Yes, I know games should be released when they are ready, sound, fit, and properly ported to the the systems they are being made for. But that makes no difference to someone who is looking forward to a particular game and is bored with the current offerings on the market.

Golden Axe: Beast Rider is one of those games for me. The lieklihood of dissapointment in the game despite my impatient desire for it is still a popssibility, but if like me you enjoyed the original game then you know where I am coming from.

Golden Axe: Beast Rider is expect to be made available for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on September 8, and while that is only a scant two weeks away, it is still no consolation when you are bored out of your mind.

You can get more yummy screens by clicking here.

Codemasters has announced the EU release of Book 14: The Ring Forges, the latest free content update for LotRO Shadows of Angmar.

Book 14: The Ring-forges of Eregion brings a wide array of changes to LotRO, including the addition of Eregion, the continuation of the epic questline, and preparations for Moria.  Codematsers has also been hard at work adding even more player-requested features to the game.

Highlights:

• Eregion: Journey to where the Elven Rings were forged
• Epic Quest: The epic quest continues with world events that open up the adventure to every player across all servers
• Moria Prelude Quests: Aid the Fellowship of the Ring as they prepare to leave Rivendell and make their way toward Mordor.
• Dungeons: The loot dropped in all instances and raids is being upgraded, and bosses and mobs are being adjusted to make for even better play experiences! Now is the time to prepare for the dangers that dwell in Moria
• Animation Improvements: LOTRO continues to polish the experience
• Animations and sounds for each Minstrel skill using their equipped instrument (no longer just the Lute!)
• Monster play emote animations for Orc, Uruk, Spider and Warg
• New animations for 12 emotes – plus three new animated emotes

You can get the EU Patch by hitting the badge below. Full release notes are listed after the jump.

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I am sure we will hear more about Golden Axe: Beast Rider when Jonathan and Shawn are finished with the  Sony press conference. I have heard that there are some exciting things happening at Sony’s and that it is blowing Microsoft’s out of the water. You can hear what Ron has to say about MS though if you listen to our latest podcast.

Now, back to Beast Rider. This game has been on our radar here at Gaming Today for quite some time and considering that the majority of us were fans of the original game, that should come as no surprise. It has been a while since we have heard anything regarding the game, and we have not had any fresh screens for it up until now. The game is slated for a September release for both the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Check back with us later because I am sure the guys will have their impressions of the Sony announcements posted sometime this evening. The SEGA event is tomorrow, so I am sure we will hear more about Beast Rider then as well.

It’s another good week for the PlayStation Store this week — you’ve got a sizable game in Fatal Inertia EX ($30), the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database, a new course for Hot Shots Golf: Out Of Bounds ($5), new music tracks for both Rock Band and Guitar Hero III, and plenty more. There are also four new demos — a trial of Fatal Inertia EX, so you can see if the game is worth $30, as well as demos of NCAA Football 09, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3, and Hail to the Chimp.

And, of course, a random assessment of other things, including some trailers for various games and movies, a theme, and a downloadable music track — the PAIN theme song. Hit the jump to check out all of the new content.

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SEGA has just confirmed the release dates for their upcoming titles. When I say “confirmed” this also includes a vague time frame for a particular month or quarter and even titles coming in the first part of 2009 – one of which is Aliens: Colonial Marines which has been pushed into next year.

• Beijing 2008 PS3/360/PC – June 27
• Space Siege PC – August 22
• Picto Image DS – September
• Golden Axe: Beast Rider 360/PS3 – September
• Sonic Chronicles – September
• Yakuza 2 PS2 – September
• Sonic Unleashed 360/PS3/Wii/PS2 – November
• Empire: Total War PC – Q1 2009
• Alpha Protocol PS3/360/PC – Q1 2009
• Madworld Wii – Q1 2009
• Aliens: Colonial Marines – Q1 2009

All release dates are subject to change so don’t blame me if that should happen.

Thanks: Videogaming247

Another highly anticipated title has a new trailer floating through cyberspace, this time, it is for SEGA’s Golden Axe: Beast Rider. Although I usually do not take much stock in what a trailer shows, because like the ones we see on TV for movies etc, they show off the best bits just to get you hooked. Plus, they usually only show a few cutscenes and nominal amounts of gameplay. However, since I was such a fan of the original Golden Axe game despite it being released time and time again without any changes, I have to admit that Beast Rider looks like it will shake the dust off of the classic and give us something new to slaughter. Let’s hope the gameplay equals the coolness of what the trailer shows.

Golden Axe: Beast Rider is expect to be made available for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on September 8th.

Okay, you win, Sega. I didn’t care at all about your newest Golden Axe game, but now these screens just make it looks just too awesome. It looks like the developers could be taking a page from God of War in terms of reaching that epic feel. That, and you can apparently ride and fight ginormous monsters like the ones above. I could do without the Chocobo-looking thing though. You can check out a few more screens for the game here.

Secret Level and SEGA have sent us some new screenshots from their upcoming Golden Axe: Beast Rider. This next-gen edition of the side-scrolling hack ‘n slash is a gamer favorite and we should see it it shelves sometime this summer for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Hopefully we will get some more information on gameplay and a broader of what the storyline entails when it gets closer to a release date, but in the meantime you can enjoy the screens of scantily-clad Tyris Flare.

SEGA announced today that the SEGA Genesis classic Golden Axe III is now available for download on the Wii Shop Channel. Prices start at 800 Wii Points for SEGA Genesis titles. Wii Points can be purchased online or at select retailers at an MSRP of $20 for 2,000 points. Hey, that’s great news and all… but you know what would be even better news? Bringing us Golden Axe: Beast Rider sometime before next Christmas. Oh well, at least fans of the Golden Axe games (like me) can pacify themselves for the time being with GAIII on the Wii.

Game Summary

Golden Axe III – The once-peaceful kingdom so familiar to fans of the original Golden Axe is under threat once again, as the Prince of Darkness has stolen the invaluable Golden Axe, taken over the kingdom and rendered all its warriors harmless thanks to an evil curse. One warrior, however, breaks free from the curse and must defeat the Prince and regain the Golden Axe to save the kingdom. In this one- or two-player action game, play as a giant, a panther, or a sword-wielding human and fight your way to victory.

But why stop at spending your Wii Points on Golden Axe III? Shawn told you on Monday that Lunar Pool and Ninja JaJaMaru-kun would become available as well this week.

Ah, forget those other two, you want something that lets you hack bad guys to pieces, you know you do. Don’t try to deny it… we can see the blood lust in your eyes.

Rumors circulating around the net that the next-gen installment in SEGA’s hack-n-slash franchise Golden Axe: Beast Rider will be an Xbox 360 exclusive have officially been culled. PSU.com contacted SEGA directly and was told that the developer, Secret Level, is working on both a PS3 and Xbox 360 version. When asked about the rumors of Secret Level dropping this version of Golden Axe for the PS3, SEGA’s Danny Chiu responded, “Not true, it’s coming to PS3 as well.”

This is great news for owners of each console and hopefully, now that the rumors have been squashed, people can start anticipating the newest installment of the revered series instead of stirring up more angst among the gaming community.

Golden Axe: Beast Rider is expected to hit shelves sometime next year, and features the return of amazon hottie Tyris Flare, and with the amount of decapitations, dismemberments and nudity promised in the game, you can bet the farm on a ‘Mature” rating from the ESRB. Will the newest installment also bring about the return of Gilius Thunderhead, the axe wielding dwarf and Ax Battler the barbarian? That remains to be seen, as SEGA and Secret Level are keeping major details on this project under wraps.

The French Xbox site Xboxoygen has some very blurry screenshots of the game posted on their site, and at one time had a link to a trailer for it on YouTube. Unfortunately, the trailer has been removed due to a usage violation, which means that the pictures they took of the gaming screen are most likely also a usage violation – thus the reason I did not post them here.

I am sure more information will be forthcoming from SEGA in the next few months, especially once 2008 hits – so check back with us often as more news on Golden Axe: Beast Rider becomes available. Meanwhile, enjoy the shots of the voluptuous Tyris Flare.

Thanks: PSU.com