Who needs multi-player when you get to control a female Conan with magic?

User Rating: 9 | Golden Axe: Beast Rider PS3
This game was a lot of fun from the moment I popped it in. It looks wonderful and seems to have drawn upon its predecessors: Heavenly Sword, Conan, and God of War. It successfully imitates the hack/slash/combo style of these other games, while adding its own element, beast riding. The beast riding is a lot of fun, although I wish the beast were a bit easier to control, and harder to kill. The campaign is fairly long, and while fighting hordes of enemies does get somewhat repetitive, the unique block/parry/attack element of the game keeps the player challenged and intrigued; trying to figure out how to deal incredible amounts of damage, while remaining as unscathed as possible.

While the multi-player element of Golden Axe is what carried the series before this game, I do not lament SEGA's decision not to include that aspect in this game. It works rather well as a single player campaign, and because it is a single player campaign, Tyris is not confined to one weapon. Recall in the old games how the dwarf could only use a single axe, the woman could only use a single sword, and the man could only use a single two handed sword. In this new game Tyris wields a number of swords and the actual Golden Axe.

If there are future games, then SEGA should consider adding the multi-player option, but only if you can turn this option on or off. In my opinion, this game is a success, and worth at least a rental if not a purchase.