Golden Axe - Japanese Arcade - No Death Clear

Hello once again and welcome back to the bonus playlist here on One Credit Classics where we tackle the niche, the marginal and the curious regional oddities.
Today is no different as we take a look at the Japanese arcade version of our old friend Golden Axe as there are so many subtle, and not so subtle if you check the thumbnail, cool regional variations with this one.
Episode 45 will be out on Wednesday as usual but until then, embrace the savagery that is Golden Axe Set 4!
Facebook - / onecreditclassics
Twitter - / 1creditclassics
Theme Music - www.bensound.com
Ending Music - ericskiff.com/music/
Artwork - / dn4photography

[@urdnal]

I live in Canada but I remember version at the convenience store by my house in 89 or 90 had the decapitation in the intro. Is that in the Japanese versions only? I think bootlegs were rather common around here, so maybe it was that?

[@OneCreditClassics]

I know there were at least 6 different Golden Axe Romsets, as I've played most of them through various means, and I've got all 6 in my Rom Folder. The Japanese version was the only "Official" once to feature the decapitation intro and blood dripping on the select screen, but who knows if there was bootlegs out there which mirrored this. Your local convenience store could have just been running a Japanese board. It's a really interesting time for the arcades at this point, and you never knew what you were going to find when you walked in to see a cabinet!

[@GameBoothUK]

So my wife just walked into the room and asked "is that the 'one coin, one life' guy?" So I think she sort of knows your work haha Also, I fully support the No Dragon Clear suggestion

[@OneCreditClassics]

Fame at last! Or at least notoriety. I've had a look at no dragon clears, I think it's doable but you really have got to make the most of the jump mechanism like you do against the Skeletons.

[@GameBoothUK]

One Credit Classics I might dig out my Master System version and give it a go. I'm nowhere near as good/experienced as you appear though, I was always a Streets of Rage guy

[@OneCreditClassics]

It's funny how many people either played one or the other. It just goes to show how fewer games our generation of gamers used to have at one time. That being said Mega Games 2 did feature them both titles interestingly enough.

[@subliminalvcr]

Great stuff. I've only ever played the Japanese version on emulators over the years. What I found interesting was the blood splattering on the player select screen and the heads/body parts flying out of the screen when Death Adder forms from all those bodies at the end. Never noticed that before! Well done bro. 👍

[@OneCreditClassics]

Yeah that's a great spot with the Death Adder morphing sequence. I never played this version in the arcade to my knowledge, it is crazy all the little variants that were included in this one. It's still probably in my top 5 arcade games of all time. Every single time I boot up my MAME emulator I have a split second of disbelief that I can play Golden Axe as many times as I want to. It never loses that Sega late 80's magic.

[@Hazehill]

I wasn't expecting this. That was a really nice clear on a version I never knew existed which Im going to go and download now. I got a great HLSL config worked out now that works really nicely on almost every game I have. I wasn't ever really a fan of CRT emulation or effects before but this one is class so Golden Axe should be a treat. If I remember to get a screenshot of it I'll tweet it to you. Thanks man, good find.

[@OneCreditClassics]

Send me a screenshot I'm interested and yeah, this version really does have a few interesting tweaks, oddities and cultural variations that intrigued me. Also it's Golden Axe, I don't need an excuse to play it through it's probably one of my favourite games of all time!

[@andrerussell28]

There is always, and I mean always time for a playthrough of Golden Axe, it's a term that gets thrown around far too much but this really is an "arcade classic". I did love that just at the end there you started believing your own press that you nearly did a no hit clear before recalling you got a bit of a hiding on level 2 :D :D. Loving the channel content fella. It's quite interesting that they would do minor revisions to arcade boards, had no idea that happened and how common it was.

[@OneCreditClassics]

Yeah I did believe the hype a little bit didn't I hahaha! That's funny looking back at it, the start of level 2 was really really messy. I've waffled long and hard about how much I love Golden Axe, there's really no secret there. When I downloaded the full MAME Romset I was amazed at just how many variations there were on different boards. There was 6 different Golden Axe sets but I remember reading about how one version had a very gory intro and had to try and find out which one it was.

[@Jikyuu]

NIce run, nothing like a bit of 4th wall smashing!

[@OneCreditClassics]

Heads will roll sir! Or indeed fly off into the camera, imagine that in 3D. Thanks for checking it out, it was a lot of fun to do!

[@stevieg3761]

Gonna have to rewatch this to steal all your tactics mate

[@OneCreditClassics]

Watch away my friend! I'm happy with how this one turned out. I'm playing a load of Golden Axe at the moment. It's still so playable after these years!

[@KFCuser]

9:40 '' the art of fighting without fighting '' huh? It's from the movie Enter the dragon, in the scene on the boat when the Australian dude keeps lookin' for trouble.

[@OneCreditClassics]

Good effort! What a classic scene that is.

[@sega8bit]

I was at the Arcade Club in Bury the other week and one credited this game. I've also perfect scored the SMS version (vid on my channel). "The art of fighting without fighting" is a line from the legend that is Bruce Lee (Enter the Dragon I believe)

[@OneCreditClassics]

It's hard not to love Golden Axe isn't it. I'm such a big fan and I'll definitely check out the video that's up on your channel as I'm going to be having a look at the SMS version soon I think. Also top knowledge on the Enter the Dragon trivia as well! I didn't know there was a Golden Axe machine up at Arcade Club, I may well have to get myself up there again at some point.

[@noicewally2605]

I will love if the north American version had blood

[@rossbrookes2037]

So this went up 12th August. I'm now just 3 months behind , I'm catching up at as fast pace now. I dunno if you have done it since (I try to not really look forward at what's happening) but that no hit run needs to happen

[@OneCreditClassics]

The fabled no hit run is something I know I could do, it's just the execution of it all that's the key. I do love Golden Axe and it's a mainstay feature of this channel.

[@WhatHoSnorkers]

Well, it's clear that the only downvoter is made up of worms and kidnapped the King...

[@OneCreditClassics]

Death = Adder Down = Voter

[@scottkeeney5485]

Golden Axe the Uncensored Version.

[@OneCreditClassics]

It's such a cool regional variation isn't it. The arcade scene back then was rich with interesting kinks and pieces of trivia. Normally from a Japanese version of a game you'd get some Engrish and maybe different levels of difficulty. Every now and then though, you'd get something crazy like this which is exactly what this playlist is all about! Thanks for checking out the video!

[@scottkeeney5485]

One Credit Classics True!

[@DePaulaGames]

Like neste belo vídeo e uma ótima noite de sábado para você ... abraços

[@OneCreditClassics]

Obrigado parando por meu amigo! Que bom que gostou do vídeo!

[@subliminalvcr]

MEGADRIVE VERSION NEXT PLEASE!

[@OneCreditClassics]

It's on the list my friend!