Sega Nerds

G-Spot: Is making Golden Axe: Beast Rider a bad idea?

Posted by Graham. Filed under G, Microsoft Xbox 360, Multi-platform, News, Nintendo Wii, Retro, Sony PlayStation 2. Tagged with G-Spot, Golden Axe, Master System, MegaDrive, Saturn, XBLA.

There comes a time in every Sega Nerd’s life when you have to question what Sega is doing with their classic franchises.  This could be something as basic as “Why haven’t they made a new game of X, Y or Z.”  [X, Y and Z of course being Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia and Panzer Dragoon Saga ;o) ]

Or it could be the question - “Is releasing a new game of *blank* actually a good idea, or will it ruin the franchise?”  

It happened with NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, some people ended up loving the game and others berate it for not being similar enough to or as good as the original.

In this case, game *Blank* is Golden Axe: Beast Rider.

There has been a bit of rift amongst gamers and Sega Nerds with the upcoming Golden Axe game.  It all first came about, when it was announced that the game would only feature Tyris Flare as a playable character, and none of the other main characters which made the series famous.

But I think people should sit down and have a look back at just what the Golden Axe series actually entails.

When people look back upon the glory days of Golden Axe, what do they think of?  Normally it would be a fun filled side scrolling beat ‘em up, with some fun co-operative play, and the choice of playing as a badass dwarf with a huge axe, a sexy lady wearing a bikini or a man with large muscles wearing nought but a pair of very tight Speedos.

Naturally most players would have opted for the dwarf and the hot semi-naked lady.  But you did get some ‘weirdos’ who felt the need to strut around in swimming trunks every now and then.

Anyway, that’s what people remember - a fun two player fighting game.

So when Sega/Secret Level told us that they were taking out the fun co-op mode in the new Golden Axe, it means that the game is going to be rubbish, and is going against the whole concept of what a Golden Axe game is.  Right?

Well technically no.

The fact of the matter is that the Golden Axe franchise is not filled with fun co-op based games at all.  Just two are, and I reckon the majority of gamers will have only played one of them - as the other is Arcade only.

The “good” games:

Golden Axe

Golden Axe was originally on the Arcade and a little later on the Megadrive, it was then ported onto about a million other consoles, (and more recently on the Virtual Console and XBLA) -

It is without a doubt the most famous Golden Axe game in the series, and the one that everyone relates the “Golden Axe” name to.

This is the game that conjures up memories of playing with a friend, beating up those damn midget thief gnomes, and fighting over who gets to ride the pretty red dragon, or hopping on the weird bird-lizard thing (that swipes it’s tail).

Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder

The other fun game is Arcade only, Revenge of Death Adder, which I must admit I have not played myself. 

But everyone who has claims it’s the best game in the series.  And reading more about it - it does sound awesome, with branching paths, better visuals and sound.

The other games in the franchise:

[Update: Some people seem to be stuck on their personal opinions of the following titles.  I'm not stating that the next few titles are necessarily bad games.

Some people like them, others don't - but on the whole the next games listed are the least talked about/remembered among gamers - generally receiving mixed opinions in reviews and also from standard gamers.]

Golden Axe II

Golden Axe II, on the Megadrive (and now Virtual Console), was quite the anticipated sequel, featuring the original cast, and same gameplay.

However, the game turned out to be pretty lacklustre.  The game had inferior visuals and easier gameplay than the original game.  Some said it was too similar to the first title, and not enough difference.

But there are some gamers out there who do believe this to be one of the better Golden Axe games, sometimes being held in a higher regard than the original Megadrive title.  On the whole it receives mixed opinions from professional reviewers and gamers.

Golden Axe III

Golden Axe III, for the Megadrive (also now on Virtual Console) featured a whole cast of new characters to play as.  Gilius was the only original character to feature in the game, but was not playable.

Though GA III featured some new moves and animations, the graphics were not much better (some would say worse) and somehow the gameplay was just not as good as the other two titles.

Then there are three other games, in the franchise, which go even further from the path which the first Golden Axe made.

Golden Axe: The Duel

Golden Axe: The Duel, on the Saturn, is a 2D fighting game.  It was a mix of Street Fighter and Golden Axe essentially.  Basically a one on one fight, but with a whole host of characters from the Golden Axe universe. 

But with the game being set a long time after the original Golden Axe, none of the original main characters make an appearance, but some ancestors do, with very similar names, (Gilius Rockhead & Milan Flare).

The original Golden Axe on the Megadrive - not Arcade - (and I believe GA II) featured a “Duel Mode”, which is what GA: The Duel was based off.  However in Duel Mode players could move up and down the screen, like in the single player, which you could not do in Golden Axe: The Duel.

It was a nice enough idea, but would have only really been acceptable as an extra to one of the main games, and not a stand alone game.  It did not offer the same high quality gameplay that the more popular 2D fighters had to offer, nor did have the same lasting appeal.

Golden Axe Warrior

Then there is also Golden Axe Warrior, on the Master System. It is a single player title, but did feature the main characters from the original Golden Axe (but none playable).

While some people (mainly Sega fans) would deem this game as being quite playable, it was essentially a Zelda style adventure game rip-off.  If you look at screenshots, you would probably think it was a Zelda game, as the locations look very similar, and the main character looks quite a bit like Link (holding his sword the same way)… but dressed in blue.

~Yes this is Golden Axe Warrior, not Zelda~

As a result it never got much praise, and I’d say that a lot of people don’t even know of its existence.  To be honest I completely forgot about this game - but I just found it in my Master System collection and it all came flooding back to me.

Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe

The last game is Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe, on the Game Gear. 

This game followed Ax Battler, the dude with the blue Speedos, and it was a RPG/Adventure title.  Players explored an open map, looking for towns and various locations where they might need to go, a little bit like a Zelda game.

But unlike a Zelda game, Ax Battler had random (and damn annoying) battles.  Walking around the map you would suddenly encounter an enemy, and be warped into battle.  The battle was real time, and the gameplay turned into a 2D fighting game.  Unlike GA: The Duel, these battles were on a single plain.

You fought one enemy at a time, and each baddie had a few set moves.  Chances are you would be defeated on your first few encounters, but once you learned each enemies signature moves, it became easier.

The other interesting feature to the game was that when players entered temples/dungeons/caves, the game would turn into a side scrolling platform title.  In this instance enemies would act like any other from a platform game, walking back and forth, attacking when you were near.

While it had some pretty fun elements to it, and was quite playable, it was a pretty damn hard game.  Also it was clear that the mish-mash of genres involved in the game did not work very well, and as a RPG it just did not stand out against other real RPG/Adventure titles at the time.

Back to Beast Rider: 

So taking a look now at the new Golden Axe: Beast Rider, what do we have?

Whilst the game may have been made with a new 3D twist, it still focuses on pure hack ‘n slash combat and beast riding, both features which many remember the franchise for.

It may not be a co-operative game, but statistically the franchise is not solely made up of co-op titles.  Nor is it fact that the co-op games make the series good.  Only one of console titles, which had co-op, was any good.

But still, will the fact that this game only has one playable character ruin the game? 

Well as I said before, Ax Battler and Warrior also only allow players to play as one character.  Sure they were not the best games ever, but single player Golden Axe games have been done before and no one was this outraged by the concept back then - and that was when Golden Axe was a contemporary title, in the public eye.

Won’t a new side scrolling game, with better graphics, be a safer option? 

 If anyone can remember, Golden Axe was remade on the PS2 with the Sega Ages title (later appeared on the Sega Classics Collection in the west) - it was still a side scrolling title, but the game was made with 3D polygons, and while it was meant to be a remake, the levels actually played out a little differently to the original title.  It was almost like playing a new game.

And you know what?  It was crap.

The gameplay felt dated, and it just wasn’t the same experience as the Megadrive titles.  Not to mention the the graphics (even for a PS2 title) were just horrible.

What am I saying? 

There have really only been two out of the seven different Golden Axe titles which the majority of gamers will actually consider to be any good, and most people will have only played one of them.  Even trying to update the original game, with new visuals and effects, wasn’t that successful.

I don’t see why so many people are upset by the fact that Beast Rider is trying something new, when the franchise, (as it is), really is not actually that good!

But what is everyone expecting from Beast Rider?  Personally I’m expecting a mindless hack ‘n slash title, with lots of killing and violence, a bit like Viking: Battle for Asgard. 

Why am I expecting that?  Because the original Golden Axe was like that!

Think back, Golden Axe wasn’t actually a master piece of story writing, nor was the combat system actually that amazing.  Granted the console/arcade limitations might not have helped - but ultimately gamers were just tapping the attack button for about 1 hour, until the game ended. 

Not to forget the times my friends and I, were also laughing at how random it was that no one (in the game) had realised that Turtle Village was on the back of a giant turtle, and didn’t notice that the turtle was moving while they were on it.  That is possibly one of the most ridiculous moments in a game’s story ever - but I guess that was part of the charm of the game.

Sure it is a pain that Beast Rider does not have the two player co-operative mode.  I know that I would have certainly liked that to be in the game.  But too many people look at the Golden Axe series through rose-tinted glasses.

So I think that we should give Sega/Secret Level chance, and at least wait for the game to hit store shelves before trashing it.  It could turn out to be quite a fun title.

Besides everyone knows that Streets of Rage is a hell of a lot better than Golden Axe ;o)

[Images from Moby Games]