Update: September 25, 2003
«©NCSX» Once upon a time, there was a land where every other coin-op game was either a shooter, a puzzler or a punch 'n kick platformer. Come to think of it, little has changed except we'll have to erase the shooter and scribble in fighter. These games descended upon arcades in droves from the usual suspects in a harried attempt to cash in on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, X-Men, The Simpsons, myriad Tetris clones and others. Ah, the olden days when two-bits actually had buying power in the hands of misguided youth. To join the frenzy, Sega also tried their hand in the punch 'n kick platform genre and came up with Altered Beast in 1988 and then Golden Axe in 1989. Coin-op players might have been attracted by the impressive spinning logo or perhaps the scantily clad Tyris Flare who battled with sword as well as mighty magic. Then there was the hero of the wee folk, the squat elf Gilius Thunderhead, who battled soldiers and bosses alike with a swinging axe. He was short and stout but full of vim and vigor. He-man Ax-Battler brought up the rear to complete the trio of heroes. Short and sweet plot points: Your friend Alex has been killed and it's time to exact revenge on Death Adder and his legions. Golden Axe enjoyed a period of prosperity in arcades and was eventually converted to the Mega-Drive console in Japan and the Genesis in America. A sequel would appear in 1991 where the heroes ventured onto a new adventure. The Sega Ages 2500 remake of Golden Axe features landscapes and enemy fighters which are fully rendered in 3-D. Muscle-heads bound around swinging hammers and eerie skeletal warriors rise from the ground in ramshackle fashion. Kill an enemy soldier and he'll blink a couple of times and disappear in a puff of smoke. To show the force of every swing, each sword stroke and poke from a hero leaves a light trail which we suppose conveys the power of the weapon. The sound and music have also been remixed and enhanced for thunderous effects and trilling melodies enhanced by background bass. The action consists of the usual punch, slash, and kick attacks but collect enough elixirs and you'll throw out magical attacks which fill the screen and animate for a few seconds of cinematic grandeur. Tyris' max-power dragon attack is particularly special to watch, at least for the first viewing. Similar to all other Sega Ages releases on the PS2, a sheet of notes on the history of the game are included inside the game package for inclusion in your Sega Ages binder (which was given away with Phantasy Star). Jan Code: 4571159590057 This document is ©NCSX 2003. All rights reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part of this document may be made without express written consent of National Console Support, Inc.
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