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Blaster Master rework shoots up WiiWare

Nintendo Store Update: Sunsoft's classic NES action adventure reimagined for publisher's online console; Tomena Sanner, Fieldrunners, Bloons, and more now available.

The Wii will be getting a shot from the past this week, but it won't be coming exclusively from the Virtual Console. Leading the week's Nintendo Store update is Sunsoft's Blaster Master Overdrive, a redux of the classic NES action adventure. Available for 1,000 Wii points ($10), the new game revisits the original's mix of tank- and solider-based gameplay, as biology wunderkind Alex pilots the volatile war weapon S.O.P.H.I.A. to defeat a humanity-consuming virus.

Joining Sunsoft's WiiWare title will be Konami's Tomena Sanner. Available for 500 Wii points ($5), the madcap side-scrolling adventure game sees businessman Hitoshi Susumu sprinting through levels populated by, among other obstacles, samurais, dinosaurs, and cowboys. Hands-On Mobile's balloon-popping puzzler Bloons and Teyon's minigame compilation Hubert the Teddy Bear Winter Games also arrive on WiiWare this week for 500 Wii points ($5).

The NES Blaster Master, in all its 8-bit glory.

The NES Blaster Master, in all its 8-bit glory.

Nintendo's DSiWare shop is in for an equally busy week, as five new downloadable portable titles have been added to the service. Virtual Playground will provide the pricey offering with Oscar in Movieland, which sells for 800 DSi points ($8). A continuation of Oscar in Toyland, the platformer sees the titular hero navigating brightly lit levels while collecting balloons.

Subatomic Studios' Fieldrunners, Nintendo's Link 'n' Launch, and 4Pockets' Sudoku all come in at the 500 DSi points ($5) level. Fieldrunners offers tower-defense-style gameplay on the go, while Link 'n' Launch is a puzzle game in which players align tiles in an effort to feed fuel into their space-faring rocket. 4Pockets' Sudoku offers 3,600 number-based puzzles. Lastly, Gamelion's Extreme Hangman brings the classic hidden-word guessing game to the DSi for 200 points ($2).

This week's Virtual Console addition is Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom. Originally released for the NES by Hudson, the adventure game follows the exploits of Sir Cucumber, who attempts to rescue Princess Tomato from the sinister clutches of Minister Pumpkin. The game is available for 500 Wii points ($5).

19 Comments

  • KimCheeWarriorX

    Posted Feb 11, 2010 4:17 am GMT

    I'm still waiting for the TG-16 CD-ROM versions of Ys 3 & 4 to hit the Virtual Console.

  • dark_surge

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 9:13 am GMT

    I just beat the original again in anticipation for this.

    Blaster Master was such a great game, and ahead of it's time.

  • Raiden_Kitsune

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 8:47 am GMT

    Just might be what finally pushed me to get a Wii. My second favorite classic game coming back for another round.

    Now if we'd just get a new Guardian Legend...but that's likely too much to hope for.

  • Dualmask

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 6:57 am GMT

    I stumbled across this info yesterday and looked for it on Gamespot so I could add it to my watch list and they had no info on it, so I posted a blog to raise awareness. Sunsoft did like, nothing to let the world know this was coming. Heck, I was playing "Journey to Silius" on my NES the other day (also made by Sunsoft) and I was thinking "Sunsoft made some awesome games back in the day. Whatever happened to them?" Now I know.

  • Rahnyc4

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 6:10 am GMT

    wiiware is giving that old school fix many old school gamers need.

  • snipergimp

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 5:23 am GMT

    First game I ever owned for the NES was Blaster Master, I will be checking this out.

  • efunk25

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 5:03 am GMT

    Blaster Master! Ths game was the best.

  • Sirbobislost

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 2:41 am GMT

    Oh man one of the first games I ever got blaster master is awesome would be defo getting this if I didn't still have a nes and a copy of the game

  • destrega55

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 2:19 am GMT

    Where is the love for Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom? That was one of my favourite games back in the day. The forest maze drove me nuts, but otherwise I loved this game. I rented the hell out of it.

  • SDBusDriver1979

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 12:21 am GMT

    This is relevant to my interest

  • Opalance

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 11:48 pm GMT

    oh crap, I totally forgot about this game but as soon as I heard the name it snapped back into memory. Man, I actually remember this, a tiny bit of my childhood I can actually remember! T.T Love the premise of the game too, dude chilling out with his pet frog, it hops outside, onto a random crate of radioactive material, it mutates, and jumps down into a hole into another world right next to a tank and the dude just jumps in and starts driving the tank.

  • KristoffBrujah

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 9:05 pm GMT

    SWEET! Blaster Master = win! I can't wait.

  • Guzthon

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 8:07 pm GMT

    Excellent news (for the 2D/old school vidoe game fans and players)! I wish that SunSoft release all the Blaster Master game in 1 disc.
    "The S.O.P.H.I.A. Tank is the best vehicule ever (with Hyper Beam, Hover Engine, Dive Motor,Wall adaptors, Crusher Beam, High Jump, Engine Boost and Hybrid Armor). Note; items from Blaster Master (NES) and MB: Enemy Below (GBC).

  • Jag-T1000

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 6:42 pm GMT

    Blaster Master was a great game. The only bad thing was that there were no save points or passwords. From begginning to end it took me almost 2 hours to finish!

  • nakasa5

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 6:17 pm GMT

    What a great unexpected surprise! However, I would rather have the original!

  • silverwings21

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 6:09 pm GMT

    Nice marketing Sunsoft, announce the game only 2 days before you release it. This is one of my all time favorite games, so of course I'd want to get it the day it's released, which I almost missed.

  • solidine

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 5:53 pm GMT

    Not sure about an updated version, but I want to see it none the less.
    The original was awesome.

    I even had that novel.

  • luffy11234

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 5:28 pm GMT

    blaster master was a great game for the nes. Gonna buy this whenever i get my next card.

  • daveneonfarrell

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 5:18 pm GMT

    WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Im buying that right now!!!! Blaster Master was one of my all time favorite NES titles.

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