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(The game runs in a 16:9 screen, I've just cut off the useless sidebar areas since the classic arcade game is still 4:3 (you could stretch if to 16:9 if you really wanted to; I don't).)
Part of what they billed as the "Sega Vintage Collection" series of separate game releases. It's another early PS3 port by Backbone, so it's pretty good except that there's a blur filter you can't get rid of (but you can sure add another on top of it! ;P). Also you can't adjust screen size by precise amounts--not easily, anyway!--so I was stuck with a bit of border I couldn't squeeze off, grr.
As I think pretty much the second isometric arcade beat-em-up after Double Dragon, a lot of my meager quarter supply back in the day went into Golden Axe--mainly if DD wasn't around, I think--but it didn't grab me now or then as much as DD or say X-Men does/do/did. They probably put a lot of effort into getting such smooth animations and graphics on such early hardware, but maybe the down side of that bargain was kinda tame movement, I dunno. And I wish thrown enemies could knock down other enemies, and that the "can't pick stuff up, can't charge attack" invisible walls at the sides of the screen weren't so darn big. ; P It's kind of short, and playing through makes me feel like well I've probably seen about all that has to offer, not much need to go back.
But back in the day, for a while there this was all there was if Double Dragon wasn't available. I probably burnt out on it early. ; ) Don't know if I had played it for 25+ years!
I was thinking Gilius' ability to out-charge-attack everyone would make him by far my most successful, but I think (actually I really like how the game shows you how many lives you used at the end, wish more arcade games and especially shooters, run-and-guns, and beat em ups did that!) that trophy went to Tyris--probably due to her slightly superior speed, oh and hitting the boss and gang with her uber spell at the end probably didn't hurt. ^_ ^
A list of Sega Vintage Collection releases is at https://ultimatepopculture.fandom.com/wiki/Sega_Vintage_Collection .
(Looking up footage of Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder again, I recall that I DID play it in the arcade--I definitely remember riding around on a giant scorpion with mounted mini catapults. Oh, I think I remember those guys with the giant oval masks, too.)
Oh! Apparently it was (is?) free for PS+ users; maybe that's why I didn't buy it before? ( https://goldenaxe.fandom.com/wiki/Golden_Axe#Ports_and_remakes ) Also I forgot it was on the PC Engine CD-ROM², and had a 3D remake 'p' on PS2 (Sega Ages 2500).
Oh yeah! And the art in the PS3 store listing for this Golden Axe uses the Genesis box art, which in the past may have made me think it was just a Genesis port! (Not great thinking by their marketing dept. : P) |
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| | | | Runs in 1080p. So darn bilinear filtered blurry or whatever though, even after turning off the Eagle-style "Smoothing" option. |
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| | | To combat the blur:
- RPCS3: Configure - Advanced - Force Hardware MSAA Resolve
This turns off RPCS3's AA and allows setting it with your GPU's settings, so...
- NVIDIA Control Panel: disable all AA settings for this RPCS3.exe
- Install ReShade for this RPCS3.exe
- ReShade shaders:
-- Standard Effects
-- SweetFX Levels, LumaSharpen, Vibrance
-- CShade Quantize
- Run RPCS3 game and press Help for ReShade settings
-- AspectRatioSuite
Use this to get the game's Settings - Screen Size to as close to 4:3 as possible--note: you have to back out all the way (Exit) to the start menu to get that Screen Size to save! = p
-- CShade | Quantize
Enable Dithering Effect
-- Levels: 28/230
-- LumaSharpen: Max Sharpening, Wider pattern, 2.464 Offset bias
-- Vibrance: Max
- Check ReShade's Performance Mode box (disables AspectRatioSuite) |
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RPCS3 with ReShade
0:33 - I fail at Tyris Flare
1:56 - ReShade / vanilla gfx comparison
8:47 - Gilius Thunderhead playthrough
25:05 - boss room
28:14 - ending
30:14 - wrap!
Jeez I'd totally forgotten how good Golden Axe (not specifically this blurry port necessarily 'p'--it also makes it impossible to set the game in a precise aspect ratio ; P) is. And the SFX are really great!
You can give yourself more lives & energy; I'm not sure if you get infinite continues. Probably? I somehow failed to continue with Tyris.
It's funny how you can combo Death=Adder safely, but the FRAME your combo on him ends, the other enemies around him WHAM you so hard. ; D But at least you got a good combo in. ; DDD
Ah doing the Force hardware MSAA resolve advanced setting in RPCS3 wasn't actually having any effect on the game's blurriness. ; D |
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| | | | (Oh, pushing X on the Continue countdown cancels the continue chance. : O) |
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| | | | You DO get seemingly unlimited continues--just remember to push Start. 'p' |
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