Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (2021) Review

Another game that I have played before, but I recently replayed Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and thought the game deserved a review as it seems not too many people have actually played it so here is my review for the game. The premise of the game sees the newly formed Guardians of the Galaxy attempt to raise their profiles when they get drawn into an intergalactic threat which threatens the entire Galaxy.

Characters

Jon McLaren plays Peter Quill/Star-Lord and I love the depiction of the character here. He has that boyish charm and swashbuckling nature but there is also a real depth to his performance and is a character that I really rooted for and wanted to see him succeed as the leader of this ragtag group. 

Kimberly-Sue Murray plays Gamora and I really liked her performance. She is really struggling with her previous role as an assassin and sees the group as a fresh start and Murray really sells the emotion and issues that the character has gone through and I really liked Gamora. 

Alex Weiner plays Rocket and he is a loudmouth annoying little racoon but it just really works and Rocket goes through some serious character development throughout the game and I really liked how he was used during the game. His relationship with Groot who is also great, is another big highlight. 

Jason Cavalier plays Drax and he is easily my favourite character in the game. He is a warrior but has quick comedic timing and you really get lots of information about the character and he is depicted amazingly well. 

There are other great characters too such as Mantis and Lady Hellbender and I love the way this game fleshes out the characters and the universe. 

Last thing is obviously people will compare this group to the version from the films and I just think they are completely different and great in their own ways. I really grew attached to the version in this game and that is down to the smaller names but fantastic voice performances. 

Story

The story is awesome, as I mentioned above I really enjoyed the world building that this game does and ensures that it has its own identity compared to other Marvel properties. The characters are handled really well and all have development throughout the game, I really cared about this ragtag bunch and thats a big thing for me. The story has twists and turns, comedy and real emotion and is a wonderful story about these people. 

Side Content

Unfortunately, the one big criticism of the game is that it is a pretty linear experience and is quite one dimensional. There was some really great collectibles, Peter can collect items throughout the game and then when you are back on the ship you can talk to the other characters about them and it really fleshes them all out even more. But I wish this game had a little more of a RPG feel as that could have made this game truly perfect. 

Gameplay

This game decides to only have Star-Lord as a playable character and I think this was the right decision. We have seen in Marvel's Avengers that making more characters move sets can cause other areas of the games to be lacklustre but that is not the case here. The gameplay is good and I like how they use the other Guardians to assist with Quill and his own abilities which evolve during the game. 

Graphics

The game looks great, it gives all the characters definitive looks that make them stand out and as I have mentioned I really liked the way the world is presented and it really got me invested in the game and its characters. 

Overall

Overall, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is a fantastic game that really stands out in the super hero genre. It is such a shame that people didn't support this game as I think there was potential to get a real franchise here and I would highly recommend giving this game a go. 

Rating - 9/10

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) Review

After many years, we have made it to the end of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy with Volume 3. I have now seen it and here is my review for the film. The premise of the film sees the Guardians trying to recover from the death of Gamora, when they have to work together to save a member of the team and try to save the world once again. 

Main Character

After the events of Avengers: Infinity War Starlord played by Chris Pratt was the most hated character in the MCU. But I think the time has come for people to move on from that and appreciate how good Pratt is in the role. His character sees really development in this film and I think the character was balanced with his humour and some real seriousness that I think was truly vital and effective. 

This is the first Guardians film where I see another member of the cast as the main character and that is Rocket voiced by Bradley Cooper. To be honest, he is the emotional depth of this entire film, by examining his past it adds way more depth to the character and I really cared about how he was treated here. 

Supporting Characters

Chuckwudi Iwuji plays the High Evolutionary and he is the best villain in this trilogy. He is so evil and creepy to watch, he has the presence that is required for this character and I really liked seeing how his character comes across and was a great villain for the protagonists. 

Karen Gillan as Nebula has had one of the best character arcs in the entire MCU. For me, this is her best performance in this role. There has been a clear progression from the villain she originally was and I loved her chemistry with the other members of the team. It is clear that her time with The Avengers has raised her leadership and it is a role that aids the characters development. 

Zoe Saldana is back as Gamora and as mentioned she is playing the same version of Gamora that we met during the events of Avengers: Endgame. She is definitely harsher here then she was in the previous films but it does work, there is an uneasy relationship between her and the Guardians but it does progress well. 

The rest of the Guardians are great. Drax, Mantis & Groot all have amazing moments here with Mantis in particular being the best she has ever been in any of the films. The crew are at their best here and it really feels for the first time that this is a family working together. 

Story 

The story is really well written. the characters development is at the foreront of the story telling and that is nailed pretty much perfectly. As I mentioned above, this is the first film where the crew really feel like a family and that is presented really well. I cared about the stakes that were provided and the ending was great. But there is one problem and that is the story for one character and it really annoyed me as they were one of the things I was excited about. I won't say who it is but people can probably work out who and I thought it wasn't exactly well handled here. 

Script

The Guardians of the Galaxy films have been mainly known for their comedic writing and that is still here and it is pretty funny. But the main strength of the film is the emotional and dramatic moments and dialogue. They are fantastically written and I really cared about all of the members of the group. 

Style 

The Style of the film looks great, the effects both practical and CGI are superb and feel worthy of the big screen. The action scenes are really exciting and again seeing the team together is really effective. The film is quite long, but it was paced really well and I was never bored at any points throughout. 

Overall

Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a fantastic film that brings back the stronger films of the MCU. It raises the bar and hopefully this level of film is the standard that is going to be set for the future films in the franchise. 

Rating - 9/10