Matthew Lay

This game deserves that "Best Narrative" award that it received from the Game Awards. My game choices are usually more centered around RPG's. But seeing this game's many adoring fans/accolades and it being about the Guardians of the Galaxy, characters who are more mainstream now thanks to the MCU, I wanted to give it a chance. It was well worth it. Many games have tried the "group of friends with banter and camaraderie" angle for their game. But very few have succeeded. This game however, excels at it. Every interaction you see beween the characters, both side and main, is filled with personality, great voice acting, excellent comedic timing, and some sincere and heartfelt moments. Ironically, the part I was least impressed with in this Action/Adventure game was the combat. Now, the crazy thing is that the combat is certainly passable to the point of "good" in a few points. But like I said, I was just the "least impressed". You control Star Lord with the ability to call on your teammates help for special moves in battle. If handled properly, you will cut through enemies like butter. If poorly managed, you'll find yourself extremely grateful on occasion that the game frequently autosaves for you. Whether you're a long time Marvel fan or someone completely new, the story takes the characters involved and creates a tale that really has you feeling the lows and soaring on the highs with your very own motley crew. If you ARE a long time Marvel fan, you'll either feel comfort or annoyance that the direction for the story is something that the game creators made all their own. Only the characters are borrowed, not the plot. All in all? Fantasic game. It deserves every accolade. The combat that is only "good" does not lower its rating in my opinion. It is just a vehicle that allows the story and character interactions to last just a little longer. 5 stars all day.