Golden Axe II (Sega Genesis, 1991)

A sequel to the arcade classic Golden Axe fantasy beat-'em up on the Sega Genesis. As far as sequels go, this is more akin to an enhanced remake (like Double Dragon II vs. Double Dragon in the arcade), than an actual sequel.

The box and manual explain that "Dark Guld" was once defeated but has returned stronger than ever (though the bad guy from the original Golden Axe was "Death Bringer" on the Genesis, a recolored "Death Adder" from the Arcade). The enemies tend to be more monstrous, consisting of Minotaurs, Lizardmen, and other creatures.

The sprites have a more "realistic" look in many cases, but lack the arcade original's cartoony charm.

The music in the game is probably the best aspect, and sets a good fighting mood. The sound however is pathetic, consisting of low quality and unrealistic groans and grunts. The original game's sound wasn't anything special, but it's even worse now.

The main differences between this game and the original are cosmetic, as the magics for Gilius Thunderhead the dwarf and Axe Battler the Barbarian have been changed from lightning and earthquake (as in the original game) to hailstones and tornadoes respectively. There is a new feature in the options menu called "special magic" wherein holding down the magic button slowly builds up your magic meter, allowing you to choose how much or how little magic you use in each screen clearing attack (full unleashes the strongest amount). Without the option, your entire magic supply is exhausted with a press of a button (the original game would use sufficient magic to wipe out the enemies onscreen, iirc).

Another difference is the Bizarrians, the ridable mounts you could knock enemies off to commandeer yourself. The Chicken Legs are unchanged, but the dragons are different. Formerly you had a Green dragon that breathed fire at the ground and a Red dragon that spewed fireballs that went the length of the screen. In Golden Axe II the Green dragon turns around and kicks with its legs (a much slower attack). The Red dragon now sprays fire forward. So the Bizzarians are less useful than before.

A memorable aspect of the original game were the small blue elf "thieves" that would run around at various times. Hitting them would force them to drop magic pots that you could pick up to build your magic meter. In between levels they would appear to "steal" your magic, and then you could attack them to get it back (and then some). Plus hitting the green clad thieves would give you meat or bread that could restore health (only between levels). Golden Axe II shakes this up a bit by replacing the pots with books (which function the same way). The formerly harmless thieves are now replaced by "Wizards." These guys can actually fight, clubbing you at close range with their wands and shooting magic fireballs from a distance. They can even ride Bizzarians, so they present something more of a challenge.

The game itself is about the same length as the previous one, and while the enemies are either the same or slightly harder, there are several points where the player can trick enemies into falling into bottomless pits or easily knock them in, making various sections a lot easier.

As before there's a vs. mode, and 1/2 players cooperative or competitive.

Overall here is how I would rate the game (mostly compared to the original):

Graphics 7/10
Sound 6/10 (mostly for the music)
Challenge 7/10
Control 9/10
Replayability 6/10

Golden Axe II is one of the greatest games of all time and was quite amazing for its time. The game is very challenging but it is an absolute blast to play, especially with a friend on the cooperative two player mode. I would highly recommend this title to anyone looking to add to their classic sega collection or to those who need a bit of nostalgia in their lives or a great gaming experience. Golden Axe II is a gem of a game that needs to be in everyone's collection!

Having both Golden Axes won in one auction is great. The games are true classics and still fun to play with a friend to this day. I greatly enjoyed the gameplay that at times is difficult but if you find a strategy, it all becomes a lot easier. I highly recommend these titles to any Genesis fans because these are titles you must have in your growing Genesis collection. The price you pay for them is worth a purchase even if you think you are paying too much for them. The best part of this game is when you finish up a level and get to beat up those little gnomes to get your stuff back. You can't lose!

This is one of the biggest all time genesis games. My favorite by far. Brings back my college years drinking, partying, makeing new friends etc. Very fun times and a very fun game to boot. We would even play golden axe and drink at the same time, now that was double the fun yes siry. Try golden axe 2 you'll love it; well maybe not as much as I loved it but hopefully alot.

All the games were in perfect working order and as well taken care of as I would have personally stored it all these years. I bought it more specifically for Golden Axe II. I used to play it non stop as a kid and the game was stolen from me during a move. So receiving this game and being able to play it has taken me so very far back. Thank you.