Golden Axe: Beast Rider
So, as I said I would last time, I got the game Golden Axe: Beast Rider for the 360 and have played it for about two and a half hours, so I shall give my first fleeting opinion on it in the form of good and bad points.
Good point: I do Like the graphics, people are kinda shiny I suppose, probably layered with sweat and blood, but it all fits together. Nice and brutal too. Conan-esq even. Its not jaw dropping amazing though but it's nice enough.
Bad point: The graphics and game now and then freezes for a brief second here or there. Its nothing major or game breaking but I've had to happen three times in the time I've played it. I don't know if its the game itself, or the disc, or my 360 though.
Good point: Sword fighting is fun. It has a little more depth to it then I thought it would, actually. As well as the different combo that rely on your button pressing timing, or how long you hold the button, there is also Parry and Evade. At times it can be a little frustrating, as I'm pretty sure I pressed the button but bang I'm hit again and oh bugger there goes my energy, ah someone else is attack, press the button.. I DID but bang I'm hit again.. AARRGH. Still, most of the time I feel its simply ME who has to improve using it, rather then the game being horribilly unfair.
Bad point: Too many magic users! They're introduced very early, and while they die after a good combo or two, I have found magic users to be the bane of my exsistence in this game. So far I have blue firebal shooting shamens, or rock dropping shamens and BOY do they totally piss me off at times. Expect to be hit in the back, or on the head, while surrounded by foes quite often. You have to dodge the rocks, and with the firebals you can parry them back but the timing is fairly presice, so not very helpful when it has come from behind or the side thanks to the camera angle.
Good point: Pints of blood flows from the hoards of enemies. I have found it rather amusing the different ways you can chop people up, if it takes ya pleasure to do so, with bodies being shopping in half, heads rolling or arms being thrown from there owners. All in good fun. There is a nice amount of enemies as well without it being 99 nights 200 enemies charging at you kinda deal.
Bad point: Puzzles! Seriously! Who thought it was a good idea to put switch puzzles in a golden Axe game. To be fair most of the time they aren't hard or anything, and a fair amount of hem were at least used well, so when you back tracked something new would pop up, but they still feel out of place. I also once had to go at least 1 minutes without killing anything and wondering through a level trying to find a switch, which was a little annoying. My favorite type of "switch" puzzle is the scarifice pillars/spikes/doors though, where you have to kick an enemy onto a spike, so it opens a door.
Good point: The annoying little imps wearing green and blue are back, as well as a new colour, yellow, for gold. They run and scurry around like the imps should, even giving off annoying little impish laughs. Also the Golden Axe camping music starts playing in the background when ya around them as well. It was a unneeded but thoughtful touch, I feel.
Bad point: I have still yet to summon lava exploding from the ground, or a giant dragon to breath fire upon my enenmies. I do have magic, a fireball, an exploding flame that goes around me and a throwable Golden Axe, but no collecting magic poitions to summon some big awsome screen filling Wazoop moment yet. I guess I'll have to earn it, if its in the game.
Good point: Beasts! And some are even the beasts from Golden Axe. They look so nice/mean/beasty, and riding around on them and clawing/slashing/burning through enemies is a riot. Hurrah! All the fun of the old games. also some of the really bigger new beasts are awesome, especially when yo have to take on a fully armour plated one. Eeee.
Bad point: Beasts! Just as the way they feel like riding a giant unweildy beast is great, its also a bloody pain at times, much like the old game. They can be so slow to do things after an attack, or hard to turn around, or easy to get trapped. Being knocked off can also be a pain, as its not always 100% clear why they one slash knocked you off when you've taken one like it before.
Good point: There's this tribute thing, where you give all the gold you got through a level to ya God, that seems to unlock a lot of things as you progress through the game. Its a nice little insentive to redo some area's. Also theres a grading system for when you finish each area, as well as an entire level grade. I keep getting C's. I can't help feel A's are for people who never, ever get hit and use only the there own spit to kill enemies.
Bad point: I guess I'll have to say it but there is no multiplayer option, not that that makes any difference to me, nor can you change ya character. I'm not terribilly upset aout this but as I've already ran into the drawf, it feels a little strange, I guess. Still this ia a major sore point for some people so I'll bring it up.
The It There Point: Neither good nor bad but the makers seemed fit to put in a plot into the game, as well as some cut scenes. I guess games must have stories these days. Still golden Axe did have a small plot hidden in there, and this one lifts right from it. Black Adder kills Tyris's tribe and she seeks revenge, which is exactly what this plot is, expect add in a dragon god being kidnapped and having to reforge the golden Axe into it as well. I don't really care.
The I'm going to be a little upset if they don't have something like it in there Point: So far I've not seen any cities on the back of giant turtles, nor castles built on a giant golden eagle. Its early days yet but one of the main things I remember about golden axe was those impossibilly big creatures with buildings and suck like on them. It might be deemed as a little "silly" but they should be there, man!
Overal: I'm having fun. Its mostly what I thought it would be, a simply minded game where you hack and slash and parry and evade and cut and burn and gorge and kill and kill and kill and kill again. I wanted that kind of game and I got it. Its not perfect, nor without little faults, but its not hair ripping bad either.
Good point: I do Like the graphics, people are kinda shiny I suppose, probably layered with sweat and blood, but it all fits together. Nice and brutal too. Conan-esq even. Its not jaw dropping amazing though but it's nice enough.
Bad point: The graphics and game now and then freezes for a brief second here or there. Its nothing major or game breaking but I've had to happen three times in the time I've played it. I don't know if its the game itself, or the disc, or my 360 though.
Good point: Sword fighting is fun. It has a little more depth to it then I thought it would, actually. As well as the different combo that rely on your button pressing timing, or how long you hold the button, there is also Parry and Evade. At times it can be a little frustrating, as I'm pretty sure I pressed the button but bang I'm hit again and oh bugger there goes my energy, ah someone else is attack, press the button.. I DID but bang I'm hit again.. AARRGH. Still, most of the time I feel its simply ME who has to improve using it, rather then the game being horribilly unfair.
Bad point: Too many magic users! They're introduced very early, and while they die after a good combo or two, I have found magic users to be the bane of my exsistence in this game. So far I have blue firebal shooting shamens, or rock dropping shamens and BOY do they totally piss me off at times. Expect to be hit in the back, or on the head, while surrounded by foes quite often. You have to dodge the rocks, and with the firebals you can parry them back but the timing is fairly presice, so not very helpful when it has come from behind or the side thanks to the camera angle.
Good point: Pints of blood flows from the hoards of enemies. I have found it rather amusing the different ways you can chop people up, if it takes ya pleasure to do so, with bodies being shopping in half, heads rolling or arms being thrown from there owners. All in good fun. There is a nice amount of enemies as well without it being 99 nights 200 enemies charging at you kinda deal.
Bad point: Puzzles! Seriously! Who thought it was a good idea to put switch puzzles in a golden Axe game. To be fair most of the time they aren't hard or anything, and a fair amount of hem were at least used well, so when you back tracked something new would pop up, but they still feel out of place. I also once had to go at least 1 minutes without killing anything and wondering through a level trying to find a switch, which was a little annoying. My favorite type of "switch" puzzle is the scarifice pillars/spikes/doors though, where you have to kick an enemy onto a spike, so it opens a door.
Good point: The annoying little imps wearing green and blue are back, as well as a new colour, yellow, for gold. They run and scurry around like the imps should, even giving off annoying little impish laughs. Also the Golden Axe camping music starts playing in the background when ya around them as well. It was a unneeded but thoughtful touch, I feel.
Bad point: I have still yet to summon lava exploding from the ground, or a giant dragon to breath fire upon my enenmies. I do have magic, a fireball, an exploding flame that goes around me and a throwable Golden Axe, but no collecting magic poitions to summon some big awsome screen filling Wazoop moment yet. I guess I'll have to earn it, if its in the game.
Good point: Beasts! And some are even the beasts from Golden Axe. They look so nice/mean/beasty, and riding around on them and clawing/slashing/burning through enemies is a riot. Hurrah! All the fun of the old games. also some of the really bigger new beasts are awesome, especially when yo have to take on a fully armour plated one. Eeee.
Bad point: Beasts! Just as the way they feel like riding a giant unweildy beast is great, its also a bloody pain at times, much like the old game. They can be so slow to do things after an attack, or hard to turn around, or easy to get trapped. Being knocked off can also be a pain, as its not always 100% clear why they one slash knocked you off when you've taken one like it before.
Good point: There's this tribute thing, where you give all the gold you got through a level to ya God, that seems to unlock a lot of things as you progress through the game. Its a nice little insentive to redo some area's. Also theres a grading system for when you finish each area, as well as an entire level grade. I keep getting C's. I can't help feel A's are for people who never, ever get hit and use only the there own spit to kill enemies.
Bad point: I guess I'll have to say it but there is no multiplayer option, not that that makes any difference to me, nor can you change ya character. I'm not terribilly upset aout this but as I've already ran into the drawf, it feels a little strange, I guess. Still this ia a major sore point for some people so I'll bring it up.
The It There Point: Neither good nor bad but the makers seemed fit to put in a plot into the game, as well as some cut scenes. I guess games must have stories these days. Still golden Axe did have a small plot hidden in there, and this one lifts right from it. Black Adder kills Tyris's tribe and she seeks revenge, which is exactly what this plot is, expect add in a dragon god being kidnapped and having to reforge the golden Axe into it as well. I don't really care.
The I'm going to be a little upset if they don't have something like it in there Point: So far I've not seen any cities on the back of giant turtles, nor castles built on a giant golden eagle. Its early days yet but one of the main things I remember about golden axe was those impossibilly big creatures with buildings and suck like on them. It might be deemed as a little "silly" but they should be there, man!
Overal: I'm having fun. Its mostly what I thought it would be, a simply minded game where you hack and slash and parry and evade and cut and burn and gorge and kill and kill and kill and kill again. I wanted that kind of game and I got it. Its not perfect, nor without little faults, but its not hair ripping bad either.