still a flavorful sandwich to eat. A fine blend of action, adventure, and style that still holds up well today, and a HELL of a challenge to boot. Yes, Volcanon, the stage 5 boss really sucks to fight. Kept me from beating the game for a while, that's for sure. All those damn bubbles... pales in comparison to the final battles, though. My thumbs were about to fall off when I beat the last boss. Yikes. o_O

I haven't played any of the other games in the series... not intently, though. Played a bit of BM2, but that kinda blew. The original is still the best for sure and for certain. :)

Jorpho

11-28-2008, 12:01 AM

I think the worst part is how vital a fully-powered gun is to survival, especially against the bosses. If you take a single hit, it's gone - and the only way to get it back again is to trek through another awful overhead area to find another gun power-up.

Draven

11-28-2008, 01:31 PM

I remember now. Wizards and Warriors. It seemed so awesome back in the day. I remember the graphics were pretty good, but upon playing again the flicker and cheap jumps drove me crazy. And although it still looked good graphically, I found it pretty disappointing.

XYXZYZ

11-28-2008, 01:54 PM

I think the key to defeating the fifth boss is to get there with a full/near full GUN meter. (The zigzag shot) Just hold down A and stay in front of his eye as you shoot. With a low level gun you just end up destroying his bubbles, with one shot occasionally hitting his eye. It takes a long time to bring that sucker down.

DigitalSpace

12-03-2008, 10:58 AM

Steven

12-03-2008, 01:47 PM

Inspired by this thread, I played Blaster Master the other night, and it was the first time I had seriously played the game since the early 90's. I wasn't too good at it back then, but I still liked it. And now... well, I managed to make it to the level 3 boss.

It's a pretty good game, and it's a shame that the Genesis and PlayStation sequels didn't live up to the original.

Heh, yeah, it's pretty trippy playing these old games you hadn't touched in 15, maybe even 20 years. I have a huge storage bin stuffed with tons of NES games I bought two years ago but never got around to really playing, so it's finally now that the urge has struck me (again) to revisit them :)

http://www.rvgfanatic.com/mediac/400_0/media/DIR_1296715/8BitNesBin.JPG