golden-axe posts (Subscribe to this feed)
VC/WiiWare Tuesday: That's Galactic Dancin'

On the WiiWare front, Hudson launches its second downloadable FPS for the Wii. Unfortunately, it's the dire-looking Water Warfare.
Virtual Console:
- Galaga '88 (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
- Golden Axe (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
- Bang Bang Kids (1-2 players offline, 2-8 online, 800 Wii Points)
Super Mario Kart races onto Japan's Virtual Console next month
The lineup of Virtual Console games heading to Japan next month is fairly light. But we suspect that won't matter at all because it includes Super Mario Kart. Super Mario Kart plus any quantity of other games seems like a nice month! Oh, especially since it also includes Final Fantasy II, which, unfortunately, we don't expect to see on our own Virtual Console.Other games include another Famicom entry in the Jake Hunter series, adorable Wagyan Land and Mappy sequels from Namco, and the original arcade versions of Altered Beast (!) and Golden Axe (!!).
Famicom:
- Tantei Jinguuji Saburo: Toki no Sugiyuki Mama Ni
- Final Fantasy II
- Super Wagyan Land (out June 2)
- Super Mario Kart
- Altered Beast (out June 2)
- Golden Axe
- Hopping Mappy (out June 2)
ESRB rates Sega classics, to appear on PlayStation Network

Fans of Sega compilations may also want to look into the upcoming Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, which houses a number of classic 16-bit games.
360 Deals: It's a free $10 gift card bonanza

This week, there is a lot of Xbox 360 new game release deals. So much so, that we'll forgo an overly long intro and just get right to it. So ...
Best Buy is giving out a free beanie hat with purchase of Guitar Hero World Tour, selling Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway for $40 and offering Blitz II for $50. Target stores only have one good deal and that's a free $25 gift card with purchase of an Xbox 360 Arcade console. Circuit City is dishing out the gift cards (as has become the norm), giving away a free $10 gift card with purchase of Fable II, Golden Axe, Far Cry 2, Dead Space, Saints Row 2, and Hell's Highway. You can score a free $10 gift card and mini strategy guide with purchase of Fallout 3 (CE), a free $15 iTunes gift card with purchase of Guitar Hero World Tour and a free t-shirt with Legendary. Phew ... happy shopping!
Metareview -- Golden Axe Beast Rider (360, PS3)

- Eurogamer (30/100): "Castle Crashers has already shown that there's a market for well-produced 2D hackandslash, but instead we get this utterly charmless and shamelessly derivative 3D shrug of a game. SEGA might as well have released this as The Adventures of Fiery Boob Lady, and left their mothballed franchise with at least modicum of dignity."
- IGN (32/100): "If had to sum up my feelings for Golden Axe: Beast Rider in five words or less, I'd actually do it in one: hatred. The game is so ridden with poor production values that there's absolutely nothing redeeming about the game, and its checklist of annoying issues will drive all but the already-insane crazy long before it ends."
- GamePro (40/100): "Fans hoping for a worthwhile update to one of gaming's most revered hack-and-slash franchises will be sorely disappointed by this poorly designed and utterly mediocre title."
- Play (90/100): "I could write another page on things I love about Beast Rider, like how bloody cool it looks when Tyris slices a body in two or hacks off an arm, subtle homages like scampering gnomes and thorny spikes, the naked body parts that Death Adder's minions use for decoration, how the game runs like a dream on PS3, and how awesome it is that the single-player experience wasn't compromised to add some bogus online crapola, but I think my work here is done."
Shipping this week: it begins edition
And here ... we ... go. We're halfway through October and it's finally started. The industry imposed holiday game torrent is upon us. We hope you've saved up some cash (or tidied up your GameFly queue) because, starting now, you're going to need it. Just look at all of these games:
[Via Joystiq]
- Dead Space
- Saints Row 2
- Blitz: The League II
- Golden Axe: Beast Rider
- Rock Revolution
- FIFA Soccer 2009
[Via Joystiq]
The Abrax: Golden Axe's purple chicken evolved?
Check out a video of the original chicken-lizard in action after the break. We're these guys separated at birth, or what?
Forget friends as Golden Axe: Beast Rider releases Oct. 17 in Europe
Sega has announced that Heavenly Golden Axe of War (also known by its official title: Golden Axe: Beast Rider) will release Oct. 17 in Europe. Retailers currently have Oct. 14 listed for North America, but we've contacted Sega of America to confirm. GA:BR is the AAA AA+ title based on the co-op driven, arcade beat 'em up from the early '90s. Sadly, Beast Rider does not feature any co-op play.
For that, protagoniststripper Tyris Flare will apparently have to wait until a sequel, as the developers were keen to focus on combat this time around. At least we know what the first back-of-the-box bullet point will be.
For that, protagonist
Gallery: Golden Axe: Beast Rider
Golden Axe video is missing something

Anyhway, the team at Secret Level seems to be pretty dedicated to the Golden Axe legacy. We just hope someone explains the lack of multiplayer. Somehow, we get the feeling that the answer will sound something like this: "Do you know how successful God of War is?"
Bury the Shovelware: Tenchu Dark Secret
The fall from grace. Unless your heart is nothing more than a cold, shriveled lump, you probably don't like to witness a once-respectable series slowly degrade. It's happened to many franchises. Often the decay is gradual, with gamers slowly noticing a decline in quality and is correlated with slumping sales. Other times a single misstep can throw an entire series against the ropes and nearly into submission. Either way, it's never pleasant to witness failure. Well, almost never.
What was once a prominent pillar in the stealth world has been slowly regressing into mediocrity. The Tenchu series was one of the first and most successful entries in the emerging stealth-based genre of the late 1990's. Though games involving evasive maneuvering over combat had been around for awhile, they truly flourished in 3D. From the onset, Tenchu was there. Peered with and rivaled against other top-notch franchises such as Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell, the word "Tenchu" was synonymous with heart-thumping, adrenaline-pumping sneaky gameplay. But everything eventually dies. And the Tenchu series received a terminal illness in the form of Tenchu: Dark Secret. Unless somebody steps in and performs some sort of miracle, we might have to talk to Tenchu fans about video game heaven. It's where all game franchises go when they pass away. All of Tenchu's friends are there, like Golden Axe, ToeJam & Earl, and Ecco the Dolphin (Sega, please prove me wrong on these).
What was once a prominent pillar in the stealth world has been slowly regressing into mediocrity. The Tenchu series was one of the first and most successful entries in the emerging stealth-based genre of the late 1990's. Though games involving evasive maneuvering over combat had been around for awhile, they truly flourished in 3D. From the onset, Tenchu was there. Peered with and rivaled against other top-notch franchises such as Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell, the word "Tenchu" was synonymous with heart-thumping, adrenaline-pumping sneaky gameplay. But everything eventually dies. And the Tenchu series received a terminal illness in the form of Tenchu: Dark Secret. Unless somebody steps in and performs some sort of miracle, we might have to talk to Tenchu fans about video game heaven. It's where all game franchises go when they pass away. All of Tenchu's friends are there, like Golden Axe, ToeJam & Earl, and Ecco the Dolphin (Sega, please prove me wrong on these).
Are you prepared for a new Golden Axe: Beast Rider trailer?
Feel free to watch above, just don't say we didn't warn you.
Sega explains Golden Axe co-op absence

"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." Or, you know, you could give people what they want in the first place instead. Just a thought.
Debut Golden Axe: Beast Rider trailer shows protagonist riding beasts
We were heartbroken to learn that the upcoming re-imagining of the once beloved arcade franchise, Golden Axe: Beast Rider, would not feature any co-op gameplay. Our faith in the title was admittedly shaken -- though this debut trailer has officially piqued our interest. After all, who needs friends when you have gigantic, mountable dinosaurs? Though we would have preferred to see some footage of some unassumping, puntable power-up gnomes, the combat in the above video certainly looks enticing -- though the gameplay featured in this preview might be lost on you if your monitor is unable to display the 400 shades of brown apparently used to create the game's visual aesthetic. May we suggest adjusting the title to the slightly more appropriate Burnt Sienna Axe?
Golden Axe returns to consoles in Beast Rider
The brand new console Golden Axe was on display at Sega's media day event. In this modern reimagining of this classic arcade game, players take on the role of Amazon warrior Tyris Flare. In a variety of skimpy outfits, players must vanquish the evil
These beasts are tools. According to Joystiq, "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." Enemies also have access to beasts, so for those that are interested, you can "expect some hot beast-on-beast combat action."
Unfortunately, Golden Axe: Beast Rider will not feature co-operative play of any sort. Apparently, this was a conscious effort by the developers at Secret Level, to ensure that they refine the combat just right. Expect co-op in the myriad of sequels to follow, should Beast Rider proves to be successful.
Gallery: Golden Axe: Beast Rider
New screens of Golden Axe: Beast Rider
San Francisco-based studio Secret Level has released new screenshots from the upcoming Golden Axe: Beast Rider. The title was first announced waaay back in 2006, and promises to be a next-gen upgrade to the classic side-scrolling, hack 'n slash Sega series. The game is currently slated for a summer 2008 release, and is coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 (no beast-riding love for the Wii, it seems).
The shots disclosed so far don't reveal much in terms of the gameplay, but our journalistic sixth-sense tells us that the game will possibly focus on riding various kinds of beasts (honestly, sometimes we give ourselves goosebumps). Check out the gallery for all the Beast Rider images.
The shots disclosed so far don't reveal much in terms of the gameplay, but our journalistic sixth-sense tells us that the game will possibly focus on riding various kinds of beasts (honestly, sometimes we give ourselves goosebumps). Check out the gallery for all the Beast Rider images.
Gallery: Golden Axe: Beast Rider
Featured Galleries
Team Joystiq
- Chris Grant
- Editor-in-Chief, Email
- James Ransom-Wiley
- Managing Editor, Email
- Ludwig Kietzmann
- Senior Editor, Email
- Andrew Yoon
- East Coast Editor, Email
- Randy Nelson
- West Coast Editor, Email
- Justin McElroy
- Reviews Editor, Email
- Justin Glow
- Developer, Email
Joystiq Video

Loading Viddler Videos
WIN Network
- Autos
- Technology
- Lifestyle
- Gaming
- Entertainment
- Finance
- Sports
- Also on AOL
AOL News
All contents copyright © 2003-2009, Weblogs, Inc. All rights reserved
Joystiq [PlayStation] is a member of the Weblogs, Inc. Network. Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Notify AOL











