Released in June 1993 for the Sega Mega Drive in Japan and Europe (and much later on the short lived Sega Channel in the United States in 1995), Golden Axe III marked the final mainline entry in Sega’s classic fantasy beat ’em up trilogy on home consoles.
I definitely respect Golden Axe 3 for its weird character roster and branching paths. I feel like the game was a bit too ambitious for its own good. Like, if you took these ideas and made a really polished 32-bit beat 'em up on the Saturn, I can see this being a classic of the genre. As it stands, Golden Axe 3 is obviously flawed and pretty half-baked, but I still have a soft spot for it. The game's little intro sequence always gets me hyped!
The intro was pretty great. And hey, I love video games despite their flaws so I'm glad I played it. I do think like you said if this was released just a few years later on a Saturn or a *gasp* Atari Jaguar, it could have been a potentially better game. There was an arcade only game in the series called The Revenge of Death Adder and if the visuals of Golden Axe III were closer to that game, I could see myself being a lot more positive.
I never understood how Sega nailed Streets of Rage's beat em up gameplay, yet Golden Axe feels so clunky and, like you said, not that enjoyable to play. So weird!
Yeah, I dunno. The games are interesting from a concept and visual perspective, but they just didn't hit a home run as far as the combat goes. That being said, people seem to love the first game at least so maybe this series just isn't for me personally.
I definitely respect Golden Axe 3 for its weird character roster and branching paths. I feel like the game was a bit too ambitious for its own good. Like, if you took these ideas and made a really polished 32-bit beat 'em up on the Saturn, I can see this being a classic of the genre. As it stands, Golden Axe 3 is obviously flawed and pretty half-baked, but I still have a soft spot for it. The game's little intro sequence always gets me hyped!
The intro was pretty great. And hey, I love video games despite their flaws so I'm glad I played it. I do think like you said if this was released just a few years later on a Saturn or a *gasp* Atari Jaguar, it could have been a potentially better game. There was an arcade only game in the series called The Revenge of Death Adder and if the visuals of Golden Axe III were closer to that game, I could see myself being a lot more positive.
Finally got to play Revenge of Death Adder at a local arcade and it’s excellent! Such a hidden gem that’s desperate for a port on modern systems.
I never understood how Sega nailed Streets of Rage's beat em up gameplay, yet Golden Axe feels so clunky and, like you said, not that enjoyable to play. So weird!
Yeah, I dunno. The games are interesting from a concept and visual perspective, but they just didn't hit a home run as far as the combat goes. That being said, people seem to love the first game at least so maybe this series just isn't for me personally.