Sega Nerds

E3 2008: Golden Axe: Beast Rider, details and lack of co-op explained

Posted by Graham. Filed under G, Microsoft Xbox 360, News, Sony PlayStation 3. Tagged with E3 2008, Golden Axe Beast Rider, Secret Level.

This game has caused a lot of mixed emotions from the depths of the Sega Nerds members.

Some people are just outraged at the idea of only being able to play as Tyris, and the game having no form of co-op mode - which is what the series is famed for.  And some people just seem to be angry at other issues with the game - one thing I heard was that the game looks “too brown.”  Well i guess, each to their own (I’ve complained about random things before now).

Others are trying to stay more positive on the situation - which is a catagory I guess I fall under.  I think the game looks like it has the potential to be a decent Hack N’ Slash title.  I’m not looking at it as a true Golden Axe sequel though, more of a spin-off action title.

Anyway, Sega has released a few more screenshots and details on the game.  Plus they have given a response to the mounting complaints about the lack of co-op, as Joystiq hunted down Sega’s VP of marketing, Sean Ratcliffe, and asked him the awkward question.

“Rightly or wrongly, we don’t have co-op multiplayer in the game,” he offered, a statement that was met with a short, yet uncomfortable pause. “I think as much as anything it’s taking inspiration from the original series but in terms of that multiplayer co-op the developer decided that they didn’t want to take the game in that direction.”

“If Golden Axe: Beast Rider is successful,” he added, “we can then come back with something else that maybe will have the co-op mode that everyone is wishing this game has.”

Hopefully the game will be a success - because it seems that is the only way we will get a true sequel for the game… which surely is some form of terrorism or at least bribery.

Screenshots

 

   

Concept Art

   

Details

One of SEGA’s most popular franchises storms onto the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360^TM video game and entertainment system. As the unstoppable Tyris Flare, players will engage in vicious melee combat both on foot and atop massive mythical beasts, savaging enemies with blades and magic on a quest for vengeance. This highly-anticipated re-imagination is guaranteed to leave the fans reeling with incredible graphics and never-before-seen character skills and abilities.

Key Features:

• Beast-Riding and Savage Combat:  Players will cut down enemies while riding on an array of deadly, magical beasts.
• Brutal Melee Action:  Unleash barbaric killing moves and dismembering attacks against Death Adder’s minions.
• Spells & Magic Weapons:  Weapon upgrades and powerful unlockable elemental-based spells and magic will give players the advantage in battle.
• Harsh & Desolate Landscapes:  Explore and survive a huge and ravaged world.
• Classic Golden Axe Legacy:  As the young warrior, Tyris Flare, players will encounter familiar friends and foes, and collect power-ups from pesky gnomes in a magical world of beasts.
• New Story Details Revealed: Players will discover events that took place before the original storyline as Tyris Flare, the famous half-Gladiator/half-Barbarian heroine, begins the epic quest to avenge her tribe.

[Source: Sega PR and Joystiq]