NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Golden Axe

Golden Axe is a side-scrolling arcade hack and slash game released in 1989 by Sega for the System 16-B arcade hardware. It is the first game in the series. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... This article is about the video game company. ... This article is about the video game company. ... Virgin Interactive was a successful and influential British video game publisher. ... This article is about the Japanese toy manufacturer. ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... The Golden Axe series is a well-known side-scrolling arcade hack n slash series developed by Sega. ... In computing, a platform describes some sort of framework, either in hardware or software, which allows software to run. ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ... The Sega Mega-CD (Japanese: ãƒ¡ã‚¬CD) is an add-on device for the Sega Mega Drive released in Europe, Australia, and Japan. ... The Sega Master System ) or SMS for short (1986 - 2000), is an 8-bit cartridge-based video game console that was manufactured by Sega. ... This article is about the family of closely related operating systems for the IBM PC compatible platform. ... This article is about the family of home computers. ... The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ... The Amstrad CPC was a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad during the 1980s and early 1990s. ... C-64 redirects here. ... A TV game is an interactive entertainment device designed for use on a television set that does not require the use of an actual video game console for operation. ... This article is about Nintendos emulation feature and download service. ... The WonderSwan Color is a handheld game console designed by Bandai. ... Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is an online service operated by Microsoft that is used to distribute video games to Xbox and Xbox 360 owners and from late 2007 to Games for Windows - Live users [1]. The service was first launched in late 2004 and offers games from about US$5... The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Look up December in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Further information: Game classification Video games are categorized into genres based on their gameplay interaction. ... HACK/slash is the name of a graphic novel from Devils Due Publishing. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A video game content rating system is a system used for the classification of video games into suitability-related groups. ... This article or section is incomplete and may require expansion and/or cleanup. ... The ESRBs logo. ... PEGIs logo Pan European Game Information (PEGI) is a European video game content rating system. ... The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (or ELSPA) is an organisation set up in 1989 by British software publishers. ... For other uses, see Joystick (disambiguation). ... A game controller is an input device used to control a video game. ... The Golden Axe series is a well-known side-scrolling arcade hack n slash series developed by Sega. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Side-scrolling game. ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... HACK/slash is the name of a graphic novel from Devils Due Publishing. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the video game company. ... The Sega System 16 is an arcade system board released by Sega in 1985. ... The Golden Axe series is a well-known side-scrolling arcade hack n slash series developed by Sega. ...

Makoto Uchida was the primary developer of the game and also was responsible for the creation of Altered Beast, a similar game. According to the Killer List of Videogames, Golden Axe was the most important arcade game of the year 1989. Several translations of the game were created, most notably for the Mega Drive/Genesis and Sega Master System. The speedy deletion of this page is contested. ... Altered Beast (ç£çŽ‹è¨˜ JÅ«Åki, literally Beast Kings Chronicle, in Japan) is a 1988 arcade game developed and manufactured by Sega. ... The Killer List of Videogames (otherwise known simply as KLOV, pronounced Kay-El-Oh-Vee) is a website devoted to cataloging arcade games past and present. ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ... The Sega Master System ) or SMS for short (1986 - 2000), is an 8-bit cartridge-based video game console that was manufactured by Sega. ...

The kanji that appear in the title screen read as "Senfu" (戦斧^?) meaning "Battle Axe", however both the game and series are known as "Golden Axe", even in Japan.

Plot

The game takes place in the fictional land of Yuria, a Conan the Barbarian style fantasy world. An evil entity known as Death Adder has captured the King and his daughter, and holds them captive in their castle. He also finds the Golden Axe, the magical emblem of Yuria, and threatens to destroy both the axe and the royal family unless the people of Yuria accept him as their ruler. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the fictional character. ...

The player controls one of three warriors. The first is a battle axe-wielding dwarf, Gilius Thunderhead, from the mines of Wolud, whose twin brother was killed by the soldiers of Death Adder. Another is a male barbarian, Ax Battler, wielding a two handed broadsword looking for revenge for the murder of his mother. The last is a long-sword wielding Tyris Flare, an amazon, whose parents were killed by Death Adder. Swedish halberds from 16th century A halberd is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. ... For other uses, see Barbarian (disambiguation). ... The term broadsword is used to refer to different types of swords, across many cultures and time periods. ... The term long-sword is ahistoric in the sense that it refers to a different kind of sword depending on historical context. ... The Amazons (in Greek, ) were a mythical ancient nation of all-female warriors. ...

Much of the game consists of the character's journey to the castle. In one of the early stages, the player saves the inhabitants of the ransacked Turtle Village, which turns out to situated on the shell of a giant turtle. The turtle takes the characters across the sea, and they then fly to the castle itself on the back of a giant eagle. Once at the castle the player fights Death Adder, who is wielding the Golden Axe. At the end of the battle Death Adder is knocked down and killed by his own weapon, and the King and his daughter are freed from their captivity.

Gameplay

Story mode

Progress is made through the game by fighting through Death Adder's henchmen, including men armed with clubs and maces, skeleton warriors, and knights. Aiding the characters in their quest is their ability to cast spells that hurt all enemies on the screen. The force of this magic depends on the number of "bars" of magic power currently available. The bars are filled by collecting blue 'magic potions' found throughout the game. The male warrior Ax, limited to 4 bars, is able to cast Earth spells. The dwarf Gilius, limited to 3 bars, casts lightning spells and the female warrior Tyris can cast devastating fire magic, but her most powerful spell costs 6 bars. â€œTruncheonâ€ redirects here. ... A development of the club, a mace consists of a strong, heavy wooden, metal-reinforced, or metal shaft, with a head made of stone, copper, bronze, iron or steel. ... Magic: The Gathering. ...

Various steeds are found in the game, which are known as bizarrians. These can be ridden when the enemy rider is knocked off, or if one is found dormant. The least powerful steed is known as a 'Chicken-Leg', which can be used to knock down enemies with a swipe of its tail. The more powerful dragon, which can either shoot fireballs or breath fire, is found later in the game. For other uses, see Dragon (disambiguation). ...

The Duel mode

The Duel is a gameplay mode which was a feature of most ports, but not of the original arcade game. It can be played either single or two-player.

In the single-player mode, the player battles enemies in stages. A handful of enemies attack, and when they are defeated the player moves on to the next group of enemies. Sometimes even bosses appeared to challenge the player. The player had to make do with the health they started with for the duration of the game, and magic could not be used at all. At some stages enemies rode on bizarrians, which could be stolen and used to fight with.

If played in two-player mode, The Duel became a one-on-one battle against the other player with no enemies or stages. Like the single-player duel mode, health could not be regained, nor magic used.

Ports and remakes

Several ports of Golden Axe exist for many platforms, including: the Sega Mega Drive, Sega Master System, Sega CD, MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Game Boy Advance, ZX Spectrum, Wii and Xbox 360. The ports can be effectively divided into those of the original arcade version, and the ports of the somewhat different Sega Mega Drive version. In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed (e. ... The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ... The Sega Master System ) or SMS for short (1986 - 2000), is an 8-bit cartridge-based video game console that was manufactured by Sega. ... The Sega Mega-CD (Japanese: ãƒ¡ã‚¬CD) is an add-on device for the Sega Mega Drive released in Europe, Australia, and Japan. ... Microsofts disk operating system, MS-DOS, was Microsofts implementation of DOS, which was the first popular operating system for the IBM PC, and until recently, was widely used on the PC compatible platform. ... This article is about the family of home computers. ... The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ... C-64 redirects here. ... â€œGBAâ€ redirects here. ... The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. ... The Wii (pronounced as the pronoun we, IPA: ) is the fifth home video game console released by Nintendo. ... It has been suggested that Xbox 360 Elite be merged into this article or section. ...

Differences between the arcade and Mega Drive versions

The Sega Mega Drive and Genesis version of the game retained the gameplay of the arcade game, while adding two extra levels and two extra modes of gameplay, The Duel and Beginner (an easier and shorter quest, with an alternate boss at the end). However one gameplay difference in the Mega Drive version is that none of the "large" enemies can throw the play at close range.(Which means at very close distances these enemies can't attack the player at all) Due to technical limitations (the media distribution was on a 4 megabit cartridge) the graphics took a noticeable hit, and some complex animations had to be cut. Fewer colors were used on-screen from a smaller palette, background detail was reduced, and parallax scrolling was removed. Despite not being as graphically impressive as the arcade original, fans considered the extra levels and modes to more than make up for this loss. A strange error was made in that Gilius Thunderhead's "Golden Axe" is no longer golden in the home console translation, it is now silver. Death Adder no longer formed from several snakes who slither into a suit of armor, unlike the arcade version. Also unique to the arcade version was the ending in which the Golden Axe characters escape an arcade machine on which they are being played, and chase the humans out into the street. At this point a sign can be seen advertising "Dokari Sweat", a reference to Pocari Sweat, the Japanese sports drink. The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ... The Mega Drive/Genesis was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in Japan (1988), Europe (1990) and most of the rest of the world as the Mega Drive. ... This article may be too technical for most readers to understand. ... Pocari Sweat can Pocari Sweat (ãƒã‚«ãƒªã‚¹ã‚¨ãƒƒãƒˆ) is a popular Japanese soft drink and sports drink, manufactured by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. ...

Other ports and versions

The Sega CD version featured new background music and voice-overs. Almost all the game's background music could be listened to on a regular CD player. The graphics were identical, but the version had a higher frame rate for the characters' animations. Strangely, this version of the game was only one player even though Streets of Rage, which could also be found on the same CD, retained its two player co-op mode. The Sega Mega-CD (Japanese: ãƒ¡ã‚¬CD) is an add-on device for the Sega Mega Drive released in Europe, Australia, and Japan. ... This article is about the first game in the Streets of Rage series. ...

The Sega Master System version of the game retold the original story from the perspective of Ax Battler, who was called "Tarik" in this game. While the game was only one-player, it featured all of the levels and magic powers of the arcade version. At the time of the game's release, many video game magazine editors and fans expressed surprise with how close the graphics of this game came to the Mega Drive version, despite the inferior technology of the Master System. The Sega Master System ) or SMS for short (1986 - 2000), is an 8-bit cartridge-based video game console that was manufactured by Sega. ...

The IBM PC compatibles version was released in 1990. When played in 256 color VGA mode, the graphics were similar to the arcade version. However, it was not a direct translation of the Arcade as much as it was a port of the Mega Drive version with an improved color palette. The overall number of levels was expanded over the arcade original to eight, through the addition of the same two extra stages added to the Mega Drive version. The game supported all major graphics adapters available at the time, including VGA, EGA, CGA, Tandy and Hercules. Although the game would run on a 4.77 MHz IBM PC XT, at least a 16 MHz IBM PC AT was recommended for fluid scrolling and animations in VGA mode. One of the first PCs from IBM - the IBM PC model 5150. ... Video Graphics Array (VGA) is a computer display standard first marketed in 1987 by IBM. VGA belongs to a family of earlier IBM video standards and largely remains backward compatible with them. ... The Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) is the IBM PC computer display standard specification located between CGA and VGA in terms of graphics performance (that is, colour and space resolution). ... The 640Ã—200 2 color mode with its default foreground color â€” Arachne Internet suite. ... The Tandy 1000 was a line of more or less IBM PC compatible home computer systems produced by the Tandy Corporation for sale in its Radio Shack chain of stores. ... The Hercules Graphics Card (HGC) was a mid-1980s computer graphics controller which through its popularity became a de-facto display standard. ...

The Atari ST and Amiga versions of the game were released in 1990 by Virgin Software. Unlike the PC version, the Amiga version was not a port of the Mega Drive version but was virtually identical to the arcade game with no loss of colors or animations. The Atari ST version differed from the Amiga version in that it changed the character health status bars to gems, and enhanced the icons for the characters faces. The ST version was less colorful than the Amiga version but retained all of the Arcade animations and detail. Both of these versions came closer than the Mega Drive in terms of graphics, but were missing the extra levels, and did not control as well as the home console versions (particularly the Atari ST version with its 2 button controller). In the Amiga version, Gilius Thunderhead retains the gold color of his axe, which was silver in the Mega Drive version. The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ... This article is about the family of home computers. ...

The ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 versions suffered from different problems. While the Commodore 64 version was graphically better than the ZX Spectrum version, it limited the action to a one player experience. To make matters worse, only one enemy character was "allowed" on screen at once to battle the player, upsetting the gameplay of the original. The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. ... C-64 redirects here. ...

In Japan, Golden Axe was released by Telenet for the PC Engine CD-ROM sometime in 1990. It is not well known that this game existed because it is generally conceded by fans and critics alike to be the worst translation of the title. The graphics were actually noticeably inferior to the Mega Drive version. This was the fault of amateur programmers, as the system was more than capable of handling an accurate translation of the title, or one even surpassing the Mega Drive offering. The sound and music, despite being a CD-ROM title, was of the same poor quality as the visuals and play. Understandably, this title was never released anywhere outside of Japan. Notably, the game had an anime style intro and new sprites for the character select screen. The PC Engine was a video game console released by NEC, a Japanese company, in 1987. ...

The PlayStation 2 version was a 3D remake, released as part of the Sega Ages series. Originally released in Japan as a budget release (it sold for only 2500 yen), the title was generally poorly received due to its lackluster graphics, poor animation, and shoddy hit detection. The game is now available in the United States and Europe as part of the Sega Classics Collection, a multi-pack of other Sega Ages remakes. This game is despised by game enthusiasts far and wide due to its poor quality. There is some theorisation by fans that this, and other Ages remakes, were actually planned for the Sega Saturn, but were eventually tidied up for release on the PlayStation 2. This theory goes some way to explain the unusually limited graphics. PS2 redirects here. ... Sega Ages refers to a number of compilations or re-releases of classic video games from developer and publisher Sega. ... Sega Classics Collection is a PlayStation 2 complication that contains new 3D versions of some of their Genesis games. ...

A re-release of the original Golden Axe was planned for the Windows systems, through Sega's partnership with Real Networks' 'RealArcade' subscription-based game download service. It has never progressed beyond the beta testing stage. Sega made a collection of their games, called Sega Smash Pack for the PC and Sega Dreamcast which were basically emulated versions of several Mega Drive games (including Golden Axe) on one disc. 1. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Sega Smash Pack is a series of game compilations featuring mostly Sega Genesis games. ... The Dreamcast , code-named Dural, Dricas and Katana during development) is Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ... This article is about emulators in computer science. ...

The Game Boy Advance version was part of THQ's Sega Smash Pack, and was a port of the Mega Drive version. The game did not feature a multiplayer option for the arcade mode, although it did support multiplayer for The Duel mode. The small screen size made gameplay harder than in other ports and there were some notable flaws in presentation. For these and other shortcomings, some fans criticize it as being far worse than the Genesis version, despite being on a technologically superior platform. â€œGBAâ€ redirects here. ... THQ Inc. ... Sega Smash Pack is a series of game compilations featuring mostly Sega Genesis games. ...

The Mega Drive port is also available on the compilation for Playstation 2 and PlayStation Portable known in the U.S. as Sega Genesis Collection and in Europe as Sega Megadrive Collection, along with many other Mega Drive titles (including both Mega Drive sequels). A compilation is a release consisting of more than one computer, arcade, or video game. ... PS2 redirects here. ... The PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP)[6] is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. ... Sega Genesis Collection (known in Europe, Australia and Japan as Sega Mega Drive Collection ) is a video game compilation for the PlayStation 2, and PSP. It includes 28 classic Sega Genesis/Sega Mega Drive games from a variety of genres, as well as 5 classic Sega arcade games. ... Sega Genesis Collection (in UK, Europe, Australia and Japan as Sega Mega Drive Collection) is a video game compilation for the PlayStation 2. ... The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ...

Nintendo's Virtual Console service for the Wii console offers the Mega Drive version of the game for 800 points, which is the equivalent of $8.00. It is compatible with the Wii Remote, the Wii Classic Controller and the GameCube controller.^[1] This article is about Nintendos emulation feature and download service. ... The Wii (pronounced as the pronoun we, IPA: ) is the fifth home video game console released by Nintendo. ...

The Xbox 360 has offered a port of the game via the Xbox Live Arcade since July 11, 2007.^[2] It is a direct port of the arcade version of the game, rather than a port of the Genesis version. It costs 400 points to purchase, which is the equivalent of $5.00. It has been suggested that Xbox 360 Elite be merged into this article or section. ... Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is an online service operated by Microsoft that is used to distribute video games to Xbox and Xbox 360 owners and from late 2007 to Games for Windows - Live users [1]. The service was first launched in late 2004 and offers games from about US$5... is the 192nd day of the year (193rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

The Arcade and Mega Drive versions, as well as parts II & III, are freely available on the internet site GameTap. GameTap is an online video game service by Turner Broadcasting System (TBS). ...

Other appearances

Alien Storm is an arcade game by Sega, later ported to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and Sega Master System. ... Shining in the Darkness is a 1991 RPG game for the Sega Genesis video game console. ... Sega Superstars Tennis is an upcoming Tennis video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. ...

Sounds

The death screams of the bad guys are digitized from screams used in the films First Blood and Conan The Barbarian. For example: The screams of Sgt. Arthur Galt when he falls from the helicopter (in First Blood) can be heard in the game at the first stage, when a bad guy steps mercilessly on a little man, and some of the screams of Deputy Mitch (also in First Blood), heard when Rambo tears his leg with a knife (in the jungle), can be heard when one of the common enemies dies (sounds like ohh, gaaaahd!). Fans of the game who watch the movies will be able to pick these out easily. For the David Morrell novel, see First Blood (book). ... This article is about the fictional character. ... Box Log Falls, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia Jungle usually refers to a dense forest in a hot climate, such as a tropical rainforest. ...

Another of the death screams is taken from the film Conan The Barbarian - the rattling gasp the skeleton warriors' make is the sound the Snake Cult priest makes when Conan smashes his elbow into his stomach before stealing his robes in order to get into Thulsa Doom's temple.

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Xboxs successor, see Xbox 360. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Hidden categories: Articles needing additional references from March 2008 | Articles with trivia sections from March 2008

StrategyWiki is a wiki founded in December 2005 for the gaming community. ... World of Spectrum is a website devoted to cataloging and archiving material for the ZX Spectrum home computer pupular in the 1980s. ... The Golden Axe series is a well-known side-scrolling arcade hack n slash series developed by Sega. ... Computer and video games redirects here. ... Golden Axe Warrior was an RPG spin-off of the popular Golden Axe game series. ... Golden Axe II is a side-scrolling fighting game (or side-scrolling beatem up) released for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis. ... Golden Axe III is the last of the series released on June 25 1993 in Japan only. ...

Contents

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