Golden Axe 2 isn’t as fondly remembered as its predecessor, but does it deserve its reputation as being an inferior Golden Axe sequel? In our latest YouTube video we aim to find out:
SEGA have revealed that their upcoming Villains DLC pack for Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is finally landing on April 3rd 2026. The DLC will add 3 boss battles with classic SEGA villains in the form of Death Adder from Golden Axe, Goro Majima from Like a Dragon, and Dr. Eggman from Sonic the Hedgehog. You can see them all in action via the fancy new animated trailer below:
The Villains DLC for Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is included in the Digital Deluxe Edition of the game. If you want to add it to a base copy of the game then the expansion will cost you £10.99. It is currently unclear if the DLC will be sold seperately at the time of writing.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is out now on PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC. The game was developed by Lizardcube.
Lead by editor Craig Dunsford, a new SEGA fanzine has launched called SEGA Superstars: Next Generation. Following a similar structure to Sonic the Comic that would have multiple comics based on different SEGA franchises, SEGA Superstars features comics based on Shinobi, Streets of Rage and Golden Axe, alongside previews for future comics based on Kid Chameleon, Sonic the Hedgehog, Crazy Taxi and Decap Attack.
Contributors to this first issue of SEGA Superstars: Next Generation include Dave Bulmer of Sonic the Comic the Podcast, Leeann Hamilton and Stuart Gipp of Retronauts, and many more. The fanzine also features news and reviews making for a hearty 29 pages.
SEGA have revived 5 of their classic franchises for new games. In a reveal video at The Game Awards 2023, the publisher has announced that new entries in the Jet Set Radio, Shinobi, Golden Axe, Crazy Taxi and Streets of Rage franchises are currently in development and showcased some brief gameplay of each title.
The new Jet Set Radio carries forward the cel-shaded graphical style of its previous 2 entries and appears to add new traversal capabilities.
Shinobi stays in the 2nd dimension for a fast-paced game that looks like it plays similarly to Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master. However, it is now sporting a hand-drawn art style that isn’t too far removed from Streets of Rage 4.
Golden Axe is once again going for a 3D action game style similar to its last entry Golden Axe: Beast Rider, but appears to have more playable characters and a return to a lot of the franchise’s key iconography.
Crazy Taxi is probably the game that has decided on the most realistic presentation, but it’s still a colourful continuation of its open-world driving hijinks.
And finally we have a new Streets of Rage game that has interestingly ditched its 2D belt-scrolling gameplay for a full 3D interpretation. It’s actually not a million miles off the presentation of the leaked Streets of Rage game that was being pitched by Ruffian Games back in 2012.
You can watch the full reveal video for these games via the embed below:
There are currently no details on when these games will release, for what systems or even what their final titles will be. At the time of writing SEGA have only revealed that the titles are in development alongside a promise that even more games from dormant SEGA franchises are also on the way.
Our hardware section has been updated with 2 new console features and a stack of high quality photographs. The hardware section now has a new section at the bottom of the page that features Aftermarket/Mini Consoles, and with it comes 2 new console features on the Astro City Mini and the Game Gear Micro respectively. Click the links below to be taken to each console feature as well as the accompanying image galleries:
The next SEGA Forever retrospective video is here, and this time it’s Golden Axe’s moment in the spotlight.
The video offers an extensive look at the history of the series, from the original beat-em ups to the one-on-one fighting game, and even the RPG spinoffs; the latter, I didn’t realise actually existed! Even as someone who’s not the biggest fan of the original Golden Axe, the video has made me want to check out some of the side-ventures I’d missed.
Fair warning: at around the 1:30 mark there’s an extremely harsh strobe pattern that would’ve worked fine on the Game Gear but is a bit eye-melting on a 1080p screen. If you’ve got epilepsy you might want to sit this one out.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
According to lead animator Tim Dawson, the upcoming release of Golden Axed is a complete surprise to him and the team responsible for it.
Originally coded in 2012, the project was created off the back of the team’s Castle of Illusion prototype which successfully kept the company afloat. Development then proceeded under the concept that it would be a “darker, bloodier Golden Axe” and the team went ahead with combining those ideas with the concept of the original game.
What followed was 2 weeks of 14 hour days and several disputes with management, who wanted the game to be something else. Tim recounts, “much less luckily we also had the lead designer who thought he was designing it, and sometimes Sanatana Mishra would have to physically block him from reaching my workstation or he’d start explaining insights he’d received playing the mobile port on the train on the way to work.”
The most harrowing story Tim recounts is showing the latest build to management:
“but the biggest gut punch came a week and a half in – combat was working, it was all on track! I was called for a meeting in the big room, so I put the latest build on the network and went to see what was up. All of management was sitting around the big table
I showed the game. grave faces
There was a pause
“where’s the wow factor” someone asked
The lead designer once again complained it wasn’t a God of War-like 3D brawler like he wanted
Someone said maybe it’d have been better to have made a prerendered video where the barbarian fought a monster.”
The full thread of Tim’s experiences making the prototype can be read on Twitter. It’s not a particularly pleasant read but it highlights some important truths about game development that cannot be ignored and it’s unfair of SEGA to promote this title as a “janky”, “buggy artifact of its time” [UPDATE: These terms have fortunately now been removed from games Steam’s description]
Starting today (October 14th 2020) and lasting for 60 days, SEGA are celebrating their 60th anniversary with a huge swathe of discounts, competitions and interviews.Go ahead and check out what https://www.headphonage.com/ has for you to become a professional gamer.
An official SEGA 60th website has launched and it details what the various SEGA teams are sharing each week, and the most interesting exclusive that is coming from these celebrations is a selection of brand new PC mini games.
4 have been teased already and they are as follows (Steam pages for each game are linked as well):
– Streets of Kamurocho (a Yakuza-themed Streets of Rage-style beat em up, releasing 17/10/2020)
– Armor of Heroes (inspired by Company of Heroes, releasing 15/10/2020)
– Endless Zone (inspired by Endless Space, releasing 16/10/2020)
– Golden Axed (a prototype of an unreleased Golden Axe game, releasing 18/10/2020)
The mini games will launch one-a-day starting October 15th and will be available via Steam for a limited time only. You can also register on the SEGA 60th website to redeem a free copy of NiGHTS into dreams… Click here to be taken to the registration page.
You can also watch the reveal trailer for the SEGA 60th celebrations below:
Previewed back in January at CES, Arcade1Up’s Golden Axe arcade cabinet is now available to pre-order in the US and Canada. This cabinet features Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder, Wrestle War, Shinobi, Altered Beast and the original Golden Axe and will set you back $399.
It’s a pretty feature-rich package with a 17″ display, 4 player joystick setup, light-up marquee, volume control and a riser. You can check out a trailer for the cabinet below:
Toy Fair 2020 is currently underway in New York and a selection of figures based on Streets of Rage 4 and Golden Axe have shown up. These figures have been produced by Storm Collectibles and while the Axel figure is currently without a release date (likely because the game is still without a release date), the Golden Axe figures are due for release soon. See below for the full list of release dates and prices:
– Ax Battler (releasing March 20th for $130)
– Skeleton 2 Pack (releasing April 20th for $60)
– Axel (release date and pricing to be confirmed)
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