Back in September, we reported that the reimagined Golden Axe game would lack any kind of co-op and that decision seemed to have been the death knell for the game. Today, Gamasutra posted part of a more in-depth interview that their sister publication, Game Developer magzine, had with Secret Level's Michael Boccieri. The interview is a fairly open and honest discussion about the challenges and difficult choices they had to make when they took on the task of bringing Golden Axe into the modern gaming age and is worth a full read. Of particular note, however, Boccieri had this to say about the removal of co-op:

At the project's outset Golden Axe was designed to be a cooperative experience. However, the depth to which a cooperative experience was scoped and scheduled was far short of what was necessary to turn planning into reality... A poorly envisioned multiplayer design, key losses on the network technology front, and a lack of animation staff and support led to a general freeze on its implementation.

We here at Co-Optimus would always prefer to see more games with co-op (as Nick and Mike discuss in the latest Co-Opticast), but it's nice to know that not all developers immediately write it off due to a "lack of interest" in the community.

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Sometimes, when a game DOESN'T have co-op, it's news worthy.  That's certainly the case for the remake/reimagining of one of our favorite co-op classics, Golden Axe.  Released next month, Golden Axe: Beast Rider will offer only a single player campaign.  That's right, no co-op mode, or any multiplayer features are available at all.  To make things worse, you can't even choose among the original three heroes; instead, the player will take on the role of Tyris Flare, only.  (To their credit, the developers promise that the other two heroes from the original will be featured in the story).  Of course, Tyris is wearing her obviously marketable chain mail bikini, pushing the borders of appropriateness.  This is, I suppose, reminiscient of the first Golden Axe.  Screenshots and videos indicate that the game is meant to evoke feelings of nostalgia, including beast riding (duh), potion gnomes, and even Black Adder, the big baddie himself.  It's too bad they missed the most important aspect: playing through with a friend.  Check this quote from Sean Ratcliffe, VP of Marketing at Sega:

“Rightly or wrongly, we don’t have co-op multiplayer in the game,” he offered, a statement that was met with a short, yet uncomfortable pause. “I think as much as anything it’s taking inspiration from the original series but in terms of that multiplayer co-op the developer decided that they didn’t want to take the game in that direction.”

“If Golden Axe: Beast Rider is successful,” he added, “we can then come back with something else that maybe will have the co-op mode that everyone is wishing this game has.”

I have news for Mr. Ratcliffe.  There are lots of excellent single player combat focused games, like God of War, Ninja Gaiden, etc.  If you want Golden Axe: Beast Rider to stand out from the crowd, give players what these other titles don't: the same co-op play that made the original a classic.  What say you, Co-Optimus readers?  Would you pick this title up if it featured co-op?

The game up for discussion today is the very definition of a co-op classic.  Two players can play together, working toward a common goal.  In this case, that goal is whacking bad guys on your way to putting the smack down on the big boss, Death Adder.  The game is an absolute classic, as well; it spawned several sequels, and its influence can be seen even in upcoming games like Sacred 2 and Diablo 3.  In honor of the Olympics, then, I bestow a gold medal on the undisputed Co-Op Classic: Golden Axe.

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