Golden Axe Beast Rider

A reimagining of the classic franchise, Golden Axe Beast Rider is the latest iteration of the Golden Axe series. It was developed by Sega's Secret Level studio and published by Sega for both the Xbox 360 and PS3 systems in the fall of 2008.

Players are placed in the role of Tyris Flare, the Amazonian heroine from the classic Golden Axe games. As Flare, players ride and battle with beasts, accompanied by her (non-playable) friends from the original game, Axe Battler and Gilius Thunderhead. The story is actually a prequel to the old games, focused on Tyris' defense of her tribe from enemies and their ridable beasts.

Beast riding, spell casting, and brutal melee combat are the focuses of this game. While the previous entries had multiple character choices, players are limited to only one in Golden Axe Beast Rider. Players can ride any of five different grotesque beasts and control them in combat or fight on foot using a time and rhythm-based hand-to-hand fighting system. The beasts available to ride and fight with include a large gorilla-like creature, a beast called "The Lion" that grants the power to become invisible, one called "The Dragon" who breathes fire, a large Tyrannosaurus Rex-type creature that is difficult to control and the old favorite "Chicken Leg" from the original games. The beasts can take damage, be hijacked by players or stolen by enemies. Spells are used in combat and to gain a stealth advantage to sneak behind guards for silent kills. Boss fights promise to be massive, and though there is no co-op play, the title promises to be a robust ten-hour single player experience.

• GameSpot: Golden Axe Beast Rider Video interview with Sega's Nigel Cook (Time: 2:57)