Golden Axe: Beast Rider impressions

by Christopher Grant { May 16th 2008 at 2:40PM }

Bad news, kids: Golden Axe: Beast Rider won't have any co-op play. Nigel Cook, Senior Producer at Secret Level, Sega's Bay Area studio creating the arcade "reimagining", said it was a "difficult decision" to remove the original's group gameplay and "focus on one player for the first game in the franchise." So, there are going to be more titles, and "the second game in the franchise is going to have all the characters in co-op," but for the first installment it's all about perfecting the combat. Now that you've had a moment to digest the very concept of a Golden Axe without cooperative play, let's discuss that combat system.

Beast combat is what makes the game special, Cook tells us, but it's not the only combat offered. He compared the game's melee system to action paragon Devil May Cry, and the arcade's magic system is back as well. First, the beasts: There are five offered in the game including a giant gorilla, a cheetah-like cat thing that can become invisible, and the "raptor," an enormous T-Rex-esque reptile with a scorpion tail. As you can see, historical accuracy is very important in Beast Rider.

Gallery: Golden Axe: Beast Rider

The beasts are "disposable weapons of war" – you don't heal them and care for them; you use them and grab another. But they're also alive. If they get attacked, you'll have to deal with a feisty beastie. Your enemies can also ride beasts, so expect some hot beast-on-beast combat action.

The melee combat on display followed protagonist Tyris Flare from setup to setup, finishing off the baddies before progressing. This might require defeating a miniboss before lowering a gate, or throwing an enemy onto spikes, their blood triggering the gate's switch. The combat employs a parry and evade system to flesh out the melee – time your parry just right and you'll trigger a "cinematic brutal kill" which seems to be unique for most enemies. Some enemies are dismembered by attacks, while others may need to have layers of armor knocked off before you can deal damage to them. There's a captain / minion relationship with some enemies as well, recalling the arcade original. Defeat the minions first before trying on the captain, or they'll go into a frenzy when their leader gets whacked.

Like in the arcade original, you'll be able to kick (err, kill in this case) gnomes for colored power-ups. They've added additional power-ups, so it's not just health and magic this time. You'll be able to snag loot from them as well. The game has a reward system based on your efficacy and skill, allowing you to unlock additional weapons (up to 10, including the Golden Axe) and outfits (including the arcade's skimpy bikini).

We'll see more of Golden Axe: Beast Rider at E3 in July.

Tags: Golden-Axe-Beast-Rider, Secret-Level, Sega

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

nmezib @ May 16th 2008 2:55PM

"difficult decision?" Read: decision as dumb as a hamster's taint.

Golden Axe was a great game in its own right back in the early 90s or so when it was popular, but let's face it, the only reason it was popular was because you could go at it and wallop midgets with a friend sitting (or standing) next to you.

well sometimes good things come to those who wait, and apparently that good thing is co-op: something that should be in there Day 1.

Phranctoast @ May 16th 2008 2:56PM

Not too impressive graphically....to put it nice :)

Tim @ May 16th 2008 3:20PM

I knew a guy in college who could beat Golden Axe (arcade version) with one hand. There was also a guy who could play pretty well with his feet.

Ally @ May 16th 2008 4:25PM

Impressive.

I can type with my nose, just for the record.

Superstar90 @ May 16th 2008 4:55PM

iom tuyoping w9ith ,my hgen itAL;S

riggs @ May 16th 2008 11:58PM

no wonder youre typing in shorthand^

Zoot Suit Jedi @ May 16th 2008 3:21PM

FAIL.

Horrible. I cannot express correctly in words how disgusted I am with this announcement. I was soooo incredibly excited to see a childhood favorite reborn.

A sad day indeed.

Paulo @ May 16th 2008 3:24PM

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
That is at least 10 kinds of lame.

I hate how some of these "remakes" totally BUTCHERED the gameplay of old classics just because of their lazyness.

sdb @ May 16th 2008 3:35PM

is anyone else noticing lately that game studios are becoming like movie studios?
step 1: buy some old IP nobody is using
step 2: butcher it horribly
step 3: pretend there is profit when its actually an epic fail?
step 4: after the movie (or game) is made when the bad reviews come out plug your ears and say lalala i can't hear you
step 5: go bankrupt, or at very least blame someone else and get them fired

BigD145 @ May 16th 2008 3:42PM

You've just described most corporate interests and how they work loopholes in America. The company will go bankrupt and the owner and investors get a payout with very low taxes.

Long Bow @ May 16th 2008 4:04PM

The bad thing is, they'll blame the general public for not buying their craptastic version when they fail to sell enough copies to make a profit.

Knives @ May 27th 2008 5:39AM

Oh what the hell. I've played the whole series and finished every single game. I used to spend a ton of money as a kid on the arcade version (the really awesome one with the brilliant graphics) and later I've used arcade emulators to play it.

But it has always been with a friend.

If they're hoping to cash in on the old fan-base, they fucked up horribly. If they're trying to "recreate" the series for new fans - well, it doesn't have the oldbies' grace. So unless it's proper good, it'll go the same way Gauntlet did.

I'm sorry, I usually never judge a game before I at least see it in action - but what're they going to capital on to make this appeal to Golden Axe fans? Riding dinosaurs?

Oh, ha, wait. Douchebags.