Mercilessly bloody and violent, this is certainly not your father's Golden Axe.
By ushering Golden Axe in an entirely new direction (in this case, next-gen), Beast Rider takes many risks. In the long run, the result is a fun, bloody romp through the Golden Axe world as the unstoppable Tyris-Flare, the Amazon warrior-princess. Throughout the course of the game, you not only get to hack and slash through hordes of ugly enemies and monsters, but also harness the power of beasts that you ride on. The system is similar in part to the original arcade game--where you got to ride animals and used them to attack your foes. Same deal here--only you have more flexibility. The beasts each have individual attacks such as tail whipping, lightning spits, ram attacks, even the good old fashioned flame breath. Sadly, there's no Chicken Wing in this one, but the Beasts here look pretty cool.
The combat system in Beast Rider is standard hack-and-slash fare with a bit of an interesting twist. Taking a page from Heavenly Sword, Tyris Flare has two different defense mechanisms; blue and red. Corresponding with enemies' specific attacks, she can immediately answer back with either a very strong counterattack or a quick cine-kill that's about as bloody and violent as it gets. The Mature label is no joke--when it boils down to the violence and the blood (not to mention some nudity) Beast Rider earns it, and earns it good. You can nab Titan points as an incentive for getting better rankings at the end of each "Challenge"--as well as Tribute points, which can be used to unlock new weapons and costumes for the other game modes.
Supposedly, the story takes place before the Golden Axe arcade game. We are given insight into Tyris Flare's history, and how she became a figure in the Golden Axe saga. Cameos from Gillius Thunderhead and Ax Battler (known here as Tarik) are a nice touch. Even those pesky Gnomes are back, and they're much harder to hit here than they were in the arcade game.
The only disappointments I can see in Beast Rider are that there is no multiplayer (online or offline), nor is there an option to play as Gillius and Ax Battler. They are just as important to the Golden Axe mythos as Tyris, and it would have been great if they were playable characters. But I suppose if the story is centered entirely on Tyris, this kind of thing is somewhat forgivable. Perhaps they'll consider Gillius and Tarik for the sequel should Sega decide to give it the green light.
Overall, I enjoyed Beast Rider. It didn't really give me a sense of nostalgia for the arcade game, but to its credit, it is a fresh experience and a well-to-do re-imagining of a classic game that I've loved for years and continue to love. By all means--give this game a look.