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Golden Axe: Beast Rider

EMAIL PRINT ps3

4.8 User Score:

Generally unfavorable reviews

Based on 30 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 13 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Secret Level

Genre(s): Action, Role-Playing Game

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: October 14, 2008

Summary

Golden Axe: Beast Rider delivers action-RPG thrills as a small band of Riders embark on an epic adventure to recruit allies, expose the enemy and prevent the annihilation of their breed. Delivering an intense and unique combat experience, players charge into battle on the backs of ferocious beasts or take their chances with the enemy while on foot. Fighting skill, wits and even magic are all called into action as players immerse themselves in the struggle to defeat an evil intent on enslaving the remains of civilization. [Sega]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

GameDaily

The graphics and sound are great, and the numerous challenges and arena modes offer some diversity. If you're up for a quick hack-and-slash game, rent it. If you want a game with depth, however, this Axe needs sharpening.

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GamingXP

There has not been a real development concerning the gameplay of Golden Axe: Beast Rider. Graphics are quite good, also the sound of the game.

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Game Informer

Eschewing the expected hack-n’-slash mindlessness, a timing-based evasion and blocking system is required to master the melee. It’s not enough to save an otherwise lackluster effort, but Secret Level was definitely on to something with the combat.

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Game Revolution

The Golden Axe name is liable to do Beast Rider more harm than good.

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3DJuegos

Golden Axe: Beast Rider confuses the tribute to retro with the flat and boring gameplay. The new game of SEGA is mediocre in every aspect, and comes as a failure in its attempt to recover a legendary name and turn it into a worthy product of Next-Gen platforms.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

While it’s kind of cool to see a new take on such an old game, the presence of a muddy palette and outdated game mechanics combined with the inexplicable absence of co-op makes Beast Rider forgettable and so much less than it could have been.

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Play.tm

Unfortunately the main gimmick of the game is pointless at best and frustrating at worst. There are challenge modes available after the game is completed and extra costumes to unlock, but nothing to offer real replay value.

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GameTrailers

Tyris is likeable enough, but generic and uninspired gameplay manage to reduce everything in Golden Axe: Beast Rider to the lowest common denominator. It’s simply not fun--offering very little incentive to keep playing.

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GameSpot

This halfhearted revival attempt leaves Golden Axe lifeless and dull.

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Gameplayer

Above all, there's the sense that every aspect of the game has been designed not to challenge, but to frustrate. Like the witch doctors who can summon rocks to fall from the sky and crush you, or the just-barely-visible bear traps scattered about.

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Thunderbolt

As you attempt to cut through your enemies in grisly fashion you’ll recall a simpler time, where you rode a purple chicken and kicked gnomes in their fannies.

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Worth Playing

I don't believe that there's anything inherently wrong with Sega trying to do something different with the series, but by taking away a feature that many fans wanted and offering nothing compelling in exchange, Beast Rider will have a hard time appealing to both series fans and those who are just looking for a decent action game.

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games(TM)

It’s a perfectly playable game, but a frankly boring one that quickly becomes a chore to play. [Christmas 2008, p.102]

PSX Extreme

Golden Axe: Beast Rider isn’t a very good game. It’s not quite as bad as some critics have claimed – it can be fun for a little while, and the combat system is relatively ambitious – but it’s certainly not worth your $60.

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Cheat Code Central

The problem comes when you stare too long: there are constant screen tearing and randomly dropped frames.

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PTGamers

Lacking co-op and the rest of the cast, Beast Rider seems more like a market study than the complete Golden Axe experience we could expect.

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PALGN

Golden Axe: Beast Rider had the potential to be the second coming of the Golden Axe franchise, instead it left fans of the long-running series mulling over what could have been.

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Playstation Official Magazine Australia

A game destined for the chopping block. [Summer 2009, p.78]

Playstation Official Magazine UK

It's not worth it, mate. [Christmas 2008, p.116]

GamePro

Add in tired and repetitive level designs, a lackluster story and the general absence of fun and you have a title that isn't worth playing. [Dec 2008, p.95]

MEGamers

What may have seemed like a good game during the development process turned out to be a game that’s destined for the wastelands.

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VideoGamer

Golden Axe is the latest classic franchise to disappoint on new hardware, and we can't help but think it's a huge wasted opportunity. Beast Rider even fails to include multiplayer support, something that was core to the original game, confirming its fate as a sub-par hack 'n' slash.

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G4 TV

While the counter-attacks and the beasts add something to the lacklustre gameplay, everything else from cameras to enemies makes it a chore to slog through one end of a level to another.

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Console Monster

The original Golden Axe is available almost everywhere these days and this is about a thousand times more fun than this poor excuse.

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PSM3 Magazine UK

It's descended into a dismally unimaginative hack-and-slash affair. [Christmas 2008, p.86]

GameFocus

Beast Rider makes all the right attempts to become relevant again (3-D, bloody combat) but stumbles so badly on the fundamentals that you wished the game was axed from development to begin with.

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IGN

This is a game worth avoiding like the plague, even if the classic remains deep and warm within your heart.

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Gamer.nl

If you ever plan to design a hack & slash-game, you should definitely play Golden Axe: Beast Rider. It's the perfect example of what not to do.

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Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)

If that wasn't bad enough, the glitchy, jerky graphics are further ravaged by a spastic camera that literally had me woozy at times. [Holiday 2008, p.84]

1UP

With the exclusion of co-op -- what people really want to play -- and the constant hint that a sequel's already on the way, Beast Rider feels like a difficult, drawn-out, $60 tutorial. Why bother?

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 4.8 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Allan D gave it an8:
As others have stated this game is underrated. OK so it's not the next Eldar Scrolls but the graphics are great. If you've played Conan you'll know what to expect, there's a lot less combos on offer but this is made up for with the coutering system which I won't go in to here - but if you can master it, it's as satifying a game mechanic as you're likely to find. Really hope there is a sequel! (And to SEGA, leave out the Barbarian and the dwarf, just put in more customisation for Tyris!) I paid £8 pre-owned. If you see this game for less than a tenner, grab it.

Robert V gave it a3:
The game has the potential to be good but the execution is beyond terrible. The games is hard and unfair, making you watch all the cutscenes over and over when you die, and trust me you will die a lot. It gets insanely tedious. The balance in the game is a right mess as well, it seems completely random when you can evade/parry or not, or if your attacks will stun an enemy. I don't know how many times i've timed my button press just right only to get hit anyway, and subsequently get killed by a mob. I was hoping for some mindless hack and slash action with a hint of nostalgia with this game, but the only emotion this game conjured was utter frustration. Stay clear from this one, that's all i can say.

Funkymonk gave it a4:
As a big fan of the classic original I can only express dissapointment at this update. The gamplay is repetitive, the fighting flawed and apart from a few of the characters it doesn't even have much in common with the original. Do not buy this. Not even at a bargin bin price and especially not if you have a soft spot for the old Golden Axe. You're the ones who would be most let down.

sfam sfam gave it a2:
If I had to describe this game in one word it would be "frustrating." The beasts can't be controlled well, the game LOVES to send incoherent respawn creatures to surround you in an enclosed area, the "necessary" defense stuff really is atrocious, and you get money that you never can use. Truly a waste of $$$

Dan gave it an8:
This game is totally underrated. It looks like another critic feeding frenzy where they all get to pile on a game to show how tough of reviewers they can be. The game isn't perfect, but I've found it to be very satisfying and quite challenging. My biggest gripe with the game is that the camera can be frustrating when you're backed into a corner. The combat depends heavily on being able to see and counter your enemy's attacks and sometimes it gets zoomed in so close that you cant tell what they're coming at you with. The solution? Try to stay out in the open more- it's not a game-breaker. Tyris is hot. The beasts are cool. And there's plenty of over-the-top blood and gore. Overall, it's a good game- especially at the bargain bin pricing that it's now found at.

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Golden Axe: Beast Rider

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