Count me in as the rebel-without-a-cause/battered-housewife role model when it comes to Golden Axe: Beast Rider.
I can understand much of the criticism directed towards this game, from somewhat unimpressive graphics to the difficulty. Specially the difficulty, it's not an easy game, it's just not. I've tried completing the arena challenges on Expert Mode and found them to be considerably tricky.
The game decided to forgo a block and instead, use a parry and dodge mechanic that didn't feel as smooth as I thought.
It's a shame, because Secret Level originally wanted to make a huge open world RPG with a re-imagined Golden Axe universe, but as time went on, they slimmed it down to what was essentially your run-of-the-mill hack & slash game. Lookin' back now, it's not as bad as many critics made it out to be, but when you compare it to other titles like Viking and Bayonetta, it's kinda dissapointing.