Blaster Master is the best!

[blastermaster]

i think its one of the best nes games ever made. still havent beat it though, the last boss is a killer. just wondering if anyone found this game as great as i did.

[AlexKIDD]

I like it a lot, one of the better nes games even though there are tons of good ones. I also havn't beaten it yet. Any game with jumping tanks is cool though.

[compacho]

Yeah, It's Definately on my top 5 list for NES games. It has so many enjoyable elements to it. It's hard not to like it. If you're a Metroid fan then you'll definately dig this game.

[JB]

Problems with the game:

No save function. Leaving the NES paused between sessions can be a scary proposition given how twitchy some decks are.

 

The ability to get irretrievably stuck in the blow-away rock rooms in stage 7 if you pause in the wrong places or shoot the wrong places. Stupid QBert'ing game graumblemumblesnarl.

 

 

Aside from that it's a great game.

[NE146]

One of the first games I snagged when I got my U.S. NES. I remember I got so good at it, it was absolutely nothing to me to beat it in a sitting.

 

HOWEVER.. that being said, I tried playing it recently, and using emulator save states I had a real hard time. I couldn't even beat the final boss. I have NO IDEA how the heck I used to do it and do it without thinking

 

Incidentally, here's a little scan for ya I have laying here on the hd.. it's the review EGM did of the game (this was before they had their 4 man review format they copied off the jap mags).

[JB]

One of the first games I snagged when I got my U.S. NES. I remember I got so good at it, it was absolutely nothing to me to beat it in a sitting.

 

HOWEVER.. that being said, I tried playing it recently, and using emulator save states I had a real hard time. I couldn't even beat the final boss. I have NO IDEA how the heck I used to do it and do it without thinking

 

Incidentally, here's a little scan for ya I have laying here on the hd.. it's the review EGM did of the game (this was before they had their 4 man review format they copied off the jap mags).

844789[/snapback]

It's funny because they keep calling it Master Blaster.

And they say gaming magazines have gone downhill recently. At least they can read the name now.

[Dones]

i think its one of the best nes games ever made. still havent beat it though, the last boss is a killer. just wondering if anyone found this game as great as i did.

844715[/snapback]

Welcome to the club! The game is one of the best for the NES. Back then those stages were considered huge with lots of places to explore. While a password or battery save could have not hurt, it certainly made it more challenging. Yeah that last boss is difficult. Just getting there is a difficult task (even with emulator saves). The key to defeating the last boss is to get there with the gun on full power. That's what I used to do and it worked well for me.

[Dr. Morbis]

Problems with the game:

No save function. Leaving the NES paused between sessions can be a scary proposition given how twitchy some decks are.

 

The ability to get irretrievably stuck in the blow-away rock rooms in stage 7 if you  pause in the wrong places or shoot the wrong places. Stupid QBert'ing game graumblemumblesnarl.

844756[/snapback]

The game can be beaten in under 2 hours once you know where you're going, so I don't really count the "no save" as a bonafide problem. The second problem you mention actually happened to me the first time I was in the very last outside room before the final boss. Man was I pissed! But this sort of thing will never happen to the same person twice, that's for sure.

 

The only real big problem I have with the game is that you can't turn off the final enhancement (ceiling walking-whatever it's called). This makes your tank grab vertical edges all the time making it a major chore to get through the last level.

 

Other than that, it's definitely a Top 20 NES game in my books.

[JB]

Problems with the game:

No save function. Leaving the NES paused between sessions can be a scary proposition given how twitchy some decks are.

 

The ability to get irretrievably stuck in the blow-away rock rooms in stage 7 if you  pause in the wrong places or shoot the wrong places. Stupid QBert'ing game graumblemumblesnarl.

844756[/snapback]

The game can be beaten in under 2 hours once you know where you're going, so I don't really count the "no save" as a bonafide problem.

That once oyu know what you're doing qualifier is the sticker.

The same rule can be applied to Metroid or Zelda. But while you're learning where to go, you can eat a LOT of time up.

 

The second problem you mention actually happened to me the first time I was in the very last outside room before the final boss.  Man was I pissed!  But this sort of thing will never happen to the same person twice, that's for sure.

It actually happened to me on accident. I was goofing around a bit, gunned a row of bricks right by the cieling. Rolled up accidentally, and found out that you WILL flip off the wall through a 1-brick gap. From there, since your tank is 2 bricks wide and you have no way to destroy bricks under you, you can't get back down.

 

I SHOULD have ejected and suicided. But instead I paused.

 

 

The only real big problem I have with the game is that you can't turn off the final enhancement (ceiling walking-whatever it's called).  This makes your tank grab vertical edges all the time making it a major chore to get through the last level.

I wish BOTH buttons worked for strafing.

I wanna sidestep while lobbing grenades!

 

Other than that, it's definitely a Top 20 NES game in my books.

844801[/snapback]

Definitely. It's damn fun, warts and all.

[Dones]

The game can be beaten in under 2 hours once you know where you're going, so I don't really count the "no save" as a bonafide problem.  The second problem you mention actually happened to me the first time I was in the very last outside room before the final boss.  Man was I pissed!  But this sort of thing will never happen to the same person twice, that's for sure.

 

The only real big problem I have with the game is that you can't turn off the final enhancement (ceiling walking-whatever it's called).  This makes your tank grab vertical edges all the time making it a major chore to get through the last level.

 

Other than that, it's definitely a Top 20 NES game in my books.

844801[/snapback]

Yes it was probably an oversight in part of the programmers. Considering how the last stage is designed, I think they wanted it to be difficult. Some platforms in that stage are made purposely for vertical-walling yourself to death.

 

I don't mind the lack of a save feature. While it wouldn't have hurt to have it doesn't make the game worse either. The game gets easy once you know what to do. As for the alleged getting stuck glitch that has never happened to me. That's just nitpicking for the sake of calling attention. Bottom line Blaster Master is a good game that enjoys popularity among the majority of NES fans.

Edited April 27, 2005 by Dones

[joeybastard]

I've been playing this a lot lately since I picked it up for a buck at a flea last week. It is indeed a great game. I suck at it though. I should look for the manual online, maybe there's something I don't klnow about that would help. I picked Air Fortress for the NES at that flea and I've been playing a lot too. Similar to BM in that it has vehicle sections and on-foot sections. My NES has been my busiest console the past few weeks.

[Dones]

have you guys seen any BM sites worth checking out? I found this one:

 

http://www.bmshrine.com/

[Atarifever]

I own the book. I bought it when I was a kid and am pretty sure it is still home in a box in the basement.

[JB]

As for the alleged getting stuck glitch that has never happened to me. That's just nitpicking for the sake of calling attention.

Oh, please.

It's not nitpicking to call out a glitch that forces you to start the game over, even if it can only happen in maybe 5 rooms in the entire game.

[JB]

I've been playing this a lot lately since I picked it up for a buck at a flea last week.  It is indeed a great game.  I suck at it though.  I should look for the manual online, maybe there's something I don't klnow about that would help.  I picked Air Fortress for the NES at that flea and I've been playing a lot too. Similar to BM in that it has vehicle sections and on-foot sections.  My NES has been my busiest console the past few weeks.

844930[/snapback]

Only really noteworthy thing isn't in the manual either that I recall.

If you hold the grenade button, you can move your character around without changing what direction you're facing. REALLY useful on some bosses.

[Dr. Morbis]

As for the alleged getting stuck glitch that has never happened to me. That's just nitpicking for the sake of calling attention. Bottom line Blaster Master is a good game that enjoys popularity among the majority of NES fans.

844925[/snapback]

The problem with that glitch is that the spot that it is most likely to happen to someone is in the VERY LAST TANK ROOM IN THE GAME! If you had spent an entire Sunday as a child trying to beat this game only to have that happen to you when you had finally gotten to the last room you'd be singing a very different tune

 

Only really noteworthy thing isn't in the manual either that I recall.

If you hold the grenade button, you can move your character around without changing what direction you're facing. REALLY useful on some bosses.

The Crab boss is impossible to beat without the strafing trick. If they had not added the strafe, I certainly would never have beaten the game legitimately.

[Dones]

The problem with that glitch is that the spot that it is most likely to happen to someone is in the VERY LAST TANK ROOM IN THE GAME!  If you had spent an entire Sunday as a child trying to beat this game only to have that happen to you when you had finally gotten to the last room you'd be singing a very different tune

LOL I probably would. You are suffering then from Blaster Master Frustration Syndrome, or BMFS. Castlevania players suffer from a less acute version of the problem, called CFS. You can read all about it here.

[+kisrael]

GREAT game. I loved the design of the enemies kind of a grittier version of Mega Man's cartoonish tech-bio things, and the tank upgrades were so sweet....I loved the way the wheels rotated down ala Back to the Future when hovering, or back to become sub propellers...

 

but the difficulty curve of the last level was INSANE. I could get all through the thing without breaking a sweat, but never even made it to the last bossroom, what with all the the thorns....and that boss! when I finally beat him with heavy use of save/restore abuse in an emulator, I couldn't BELIEVE that anyone could ever beat him...

[+kisrael]

Two other thoughts....any remember the cover of "Video Games and Compute Entertainment" that featured this game?

 

Also, for all my praise of the game, I thought the overhead view stuff stunk up the joint. I couldn't believe that the first GB port was nothing but that!

[JB]

Two other thoughts....any remember the cover of "Video Games and Compute Entertainment" that featured this game?

 

Also, for all my praise of the game, I thought the overhead view stuff stunk up the joint. I couldn't believe that the first GB port was nothing but that!

845504[/snapback]

The first GB "port" wasn't even the same series.

 

 

Blaster Master is known as MetaFight in Japan.

Blaster Master Boy is Bomber King in Japan. It's actually a Bomberman spinoff.

 

Tangentally related: MetaFight's plot, while a cliche and overdone "prototype battlewagon VS evil emperor" story, does NOT feature children jumping down holes after pet frogs mutated by the radioactive waste stored in their backyard, which is a massive improvement.

 

 

But however you slice it, the tank WAS awesomely cool.

Edited April 28, 2005 by JB

[tmont]

The game is cool, but what is up with the fruity pink outfit?

 

The NES Warrior- Blaster Master

[pinball22]

have you guys seen any BM sites worth checking out? I found this one:

 

http://www.bmshrine.com/

844944[/snapback]

 

I'm amazed that URL wasn't taken by something much more disturbing.