Customer Reviews

Golden Axe: Beast Rider

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I was excited when I saw this game online before it was released. I watched all the gameplay movies and went to wal-mart to buy it the day it was released. However, walmart didn't have it. I came back and got back online to see it again. I was extremely disappointed to see how terribly the critics had reviewed it. Still I kept my hopes up and bought it over the weekend. A horribly underrated game. I was not a fan of the original Golden Axe and I can see why some would be disappointed with this debut on next-gen consoles, but it is a traditional hack-and-slash game. Lots of blood, but that makes no difference to me. Several things the critics hit on:

Poor storyline: This is true, the storyline is lacking. Yet the developers were trying to make an arcade game next-gen and still stay true to the original. I didn't expect much for storyline.

Counter and Evade lags: Counter and evade work like Heavenly Sword where an enemy glows a certain color before attacking. Counter is a little slow, but once you realize this, it is easy to correct with proper timing.

Bad graphics: It's not the most beautiful game for PS3 (Uncharted or Heavenly Sword wins that for me), but the graphics are as horrible as the critics make it sound. I don't have an HDTV, so I'm just using composite and it looks great to me. Kinda bland with colors of the environment, but that's it.

Problems with Beasts: Yeah, they're slow and hard to turn. That was a disappointment as one expects beasts to be faster than the player's running speed. Another complaint is that the beasts die quickly. I haven't had a problem with that. It makes sense in the gameplay that the beasts shouldn't last long. If your beasts dies, just go back and respawn another one. Last thing about beasts, the critics were hard that you can get knocked off of your beast and replaced with an enemy. The solution is simple. Just jump and swing your sword in the air to knock him off. It works for me.

No Multiplayer: For fans of the original Golden Axe, I can see how this is disappointing, however the majority of games I play are single player. So I guess it's a personal preference.

In a world where most next-gen games are first-person shooters, a good hack-and-slash is hard to find. Saying that, I would recommend Devil May Cry 4 and Heavenly Sword over Golden Axe, but if you love hack-and-slash games like me, it's a worth a try.

This is a good game- not perfect, but good.

Yes, the camera can get in the way sometimes- but that's hardly unique among modern games. It's easily adjusted with the right analog stick and it's only a real annoyance when you're backed into a corner... so stay in the open.

Anyone who thinks the beasts are hard to control and are too easy to get knocked off of clearly hasn't played the original Golden Axe in a while- now THOSE were easy to get knocked off of. Yes, some are big and lumbering and none of them turn on a dime- but they're beasts, not ballerinas. When you get the right beast in the right situation, you can really do some damage. There is something very satisfying about using an enraged Miragar to tear apart an opponents beast, or trampling hapless enemies and bowling them off bridges with a timely Cronoth charge.

On foot, combat can be challenging- no doubt about it. But why is that a bad thing? Some complain that you can't simply button mash your way to victory...Good! You CAN button mash and do some damage, but without parrying or evading you're eventually going to get surrounded and take a beating. Once you get your timing down and start pulling off Brutal Counters, combat really starts to get enjoyable with the Tribute bonus system encouraging you to fight better and avoid damage.

Overall, this is a fun, very underrated game. It has some flaws, but should appeal to anyone who can appreciate it's old school gameplay.

I really don't understand what people mean by bad graphics and gameplay, I thought the game was excellent. I can understand being upset about multiplayer, but Beast Rider isn't a terrible game as most make it out to be. Most people that say the game is bad haven't even finished it. The graphics are beautiful, in my personal opinion, if the game looks interesting, buy it. It's not that expensive because of the critics reviews, which brought the popularity down greatly. So now, every person that is interested in the game decides not to get it because most Golden Axe fans insist that it's a terrible game. Overall, I think it has a nice combat system, and the storyline is interesting. Don't flame Beast Rider because of it's reviews, try it and see for yourself.

There are so many things wrong with this game, I barely even know where to start. So I guess I will start with the good. The ground combat had some pretty clever ideas. While fighting hand-to-hand, the game is focused on chaining together strings of parries, dodges, and counter-attacks. It's fast-paced, and would be a lot of fun. When enemies attack, their blades will glow different colors to indicate which type of defensive maneuver you need to use (similar but not identical to Heavenly Sword). But here the problems start. The camera doesn't track combat well at all. Enemies will often attack you from off the edge of the screen because, for some reason, the game thinks you want to see the terrain behind you rather than the enemies in front of you. This problem is further exacerbated by the frequent screen tearing, sometimes obscuring enemies even when they are on camera.

Things get even worse when you start delving into the mounted combat, which as you might guess from the title is the central focus of the game. The animals are slow, clunky, and bulky. They also have only 3 abilities, two of which actually drain the animal's health to use. Most of the time, riding an animal into combat probably just means that you are going to get knocked off and have your beast jacked by an enemy.

Lastly, if you are a fan of the old Golden Axe games from the Genesis era like I am, prepare for more disappointment. There is no multiplayer whatsoever in this game, and you cannot play as Gilius or Ax Battler at all. Not that Tyris isn't hot, but seriously I wanted to play as Gilius too.

Realistically, there is no reason to ever play this game. Ever.

I do not regret spending the money I did to buy this game. It looks fantastic plays just like the first golden axe. The only problem I had with this game was that the difficulty curve is a bit much for people not used to this game-play style. With that being said, I would recommend this product to anyone who asked.

Fun, cheap, short. The controls leave a little to be desired. It doesn't always recognize when you pull of counters and it looks and feels very klunky.

This is a standard platformer. There are hundreds of games just like it and some of those are a lot more fun than this game. Insert old Golden Axe enemies. Insert a few of the original sounds. Very linear and generic.

I was so stoked about this game for so long. I even had it marked on my Outlook at work for the release. I thought to myself, "A next gen Golden Axe?!? Are you kidding?" I thought that this would be the game to end all. I was however......EXTREMELY let down. I got this game and when it first started I thought to myself I was going to be let down but I kept going. I made it as far as beating the first twin and then it just got ridiculous.

The 'block' system is a joke. I've never played a game where I couldn't just block an attack. At first I thought it might be something I could get used to, but again I was wrong. This game pins you against impossible odds. The only reason they're impossible is because there are so many enemies and if you miss the color they attack with and hit the wrong button then you're stunned. At this point the 30 other enemies on the screen attack you at once and you're dead. It's stupid.

I didn't really have a problem with the beasts actually. They served their purpose and that was all well and fine.

I guess I had such high hopes for this and was extremely let down. I really should have saved my money for some of the better games coming out this winter.

A waste.

This game isn't all that bad considering the lack of attention its getting. Controlling some of the beasts can be trouble some with their slow turn speed , but thats something you have to work around. One part about the game I like is I wouldn't consider it anywhere near easy some of the waves enemies you face you will find yourself having to make a few attempts before you get away with a sliver of life left. If you have a bad attention span and can't focus to dodge or parry while attacking I wouldnt recommend this game you will get frustrated very fast. Some of your counter attacks have to be right on time or no go.

I really like the hack and slash games. I don't need anything too complicated, just a decent linear story and enough enemy variety to keep things interesting from start to finish. I played the original Golden Axe in the arcade and then later on the Sega system. This game does follow in the path with the Death Adder story and the ability to ride on beasts. But what it doesn't have is the ability to play as the classic characters and combat is just as limited as the original game. You really learn no new moves throughout the game and really only learn a couple of spells. Everything else is basically leveling up weapons and armor. Combat is more defensive oriented. You get rewarded with great counterstrikes for blocking or evading the strikes of foes. For aggressive wade into the action players like me, I felt stymied by this. The graphics are good, though the camera angles can be confusing at times. The story is good and the voice acting is good. I didn't like that you only get a handful of reincarnations. If you use them up early in the game, then anytime you die afterwards you had to restart a level right from the beginning. This is extremely frustrating when you are battling a hard part at the end of a level and have to repeatedly redo the same thing over and over only to die again. Check points would have been a great addition to the game. There is enough in the game that I would recommend it if you can pick it up for $10 or less.