Mean Machines


Golden Axe
By Sega
Sega Mega Drive (EU Version)

 
Published in Mean Machines #1

Golden Axe

One of the most evil beings in the entire Universe, Death Adder, has kidnapped the King and Princess of Yuria! And the dirty swine has also carried off the legendary Golden Axe! And to cap it all, he's killed some of your family. So grab your axe or sword and put on your fighting trousers, 'cos it's time for revenge!

Death Adder is gone and hidden himself in his great big castle, and between you and him is his army of horrid creatures. Goblins, skeletons, black knights, ogres, giant swordsmen and even dinosaur riders are all present to wear down your energy bar and stop you in your tracks!

Sounds pretty tough, eh? Well, fortunately there are a few useful options on the title screen to help make life easier. First of all, you can select a character - either a Dwarf, Amazon or Barbarian. After that you can adjust how much energy your character has, from six units to a suicidal one unit. You can fiddle with the control method and pick one which suits you best. There are also practice options - but more of those later. And finally there's a two-player option for simultaneous baddie-bashing!

Riding The Dinos

Golden Axe

Knock a baddie off his dinosaur and you can climb aboard and use the dino to attack them! There are three makes of dinosaur - learn to recognise the best dinosaur models and grab them as soon as possible.

1. Dino 1.3 Popular: Just swings his tail and causes a bit of damage to a baddie.

2. Dino 2.0 GTI Turbo: A turbocharged reptile which breathes fire everywhere and causes mega damage.

Golden Axe

3. Dino 1.6 GL Ghia: Spits firebombs, which are quite jolly and cause a fair amount of damage.

Magic The Beings

Each character is capable of using magic. Just pick up the potions that the annoying little blue pixies drop when you kick them up the ass, and the press the magic button for a mega death-dealin' mound of mayhem.

The more bottles you collect, the more powerful the magic. A full load ejaculated all over the enemy usually kills it off.

Swords At Dawn

Golden Axe

There are two practice options: The Duel and Beginner. The former is a one- or two-player practice game which gives you the chance to fight all the foes on a one-on-one basis. You only get one life, and at the end you get a rating to show how good a fighter you are.

Beginner is a mini version of the game where you have to depose Death Adder Jnr. There are three levels to beat, and if you can complete them, you're ready for the real challenge.

Movin' And Groovin'

All three characters have a variety of moves. There's straightforward running, jumping and hacking with their weapon. Combinations of these moves, though, gives shoulder charge, jumping downward slice and backward roll. Learn them all and you should be unbeatable.

Matt

Golden Axe

I love this game - it's got everything I want in an arcade conversion. The two-player option is the most fun - but watch out, it's easy to hurt the other guy (that can be fun too!).

The Duel adds a whole new dimension that wasn't in the coin-op, and there are two new levels: this adds to my high opinion of the game. Nothing beats a good beat-'em-up, and this is one of the best I've seen.

It's easy to get into, and the fun doesn't stop - although the opposition gets tougher all the time! You won't regret buying this excellent game.

Golden Axe

I'm just about to back for just one more headbutt... and I'll still be there in an hour or two!

Julian

I like a good beat-'em-up. But I love a brilliant one! And this is one such game. As soon as you stick this in the Megadrive you know it's a classy product.

There are a wealth of options that let you change the game's parameters, and there are also two practice options which are mini-games in their own right!

Golden Axe

The game itself is an exact (and I mean exact) copy of the arcade original bar two things - there are a couple of extra levels added onto the end of the game!

Some people say that console software is expensive. But when you're getting the equivalent of an arcade machines with extra levels and two bonus games, £35 suddenly doesn't seem like a lot of money!

Verdict

Presentation 90%
A fantastic array of options - this is how games should be.

Golden Axe

Graphics 91%
Breathtaking backgrounds and sprites - even the skeletons' jaws chatter!

Sound 85%
Great tunes and plenty of superb effects.

Playability 92%
Highly enjoyable from the word go...

Lastability 89%
...and plenty of challenging hacking and slashing to keep you going.

Overall 91%
A flawless conversion that even improves on the arcade game! Superb!