Wikipedia

Golden Axe: Beast Rider

Golden Axe: Beast Rideris a 2008action-adventure gamedeveloped bySecret Leveland published bySegafor thePlayStation 3andXbox 360.It is the first 3D entry in theGolden Axefranchise. The game was released in North America on October 14, 2008, in Europe on October 17,[1]and in Australia on October 23.

Golden Axe: Beast Rider
Cover art
Developer(s)Secret Level, Inc.
Publisher(s)Sega
Producer(s)Nigel Cook
Michael J. Boccieri
Designer(s)Dedan Anderson
Programmer(s)Paul Edmondson
Artist(s)Matthew Butler
Composer(s)Keith Arem
Michael Cohen
Kristian Hedman
SeriesGolden Axe
Platform(s)PlayStation 3,Xbox 360
Release
  • NA:October 14, 2008
  • EU:October 17, 2008[1]
  • AU:October 23, 2008
Genre(s)Action-adventure,hack and slash
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

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Beast Rideris the firstGolden Axegame in 3D as opposed to side-scrolling hack and slash. While this is a major shift in game style from the previous games,Beast Ridermaintains many of the elements from the originals, such as magic and riding beasts, as well as sending the player on a quest to defeat Death Adder.

Gameplay is divided into three types: Campaign, Challenge and Trials. Each mode allows for the collection of tribute, which is used to increase magic strength and unlock weapons. Armor is unlocked as one progresses through the story or Campaign.

In the story mode of Beast Rider, the player controlsTyris Flare,an amazon from the original games. Through the story mode, the player is introduced to twonon-player characters,Gilius Thunderhead: the dwarf, and Tarik the Ax Battler. Tribute is awarded at the end of each level based on the amount collected, which is then multiplied by the player's performance during the level, which also affects the player's Class or "grade" per level. Such multipliers include time, damage taken, dismemberment, and difficulty settings.

Challenge mode plays the same as Campaign, including tribute and class at the end of each level. However, Challenge allows the player to replay any level previously completed in Campaign, in addition to using any armor previously unlocked and any weapon unlocked through the collection of tribute.

Trials mode is the equivalent of the original's "Duel" mode, in which the player battles enemies of the selected level in an arena from that level. Each level becomes available in Trials after it is completed in the campaign. The player must complete ten waves of enemies, plus three bonus waves featuring gnomes, without dying. Like the Challenges, Trials allows the player to select various armor and weapons unlocked in Campaign or through the collection of tribute.

Plot

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The main protagonist isTyris Flare,a great Amazon warrior and defender of the Axirian Priestesses, a sect of dragon worshippers from the Isle of Axir. Tyris' skills in combat and magic are almost unsurpassed, but there is a danger rising over Axir that even she must fear. Death Adder's armies are on the move. They are after the power of the ancient Dragon Titan. It is rumored that even Death Adder fears something about the Titans, though nobody really knows what power they possess over this dark lord. If he gains control over man, woman and beast alike, it is unknown what will become of the world. Tyris uses sword and sorcery to stop him.

Development

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The project's development began in mid 2005 asSecret Levelsimultaneously worked on a newgame engineand toolset for the project. Most of the studio's directors were directly involved at this stage. The early progress was quick and impressive, leading Sega to move to acquire the studio on April 3, 2006.[2]Secret Level was able to get in contact with series creator Makoto Uchida who praised the game production and gave his blessings to proceed with the project.[3]

As part ofE32006, Sega issued a press release touting a new entry to theGolden Axefranchise for theXbox 360andPlayStation 3.[4]A teaser trailer could also be seen during the event. During the summer of 2007, fans uncovered new art[5]and sculptured models[6]from the game.

The October 2007 issue ofPlaymagazine offered new details. The game was revealed to feature the return of Tyris Flare, the amazon warrior from thefirst installment of the series.With a heavy focus on riding beasts, the game received an M rating since dismemberments, decapitations and nudity are present.[7]The magazine also claimed that the PlayStation 3 version was canceled and that the game would be an Xbox 360 exclusive. However, on October 19, 2007 Denny Chiu of Sega denied the Xbox exclusivity, stating "Completely untrue, it's coming to PS3 as well."[8]While this game does only feature single-player, in a 2008 interview the senior producer stated that the second game in the franchise will feature co-op throughout.[9]

The 2008 issue of the annual "girls of gaming" put out byPlay Magazinefeatured a number of images of Tyris. A postmortem ofGolden Axe: Beast Riderby project producer Michael Boccieri, which appeared in the February 2009 issue ofGame Developer,[10]discussed the project's troubled development cycle.

However, Sega hasn’t published the games inJapanregional.[11][12][13]

Reception

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Golden Axe: Beast Riderreceived "generally unfavorable reviews" on both platforms according to thereview aggregationwebsiteMetacritic.[14][15]IGNconcluded, "This is a game worth avoiding like the plague, even if the classic remains deep and warm within your heart."[25]GameProcalled it "poorly designed and utterly mediocre," "a terrible game that feels like a slap in the face to fans of the original franchise."[20]

In an editorial titled "Dave talks Golden Axe",Playeditor Dave Halverson wrote "The majority of these people (can't call them critics) either didn't complete a fraction of the game, don't understand game design, or just plain suck at games", and that "to score Beast Rider below a 7 is just irresponsible."[29]

References

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  1. ^abPurchese, Robert (September 22, 2008)."New Golden Axe game gets date".Eurogamer.Gamer Network.Archivedfrom the original on November 4, 2021.RetrievedNovember 4,2021.
  2. ^Thorsen, Tor (April 3, 2006)."Sega buys Secret Level [date mislabeled as" October 14, 2008 "]".GameSpot.Red Ventures.Archivedfrom the original on May 15, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 31,2015.
  3. ^SEGA Europe (30 September 2008)."Golden Axe: Beast Rider - Developer Diary #2 - Re-genesis".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 12 September 2022.Retrieved12 September2022.
  4. ^"Sega Announces Golden Axe Coming to Next-generation Consoles".GameSpot UK.CBS Interactive.May 10, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon December 8, 2008.
  5. ^"New Golden Axe concept art discovered".Sega Nerds.August 6, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon October 16, 2007.
  6. ^"New Golden Axe enemy sculptures surface".Sega Nerds.July 28, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon October 13, 2007.
  7. ^Ciolek, Todd (October 8, 2008)."The X Button – Complete Control".Anime News Network.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-05.Retrieved2021-11-05.
  8. ^"Sega confirms Golden Axe is still on track for PS3".PlayStation Universe.October 19, 2007.Archivedfrom the original on November 5, 2021.RetrievedNovember 5,2021.
  9. ^Grant, Christopher (May 16, 2008)."Golden Axe: Beast Rider impressions".Engadget(Joystiq).Verizon Media.Archivedfrom the original on May 17, 2008.RetrievedNovember 5,2021.
  10. ^"Postmortem Secret Level's Golden Axe: Beast Rider"(PDF).Game Developer.UBM Technology Group.February 2009.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2021-11-05.Retrieved2021-11-05.
  11. ^"セガに mãi thâu され, そして, giải tán させられた tử hội xã シークレットレベルによってフルリメイクされた『ゴールデンアックス』その vũ đài lí に bách る ( リライト ký sự )".17 July 2020.
  12. ^"ゴールデンアックスクリア! - ヘタレそらんのビューティフルオデッセイ ( ネタバレに khí をつけて! ): Lặc thiên ブログ".
  13. ^"【 dương kình đình đệ 17 hồi 】 nhật bổn phát tác phẩm で, nhật bổn vị phát mại の hữu danh Act tối tân tác".
  14. ^ab"Golden Axe: Beast Rider for PlayStation 3 Reviews".Metacritic.Red Ventures.Archivedfrom the original on April 19, 2013.RetrievedJune 19,2013.
  15. ^ab"Golden Axe: Beast Rider for Xbox 360 Reviews".Metacritic.Red Ventures.Archivedfrom the original on December 28, 2012.RetrievedJune 19,2013.
  16. ^abBarber, Tyler (October 20, 2008)."Golden Axe: Beast Rider Review".1Up.com.Ziff Davis.Archived fromthe originalon June 7, 2016.RetrievedNovember 5,2021.
  17. ^Sterling, Jim (October 22, 2008)."Destructoid review: Golden Axe: Beast Rider (X360)".Destructoid.Enthusiast Gaming.Archivedfrom the original on November 5, 2021.RetrievedNovember 5,2021.
  18. ^Whitehead, Dan (October 17, 2008)."Golden Axe: Beast Rider (Xbox 360)".Eurogamer.Gamer Network.Archivedfrom the original on November 5, 2021.RetrievedNovember 5,2021.
  19. ^abMiller, Matt (December 2008)."Golden Axe: Beast Rider: A Franchise Returns with a Lackluster New Installment".Game Informer.No. 188.GameStop.Archived fromthe originalon July 11, 2019.RetrievedNovember 5,2021.
  20. ^abcKim, Tae K. (December 2008)."Golden Axe: Beast Rider".GamePro.IDG Entertainment.p. 95. Archived fromthe originalon November 3, 2008.RetrievedNovember 5,2021.
  21. ^abCostantino, Jesse (October 27, 2008)."Golden Axe: Beast Rider Review".GameRevolution.CraveOnline.Archivedfrom the original on September 8, 2015.RetrievedNovember 5,2021.
  22. ^abWatters, Chris (October 24, 2008)."Golden Axe: Beast Rider Review".GameSpot.Red Ventures.Archivedfrom the original on November 5, 2021.RetrievedNovember 5,2021.
  23. ^"Golden Axe: Beast Rider Review (PS3)".GameTrailers.Viacom.October 27, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon December 9, 2010.RetrievedNovember 5,2021.
  24. ^Zacarias, Eduardo (October 24, 2008)."Golden Axe: Beast Rider - 360 - Review".GameZone.Archivedfrom the original on October 25, 2008.RetrievedNovember 5,2021.
  25. ^abcRoper, Chris (October 16, 2008)."Golden Axe: Beast Rider Review".IGN.Ziff Davis.Archivedfrom the original on November 5, 2021.RetrievedNovember 5,2021.
  26. ^Cocke, Taylor (Christmas 2008)."Golden Axe: Beast Rider".Official Xbox Magazine.Future US.Archived fromthe originalon October 18, 2008.RetrievedNovember 5,2021.
  27. ^"Review: Golden Axe: Beast Rider".PlayStation: The Official Magazine.No. 14.Future plc.Christmas 2008. p. 84.
  28. ^abOrry, Tom (October 29, 2008)."Golden Axe [Beast Rider] Review".VideoGamer.com.Resero Network.Archivedfrom the original on November 5, 2021.RetrievedNovember 5,2021.
  29. ^Halverson, Dave (October 2010)."Dave Talks Golden Axe".Play.Archived fromthe originalon October 22, 2008.
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