Way Ahead of it's Time

Blaster Master is one of my favorite NES games, and was way ahead of its time. In Blaster Master you control an armored tank throughout a series of levels. The game is similar to Castlevania II and Metroid in that you can travel back to places that you were previously. In addition to the standard side scrolling action, Blaster Master also features a top-down, Zelda-like mode in which you control Jason instead of the tank. You can have Jason come out of the tank and walk up to doors which will allow you to explore areas that the tank cannot enter. In this mode you use Jason’s gun to kill enemies and eventually the boss. There are some areas you can enter that are riddled with enemies and power-ups however. There are also numerous weapons and upgrades that you can collect for your tank.

Blaster Master is a great NES action game. It’s only flaw is the lack of a password or save feature, but other than that, it is an excellent game.

Pros:
- Great variety of gameplay
- Good music
- Collect power-ups and secrets

Cons:
- No password/save feature

BLASTER MASTER!!! CLASSIC!!!

Blaster Master...ahhh, this game was quite awesome! Well, the game was awesome, the story was pretty lame though. Apparently your're a boy and you have this pet frog see... And he gets into some radioactive material or something and jumps into this giant hole in the ground and you jump in after him. Well once you get down the frog is nowhere to be found, however there is this massive tank with a huge turret on it. Apparently there is a suit and helmet there waiting for you as well for some odd reason. Instead of freaking out and trying to get out of the hole like you'd think, well no, you suit up and get into the tank and start riding around. Yeah, apparently whoever left this massive tank of a killing machine unattended left the keys to the ignition as well. Uh huh. Well you just decide to start killing all the crazy monsters trying to kill you. Yeah, pretty lame, but the game is awesome! You're in the tank that can shoot up and down, and you can hop out of the tank when you need to and shoot things with you gun/blaster (They must have left that in the tank for you too...they, whoever THEY are knew you were coming...or something). Also, this tank has mad hops (must be some super powerful springs or something) allowing you to jump over chasms not unlike a Super Mario platformer. You also enter into caves/buildings, whatever you'd like to call them...indoors, where the view turns to a too down thing...not unlike the original Legend of Zelda perspective. You fight bosses, like the one pictured on the games cover for this persective. Along the way you can receive upgrades for your ultimate killing machine of a tank. I remember playing this game quite a bit when I was a kid. I always got pretty far into it, but I never beat the game. I assume that the final boss would naturally be your pet frog, all radioactive and gigantic (kind of reminds you of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles doesn't it?). Lame side story aside, Sunsoft did a great job with this game. I would recommend this game to anyone. I would say it is more for the hard core gamer though, as it's quite a challenging game and as I remember there is no save feature. This is back in the good old days when you had to beat a game in a single setting. I might be wrong on the save thing but I don't think so. Either way, this game is very much so worth your time if you're a retro gamer like me.

Blaster Master For Nintendo NES

Blaster Master for the Nintendo Entertainment System is one of my personal favorites. You play the part of Jason who is a young teenage boy who's pet frog just escaped from his cage. The frog runs away and manages to escape in to a very deep hole not far from your house. Jason, the hero of the game, follows his pet frog in to the hole without realizing the dangers that await him. Upon landing at the bottom Jason just happens to discover a futuristic looking armored vehicle with weapon capabilities. Our hero then dons this suit of armor, which just happens to be his size and blasts off in his new super car in search of his pet frog. Along the way he'll battle radioactive waste controlled mutants before he can finally catch up to his pet frog. This game just keeps getting better as you proceed through each level adding on improvements to your super battle car which allow you to access new areas, new weapons and new enemies. Overall I would have to give Blaster Master a "GOOD" rating.

It's like Metroid, with a TANK!

This is yet another NES classic from some of the best days in gaming, sometimes described as "Metroid with a tank." Featuring side scrolling platforming action, combined with top-down shooting and exploring, Blaster Master is quite an adventure. Just prepare to be challenged by this fun, yet difficult game.

I remember having much fun with this game as a kid, and was amazed that during the platforming sequences that the character isn't confined to the "Sophia" tank, and can jump out when needed. On top of that, the multitude of powerups, large colorful bosses, and the big "open" world (for its day) made this one I kept going back to and still do now today.

Just beware of the lack of a save or password feature. This isn't a terribly short game, but don't worry - I can almost guarantee you'll lose track of time from start to finish with this excellent game.

Interesting concept but overall confusing

In the game you start off as a tank that can shoot horizontally or vertically. The tank can jump high and is pretty fast. Throughout the game you search for upgrades for the tank to make it better. The enemies vary greatly and some are tough while others are easy. Another interesting feature about the game is the ability for the driver to get out at any time from the tank and move and shoot on his own. He even can enter rooms and that is where many tank upgrades can be found. I didn't like the lack of direction in the game because you are pretty much in a maze and have no idea where to go. The tank's shooting mechanism could be a little better because it takes time for the gun to shoot up and it doesn’t shoot diagonally. The story in the game is also lacking. If I had the booklet I might have an idea what it going on but without one you are left guessing. The game is kind of fun but it is hard to enjoy the game without having a clue as to what is going on or what you have to do.