Nostalgia can be a tough draw for gamers to ignore; just look at how long some franchises drag on and on. Sadly, some gamers cannot ignore their 'what if it is good this time' feelings and continue to purchase unfulfilling rehashes of once proud franchises. If you are one of those unfortunate souls still buying every Tomb Raider, SEGA's latest stab at Golden Axe might be the kick in the ass you need to cure you of the 'maybe this time' flu. SEGA has reduced the game that used to provide you with several characters to choose from and co-operative play to a single player hack-and-slash snoozer.
It may be for the better, since you will not even want to let your friends see you playing this one, let alone subject them to it. You eventually have some choice in costume, but you only get one character to play as in the game. Tyris is an Amazon warrior on a quest to avenge her slain sisters. The game takes her on a sleepy trek through various barbarian men, with various special abilities, spells, and sizes to dispatch. As the title suggests, there are mounts to ride, in the form of apparent dragon-dinosaur cross breeding, but you spend much of the game running from one group of baddies to the next. You will want to use your 360's music options to drown out the sounds in battle, since Tyris unleashes an obnoxious tennis player grunt with every slice and the sword sound effects are lacking. The game can get a bit tough in patches, but the dragon statues you find serve as continues for you to pick up right where you died. Even when you run out of statues, you simply restart at the beginning of the area, with all the statues replenished. Each successive counter-attack or beast hit scores you an increase in 'Titan Bonus', which is the game's answer to a multiplier. .
The controls are mediocre, with a rather thin list of combos to learn. They all feel a bit sluggish, and none of them is much more effective than just mashing on the buttons. Keeping a keen eye on the swords of your enemies is vital to your success, with sword strikes flashing a certain color as they wind up. The game uses the two bumpers on the controller to handle your block or parry, dependant on what color the oncoming attack is. The right bumper blocks the blue strikes, while left one parries orange attacks. Battles frequently require you to block an attack then slice away like crazy, until they die or wind-up for another slice at you. You can avoid green attacks with either bumper, though it is usually in your best interest to parry them; after which you can perform a powerful strike with your sword. It works decently in smaller battles, but becomes frustrating with a pack of enemies attacking one after the other. There are also two forms of magic, though both are fire-based and only their range differs from each other. You also gain access to the 'Golden Axe' near the end of the first level. It is your projectile weapon and used to flip switches and destroy statues whenever you notice the obnoxious flashing indicator alerting you to do so. The aiming mechanics do not handle well enough to use it in normal battle, so it is typically only helpful if you notice enemies in the distance before they notice you.
Riding the titular beasts adds a bit to the experience, though the game does not use it as often as the name suggests. There is a handful to ride, each with their own special skills like invisibility or fire breathing. Often, they only show up, at beast spawn points, to use in solving a particular puzzle or smashing a gate nearby. They can be a blast to ride, but their health drains from both enemy attacks and using their special powers. Enemy attacks can eventually knock you off your mount, and enemies will get on them in your place, which is a problem, since loyalty is not a beast's strong suit. Thankfully, you can do the same if you manage to encounter an enemy riding one. It is fun to overpower the enemies with the creatures, but it is not nearly enough to make it worth dealing with all else the game gets wrong. With eight levels, taking up around ten hours of your time, in the story mode, the game is long enough, if only it were good enough. The two additional modes fail to add much to the equation either. Challenge allows you to replay levels you have already defeated with your unlocked weapons and clothing. Trials Of Tyris places you in one of six arenas to clear waves of enemies, playing out very much like the story mode, minus the mindless running and switch flipping.
The game has some of the most embarrassingly bad graphics on the system. From the awkwardly stiff way Tyris runs, with her angled sword-arm strangely still, to the splotchy blood effects, the visuals are beyond bad. Character models are uninspired and clunky, mostly looking from the Playstation One era. There appears to be little care given to the details that could have made this game cool. While blood splatters on the floor, and occasionally on the screen or surrounding walls, from a downed enemy Tyris remains spotless throughout. On the plus side, the animations are surprisingly smooth for how ugly the game is. Battles look solid, though they lack the visual flash to drive home the slick kills they attempt to deliver. You can decapitate or remove limbs from enemies, but you never get a true sense of accomplishment since you have no control over what she slices off.
The finishing moves that Tyris performs on stunned foes are bland and overly repetitive; which is really a microcosm for all that is wrong with the game. It is all very strange, given how great the cut-scenes look. Beast Rider deserves a place in the gaming hall of shame, easily one of the worst titles on 360 and with an obscene price-point to boot. It would only be worth a glance if it were 400 MS Point XBLA game if they spruced up the graphics and added co-op play. October is too full of great games to waste your time on this bunk.
