14/OCT/09

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Golden Axe: Beast Rider (X360)

GENERAL INFORMATION

GENRE/STYLE

Action/Third-person 3D Action

RELEASE DATE

14/OCT/08

ESRB RATING

MATURE, Blood and Gore, Language, Partial Nudity, Violence

DEVELOPER

Secret Level

PUBLISHER

Sega of America, Inc.

ALSO AVAILABLE ON

PlayStation 3

TRAITS (member-attributed "LIKES")

THE SETTING #USES

PLAYING AS #USES

PLAYING AGAINST #USES

monsters 7
Fantasy creatures 5

HOW IT'S PLAYED #USES

GENERAL TONE #USES

Epic fantasy 10
nostalgic 1

DESCRIPTION

Sega's arcade and console classic of the late '80s, Golden Axe, swings out in a bold new direction with Beast Rider, a gritty, 3D combat adventure in a harsh land of fantasy. The main storyline puts players in the role of the barbarian gladiator Tyris Flare, who seeks vengeance against the demons that destroyed her tribe. Tyris fights using her powerful magical spells, on foot with a blade, or on the back of powerful, monstrous steeds that only the bravest or most foolish would ever dare try to subdue.

There are five main types of beast in the game, any of which can be commandeered by the heroine. It is possible to knock an enemy off its perch and steal its mount, but opponents can steal Tyris' mount in the same way, if she is not careful. On foot, combat involves combos and timing. Parry and dodge abilities are the key to victory, but they must be used at just the right time to be successful. Beast Rider's magic system borrows ideas from the original arcade game, but fires them up with contemporary lighting and video effects. Often, a perfectly executed attack or counter-attack move is highlighted with a quick, dramatic cinematic cut-scene.

Other elements inspired by the original 16-bit game include an RPG-style leveling system, destructible environments, and even greedy little gnomes. In addition to Tyris Flare, there are five other playable characters. The game's main storyline reveals lore from a time long before Tyris first joined Battler the warrior and Thunderhead the dwarf in their quest to conquer the evil Death Adder, one quarter at a time. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Golden Axe: Beast Rider (X360)

GENRE/STYLE:

Action/Third-person 3D Action
RELEASE DATE:

14/OCT/08
TOP TRAITS:

hack and slash, Epic fantasy, monsters
DESCRIPTION:

Sega's arcade and console classic of the late '80s, Golden Axe, swings out in a bold new direction with Beast Rider, ... more

players 218

followers 1

#906

POPULARITY: X360 PLATFORM

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rufati earned achievements in Golden Axe: Beast Rider on 27/SEP/09

gamedoctor21 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Good job, which one did you get? Don't give up on this game. Once you figure out how to knock enemies out of the saddle (jump then kick) and get the brutal counters down, it gets really good. But it is HARD, no doubt about it!”

created 28/SEP/2009

narmical played Golden Axe: Beast Rider on 18/SEP/09

“Beat some more levels, got frustrated by the game play, sent the game back to gamefly”

created 19/SEP/2009

gamedoctor21 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“What did you find frustrating? Was it the timing? I love this game.”

narmical was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“The timing was wonderful idea, but didn't work out exactly as advertised. I did not find i was able to cancel out of everything using it. Maybe my timing was off. But sometimes when i pressed the dodge or parry button in the middle of a combo nothing happened. Which tells me "button invalid" not "timing off".

The frustrating part two fold. The distance between restart points was too long, and the mounts were less than helpful. I would complete a hard fought battle just to be confronted with guys on mounts, and i was toast. I had to play the whole level over again, many times.
Also the beasts were more of a liability than a help. They were less maneuverable than the stand alone player, could not block parry or dodge and if you got knocked off, the bad guys would get on and would be extremely hard to dismount.
I ended up using the mounts as artillery, waist there life on specials until they died.”

gamedoctor21 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“It may be too late if you've already sent it back, but I'll say it anyway if you're curious.

You can cancel out of anything, but this is the confusing part. You can only cancel out, if someone does something that requires a defensive move and if they do, you have to time it just right. It's hard but once you get the timing down, you can definitely do it every time.

With regard to the beasts, its super easy to dismount the bad guys once you learn how. YOu just have to run up to them (usually from an angle) and jump then kick. You'll do a brutal knockback (flaming jump kick) that throws them out of the saddle. Once you get this down, the beasts become much more useful, especially the big ones you get later. Also, with the beasts, they can do a quick turn that is handy, but the tutorial never tells you this.

The best part about this game was the brutal counters. If you learn the right counter for a certain type of guy, you can basically kill almost anything in one hit (and sometimes a brutal counter will be so devastating that it will kill enemies nearby the guy you're countering as well). The animations are great, each enemy has unique animations for evade and parry. Sometimes you rip their heads off, or on one guy you will jump back, throw your sword in their chest and then pounce on them and remove it as they fall to the ground dead. The timing is a total bitch and takes tons of practice, but once you get it, the results are spectacular.

Sorry you didn't like it. I'm finding out most people get frustrated with this game before it starts to get good. It's definitely not for everyone as it's a bit repetitive until you figure out how to do all the brutals. Have you played any games lately that you just loved that most other people just couldn't get into?”

gamedoctor21 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Also, I forgot the mention, yeah, the save points only at the end of the levels was brutal and almost had me quitting as well. Certainly I was pissed more than once replaying a level for a third or fourth time. I think if they had better checkpoints, people would have given this game a chance.”

narmical was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Honestly, better checkpoints would have been all it would have took to keep me paying the game. Like save only at the end of a level, but if you die you can start half way.

Super Mario Bros had shorter levels, and still had mid check points :-P

I never really figured out the brutal counters for more than one or two bad guys.

Can you brutal counter a guy in armor?

I can relate to people not liking a game that i love. I absolutely loved way of the samurai. Most people did not

”

narmical was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“PS. I am a very stubborn person, double so when it comes to video games. I am willing to retry a fight like 20 times in a row before i get bored and give up. But to re-do 5 or so almost die every time fights, turned out to be too much for me.”

gamedoctor21 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Armor yes. A shield no. Gotta knock the shield out before you can brutal. But if they have armor on, you won't kill em in one hit with a brutal.

Yeah, those checkpoints (or lack thereof) is what killed this game I think. It could have been much more popular. At the time it came out they claimed they were working on the sequel. If the poor sales of the first game didn't kill it, I hope they add a better save system.

I never played Way of the Samurai, maybe I'll throw that into my goozex queue and see what it's all about. Thanks for the recommendation!”

narmical was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“no prob. its an adventure game with a branchnig story line. The story is short, but all the better to play over to explore the branches.

The gunts instead of talking and not so great graphics turn most people off.”

gamedoctor21 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Hey, I was just about to play Mirrors Edge and I see you only gave it one star. Is it that bad? Should I even bother?”

narmical was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“I was only able to stand the first 2 levels of it. The parkour was relay annoying. In other parkour games, like Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed, you just vaguely point the pc at something to jump on, and he delivers.

In Mirrors edge, it was not as easy, you needed way better aim and the places to jump were not as obvious. Also, jumping puzzles in first person is a tough experience. Its hard to see where you are landing and whats around you to jump on.

When you are jumping and climbing in real life, you have your proprioception to know where your body is in relation to the world, in first person you don't have that. proprioception is why you can touch your nose with your eyes closed. This is why i think 3rd person jumping is so important.

For example, the wall to wall jumping is way hard in Mirrors edge, partly because of the 1st person camera. While you are doing it, the camera is whipping around and its hard to see when you have reached the other wall enough to do the second jump. And when your done, its disorienting because of all the camera spinning.

Frankly I'm surprised that anyone even makes 1st person jumpers any more.
”

gamedoctor21 was the last to comment - 2 months ago... show previous hide previous

“Hmmm, that's what I was afraid of. I wish they would release a patch that would enable a 3rd person camera. I think Metroid Prime is the only game I've played that was successful with first person platforming type movements. I think I won't bother with this. Thanks.”

gamedoctor21 earned achievements in Golden Axe: Beast Rider on 10/SEP/09

“I finally nailed the MAX Titan Bonus Achievement. Took forEVER”

created 11/SEP/2009

Sorzante played Golden Axe: Beast Rider on 07/SEP/09

gamedoctor21 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“What did you think of Beast Rider?”

Sorzante was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“It's OK, at times the combat gets really good, but it always falls apart. It tries to play like DMC but it's just not as fluid. That said, I've played much worse games.”

gamedoctor21 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Try controller config #6. It switches your parry/evade to the triggers instead of the bumpers. Felt a lot more natural for me. Also, I can send you a list of brutal counters. Each enemy is susceptible to a particular attack after a successful evade/parry. If you time it right, you kill em in one hit and there is an awesome death animation for each. Once you get this timing down, the game gets awesome. If you don't have the timing, or don't know the right counter (the game never tells you this!) you may never get the finishers.”

gamedoctor21 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Shoot, maybe it's controller config #4. I don't remember, but check them out, the default is not the best.”

Sorzante was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Hey speaking of, maybe you know: I remember the blue and orange lights are parry/evade, but what about the green and pink lights? I know it probably told me at some point, but I either missed that or forgot. The enemy beast riders are owning me.”

Sorzante was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Thanks for the tips, though! I'm going to try them out when I get home from work.”

gamedoctor21 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“The green (weak) means you can parry OR evade, your choice. I suggest using evade, as counters are easier to time after an evade. Timing brutals after a parry is super hard. The timing is MUCH quicker whereas the brutal counter after an evade is actually to wait just a fraction of a second before you counter. The pink ones are tough. I think there is actually a pink and a purple/red. One of them means you can only jump to avoid it. The other one means you're about to get rocked, so just get ready. :) Basically "jump" is your third avoidance technique, and certain rare attacks can't be avoided that I can tell.

With regard to the enemy beast riders, they are cake. Just RUN up to them, JUMP, then kick (pushback attack) while in midair. If you do this properly, you'll do a brutal pushback (flaming kick) that will knock them off the saddle (even off the mirigore!). Then start pounding the "mount" button so you can get into the saddle before they recover. You'll actually get to the point where you are happy to see an enemy beast coming, because then you can just steal it and use it against them.”

Sorzante was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Yeah I am still working on my timing, but I'm getting it most of the time. You're right, though, the evade timing window is much easier to hit than the parry one.”

gamedoctor21 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Hey, I just friended you, saw you're playing Fuel, how you liking it? I was thinking about picking it up.”

Sorzante was the last to comment - 2 months ago... show previous hide previous

“it's not perfect by any means, but if you have played and liked any of Codemaster's other recent games, you will probably like it. Try the demo and see if you can get along with the driving/physics. That is most important, because you'll be doing a LOT of driving, which brings me to the best part of the game: they are not lying, the game is HUGE. I estimate it would take at least 4 hours to drive from corner to corner of the map. Creating races is a little clunky, but being able to create a race that goes anywhere on the entire map is damn cool. As soon as we (a couple friends and I) open up all the areas, we'll set aside a Saturday to create a circuit all the way around the map and see how long it really takes. The A.I. is downright brutal, too. Some races are just a matter of repetition until you can nail a perfect line and win. 1st place only, 2nd or 3rd will not advance you in the career.”

created 08/SEP/2009

gamedoctor21 earned achievements in Golden Axe: Beast Rider on 03/SEP/09

“Got the next trials achievement. I'll try to get them all. This game is way better than reviews let on.”

created 04/SEP/2009

Golden Axe: Beast Rider (X360) by: gamedoctor21

“This game is misunderstood and underrated. It's an old schoo twitch based hack n slash. If you can't deal with that, fine, but don't hate on the game just because it's hard and linear. It's supposed to be. The graphics are great, the enemies are...”

created 03/SEP/2009

This game is great by: gamedoctor21

“Anyone else love this game? Sure it has problems, but it scratches an itch few games do these days. Lets hear it for a sequel!”

created 03/SEP/2009

genyosha earned achievements in Golden Axe: Beast Rider on 24/AUG/09

gamedoctor21 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“What do you think of the game? I've been playing it lately too. Some of the achievements are going to be HARD.”

created 26/AUG/2009

A video from our friends at G4

G-Phoria '09: Game Most Deserving of a Uwe Boll Movie

Blair Herter announces the winner of G-Phoria '09 Game Most Deserving of a Uwe Boll Movie. Nominees include 'Golden Axe: Beast Rider', 'Castlevania Judgment', 'Legendary', 'Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayer' and 'X-Blades'.

Source G4
Views 11
Votes 0

published 05/AUG/2009

titch played Golden Axe: Beast Rider on 17/JUL/09

gamedoctor21 was the last to comment - 2 months ago... show previous hide previous

“I love this game. I hope they make a sequel, but I doubt they will.”

created 18/JUL/2009

LeftyRedbeard played Golden Axe: Beast Rider on 09/JUL/09

LeftyRedbeard was the last to comment - 4 months ago...

“Cheevo whore that I am, I'm getting a bit tired of this game... I've been playing for days now and I've only got 5 points to show for it.... still, getting to check out a barbarian amazon's derrière is some compensation.”

created 10/JUL/2009

Golden Axe: Beast Rider (X360) by: SleevesofWar

“In a vacuum, Beast Rider is not terrible. It's a mostly competent hack n' slasher that is not completely unenjoyable. That said, the mechanics barely work on foot, and when you jump on a mount, the entire point of the game, everything falls apart.”

created 29/JUN/2009

colliny2k earned achievements in Golden Axe: Beast Rider on 12/MAY/09

“Beat it! Killed the final boss...wasn't too bad after losing the day before a ton. Figured out the basics...but the real key was just landing all the evade/blocks, which can be very difficult to...”

created 13/MAY/2009

Wormy was the last to comment - 6 months ago...

“Grats man! Was it fun?”

fattychubs was the last to comment - 6 months ago...

“Congrats, sound fun. It's in my queue. Sounds like a fun game to play through on the weekend.”

colliny2k was the last to comment - 6 months ago...

“It was fun...but it takes a good bit of tolerance. It plays like a very unpolished game. A repetitive combat system with an often annoying defense/evade system requiring fast reactions. To which there are bad camera angles making it all the more difficult to see when you need to evade...let alone do the reaction.

Hint if you play it though, there are camera settings....which I only found at the very end of the game. If you crank the Far and Close camera to both be as far away from you as possible...it really helps. Wish I found it sooner.

Oh the good though...as I've said in a few past posts. It's got a cool setting. The mounts in the game are better than any I've really seen. They're beasts, they all play different, some of them are big and monstrous...fun to ride and kill with.”

fattychubs was the last to comment - 6 months ago...

“Hey have you played Conan yet? I enjoyed that game up until the last boss. I really liked the weapon system as using the different combinations all felt very different. Like the sword and shield which felt completely different the duel swords or broad sword. You could also steal weapons, grapple and it made the game feel less repetitive as you could master one, then switch it up.”

colliny2k was the last to comment - 6 months ago...

“I haven't. I saw the demo a long time ago which looked decent. I'll throw it up on my GameFly Q.”

fattychubs was the last to comment - 6 months ago...

“Yeah bump it up, nudge me when you play it =)”

bootlegbrandon was the last to comment - 6 months ago...

“nice! is it worth the buy? im alil sick of golden axe at the moment cuz i just beat sonics ultimate genesis collection and played the hell out of 1,2,3 and golden axe tower but in a month who knows? Respect!”

colliny2k was the last to comment - 6 months ago...

“No, not worth a buy...not in my opinion anyway. Rental.”

bootlegbrandon was the last to comment - 6 months ago...

“kool ill stackit up in my game q with gamefly then how many play hours it worth?”

colliny2k was the last to comment - 6 months ago...

“I'm not sure, 10-15? It depends if you want to do more than the main story. They've got challenges and stuff too you can do after winning. I'm sure you could get 40+ if you wanted.”

bootlegbrandon was the last to comment - 6 months ago... show previous hide previous

“kool so like a weekend for me, if its a short game ill sit there from fri till sunday mornin and 1000 it if i can. i just got fifastreet 3 and i dont even like soccor but in 3 hours ive got 500 points almost, ”

colliny2k earned achievements in Golden Axe: Beast Rider on 10/MAY/09

“I changed the controller settings to switch my block/evade keys (heavily used in the game) to be the triggers instead of RB/LB. I'm finding the game much easier to control like this. No idea why...”

created 11/MAY/2009

Golden Axe: Beast Rider (X360) by: colliny2k

“A bit repetitive with a kind of annoying defensive control system (required for melee). The story is okay, but kind of lacking. Strange and unfulfilling advancement throughout the game. The one upside is the setting & hack n slash nature of the...”

created 11/MAY/2009