5/5 ★ – ownerdbomber's review of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.

This game really took me by surprise. After the snafu that was Square-Enix’s take on Avengers, I had extremely low expectations for this game. Now, I’m just sad I didn’t play it sooner. Guardians is a linear, single-player experience (that still rewards level exploration with fun collectibles) that truly shines with its fantastic story telling. The game tackles some pretty heavy topics while maintaining an overall light-hearted and humorous atmosphere. Gameplay is also a delight. Controlling a team of characters during fast-paced combat can often seem like an intimidating or cumbersome prospect, but Guardians nails this by implementing a system that treats team members as “special skills.” Unlocking new teammate abilities and weapon types as the game progresses keeps both combat and puzzle-solving fresh throughout its 16-hour campaign. I was also surprised by the element of choice presented throughout the game. Dialogue options actually had impact and could drastically change how missions would unfold from one play through to the next. It wasn’t something I was expecting, but was definitely something I appreciated - it gave meaning to dialogue choices, and gave the game an aspect of replayability that most linear campaigns don’t have. I legitimately think that this would have been one of my GOTYs for 2021 had I played it sooner.