Wii

Golden Axe II

Though the game has its merits and can be fun to play with a friend, there just isn't anything noteworthy about Golden Axe II that would set it above its own predecessor. It's like a rerun of the scene from 1991 – new players may have discovered the Golden Axe franchise through downloading the original on the Virtual Console, but will be disappointed to find that this follow-up does nothing new with the design. If that's you, don't bother spending the 800 Wii Points on this one. If you haven't yet downloaded either one, and want to, then this sequel gets the very slight nod on the merits of its minor improvements, like the upgraded magic attack system. But only the most nostalgic of Sega fans should consider owning both, because it's like having the same game downloaded twice.

In most respects, Golden Axe II is a carbon copy of the original Golden Axe. Like the first game, the sequel is a medieval-themed beat-'em-up that lets one or two players hack and slash their way through six levels of undead warriors or evil wizards. Sega concocted new enemies and new levels for this second game, as well as tweaked the way magic spells are used. But otherwise, it left the underlying gameplay and presentation quality alone. Unfortunately, the one aspect of the original game that didn't make it into the sequel is its charm. More to the point, Golden Axe II lacks all of the stylish nuances that made it so easy for players to overlook the first game's shortcomings and have a good time.