Blaster Master Zero 3 (Switch)

 

Return of the Blaster Master

The third and final (?) part of this reboot trilogy of the classic Blaster Master-series. I've played the first game on 3DS and Switch and the second game on Switch. Began playing this just after Ys IX, which was kinda interesting since both games starts you just escaped from prison. Then I stopped like I usually do with these games and then finished it finally. 

Story is that you arrived at planet Sophia, but Jason and Eva was taken in by the military since they registered Eva being a mutant. So Jason breaks out thanks to Kane Gardner, the scientist behind Eva so you gotta track Eva down since she disappeared. On this journey you then got Leibniz from the second game to be your co-pilot. In the end it turns out that Eva have been affected by the mutants at the end of 2 which led to her becoming the Mutant Queen and the mutants becoming more aggressive to protect her. As Jason reach her she decides to leave this dimension behind. Now, during the cut-scene you can activate the system that allows you to enter different dimensions and see her through feelings. I only got it since I looked up how to defeat the "final boss", which I didn't have to do since I got it with the changing colours of the boss anyway. But I got the secret behind it and could get to Area ???.

Area ??? is some time after and apparently a rip through dimensions appeared and you have to find Eva and stop her. Basically you travel through areas from the first game (with the same music), fighting bosses from the second game. Which is hard since you hardly have any upgrades or weapons. But I did it! And the twist is that it isn't Jason, but Kane Gardner that was sent by the Sophia forces to investigate and eliminate the threat from the mutants. The final boss is Jason that joined with Eva in this other dimension. Or it's Kane Gardner depending on which one you choses at the end. First time I was Kane and got obliterated. Then I got some upgrades and by mistake got Jason, but I take it since it was easier to blow Kane up. You get to the ending and it turns out Eva and Jason have been birthing twin humans and intended to give them too Leibniz to raise them on earth since they themselves couldn't leave this dimension. The end.

The ending was worth it, but it was hard at times and a bit unfair I feel. Of all the games, I would rank the first game the best. Basically, that's the only game that hold up from beginning to end. Both sequels take me to a point where I get so irritated that I rage quit, and then a couple of months come back and go for the end. The only thing that works better in the sequels is getting the special endings since the first was 100 % get all items, but the others you get to reach certain conditions that don't get my OCD running.

Blaster Master Zero 2 (Switch)

Back to become the blaster master!

I played Blaster Master Zero when it got released and I got it for both Switch and 3DS and it was a fun ride. And now the sequel have arrived... although the first game was pretty much a reboot of the original game this one isn't for the second game, I assume mostly due to not being made by the original team.  Still, I haven't yet finished the original NES version. Story is that after the battle in the last game Eve was infected by the mutants and to cure her Jason, Fred and Eve set out into space to find planet Sophia where she came from. And the first thing that happens is the Gaia-Sophia dropping onto a planets surface introducing the latest mechanic as falling from great heights give you back some SP for your special attacks. Obviously the first test makes it so that you can't leave the planet due to damaging the booster so you got your work cut out for you. Basically structured the same as last game. Travel in the Sophia and find caves to enter as Jason and gather power ups. The special thing this game is star maps so when you travel back into space can find another planet or spaceship. Gather keys from bosses to enter wormholes and such.

This actually make it much easier than last game due to not having to travel across the whole planet and they bitesized it in different big and small planets. I enjoyed it since I don't get as lost and you don't need to play it relatively fresh to know where to go. This time there is also other peoples in the game, other blaster master I gather. And obviously you gotta fight them all. And they are the toughest enemies in the game. Stein in his Atom especially. He just blast me, but after slowing down and more focus on not getting hit I defeated him and continued the adventure. Like last time there is a bad ending and a good ending. This time I got it just playing normally since I gathered the different emblems from the blaster masters and nothing about getting 100 % items. The boss that divides the good and the bad ending is a huge planet that you gotta crash into. Amazing! Sadly the part up the true ending isn't that fun I think. The planet mutant had swallowed the wormhole to Sophia and defeating him separates Jason and Eve and you get to play as Eve instead. Which is nice, but it's a long walk just without a tank in the overworld, meaning that high jumps are instant-death and everything hits like a tank. You get a tank, but it doesn't have the same functions and are pretty much a downgrade. That feels bad to me, I want it to be in Metriod Zero after losing her first suit, Samus find the fully upgraded armour and just wrecks things up. Empowerment. But the scene when all Blaster Master joins up to defeat the mutant cocoon and save Jason from petrification is awesome.

It was a fun game, a bit frustrating at times with certain bosses while most tank bosses outside the other Blaster Masters were fun fighting like the walking mountain. Decent music, but there isn't something equal to the pumping level 1 track from the first game. Graphics looks nice and each planet or area is distinct. Fun playing as Eve, but she should have had something like Sophia Zero from the first game to just empower her.

Blaster Master Zero

As long as there is no zombies, bugs or trains I'm game.

And another Switch game. And I completely played it the wrong way. Just for completion I got it both for Switch and the 3DS and started on the 3DS, but then they released DLC so I got it since it was free and suddenly I could play as Gunvolt from the Guvolt-series by the same creators. SO I played that on the Switch version and finished it and I was gonna call it quits, but something told me to at least play it as intended to get the story. So I did. And I don't know which version is better. Playing as Jason has much stronger attacks that utterly destroys the enemies... as long as you don't get hit since each time you get hit you loose one upgrade of your weapon until you can power it up again. The main reason why I haven't finished the original game on the 3DS virtual console. Gunvolt was easier in that regard since you are more about hitting the enemy ones and then shock the enemies as long as your energy meter has something in it. Then run around until it recharged itself. Much easier, but the weapon is weaker... and that I didn't figure out that you could lock your attack pattern with a press of the right trigger. 

As Gunvolt easy as hell even if looking intimidating, cheap as hell as Jason.

So the story is that the earth has been hit by an ice age due to war and catastrophes and humanity hid underground for a couple of hundred years and are slowly rebuilding the ecosystem, but a comet have hit the planet. Jason Furdnick is a... whatever, he knows machines at least find an unexplained frog he names Fred. One day Fred escaped into a wormhole and as Jason follows he stumbles upon... tank I would guess, named Sophia III. He enters it and sets out to find Fred. Going through a former residential area he discovers a girl named Eve and she joins as a co-pilot and help him find Fred. And after discovering Fred it's revealed that he is a... robot that was sent out by an alien race together with Sophia III and Eve to fight the mutants that have arrived to earth with the comet and the mission changes to stop him. You fight your way until Area 8 where you fight the Mutant Lord... which I guess was the Blaster Master in the original game. And then the game ends I gotta say, the wave beam of Jason was a lot quicker than the electric gun Gunvolt used and... what? It doesn't end here? Is it like the Castlevania-games where additional characters only can play a part of the game and not the end game? Well talk about surprising me.

So you didn't get to fight through the boss rush? Update: Well, I guessed I missed something since he should be able to get to Area 9, but I don't know what I possible missed since I got all bosses and health, must have missed some upgrade somewhere.

What happens is that Eve knocks you out and takes Sophia III to fight the Mutant Core alone. Fred opens up another wormhole revealing Sophia Zero. And you are of to rescue Eve traveling through a maze like dream area where you have to fight of each boss again in groups of three. Except the first one, Mother Brain that you fight... well three times, but on two separate occasions. Then you find what I guess is the space ship the Sophias are modelled after where you find Sophia III taken over by the Mutant Core with Eve entangled by roots. So an epic battle between the Sophias where the best tactic is fire at  it until it sets up the Acceleration Beam, jump behind him and start up your own and blast it away. Jump out and board the Sophia III to rescue Eve and then blast it away. The End. I really enjoyed it. And I know I will hate playing through the original where I will miss the map, the quick weapon change, the guard for  losing the weapons upgrade and the target lock. Improvements that I bet wasn't in the original. And the music. I knew it was good from the original, but another benefit from playing Gunvolt first was that Gunvolt only have one track for dungeons while Jason changes it, but I actually prefers Gunvolt. I gotta continue play Azure Striker Gunvolt. The music must be in there as well. And with this I finished all Switch games I own... well maybe not Mario Kart 8, but it's a party game, not something you really complete... or Shovel Knight, but I finished it on both Wii U and 3DS... except the Spectre of Torment DLC... *sigh* I gonna fix that.... some day.