I don't think Death Adder in GA1 was very much cheap, although quite a leap from the well-balanced learning curve that is throughout the beginning of the game - once you get the skeletons out of the way it's a piece of cake. I played the arcade version, I bet the final boss of the Mega Drive conversion (not Death Adder, IIRC) is harder.
No, Death Adder in this sequel is something entirely different. He's just too unpredictable in relation to how fast you have to move and how accurately you have to approach him. I praticed him quite a lot with save states but I simply couldn't stand it. Oh, and you cannot use magic. Maybe I'm missing something obvious but I have absolutely no idea what that is.
Anyway, a big concern for me with this game was all the boss pattern rehash. They all have the exact same attack patterns and you have to face each of them three times during the game. It doesn't feel as strategical in general compared to the first Golden Axe, just very monotoneous and uninteresting.
Neither did I ever fall for the presentation. Some of the animations look sweet, as well as some really cool bakgrounds but the character designs are pretty cheezy looking. And don't get me started on the music... :I