DF Retro: Blaster Master - An NES Classic Lives On! Plus Genesis, Game Boy and more.

[@timothymiller5539]

The Blaster Master Zero Trilogy has finally done this franchise justice in my opinion. Playing through bmz 1 and 2 before 3 comes out. Great video!

[@pingamalinga]

I just discovered BMZ on PS store 2 nights ago and have been enjoying it like I was 12 years old again. Very cool.

[@hilvystewy7298]

​@@pingamalingasame man

[@pingamalinga]

@@hilvystewy7298 Awesome. You too? Lots of fun.

[@MrMarinus18]

I love the original story. It's just so stupid that it's brilliant. NES games were severely limited in graphics so anything serious would just look corny and silly so they just kind of went with that. The story is super corny and silly so it matches the graphics perfectly.

[@bclikesyou]

Here after just picking up Blaster Master Zero 2. The original has been one of my favorite games since I was a kid. This is a solid retrospective. Good job!

[@SwordsmanOrion]

Absolutely in my top 5 NES games of all time. Blaster Master is one of the most memorable games in the NES library for me, and it doesn't get nearly as much love as it deserves.

[@redcrimson1028]

Joshua Norden It's one of my top nes games that I still play till this day, but it gets it's respect especially by the true hardcore gamers, why u think they made blaster master zero? Now here's hoping they make another game but with a more mature, gritty darker game instead of the 8 bit graphics.

[@paxhumana2015]

@@redcrimson1028 , Blaster Master Zero 2 and 3 are indeed darker than Blaster Master Zero, but they still retain the same game engine as that game.

[@redcrimson1028]

@@paxhumana2015 I know

[@hoodrichhaul7545]

Memorable yes! Frustrating at times yes! Rygar got me too. Music from these games just nostalgic.

[@Kairosdex]

AWESOME video! Thanks for doing this purely with voice over instead of the awkward staring at the camera for 30% of the vid! :) Most others probably don't care but I find this format a lot more interesting, looking at the visuals of the game and research a lot better!

[@dark1x]

Well, truth be told, the camera is useful in some episodes when I don't have enough material to fill the scene but have something to say.

[@redcrimson1028]

Herb Roy Agreed. I hope they make another blaster master game but I think they should make a more darker game written rwalistic graphics similar to super metroid but keep the game side view for the tank and top view for the out of vechile areas

[@cuznskunk70]

I still own my Nes version and got the 3ds version. Still one of my Favorite games. My son said they should have called it Blaster ReMaster.

[@badcp455]

Your son is clearly skilled at marketing. Companies struggling with marketing (like Capcom) could use him! 🙂

[@MasterZebulin]

**snicker** Okay, that's pretty clever. 😁

[@ArcadianLegend]

So Blaster Master Zero II is a game now.

[@whatareyoudoingyouidiot342]

Compared to BM Zero, it is a longer, more difficult game. Several of the weapons have been replaced, others were nerfed.

[@TalsarGeldon]

There's a 3 out now

[@Nick930]

I've been gaming since Super Mario World.. and never once have I heard of this game. Great video!

[@todesziege]

Well, it came out before Super Mario World ;)

[@jsnrpg2454]

I played the original as a kid , loved me some blaster master .

[@VoidHalo]

It was very underrated. But as far as NES games go, it holds up even today. It's the perfect NES metroidvania.

[@aneasteregg8171]

One of the best of the NES era. I think a lot of people who didn't grow up with NES games can't appreciate how ahead of its time this was in many ways. Also, that overhead Sophia gameplay looks like it has great potential. I hope they try that again in a future game, because with better controls and level design I could see that being really fun.

[@dtadeo2006]

This channel has turned into so much more than just fps comparisons!

[@danielpaul2695]

please please PLEASE more DF retro! been watching from the start and absolutely love this series! i can't get enough!

[@gabrieleriva651]

Why european studios in the 90s were so morbidly obsessed with BEES and FALLING DROPS as enemies????

[@dark1x]

Right? It's always water drops and bees. Usually in maze-like levels.

[@solidsnakegaming3756]

METAL GEAR SOLID 3 DF RETRO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@FinalBaton]

I think that water drops might hurt europeans in real life.

[@steo.c]

FinalBaton Doesn't hurt the Irish, it rains here non-stop xD

[@FinalBaton]

lol. true +Stephen Cullen

[@hotfistVODS]

Weird I am just now seeing this as I've been subbed to DF for a while. This was a great video! You should do more of these! I teared up when I heard about BMZ - the switch was, and still is my favorite nintendo system ever and as a handheld fanatic it was the best of everything - and now my favorite NES game, one of my top games ever is getting a sequel that finally looks like it'll do the original justice? was just one of those "best timeline" moments. And now, years later we got a crazy amazing trilogy out of it. It'd be fun to see you guys revisit this now that the trilogy is complete.

[@ezodagrom]

These DF Retro videos are always so nice to watch. Something that I think would be a nice series to look at in a future DF Retro video, a look back at Sonic's Mega Drive games after Sonic Mania releases, similar to this video about Blaster Master.

[@a00578480]

I remember getting this game as a kid and really liking it, but it is so brutally punishing that I couldn't get very far before being returned to the title screen to start over, and there was no save system. I love this series. Keep up the good work.

[@captainnintendo]

I was really impressed, not to mention surprised at how great Blaster Master Zero was. I also kinda like that you actually get a whole damn extra chapter with all new content for collecting all upgrades. Usually today, developers would never dare to lock that much content away from casuals.

[@orinanime]

Blaster Master: Blasting Again is definitely my favorite entry in the franchise (blasphemous I know). But I grew up on the NES game. And always wished for more guidance and save points. And BMBA delivered. Also I really enjoyed it for its story of the next generation dealing with the return of their parents enemies.

[@randytyson]

Happy to see this series continue. Hate when classics become forgotten to time

[@EposVox]

Never honestly heard of this, but it looks fun. Great video :)

[@drobnoxius9483]

@Remy Dean damn does anyone care?

[@Cocytus127]

When I first spotted Blasting Again on a store shelf I bought it immediately and played the whole game in one 8 hour sitting. Blaster Master will always be one of my top favorite franchises.

[@xiaolinstyle]

To this day Blaster Master has the most memorable soundtrack of any NES game. It's just amazing.

[@Panic.]

The original is one of my favorite games of all time. Used to rent it from the video store when I was a kid every weekend. The music is amazing. The remakes are pretty good as well.

[@Xpert74]

Great video! I've only ever played the NES game, but I love it. I actually took the time to map out every part of the sidescrolling overworld on graph paper, so I've committed a pretty decent amount of the game to memory, lol. That said, it's nice to see that Zero has an in-game map. I'll have to give that a shot!

[@sonofhamp]

One of my all time favorite games. All these years later I still play it a few times a year.

[@VoidHalo]

This was a real treat. I wasn't expecting a sort of deep dive into the technical details of one of my favourite (and one of the most underrated, imo) games on the NES.

[@Demonskunk]

Overdrive looks like a new grounds flash game...

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

You know why? Because it’s a 2D game without pixel art graphics or 2.5/3D models and environments. Think about it, Newgrounds and Flash games don’t rely on pixel art, but also aren’t 3D in any way. Instead, they use graphics like Overdrive. Therefore, Overdrive looks like a flash game because it tried to do the 2D style with higher resolution graphics. While it’s still not a good game, it doesn’t look like a flash game because it’s bad, it looks like one due to graphical style.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

Brian Donegan I never said they couldn’t, I just said they’re rare and the main examples of games using that style I could think of were flash games. I actually don’t even really like the 3D Models in 2.5D environments look that much. The Wonder Boy remakes are amazing too by the way, I love the artwork.

[@thewoosp2782]

I was Sega in the 8-bit era, I had never heard of Blaster Master till the Switch, great game! Had no idea there were sequels! The more you know! Keep it retro folks!

[@vdashgaming]

JUST started playing this game again after I saw the announcement for the remaster for Switch. Such a fantastic game to this day. Can actually stand toe-to-toe with modern games of the same genre or games in general. RIP SUNSOFT

[@shotgunl]

Great episode as always. I've always loved Blaster Master and a lot of SunSoft titles. Also, though Blaster Master Boy might not be a true Blaster Master game, it makes up for it with the excellent RoboWarrior/Bomber King soundtrack composed by Takeaki Kunimoto.

[@christianna3561]

Very well done! Loved all the background info! I did not have an NES but when the original Blaster Master was available on the Wii VC, I snatched it up. I still enjoy it today. I have the Genesis version and I have to agree with what you said. I later found out about the PS1 version and play it on my PS3. I also have the Wii War version and you nailed it also about the poor style of the visuals. I will be picking up Zero for my 3DS.

[@SeaToSkyImages]

I was obsessed with this game as a kid. Rented it every other weekend.

[@TheJadeknight7]

Blaster Master Zero is a fantastic game. Definitely a must buy for all Switch owners. Can't wait to see if they can make a proper sequel for it.

[@vlaja29]

Another excellent episode, John. You never fail to deliver. Have a nice weekend. :)

[@johnmecca9008]

EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT VIDEO!!! Very well done DF. I loved it!!

[@TheLastLineLive]

The people behind Sunsoft games in the NES days were outright masters of the hardware. It is a shame that Sunsoft isn't still making games today, Blaster Master Zero is a game they contracted out. I will be buying Zero on my Switch as soon as eShop goes back up. Also Blaster Master Blasting Again is imo an underrated game, I had a lot of fun with it and though it had some quirky issues, I felt was a pretty good 3D game for the series.

[@AM-el4iv]

30 years later I still remember the theme like if it was yesterday.

[@SovereignKnight74]

I love the Blaster Master series. You hit the nail on the head for the lowdown on some of the games in the series. Blaster Master, Original is no doubt a classic all time favorite. It is defiantly my favorite game for the NES next to the original LoZ. I did not care for the Sega,Game Boy Color and Wii interpretations. Blaster Master Blasting Again is actually a decent game. I loved it. Blaster Master Zero is fantastic! It was the second game I bought for the Switch next to LoZ Breath of The WIld. I would indeed like to see a modern 3D take on Blaster Master. I just don't want it to suck.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

Blaster Master overdrive really does look and feel like an early 2000’s flash game. I swear, I played one just like it back then.

[@c2ashman]

Love the DF Retro format. Keep up the excellent work. Thanks.

[@renanbianchi4094]

Thank god you came back for the games. Hold that like. Keep at it!

[@retroboy-fh1ji]

another great video from digital foundry! these retro reviews are amazing

[@ybhandari]

Blaster Master Zero turned out decently. Blaster Master Zero 2 was a huge improvement and is a must-play.

[@fabiocosta3830]

I think Shantae as a guest character boosted the sells even more :)

[@ignacio633]

Great video. Always have love this game. The original Blaster Master that is.

[@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269]

This was good 👍 Thank You, i learned everything i was hoping to learn when i clicked on this video.

[@rars0n]

Blaster Master was awesome! I wish I still had my original cart!

[@jamesiewalters2360]

my good sir, THIS needs updating.

[@dannydee2668]

I picked up blaster master on the switch knowing nothing about it and it's sat on my switch for a year so I searched on KZbin while killing time at work and this video came up. Now I can't wait to have a go sometime soon, dam you TOTK.

[@faiwaka]

Blaster Master zero on the Switch is awesome! It was one of favorite games on the NES and now on the Switch. The HD rumble is amazing also. when you jump into that pink goo it feels like your jumping out of jello COOL!!

[@enzowarren9832]

Isn’t it awesome that the original Blaster Master, some other retro Blaster Master, and Blaster Master Zero are available on the 3DS? I love that.

[@Scotl]

How to achieve 60fps for nes-games?

[@louie242y]

Vapor Trail baby!!!!! One of the best pieces of music ever.

[@KGRAMR]

To this day i still haven't killed the final boss on the NES but i love this game to death, too bad Sunsoft hasn't done anything new these days :( the game still looks very good today, thanks to the excellent use of tiling.

[@Nukle0n]

Water droplets hurt you in Blaster Master 2? Of course that's a thing in a game developed in Europe. For some reason every single european platformer of that era has deadly water droplets.

[@OMA2k]

What a great video! I thought DF only reviewed newer games. Keep on making videos like these!

[@batmangovno]

Another amazing episode. God bless you, John.

[@pritbrar7180]

It was ahead of its time

[@trinidadmetroid]

I played this when I was a little boy! My neighbour had it on the nes.

[@CBM64]

Great video! Played this for the first time a week ago on a modded NES mini.

[@earthnugs]

3:37 Does it really say "Let's anime"? That is hilarious.

[@theinstantnoodle9628]

Ian Baranek Nah, thats just for the video. The North American release had no text in the opening cutscenes.

[@WindyCornerTV]

Plus anime really wasn't a established term back then, it wasn't until the 2000s, the word anime became mainstream. Before then many companies used different terms like Japanimation, Manga Videos or Comic Videos.

[@MrJWTH]

WindyCornerTV Also, if it was established back then they likely would have maintained the anime inspired Metafight plot line.

[@dabloz145]

I've played this game in 1995 on my cousin's NES. man, time flies so fast..

[@GumikoVT]

I had never played blaster master until the switch, but the minute I turned it on, I realized I already know the 1st level song and can hum along. I must have heard it alot in the past, Im assuming people use it as backround music in videos I watch.

[@Capricorn_IV]

Any chance you could share your picture settings for the LG B6 OLED TV please John?

[@BADC0FFEE]

I really love the Genesis one, maybe even more than the original, it's definitely more difficult but I like that they removed the top down sections

[@radpeng]

Thanks for the interesting clip. I'd like to play Blaster Master Zero some other time.

[@MawcDrums]

As a Blaster Master speedrunner this episode was enthralling. Thanks!

[@ABlackPatriot]

MawcDrums you play the new one yet? I love it.

[@MawcDrums]

Not yet, it looks really cool though.

[@Simon74]

Morrowind DF Retro PLEASE! :)

[@Nazraq04]

I didn't realize that Blaster Master was the first Worlds of Power book. I got that and Ninja Gaiden at a book fair when I was a kid. It's crazy to think that was over 30 years ago!

[@The-Zer0th-Law]

dunno if you talked about this or plan to, but Inti has published development documentation for both Blaster Master Zero and Blaster Master Zero 2. And there's some interesting info, like a more detailed design of the tank, inspirations for Jason redesign, references to other Sunsoft games...

[@5persondude]

So *this* is where that NES tune that every single AVGN-wannabe uses comes from...

[@Dhlamedia]

It's unfortunate I never grew up with that Sunsoft title. Instead, I grew up with another Sunsoft title: Gremlins 2, which also had empty backgrounds during boss fights. Also, Journey to Silius. Too bad this game never took off as a franchise.

[@Daniel-it1dp]

Gremlins 2 was one of my favorite NES games.

[@Eltrotraw]

It's interesting to note that Silius originally started off as a Terminator game, but they couldn't get the rights to the franchise. The batman game (also developed by sunsoft) could've been something else if they couldn't get the batman rights

[@matthewdavis5486]

The image quality of these games are pretty sharp. Are these being displayed from the Analogue NT?

[@jbobdavis1984]

I remember playing Blaster Master on phone and "Wow, these graphics are amazing." My how things change

[@steo.c]

Of all the NES games I played and I love older games I'd never seen this game before. So I seen this video and just bought blaster master zero straight away. Love it :)

[@NickBanks55]

great video......one of my favorite Nes games...thanks

[@TenshiCat]

Thanks for showing an example of Mega Drive/Genesis music that's actually good to help show that the system's reputation for bad sound is undeserved, even if many western developed games for the system like Blaster Master 2 do add to it!

[@AOMINET]

Hi, Do you know the name of the game in the example? Sounds Great!

[@moosemaimer]

If you want to see a Western-developed Genesis game with decent music, look up Jesper Kyd's soundtrack to Batman & Robin. That whole game is a technological marvel, it does a lot of things that technically shouldn't be possible on the hardware.

[@redcrimson1028]

Tenshi Cat I thought the music was ok in part two I actually liked it, it wasn't better than the nes soundtrack but it was good

[@todesziege]

@@AOMINET Super late reply, but it's "Vapor Trail".

[@DubElementMusic]

such a high quality content

[@DandyDNA]

18:45 What game?

[@dark1x]

Vapor Trail

[@patrickrutherford5553]

Just bought blaster master zero 2 for Nintendo switch! Now I can play the original NES blaster master, blaster master zero 1&2 all in one place!!!

[@xCr00k3Dx]

23:30 my guess is that they're emulating the NES soundchip, but not the Sunsoft chip inside the cartridge, and the game _can_ run without that chip, so its still using the same channels and relatively the same effect, but with not nearly as high of quality.

[@MartinLeventon]

I have never played the game, but that music I seem to know off by heart !

[@GameplayandTalk]

I always wondered why people dislike the sequel on the Genesis. After watching this, I now understand.

[@PCtutorialKid]

I know its not all that retro, but I'd personally LOVE a DF Retro episode on the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series

[@RyuRanXII]

Another interesting episode, even though it's a series I'm not very familiar with.

[@raikoh05]

The No Doubt counter is off the charts. Don't speak! I know just what you're saying.

[@kevinfishburne]

Nice Area 88 background music. Thought it was my radio station for a moment.

[@ChaossX77]

Why would they use non-integer scaling? Any benefit or reasoning? Is it still used on the zero 2 and 3?

[@hikaruk.981]

It took me a while to place that VRC6-ized version of that UN Squadron (arcade) Stage 2 theme.

[@chrisw8069]

Excellent. Enjoyed watching this. Thanks

[@Bobby8451]

My favorite game of all time! Sunsoft has put out some great games with awesome sountracks.

[@EJ_Crough]

The video quality of these old games looks a lot better than anything I've seen before. Is the NES footage being captured from the Analogue NT mini? Why does this look sooo much better than any other HD video of NES games?

[@dark1x]

EJ Crough Yep, it's from an Analogue Nt via HDMI. The other consoles were captured using the Framemeister as usual.

[@joshuataylor8523]

Anybody else with kids start singing the Sophia the First theme everytime they hear Sophia III?

[@randallgoeswhere]

BM was one of the all time greats.

[@Reclaimer07]

Never played this game before but after watching this I definitely need to pick up the Zero remake on the 3DS.

[@robertwahlstrom]

Personally actually think the blaster Master Zero trilogy is not just the best Blaster master game ever made, I actually think it's one of the best Metroid Vania that been ever made.

[@darksidehero]

Blaster Master is one of the best looking PS1 games released.

[@coolbluelights]

Great great video! most of these game review videos have me bored about 1/4 of the way through. Excellent presentation!

[@WH250398]

Suggestions: Resident Evil n64 Prince of Persia 1989 Prince of Persia the Sands of Time Rayman 2 Spyro The Dragon Metal Gear Pacman Killzone Grand Theft Auto Silent Hill Bubsy 3D

[@antshield]

This was my first DF video a year ago.

[@DmitryChmelyov]

Growing up in Russia with a famiclone, I knew this game by its pirated name, BACK TO THE FUTURE 4. Oh yeah.

[@todesziege]

It seems oddly fitting, somehow.

[@Scotl]

I want a remaster of Guardian Legends 🥺

[@NecromancerAdr]

Someday DF Retro will cover Black for PS2.

[@batmangovno]

NecromancerAdr Hopefully, that game looked amazing, I still wonder how they pulled it off.

[@NecromancerAdr]

The game has some nice explosion effects that blew my away back then. I recently grabbed a copy for the original Xbox (which I didn't know existed) and played on a 360 in an HDTV and it looks even better.

[@hunainmeo]

That game had destructible environments.That I did not see for many years after it.

[@NecromancerAdr]

That, and simple things like the off- focus effect you get when reloading your weapon. It's a minor detail, but it's interesting to realize that not many shooters have it.

[@hunainmeo]

I remember that and you could also disable that effect by pressing the square button so it would not bother someone.That's how much effort they put into making that game.