Sega has posted six new images from their upcoming title, Golden Axe: Beast Rider on SecretLevel.com, and, all told, they look not half bad.  There’s some very strong art design on display here, with the riders’ mounts looking suitably realistic and modern while still maintaining the classic Golden Axe feel.  Tyris Flare, the female character from the original, is looking nice as well.  Well, nice for a medieval demon hooker.  The whole thing has a Final Fantasy meets Monster Hunter feel to it, which is perfect for the Golden Axe series.  The environments leave something to be desired, but it's early, and I'm so psyched about this game that I'll give them a pass for now. I'm especially happy about the third image, because I wasn't sure there'd be any on-foot combat in the game, but this seems to confirm it.  The game has no hard street date as of yet, but is slated for a Summer 2008 release. Nice to see a nearly-forgotten classic getting a re-imagining.  Now we can only hope that Gilius Thunderhead and Axe Battler are unlockable characters.

From Sega:

“Golden Axe™, one of SEGA’s most popular franchises storms onto the Playstation3 and the Xbox 360 video game platforms. As the unstoppable Tyris Flare, players will engage in vicious melee combat both on foot and atop massive mythical beasts, savaging enemies with blades and magic on a quest for vengeance. This highly-anticipated re-imagination is guaranteed to leave the fans reeling with incredible graphics and never before seen character skills and abilities.”