When Sunsoft announced their return to western development last December, they made a re-release of their original Blaster Master on the Wii's Virtual Console their first priority. Now Blaster Master fans have a even more to be excited about: Sunsoft has announced that a brand new sequel called Blaster Master: Overdrive will be released on WiiWare this Monday, February 8.
In Blaster Master Overdrive, players control Alex, the world's "foremost biologist," as he attempts to save humanity from a virus that has mutated animals into flesh-eating beasts. Like the original Blaster Master, this will involve shooting the hell out of these mutant animals in both side-scrolling segments where Alex pilots a tank-like, shape-shifting vehicle called S.O.P.H.I.A. (which Sunsoft goes out of their way to describe as "gas-guzzling," meaning both PETA and environmentalist groups are sure to love this game) along with shooting action from an overhead perspective when Alex engages the beasts on foot.
Overdrive will feature eight "distinct areas," with each having a boss creature to defeat at the end. But to reach all of them, you'll have to collect upgrades for S.O.P.H.I.A. along the way. And no, apparently Sunsoft didn't bother to try to explain what the acronym S.O.P.H.I.A. stands for. (Our best guess: Self Operated Portable Hull to Initiate Action.)

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