About Golden Axe

The Genesis version is considered by many to be the second-best port to own (next to the Amiga) but is more common overall. In fact many people would refer to Golden Axe as a Genesis game rather than an arcade title; this is an indicator of its massive popularity being perhaps greater than that of even the arcade original.

As a special treat for home users who think they already know the arcade game inside and out, the game continues for 2 more levels after you think you've beaten the last boss. These two levels (and the boss they end with) are exclusive to the Genesis port. Also it has the now-familiar 'Duel' mode that has appeared in all other ports and sequels in some form or other.

When this title came out in 1989 to accompany the new console (alongside Altered Beast and SEGA's reprogrammed version of Capcom's Ghouls and Ghosts), gamers were rubbing their eyes in disbelief: here was a machine that was bringing their favourite arcade titles home. Gamers had always been forced to accept that the arcade would always give them the hottest gaming experience while consoles got cut-down ports, but the Genesis proved them wrong. Not only were their favourite games recreated almost perfectly, they had SEGA's legacy of additional game modes, options, and difficulty levels to look forward to.

Ever since, gamers have expected consoles not to be just better than the previous consoles, but to recreate arcade-perfect visuals (or in some cases Windows PC-perfect visuals). The days of arcade superiority were gone for good. And now we see arcades dropping in popularity and closing down, while there is an Xbox or similar console taking pride of place in most homes.

Trivia: (from MobyGames)
'The game is banned in Germany for violence (ban issued on 30.05.92). The game 'Golden Axe: The Duel' is not affected.'
--I have looked into this, and it appears all ports may have been affected, but certainly the Genesis, Arcade, and Amiga ports.

Even More Trivia from Mame.dk Golden Axe page
'The kanji [Japanese character] on the title screen actually reads 'Senpu', meaning 'Fighting Axe'. This is an example of 'gikun', where Japanese artists use the phonetic value of a character to determine the game's name, and not the meaning of the character itself.'