Golden Axe II

"A good hack and slash game."

Golden Ax II is the sequel to Golden Ax. I got this game when it first came out at Funco Land( note at that time Funco Land was still around until Game Stop took over.) Anyways the heroes are still the same but the bad guy is now different. Even though the game doesn't have a name for the evil villain of the game other then the "Evil Lord of Darkness", they actually show you why it is called Golden Ax this time. This time the story is that the ELofD( from now on "Evil lord of Darkness" is shortened in to ELofD) steals the golden ax of the land and begins his rule of chaos and terror as villages are burned and wrecked. You must again choose one of the three heroes: the dwarf, warrior, or female warrior to put and end to his terror and get the Golden Ax back. Just like the original there are many goods things about the game and almost no bad parts to it.

Game play: The game play is like the original. You pick a warrior and you make it across each level to beat the boss of the stage and you try to make it to ELofD. Just like the first one, they give you the option to play story mode, two player story mode, and versus mode. They still have survival mode too. Also setting the game on easy will make the game end quicker just like the first one. Now the magic system in Golden Ax 2 has changed because now you can use magic per how many pellets you have. The more pellets you have the more you can use the magic button.The dwarf has the least amount, the warrior has a normal amount, and the female warrior has the most magic pellets. You can choose to use one pellet at a time or use all of them to make a better magic attack. In options the game gives you the options to use the old magic system where you can use magic only once.

Controls: The controls is the same as the first game. On a ABC type controller the buttons are: A is magic, B is attack, and C is to jump. D-pad is to move and the start button is to select things.

Music: The music is much better then the first one since it has more medieval themes to the songs now.

Length:The game's length depends on what setting you set it on. On easy you stop at stage five. On normal or hard you complete the game which has seven levels (including the last boss fight). So if you are a good player it will take you an hour or so to beat it.

Overall I think that Golden Ax II is a game worth getting. It's even better then the first one in every category listed above. Every Genesis owner should have one.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/12/06