All Articles: Blaster Master Zero

Blaster Master Zero Review: Tanks for the Memories

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Mike Ryan

The Nintendo Entertainment System was my first foray into real gaming. Granted, I played a lot of Atari and Intellivision back when I was a young ‘un, but the NES was a huge part of my childhood, and helped shape me into the gamer that I am today.

As a young hardcore gamer (did that term exist back in the day?), one of the things I loved doing was signing up for video game magazines. At Doc Lewis’s behest, I joined the Nintendo Fun Club. When I would get my allowance, I would head over to the local Woolworth and pick up the newest GamePro magazine. And yes, I was a subscriber to the short-lived Sunsoft Game Time News. I loved reading about their newest games, learning tips and tricks, and bugging my mom for $5.00 to order that Xenophobe T-shirt (I never did get it, though). One of the games that always piqued my interest in the Sunsoft newsletter was Blaster Master. It looked like a fun game, with lots of action and adventure.

Unfortunately, my only experience with the title was renting it once at the local movie rental shop. While it was a somewhat fun experience, I was pretty much lost and didn’t know what to do. I also never played it again, because I was knee deep in Mega Man, The Legend of Zelda, and Dragon Warrior. But I always regretted that decision, because Blaster Master has a reputation as one of the great games from the NES era. Well, fate as smiled upon me, as now I am able to play a new Blaster Master… and I don’t even have to hook up my old system! (more…)

Posted in 3DS, Reviews, Switch, Top Story | Tagged

Nintendo Download: Blaster Master Zero, NeoGeo Games on Switch, Voez, more

Posted on March 9, 2017 by John Scalzo

Week Two of the Switch era begins for Nintendo, and the consolemaker is kicking it off with the launch of eight new games for the console as part of this week’s Nintendo Download.

Inti Creates leads the way with Blaster Master Zero, their retro-styled reboot of the popular NES action game. The side-scroller/overhead hybrid is also available to download for the 3DS.

Also available to download for the Switch today is Voez, a rhythm game that is only playable through the console’s Handheld Mode. But those who decide to tap on the notes in the correct sequence will help six high school students achieve international fame with their band.

Finally, Hamster Corporation will re-release six NeoGeo classics on the Switch this week as part of their Arcade Archives series. Each game is priced at $7.99, and the list of available titles includes The King of Fighters ’98, Metal Slug 3, World Heroes Perfect, Nam-1975, Shock Troopers, and Waku Waku 7.

And don’t think Nintendo forgot about the Wii U. Bomberman 64, which was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997, was added to the Wii U’s Virtual Console service today.

You can learn more about all of these games (and a few other new releases) after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U | Tagged

More than 60 “Nindies” are in development for Nintendo Switch including SteamWorld Dig 2, Runner 3, Yooka-Laylee, and more

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

Nintendo presented their first-ever Nindies Showcase for the Nintendo Switch today, and promised that more than 60 games from independent developers will be available for the console in 2017. This includes a staggering number of exclusives and timed exclusives such as…

  • Image & Form’s SteamWorld Dig 2, which will be available first on the Switch this Summer.
  • Choice Provisions’s Runner 3, which is in development exclusively for the Switch, and will be released this Fall.
  • Vertex Pop’s Graceful Explosion Machine, a side-scrolling shooter that’ll be released for the Switch first this April.
  • Team Shifty’s Mr. Shifty, an overhead action game that’ll also be available first for the Switch this April.
  • Cardboard Robot’s Pocket Rumble, a retro-styled fighting game that’ll only be available to console owners on the Switch this March.

Other highlights from the Nindies Showcase include confirmation that Yooka-Laylee will be available for the Switch “soon” and that Blaster Master Zero will be released simultaneously for the 3DS and Switch on March 9.

Nintendo’s complete Nindies Showcase presentation has been embedded above, and you can learn more about all the games featured in the video after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Switch | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Inti Creates will bring Blaster Master Zero to 3DS eShop in Spring 2017

Posted on November 8, 2016 by John Scalzo

blastermasterzero-header

Blaster Master is a beloved side-scroller from the Nintendo Entertainment System’s heyday… which makes it a perfect reclamation project for the retro gaming experts at Inti Creates. The Japanese developer announced they’ve acquired the rights to the Blaster Master franchise and will release Blaster Master Zero for the 3DS eShop in Srping 2017.

Inti Creates is probably best known for producing Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10, so creating a decades-later sequel to an 8-bit classic is definitely in their wheelhouse. The developer wants to create “a new 8-bit experience” for Master Blaster Zero designed especially for a modern platform that also honors the past:

Using the original Blaster Master game as a base, we are setting out to create a fully 8-bit experience in a way that both hearkens back to the golden age of the NES and uses the current generation hardware to optimize and power up the game for the players of today. This of course includes new areas and bosses, and new gameplay elements such as extra sub-weapons, improved gameplay when battling outside of your SOPHIA 3rd tank, a more robust scenario, refined and expanded exploration mechanics, and more.

Head over to Inti Creates’s official website now to check out a huge batch of new screenshots and to read their full statement.

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged