Microreview [Video Game]: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy by Eidos-Montréal

Get your Walkman ready for this one.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy begins with our eclectic heroes attempting to make a name for themselves. In typical Guardians’ fashion, they try to achieve this in a way familiar to them; by breaking the law. As one can imagine, this leads to conflict with the Nova Corps officials. After that, well, things get a little wild. At one point, with the protagonists entrapped, I found myself using the singing voices of the Guardians—to the tune of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin—to compel/repel a space llama to eat some wires so that we could free ourselves from our rooms. Yes, I typed that correctly.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy isn’t just ‘80s classic music, hair metal, massive explosions, hordes of religious zealots, vicious wild beasts, dogfights in space, intergalactic travel, and well-timed jokes sprinkled throughout a video game. Those things are all included, to be sure, but that only scratches the surface of this wonderful narrative-driven superhero game by Eidos-Montréal. Under all the wild theatrics of the galactic threat, the game digs into the trauma of each protagonist, fleshing out each character in the process (except for Groot who repeats the same three words). The game shows that no matter how jagged or irregular puzzle pieces are, if flipped around enough times, they may just be a perfect fit.

In contrast to many big-name superheroes, the Guardians' main draw is that they’re a team. The Guardians have the initial instinct to run when they need to deal with their problems, but find solace when they turn to their companions. Some of the best moments in this game come from the tender interactions between all of the Guardians, not only does the team become stronger as a whole, but so does the narrative. Overcoming personal hurdles unlock in-game abilities that can be used in combat. These abilities lead to more options while taking down the wild beasts and promise-driven enemies encountered throughout the adventure.

While the narrative has a great arc, there are some minor technical gripes I had throughout my journey. Stiff and sometimes janky animations lead to the ruining of some serious moments. For example, every time Peter Quill has a one on one conversation with one of his crew-mates, it ends abruptly with them quickly doing an about-face and exiting the room. They could have just discussed their years of enslavement or the death of their family, and then they quickly exit the room. It's an awkward animation that was overlooked, or worse ignored, by the developer. This game is also guilty of having button prompts in which the player unknowingly advances the narrative. This can sometimes be frustrating for someone who wants to explore an entire area before moving forward.

But what about the gameplay? Unfortunately, this is where the game loses most of its luster. The traversal is hindered by pedestrian platforming mechanics that don’t feel great when using them, not to mention the lack of a sprint button. While Star-Lord does have jet boots to boost forward, it’s irritating to have to constantly press the button every second to increase movement speed.

I am thankful for the puzzles, simple as they were, as they add a fun bit of variety that takes advantage of the different Guardians’ abilities. Groot can build bridges and lift platforms with his roots, Gamora can cut through certain objects or help boost Peter up to platforms he couldn't reach otherwise, Drax uses his strength to move otherwise immovable objects, and little fuzzy—sorry Rocket—can hack things and climb into small openings. This represents Peter Quill’s position as leader, as the player issues these commands wherever necessary to advance.

In between all the fun story beats and puzzles, there are some enemies to kill. If I’m being honest, the combat wasn’t the best part of the game. While no means awful, the combat doesn’t reach the heights of other great superhero games like Marvel's Spider-Man or Batman Arkham Asylum. Serviceable, unmemorable. You can use Star-Lord’s blasters and elemental abilities to take down enemies, as well as a few special abilities which can be unlocked through leveling up or spending some of the in-game collectible currency. In addition to Star-Lord’s abilities, the player can command the other Guardians to use their abilities in combat scenarios. There are moments of fun to be had to be sure, but I would sometimes get stuck in the command menu while trying to fight enemies, which in turn would ruin the combo I had. Over time, I figured out what was going on, but it wasn’t initially intuitive.

I give Eidos-Montréal credit for ensuring the game had a plethora of enemies to be overcome with different strategies that consistently force the player to use their newly unlocked elemental and stagger abilities. When the team is down and out (or when you accidentally press the wrong buttons), Star-Lord can rally everyone with the Huddle ability. Here, the other Guardians come to Star-Lord with eager enthusiasm for the current battle or come to complain about their predicament. It’s up to the player to choose the correct dialogue option, a failed one only gives partial benefits, while the correct one excites the team. At one point, Drax told me that my speech made no sense, and then we launched into battle to the tune of “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley. I couldn't help but laugh aloud.

Speaking of laughing, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a treat when it comes to witty banter and well-timed punchlines. Drax’s consistent barrage of impeccably placed dialogue is commendable. I can’t count the number of times he made me chuckle, not to mention the rest of the team yelling at each other across the Milano. The fastidious writing team at Eidos-Montréal succeeded in capturing the comical essence of this ragtag group with utter proficiency.

In addition to the dialogue choices mid-battle, there are other areas of the game where choices are presented. Throughout the journey, Star-Lord is given options in how to respond to his teammates. Should he boost up the morale of the whole team, or give in to the melancholy to try and relate to how they’re feeling? Should he back Rocket or Gamora? Join in on the teasing or make everyone back off? Even better yet, there are some sequences in the game where the player choice will change the entire level that must be navigated. While they don't have any impact on the overall story, they do offer some extra replay value for a second run.

What would a comic-book-based video game be without references to its source material? Guardians has many unlockable costumes hidden throughout the game, some that reference the comics, others the MCU films. These are a nice nod to the other media appearances of these heroes while also contributing a little background info. Other collectibles include items that can be used to trigger unique dialogue with different members of the team. Finding these items was always great because I knew I’d get some more character lore once I got back to the Milano.

For all that Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy gets wrong, it does a lot more right. While the combat and platforming can be lackluster, the writing team deserves a lot of credit for lifting this game above its mechanics. The story, characters, music, and jokes are the heart of this microtransaction-free super-hero adventure and I look forward to seeing more Guardians games in the future.

The Math

Objective Assessment: 7/10

Bonus: +1 for well-placed dialogue throughout the entire runtime. +1 capturing the essence of the Guardians of the Galaxy. +1 for Lady Hellbender.

Penalties: -1 mediocre gameplay. -1 for odd and janky animations.

Nerd Coefficient: 8/10

Posted by: Joe DelFranco - Fiction writer and lover of most things video games. On most days you can find him writing at his favorite spot in the little state of Rhode Island.

Thursday Morning Superhero

If the Academy Award nominations tell us anything, which they probably don't, it's that there is no denying that comic book based movies are far from the niche titles they were many years ago and are evaluated on par with other films. Black Panther is a deserving nominee for Best Picture and I hope that Spider-man into the Spiderverse rides its Golden Globe to another piece of hardware.  As I reflect on the movies I saw in 2018 I am not sure that any movies had a greater impact on me than those two.

Pick of the Week:
Guardians of the Galaxy #1 - I was initially going to pass on this title until I saw that Donny Cates was writing the first arc at a minimum. I am definitely happy that I saw the tweet as he is taking over at an interesting time for the Guardians. Thanos is dead and just announced, via a hologram, that his conscious has been transferred into another being. There is some Voldemort type of action going on here as the Mad Titan took severe measures to ensure he could cheat death. There is a mad scramble to figure out and kill that individual. He or she must be strong enough and capable enough to survive the process and it is unclear who it is, but it is likely someone we all know.  The Guardians are dealing with their own issues when The Black Order steals Thanos' body.  This was a phenomenal debut and I am very anxious to see who is in possession of Thanos' head and also intrigued by the artistic choice to have Groot speak in a manner we can all understand.  No more "I am Groot" and I am somehow ok with this choice.

The Rest:
Star Wars #60 - After summoning help to the moon of Hubin, Luke has unwittingly alerted the Empire to his location and brought the Scar Squadron to the surface. The Scar Squadron, an elite group of stormtroopers, is led by the light saber wielding Kreel. The leader of Hubin is not happy with this development and forces Luke and Kreel to duel to the death. Much like when Harry faced Voldemort in the graveyard, Luke knew a quick escape was better than a confrontation at this time. His brave actions impressed the ruler's daughter and enabled the people of Hubin to understand that the Rebellion was a force of good in the universe. I am not sure what to make of the last panel, but it looks like the escape might not be going as good as Luke and company realize.

Man Without Fear #4 - We are nearing the end of Matt Murdock's stay in the hospital and learned more about the confrontation that put him there thanks to an unpleasant visit from Kingpin. Since we are on a Harry Potter reference kick, Murdock laying motionless and forced to listen to what Kingpin said reminded me of Harry petrified on the Hogwarts express taunted by Malfoy. I was surprised to see how much snow threw off Daredevil's radar, but it makes sense and the tension of Kingpin gloating over Murdock pretending to sleep was glorious. This has been an odd mini-series, but one that is well worth checking out if you are a Daredevil fan.



POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

Kickstarter alert!!!!!  Comicker Press is very close to funding its crowdfunding effort to publish its next batch of creator-owned and diversity focused graphic novels. There are five amazing titles to select from and I really hope that it funds. Check out the campaign here and buy some books! There are great options for you no matter what genre of comics you prefer. Now on to my weekly comic report.

Pick of the Week:
Bloodshot: Salvation #1 - I need to read more Valiant books. I have enjoyed every title I read and when you add Jeff Lemire to the mix it becomes a must read. There were always grand plans to read his Valiant books, but I have never moved beyond simply reading one or two. When I saw there was a new Bloodshot series he was penning, it was a no brainer. When I learned it had to do with Bloodshot as a father and revolved around his daughter, I was absolutely thrilled. Lemire has a knack for writing exceptionally moving and powerful stories around parenthood and I hope this is no exception. In this series Bloodshot has retired, and it attempting to live a normal life with his wife Magic and his daughter Jessie.  Given his and Magic's past, things obviously don't go as planned and I can't wait to read more about why he is currently separated from both his wife and daughter. Just an absolutely stellar first issue.

The Rest:
Star Wars Adventures #2 - This all ages Star Wars comic continues to entertain. We are treated to the conclusion of "Better the Devil You Know", a story about Rey prior to The Force Awakens, and a story about a female X-Wing pilot named Evaan who played a vital role in rescuing a Rebel base that was under attack. I really can't say enough good things about this title. It is great for both young and old Star Wars fans, and feels like a Saturday morning cartoon from my youth. I think I might pour me a bowl of Cap'N Crunch when I read issue #3.



Dept H #18 - I feel we are nearing the end of this murder mystery set at the bottom of the ocean, but in addition to trying to solve out who murdered Hari, the H virus is killing hundreds of thousands of people on the surface and people are revolting over the attempted quarantine efforts. Despite the risks of surfacing, the crew has the antidote, but has other issues they are dealing with as well. I guess when one among you is a murderer and has sabotaged a lot of efforts at the bottom of the ocean things are going to be a bit rough. This issue is the first time we have a glimpse of the final moments that Hari was alive, but I am no closer to honing in clearly on a suspect. Matt and Sharlene Kindt have a great series in this book and I hope more people give it a whirl.

All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #10 - Things get weird in this issue when the Guardians reunite the Collector with his brother. While it appears that all hell is going to break loose, the two are happy to be together to figure out if everything is ok due to a cosmic shift. Something is happening with the other cosmic beings at it appears that the Gardener and Loki might be behind it. Gamora still is seeking out the Infinity Stone that has part of her trapped, but they are also needed now in an attempt to set the universe right. Not as light-hearted as some issues, but it has me excited for the next arc as the Guardians quest for the Stones.




POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

San Diego Comic Con is officially one month away.  As I prepare for what I think is my ninth year attending, it seems that things have scaled back a bit, and that is a good thing.  The off-site calendar isn’t filling up as quickly as it used to, the waves of exclusives seem to be smaller (Funko is the exception of this), and the overall buzz seems a bit quieter.  I am not sure if this is due to the growing convention industry or due to companies not seeing a return on their SDCC investments. 

Pick of the Week:

Royal City #4 – This series continues to get better and better as we explore a family that is haunted by the loss of a child/brother.  I am not sure there is another author who better captures the emotions of family and struggle like Jeff Lemire.  He hinted at a big shift in this series at issue six and I am completely intrigued.  Patrick Pike is still struggling with his return to his hometown following his father’s stroke.  He was a successful author, but his second book was a flop and he isn’t making any progress on his next book.  His family has a wealth of issues they are dealing with as well, but the central theme of the loss of Thomas, when he was only 14, is haunting every family member.  They all have visions and communicate with him, hoping that he can provide guidance as they struggle to recapture what they had back when he was still alive.  I absolutely love Lemire’s more personal titles and cannot recommend this one enough. 

The Rest:

Darth Maul #4 – I love the twist that Cullen Bunn provided in the last issue.  Maul was successful in kidnapping the Padawan from auction setting up what sounded like a fun duel, only to be duped by the host of the auction who shot down their vessel and invited the other attendees to hunt them for sport.  Maul is forced to team up with the Padawan and the two make quite the impressive team.  It only serves to make Maul even hungrier to kill the Padawan, but there is no question that a feeling of mutual respect lies between the two.  Despite this, Maul understands that he must not risk being found out and spoiling the fact that the Sith have returned.  It looks like we might finally have our duel soon.

All New Guardians of the Galaxy #4 – I continue to really enjoy Gerry Duggan’s run with this group of misfits.  I will admit that I know little about The Collector, but from what is revealed about him in this issue I have high hopes that he will have a meaningful appearance in one of the MCU movies in the near future.  We learned that a piece of Gamora is trapped in an infinity stone and in this issue she strikes a deal with The Collector in hopes of tracking down the elusive stone.  Drax is still not destroying and Rocket is getting quite fed up with the rest of the crew.  Throw in what transpires at the end of this issue and I am beyond thrilled to see where this is headed.  This series is a lot of fun and one that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed the films like I did.

Daredevil #22 - The second issue that serves as a bridging Daredevil back to New York and Hell’s Kitchen reached its conclusion today.  Daredevil successfully took the stand at a trial without once again revealing his secret identity to the public undoing what the Blue Children had done for him.  While it is a simple little issue that was ok, it serves as a nice transition to the return of Kingpin and a return to what seems like old school Daredevil.  Charles Soule has done a great job writing this series and I am looking forward to his take on classic Daredevil.

POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

The shocking news that I learned reading my weekly stack of comics is that Nailbiter only has two issues left!  The series has felt that it is coming to its natural conclusion, but I didn't expect it to happen that quickly.  Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson both stated that they had a clear beginning, middle, and end and that the series will wrap up as they intended from the start.  As Mike said in the letters section of this week's issue, "it was better to leave people wishing there was more than asking why something was still going."  He was paraphrasing Vince Gilligan, and it sums up my feeling towards a lot of comics.  I am going to miss Nailbiter, but am going to revisit Buckaroo on an annual basis to immerse myself in this wonderful story.

Pick of the Week:
Saga #41 - An error in the printing delayed this book one week and it is a fitting way to kick off the new year.  After the cliff hanger that left us thinking that Prince Robot was going to take his own life, I am pleased to report that Alana and Marko intervened and appear to have saved another life.  In the meantime, The March has finally tracked down Alana, Marko, and Hazel and plans on adding to the body count after killing (can you kill a ghost?) Izabel in order to track them down.  In possibly the most heartbreaking moment of the issue, The Will is briefly reunited with Lying Cat and Sophie and it doesn't go according to plan.  The end of this issue would have been a fitting end to 2016 (I am pretty sure Brian K. Vaughan intended it to end the worst year in recent memory) and left me absolutely stunned.  I won't spoil anything, but it was one thing I felt confident would never take place in this series.

The Rest:
Nailbiter #28 - As I mentioned earlier, Nailbiter is going to reach its conclusion only two issues from now.  This issue sets this in motion as the town is utterly crippled due to a string of explosions in the underground tunnels.  It really spells the beginning of the end for Buckaroo, and there is a mad dash to get everyone from the hospital safely transported to Portland.  This includes Sharon Crane, who is saved by her daughter following the horrific attack from issue #27.  The attempted transfer doesn't go quite as planned, as Alice (the child of the Nailbiter and Sharon Crane) tries to wake up her dad and save him as well.  The beginning of the end is upon us, and it looks like there are going to be some casualties along our short path to the conclusion.

Old Man Logan #16 - In a surreal issue, Logan appears to be flashing back to the point that brought him back in time as he returns to Las Vegas to check on the child, a descendant of Bruce Banner.   Jeff Lemire does a great job matching up his return to Vegas with a flashback to him attempting to rescue Puck who sent him a distress call from an abandoned satellite that has been taken over by the Brood.  As he returns to find the child missing, his flashback takes us to the point where he remembers what caused him to be sent back to prevent the destruction that took place in the Wastelands.  Unfortunately we will have to wait until the next issue to learn more.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Prelude #1 - As someone who is a huge fan of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie and is eagerly waiting for Vol. 2, I was excited to see a prelude comic to wet my whistle.  Color myself disappointed as this is merely a comic re-telling of the events in the first movie.  While the art and comic are well done (I am really impressed how they successfully compressed half of the story into one issue), I was hoping for some new content.  If you are a huge Guardians fan or if you haven't seen the first movie, this comic is for you.  Otherwise I would leave it on the shelf for another customer.



POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012. 

Best Cinematic Comic Adaptation Tournament (Round 3)

And then there were eight. Or, seven really, since there are two Batmen (Batmans?) at this table.

I have to admit personally I'm very happy Hellboy has made it this far and fist-smashed Kick-Ass into the pavement. And handily. But we had some nailbiters, just like the last round. Nausicaa only just squeaked Ghost in the Shell, and Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy apparently had a dance-off, which left Iron Man et al. going for shawarma and Star Lord et al. advancing to the next round. With the exception of the Indie/Imprint Region, everything else has gone all-chalk so far.

Click to Expand

Next stop, the Final Four. We know Batman's going to be giving a Japanese cartoon character the stare-down, but the other half of the bracket is murkier. Will NoaF favorite Dredd overcome poor viewership and overcome a hellspawn only to get a faceful of vibranium? Time -- and your votes -- will tell.

Previous rounds here, here, and here.

Marvel Region

Batman (DC) Region

Indie/Imprint Region

International Region

Comic Con from Afar: Third Annual Lamentation

I try to go to cons that are nearby me in Minneapolis. (Here's me with Lou Ferrigno and me in a TARDIS at the Wizard World con this year!) But I've never had the pleasure of attending the mommacon, the San Diego Comic Con. But I hang out on Tumblr a lot. So -

Welcome to the Third Annual Nerds-of-a-Feather Comic Con from Afar post, wherein one dorkly gal gathers up some cool stuff that makes her sit up and geek out from #SDCC14. This is a totally totally biased list of things I love.

ALL MARVEL, ALL THE TIME
I saw Guardians of the Galaxy last night, and it. was. freaking. fantastic. (though my sister-in-law disagreed: “Heroes in space? That’s just not believable”). So it was doubly awesome to hear that Guardians 2 is already a thing that's happening.

Some Avengers 2: Age of Ultron footage was shown, which I would give my left nut to see. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver! They can’t call them mutants, since that would impinge on Fox’s licensing of the X-Men - even though both characters were in X-Men: Days of Future Past. You can catch a glimpse of them in this lovely retrospective from Marvel (but it's just the same brief moment from the end of Winter Soldier) :


Ant-Man too had a teaser shown, even though they haven’t even started filming.

The big panel ended with this delicious dish - Josh Brolin (Thanos) wearing the Infinity Gauntlet!!

LEGEND OF KORRA

Nick announced that Korra was moving off-air into digital-only the day before the Korra SDCC panel. Thankfully, show creators Konietzko and DiMartino helped me turn down my worry. We’ll still get all of Book Four.

WARCRAFT
The World of Warcraft movie still has more than a year of post-production, but they showed a bit of footage. Director Duncan Jones, said "We really want to make this an origin story. We want to show how the world of Azeroth falls into conflict between orcs and humans.” Well, I’ve only got one thing to say to that… For the Horde!

OTHER WONDERFUL THINGS

Of course there’s tons more stuff - Sam Raimi made more promises (this time an Evil Dead series!!), WarGames is getting remade, Firefly Online is still not here (but still using the Papyrus font), Jack Black is doing R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps movie, Mockingjay blah blah blah - but we gotta wrap up with the cosplay.