Software:Blaster Master: Blasting Again

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Short description: 2000 video game
Blaster Master: Blasting Again
North American box art
Developer(s)Art System
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Kiyoshi Kitabayashi
Producer(s)Naoki Matsunaga
Programmer(s)Kiyoshi Kitabayashi
Writer(s)Junji Miyoshi
Naoki Matsunaga
Composer(s)Satoshi Asano
SeriesBlaster Master
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP: July 13, 2000
  • EU: September 8, 2000
  • NA: November 21, 2001
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Blaster Master: Blasting Again (known as Blaster Master in Japan) is a 2000 action-adventure video game developed by Art System and published by Sunsoft in Japan and Europe and Crave Entertainment in North America for the PlayStation. The fifth title in the Blaster Master series, it was released in Japan in July 2000, Europe in September 2000, and North America in November 2001.

Gameplay

Blaster Master: Blasting Again is a third-person 3D platformer in which the player takes control of the high-tech, all-terrain combat vehicle SOPHIA J-7. The player navigates through several areas of caverns to uncover and ultimately stop the treacherous plans of a mysterious alien race of Lightning Beings. On some occasions the player's character must exit SOPHIA and go solo through alien complexes. As the game progresses, the player will earn upgrades for SOPHIA, and be able to salvage weapon upgrades for the pilot. The player views cut-scenes that convey the key elements in the story. The character will fight a boss at the end of each stage.

The player's character is Roddy, a sixteen-year-old boy at the helm of an all-terrain combat vehicle, SOPHIA. The player pilots SOPHIA through a labyrinth of 3D rooms in search of clues to the enemy's movements. Occasionally the player will encounter enemy installations or limiting topography that will force Roddy to leave Sophia, and advance on foot. As the game progresses, new equipment will be made available for SOPHIA, allowing access to new areas.

Plot

In Blaster Master, Jason first encountered the Lightning Beings and their leader at the time, the Plutonium Boss. With the help of Eve and Sophia 3rd, the Plutonium Boss' plans were eliminated. However, the threat of the Lightning Beings persisted and Jason spent the next many years defeating them time and time again. Eventually, in between missions and prowling the underground keeping monsters at bay, Jason and Eve bore two children, Roddy and Elfie.

Several years after Eve's subsequent death, Jason met an untimely death at the hands of Lightning Beings. Five years after the death of Eve, the Earth is plagued by a mysterious geological phenomenon and natural disasters. Having rebuilt Sophia 4th into Sophia J-7 (to honor the name of their father, Jason), Roddy and Elfie take up the mantle of Earth's protectors at a very young age.

A suspicious bout of activity from the Lightning Beings prompts Roddy and Elfie to investigate. As Roddy takes Sophia underground to battle his foes, he learns that someone has resurrected the power of the Plutonium Boss and that the sequences of events are connected to the alien heritage of the siblings' mother.

Development

Although the game is a sequel to the original Blaster Master for the NES, the writers of Blasting Again used elements from the Worlds of Power novelization of Blaster Master in the game's storyline. Particularly, the character of Eve, an original character from the novel who was not in the NES game, was introduced in Blasting Again as the wife of Jason and the mother of Roddy and Elfie.[1] The game was initially meant to be published in North America by Sunsoft on November 7, 2000,[2] before Crave Entertainment eventually released the game the following year on November 21, 2001.[3][4]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings74%[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM6.5/10[6]
Game Informer5/10[2]
GameSpot7.7/10[7]
OPM (UK)3/10[9]
OPM (US)StarStarStar[8]

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Struck, Shawn; Sharkey, Scott (August 3, 2006). "8-Bit Lit: Inside the NES' Worlds of Power Series (Page 3)". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110709142922/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=2&cId=3152540. Retrieved November 22, 2008. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Helgeson, Matt (December 2000). "Blaster Master: Blasting Again". Game Informer (92): 112. 
  3. ↑ "Blaster Master: Blasting Again" (in en). October 5, 2000. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/10/05/blaster-master-blasting-again. 
  4. ↑ "Blaster Master: Blasting Again PS". http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/categories/products/product.asp?pf_id=213306. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Blaster Master: Blasting Again for PlayStation". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/196776-blaster-master-blasting-again/index.html. Retrieved May 29, 2016. 
  6. ↑ EGM staff (December 2000). "Blaster Master: Blasting Again". Electronic Gaming Monthly. 
  7. ↑ Provo, Frank (September 7, 2000). "Blaster Master: Blasting Again Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/blaster-master-blasting-again-review/1900-2625684/. Retrieved May 29, 2016. 
  8. ↑ "Blaster Master: Blasting Again". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. November 2000. 
  9. ↑ "Blaster Master". Official UK PlayStation Magazine (Future Publishing) (62). September 2000. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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