Wii Critic Reviews

The unique blend of platforming and shooting, not to mention two different perspectives, give Blaster Master: Overdrive everything fans of original game could possibly want. Toss in some amazing gameplay tweaks and give the game a smoother difficulty curve and what you have is easily one of the best WiiWare games on the service and a fitting update to one of the all-time NES classics.

Only a few awkward controls hamper an otherwise loving update. [Oct 2010, p.87]

Unashamedly old-school, this puts gameplay fairly ahead of gloss. [Aug 2010, p.96]

Still, even with these issues -- and some save points that are just a tad too far apart -- Blaster Master: Overdrive remains the most competent revisitation of the Blaster Master series.

The best thing I can say about Overdrive is that it feels just like Blaster Master, with a few great new improvements and a few small new flaws.

The fact that Blaster Master Overdrive plays so similarly to the original may tickle your nostalgia bone. But there is no reason we couldn't have had a few more save points to keep frustration levels down and a control scheme that won't give us cramps.

The game has some pretty cool features, even though many of them are old hat at this point. Overall, the package feels slapped together - more a proof of concept than an actual game. The location of most save points is sure to be a source of frustration for most folks, and ultimately, it's a game that begs to not be played.

There's an important lesson in Overdrive: Just because something was fun in the past doesn't make it classic.

Blaster Master Overdrive could have been a great trip down memory lane, but instead the road is blocked by sluggish, physically painful controls and an extremely high level of difficulty that makes the experience a dreadful one.

Being a fan of the original NES Blaster Master, I really wanted to like this new sequel but the game's many crater-sized flaws hold it back from being a great follow up.