Guardians of the Galaxy Disappointed Me (and Why That's Fine)
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
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The moment the embargo dropped for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and those 8s and 9s started rolling in, calling it the game Avengers should have been, my stomach dropped-my experience with the game was nowhere near as positive as that. Let's talk about why that was, why that's fine, as well as discuss the weird critical landscape games exist in, where going against popular opinion becomes such a nerve-racking prospect.
Review code for Guardians of the Galaxy provided by Square Enix.
0:00 - The Anxieties of Reviewing Popular Stuff
1:43 - ...I Didn't Like Guardians of the Galaxy
3:35 - Structural Issues
4:11 - Combat
5:42 - The Rest of the Gameplay
7:34 - My Issues with Story and Characters
12:08 - Does Guardians of the Galaxy Fix Avengers?
12:52 - Conclusion/Critical Context
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Intro text animation by Isaac Holland - / drazgames
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A Different View of Guardians of the Galaxy (Review) - Hry
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You shouldn't need to apologize for being an honest review. I make the long reviews I do well after the fact because I think it's pretty ridiculous that anyone can have a comprehensive opinion about a 20-hour video game within a week or two of a game's release date, even with pre-release access. And I realize you can get, I think, 70-80% of a good opinion in that time, but I don't think you can really, effectively weigh a game's merits in that kind of time. Like, could you imagine movie reviewers being in the habit of tweeting their definitive opinions about a work of art in the car ride away from the theater? This leads to a few things:
- People who get access to pre-release codes from publishers think they're "blessed" with the size or attention to play a game ahead of time or receive exclusive content.
- Those people immediately clam up when they have a less-than-positive opinion about a game because they fear losing access or falling out of the good graces of publishers for simply not liking something.
- Reviewers like being included in promo materials where they get quotes pulled.
- Game journalists/reviewers can fall into a vicious cycle where readers/people don't believe what those reviewers say and how their scores don't correlate with reality.
- Those same reviewers get bound up in the same arbitrary embargo shit that prevent them from being truly honest about the games they enjoy (or don't) to, again, maintain access to pre-release product or press.
In 2013, with the release of SimCity, a game that got glowing reviews until it met reality, I was super pissed that seemingly no professional viewer could figure out that the game had deep structural flaws. That's why I decided to take my time, really simmer and take the game in and that's why my reviews are now an hour or two long and come years after the fact (although I've found a niche in doing retro PC gaming reviews anyway).
Nothing about the footage of GOTG looks like anything more than a very-well funded Telltale game where you just watch people talk. The narrative design by Mary DeMarle, who brought us so much of the narrative bloat of the Eidos Montreal Deus Ex games, is very apparent in this game as you trudge through lengthy, barely interactive walk and talk sections before being ushered into another lengthy cutscene.
Thanks for the "contrarian" video, WOG :)
I have not played the game so my opinion is less then credible, but it could be the "Sonic The Hedgehog" film effect: fans so happy they affected *an* aspect of a film that they overlook every other issue still present. In that case, you have characters absolutely butchered, lore turned on its head, unnecessary new characters, a disjointed, rushed generic buddy cop plot that focuses on the human/anthromorphic animal dynamic rather then on the game characters/aspects they paid out the ass for the rights for, etc.
That or the superficiality of a character's design is all that matters. Take your pick. Point is, moral victory = apathy.
I made these very same points about the structure of this game, and just very underwhelmed by how the gameplay simply wasn't there and I had trouble finishing it by the time I reached the "gold room" or the very long walk as you had put it hahaha
Regarding your anxiety about how your opinion fails to line up with the consensus, I always think of a dunkey video about game reviews that made a very simple point. The value of a critic is not in the "rightness" of their opinion, but in the consistency of it.
Damn, stole the comment I was gonna make just a few minutes before I could make it XD
Consistency is good but it is only part of what makes a critic valuable. It is also important that a critic be humble so that they can state their opinion and not preach it as if it is something that everyone should agree with. Likewise. It is important for a critic to carefully go over their own work as to ensure they don't just spread misinformation. Additionally. A critic should treat their audience with respect. Personal honesty is one thing but it is meaningless without doing some meaningful fact checking. One can be very honest and still say nothing that is true or valuable.
Finally. Critics should be able to understand that their primary audience is YEARNING for something to be outraged about and thus that critic should be careful that they don't just feed into it for clicks, likes, subscriptions, and (especially) Patreon and Ad revenue money. Critics that lean too heavily on outrage and then cower behind a thin veneer of "just playing a character" are just making everything worse. To make matters more complicated, they are often very consistent. They always react in the same way to to the same things and some will confuse that for being a good critic when all they are is a parody of one.
@@startrekmike You mention humility, and it brings me back to Joseph Anderson and the game 'Inside'. He mentioned that he didn't get the game, and spoke on how the game wasn't for him, but has also spoke later about learning and understanding it more, even though it still wasn't his style. I think a good critic is also one that grows and learns, and not one that isolates themselves in an echo chamber.
Reviews are just entertainment. Once you realize this then you no longer worry about what they have to say. And the opinion that matters most is your own.
@@SolarFlorad I think its dangerous to review things so early after experiencing them. I have changed my mind so many times on a thing. To think that if i had solidified a score the first time after seeing, hearing, or playing a piece of art, for all time seems silly and embarrassing. My tenth listen on an album could reveal new layers not previously heard. And if i had scored it a 5/10 after a first listen would have been a travesty. Then this score deters others from getting to experience it. Tragic.
I often find it very enlightening to read the negative reviews of a game that is otherwise highly rated. No game is for everyone, and reading what people didn't like about it is just as important as reading what people did like about it when deciding if it's something I might like.
There’s nothing wrong with going against the grain if you’re being honest and not being overly pretentious.
I’ve heard all kinds of reviews for Guardians and each one paints a balanced picture of the game. Nothing super amazing but a good solid time that manages to combine so many different elements in a relatively enjoyable manner and also it nails what Guardians is about.
Interestingly enough, this review does a decent job explaining why you didn’t care for God of War (2018) all that much upon release.
I wish someone told this to the metroid fanbase. Yikes.
@@breadordecide I mean, Dread is pretty good though
Edit: In my opinion, don't want to be toxic
Remember when Battlefront 2 happened and EA was crucified so they tried to patch up the relationship with Jedi: Fallen Order?
Honestly, I'm having a blast with the game and it is much better than I expected after the Avengers let down. I'm very happy with it. It's not exactly 10/10 material, but for me it is a really fun and enjoyable ride.
that's what we need sometimes. Not every game needs to reinvent the wheel. a good, honest, and well made single-player adventure is more than enough.
Game of the year for me so far. Not sure what people want out of anything other than to be able to complain.
Same
Well at least its better than avengers
Thats all
@@Urboi99 true
I feel like one's take on this game is going to largely depend on the kind of experience they generally look for in a game. For those that tend to prefer games that focus more on mechanical depth and storytelling via mechanics, it isn't really going to scratch that itch and I am not sure it ever really wanted to in the first place. For those that want something that focuses more on tone, narrative immersion, and game design that may not exactly be amazing but does what it needs to do to support the setting and narrative, the game works pretty well.
When I play this game, I get the vibe that this (or something very close to this) is the only way you can really effectively do a Guardians of the Galaxy game that actually feels like a Guardians of the Galaxy game. It is not unlike the Arkham series and the recent Spider-Man games. Those titles did really well with fans because they were designed so that everything supports the experience of inhabiting that character. In contrast, The Avengers took the "gameplay first" approach where the developers essentially started with a bunch of popular but not overly complimentary game design ideas, mashed them together, and painted a thin, sloppy Avengers picture on the top. One can pretty easily argue that The Avengers is technically a better game in the raw mechanical sense but there are seldom (if ever) any points in the game where you actually get that Arkham/Spider-Man vibe of actually inhabiting the characters.
Guardians works for those that want a somewhat all-encompassing Guardians of the Galaxy experience. It isn't going to blow away the "everything must be expressed in strong gameplay mechanics" crowd but it it's success is going to (hopefully) show any prospective Marvel game publisher that a large audience wants single player, linear, story driven experiences because that is really the only way to tell those kind of stories in a satisfying way.
"makes you feel like spider-man" was memed to death, but man does it raise an interesting question of game design. I'm fascinated by the way that games can be designed to convey, like, a vibe. The way something can not be directly analogous to the thing you're trying to convey, but give you the same feeling. Like, I think for a tabletop game with a shotgun in it, 3d4 makes more sense than 1d12 for damage. It's not mechanically all that different, but throwing 3 small dice give the same vibe as the popular conception of a shotgun. They spread when they land. One of the dice might roll high while the others roll low, but the average damage stays roughly the same. 1d12 makes sense for a sniper rifle, at least to me.
I'd love to someday make a video game that communicates the experience of having a disability or neurodivergence with this kind of design. Like, to give the vibe of an autistic sensory overload I wouldn't increase the intensity of each sense much, but sort of have them bleed into each other. Rather than make the sounds louder, have them impact the visuals and vice-versa. Communicate the feeling of Chronic Fatigue by having controls become more sluggish so you get what it's like to put the maximum possible effort into something and still not be able to function fully. Communicate social exhaustion by making dialogue choices take more effort to press, especially when they'd lead to more conversation.
I think a design like that is the only way we'll ever get a good superman game, if the game is focused on giving you the vibe of superman, rather than the mechanical function of him.
@@sleepinbelle9627 Superman is an interesting way to approach the topic overall. Some time back, there was a 'Superman Returns' movie tie-in game and while it made a lot of big mistakes, it also had a rather interesting (even elegant) solution to Superman's power. Instead of giving him a heath bar, the city itself had a health bar.
The other interesting thing the game did was allow you to select a "power level" for some of your powers. Sadly, this mechanic wasn't really explored all that well.
The big problem with 'Superman Returns' was that while it had some really good ideas, it never quite got how to make the player "feel like Superman". A big part of that was a lack of strong character driven moments. The Arkham and Spider-Man games understood that in order to make the player "feel like" Super-Man or Batman, you need to actually focus in on the characters and build a narrative that actually feels like something from the comics (or films).
A good way to approach a Superman game might be something not unlike how Spider-Man does it. When you are Superman, you have a Arkham/Spider-Man style linear, narrative driven storyline where you might have entire missions where you need to deal with something as Clark Kent and find subtle, stealthy ways to use your powers to solve a problem. Likewise. Other missions could have you play as Superman but instead of being just massive fights all the time, you could perhaps have to talk someone down from something (Superman does this a lot in the comics).
It is interesting. When you really think about it, The Arkham series really did establish a strong foundation to build a lot of different superhero games on top of. Spider-Man proved this by adopting and adapting that basic structure. Superman could also use a similar structure as its foundation and I think it would really work.
Really good analysis on game feel, guys!
Hmm you gave me food for thought
I would like to think a party based RPG or tactical type game would feel like a Guardians of the Galaxy game
holy shit man; thank you so much for making this video. i agree with you 100% about everything you said. i genuinely started to question whether i even enjoy video games anymore, if i was going crazy cuz of all the praise this game was receiving. thanks for validating how i feel
One of the biggest issues with gaming today (narratively), is padding. Some offenders are much worse than others, but it's a very common issue I have with modern gaming.
I hate how often honest reviewers have to explain what individual taste is.
GotG is benefitting from the "Jedi Fallen Order" effect. We're too used to AAA publishers bleeding us dry with live service microtransaction filled BS, so when the likes of Square or EA go against their own greed and release a single player game without them, we treat it like an incredible gift. I'm enjoying this game, but yeah, GOTY it ain't. Also, I always learn more from negative reviews than positive, even if I don't agree. Keep it up.
Thank you! I felt the same way about GotG
Actually a beautiful way to put that. I like Jedi fallen order. As a Star Wars nerd probably more then what it should. But as a game something always felt off and there was always a reason why the gamer inside me didn’t like it as much as the Star Wars fanboy inside me. I was never sure what it was but I think it’s just what you said
I felt Jedi Fallen Order was ok but GotG is a linear narrative driven game that is going to appeal to some more than others. I loved the first GotG movie and I'm loving playing through this game. It's had me laughing out loud many times and the writing is quite good. Even though it doesn't stick to the events of the movie it remains faithful to the characters identity and universe, it's what I really like about it. It's definitely not my GOTY but it is one of the games I will remember which can't be said about many others I played this year I've already forgotten about.
It is an "incredible gift", in this day and age.
@@arcakahraman4040 no it is not, there are tons of single player games..don't make the situation more than it is.
I absolutely loved the game. Finished it last night. The dialogue and story were spot on. I don’t want it to end. I felt like I was living a comic book story. I’m so glad they pulled from the comics and not so much from the films.
I just finished it after it came to game pass and was really impressed. Story was amazing and gonna go play the new game plus mode soon.
Guardians of the Galaxy is an action adventure game but that doesn't mean it doesn't have to be at its own pace. Personally, I don't mind the parts where you walk with others while having an interesting conversation. But it depends on what different people think about it. For me, I found this game one of the most enjoyable I've ever played.
The long walks offer room for banter and character exploration. It’s also a thing in many Rockstar games and that some might consider a negative thing too, but I don’t mind them most of the time. I even applaud them for having the NPCs comment everytime I sidetrack to grab some loots, the game becomes self aware in a way and makes the world feel more alive. Though I do feel the narrow passages can be quite frustratingly many, that’s probably my only gripe but other than that they did it all decently
@@rhetiq9989 Well said. I agree.
I really appreciate when critics are aware of their own lens. It gives the analysis so much more depth when you understand what might be influencing the reviewer's experience. It's also just interesting to hear how talking about games for a living changes how you see reviews and critical consensus.
more power to you. I also don't understand why disagreement needs to always be a "hot take" which itself must then be attacked or defended.
For instance, I really don't like Dark Souls 2. But, I understand that many people like it or even love it. It's been years since it released, and the series has moved on and From Soft has released many variations on the formula since. No one lost
Funny, Writing on Games made a vid on the very problems on Dark Souls 2 actually, though please watch his video about DS1 and its relation to his struggle with suicidal depression first.
I can appreciate a respectfully done alternative take on something. I feel like you've done that here.
As for me, I haven't bought or played the game yet. I've been so burned in the past that I refuse to pre-order anything until after I've seen several independent reviews. I still plan on buying it, but I plan on waiting a while, until many of the technical issues get ironed out. Then, I'll see if I can handle all of the snark.
I had zero interest in this game but after seeing a couple positive reviews from trusted reviewers I decided to pick it up and I'm super glad I did. It's awesome. The surprise of the year for me. Remember, this guy didn't like God of War either.
Your own doubts are something I felt each time I published a review. I’m a person that is very hard to impress and I would often end up as the lowest review score for any given title. After awhile, you start to wonder if you’re broken somehow because discourse around games is so binary. It’s absolutely a shitty feeling, but your push for honesty is what we need more of.
Okay, I want to say something out of respect. There is one point in your video that I'm trying to figure out. What do you mean that the Guardians were always insulting each other with no friendly banter? I didn't really notice that at all. They seem to talk pretty chill at times and even if someone like Rocket yells at you soon after you do something for them, I'm sure there is a good reason for that. Like something may have happened in the short time bridge to make Rocket mad or Peter made a bit of a mistake. Also, it didn't really seem that sudden when they put aside their differences, but maybe it depends on when WE think that happens. For me, it was in the cave when they try to cure Drax. Like I said, out of respect.
Honestly between how well written your stuff is and your voice you could review a bowl of rice and I'd be down to hear your thoughts
Thanks for the vid
To be honest I enjoyed the walking and talking sections more than the combat, if anything the best part of the combat was the talking lol. Loved all the optional dialogue sections on the ship, I feel like those really balanced out all the arguing that happens during missions.
I, personally, am loving the game but I have not finished it yet.
I do realize that the combat is somewhat messy and that there's a lot of "follow this guy to get exposition".
I think that your enjoyment of the game will hinge on how much you like this version of the guardians.
I love them a lot.
This video talked a lot about how the hostile dialogue made the author not want to continue hanging out with these characters ( example of not throwing rocket over the chasm and him still being annoying)
I think you would start to enjoy the story a lot more when you realize that these characters can't really afford to leave the team.
You have, thanos' daughter who may or may not want to end her life, the only tree of its kind, the only surviving science experiment of its kind, an abducted spartoid space-orphan and drax.
What else are they going to do with their lives, you know?
They complain because they want the team to get along better not to spite you. They just don't know how to express their feelings.
I think this is a spot on analysis and is personally what I love about the game. They are all flawed, they are all holding secrets and are (ironically) deeply vulnerable people. They are slow to trust and damaged to the point where they don't know how to express their feelings.
Rocket does appreciate you not throwing him, as when you do, he will let you know (at multiple points) that he remembers. He is also quick to anger and has napoleon syndrome.
It is only when their pasts come to light and they see each others true selves that they finally realise that they belong with each other, rather than just having to be.
I appreciate that Writing on Games has a different opinion but I couldn't disagree more. The characterisation is amazing in this game and I think the character development makes perfect sense. This is my GOTY.
Just as it isn't the fact that he missed something, the game just didn't land for him. I also push back on this idea that I am only hyping it up because The Avengers was so poor. I never even played the Avengers. I like this game on its own terms. Warts and all.
I stopped about 3 chapters in. The controls are terrible, the levels and enemies are generic. I was fighting ENDLESS jello cubes..... JELLO CUBES!!!! Routinely stuck in the middle of a fight with the ability menu STUCK in the screen!!!
I wasn’t going to get this game, despite the positive reviews. It just didn’t seem all that exciting.
And yet for some reason I can’t seem to understand, your scathing review might have just convinced me to buy it.
I haven’t played this game, but everything you’ve said resonates with me as features of AAA games that bug me to the point of actively spoiling my experience with a game.
I also feel like this game suffers from the "Good Enough=Great" complex that gamers tend to embrace, after being burned by a previous installment that wasnt well recieved. Like how "Jedi Fallen Order" was touted as "One of the best Starwars game of all time", after Battlefront II's microtransaction fiasco. Like "Fallen Order", I find "GotG" to be a safe, unchallenging and forgettable experience. That does everything other single player action adventure games do, but no where near as good.
@@ventusvanitas7544 Definitely not Arkham or Spidey
man, its a good AAA singleplayer game.
nope
This honestly sums up 2021 in a nutshell, there really hasn’t been any game at all this year that has really got my attention so any slightly above average game looks amazing to me and gets me excited
Psychonauts 2? It Takes Two? Littler Nightmares 2? Something else with two? Lol
Disco Elysium!
I've played all the games listed here, and Disco was the only one that scatched a good itch.....HOWEVER, that's prefaced as that I originally bought Disco when it came out a few YEARS ago, and had to refund it on GOG because of losing 4 hours of save data due to a bug (which prevented you from Loading any saved game from the menu). I shelved it until this year, when they released the Definitive Edition (or whatever). Which also was generally panned by fans who managed to get the original release to work, for removing some key features. I enjoyed the game...but Disco was just another broken shell of a product that only worked by sheer luck and circumstance.
@Ikcatcher if you didn't play FF VII Remake you didn't play anything , it's the best game in the past 5 years easily.
This is exactly how I felt about the game. Instead of fixing what didn't work in Avengers, they just made something else, but still advertised the game as "better Avengers." I personally had more fun playing Avengers, the gameplay alone between the two, I don't see how Avengers doesn't take that. I couldn't stand walking for 30 minutes just to get to a very underwhelming combat system. I found the huddles a good idea, but implemented horribly, the banter was GOD AWFUL, when you talked about going off to explore I related so hard with the mentality of "after all the vitriol I wished I hadn't gone to explore in the first place."
The bit you talked about criticizing all the walking segments? Those were my favourite parts of the game because the Guardians are always bantering, they’re always making non offensive jabs at eachother and they seem like an actual family hell there would be times where I’d just put my controller down because I didn’t want a potential cutscene or combat encounter to cut it off lol! I absolutely adored just how much dialogue they packed into this game to the point where I’d do multiple laps around their ship seeing who’s talking with whom now.
I love story and characters in a game I put that above gameplay actually at times because yeah the combat can be a slog at times and visually busy but getting to hear the Guardians just get along and grow as a familial unit tickled me in ways I never thought it would because everyone here has an attitude haha! Drax for example is a surprisingly deep character a mass murderer with a bit of an imposter syndrome because he’s almost certain he didn’t kill Thanos.
But yeah saying those sections of the game bored you just hit me in a weird spot because they were my favourite parts of the game and make me wonder if you were disengaged from the story because you focus on gameplay because your a game critic? Or if you didn’t feel like you needed to get to know the crew because you’d watched the movies? Hell or it could have been because you had a limited amount of time in a game critic/CZcamsr schedule and you need the play the game to make content on it meaning you just didn’t have the time to just sit in a little side path with a upgrade or cosmetic at the end because every time you do the Guardians roast Quill to the point where late game they just start going “well he’s gone again as always he’ll be back soon once he realizes it’s a dead end”.
Man this channel is QUALITY content
People being afraid of speaking freely about their own opinions on videogames says so much about the kind of opinionated "gamers" we're forced to interact with on the internet.
I noticed the bickering as well. I hated it. During combat they’re always yell at each other and it’s super annoying, especially Peter. I still think it’s a solid 8.6/10. Flark
There is a huddle up mechanic to buff the team mid fight? I gotta try this game!
I think it’s totally cool to have a review that does not align with the popular consensus as long as you’re honest and confident in your own opinion. I can’t even imagine the position you’re in when people want to attack you for not liking what they like and the pressure that puts on your review.
That being said, saying that people like the game just ‘because it’s single player and not like Avengers’ is the part that makes your differing opinion offensive. You do say “some people” but I can’t stand it when someone with an opinion says ‘it’s fine that someone else likes it for this super condescending reason’. If you want people to respect your differing opinion, you’ve got to respect theirs.
Quite true.
I understand. Having a different opinion can be hard since you can be swarmed by people saying " how dare you have a different opinion?" Without listening to what you have to say. I have had to deal with my share on the internet as well it's really annoying. I always love your honesty with your opinions.
These are the exact same problems I see in most AAA games, including ones you've said you enjoy. It makes me wonder what the important differences are.
I really liked this game, even though I know it's not perfect. Even so, I want it to sell well so that it can get a sequel, to improve on the problems of the first game. Like how the Uncharted and Mass Effect franchise started out with good first games, but then evolved into A-listers with the help of an AMAZING sequel, I want this to happen to the Guardians of the Galaxy.
In relation to the insults and all of the dialogue is the first part of the game -- Well, that part is subjective, but just so that you know the context, this team of Guardians has only been around each other for a few in-game months.
You think a sequel CAN happen...i honestly do hope so.
Whole heartedly loved the game, it had heart and was like a friend road trip. The outright love for great comic shout outs and allowing Adam Warlock to be an awesomd galactic threat
8:36 - I remember this damn door: I spent like 5 minutes trying to find a thing to open it and you just have to move on and some side path will lead you back here. Hate when games do this.
For me I see this game as a step in the right direction for Square Enix after Avengers. Sure the game didn’t hit all the marks but it gave the devs and hopefully the suits enough idea on where to take these Marvel properties in the future. I’m glad the game’s getting favorable reception as well as much needed constructive feedbacks bcs those two combined will result in a brighter future ahead for Marvel and Square Enix’s partnership
I honestly do hope for a sequel to happen🤞
I haven’t watched the video yet since I’m pretty excited for this game and wanna go in with as base an opinion as possible, but keep up the good work! Don’t be afraid to share your opinion over this kinda stuff.
He shit on the game just like he shit on God of War. The game is awesome though.
I absolutely agree with everything you said in this video, people should not be forced to a like a game if a lot other people do, I honestly felt like this was an average to slightly above average experience
Saw some reviews of this game and figured I'd try it since it was on game pass. Was not a fan at all. I honestly liked avengers more than guardians, but think overall, they both weren't good
I honestly feel the same way about the weird scoring happening here but with Deathloop. Its so weird whenever you see such a uniform critical consensus for something which seemingly has obvious flaws.
Dude. I only played about 4 hrs of the game, but I agree with every single point.
To me the focus on starlord is less of a focus and more of a lack of focus on the team and the amount of dialogue is cool, but when the wit is only in how people can bicker and roast each other without any real direction it just comes off as shallow. 18 hours of that? Huge waste of time.
At least with Avengers you can turn that brain off and enjoy mindless combat with one of multiple characters in between more important things to do with your life. With Guardians it's.. technically "better" as a single product. But I can't justify any reason to pick it back up.
If I’m searching for reviews there are 3 kinds of people I like, people who tend to align with my tastes because then I can usually know if im wasting my time or not, people who basically like everything but aren’t a mainstream critic, and people who almost always hate everything, that way I can get a pulse on a game that I might not know I’m interested in and get honest hate and honest love from something I might not know much and wouldn’t be as inclined to trust someone with similar tastes to me
This game is basically Uncharted in space.
It’s hyper story driven and focused on world building. For what it is I think it’s highly successful.
The combat is tense and actually makes you feel that you’re in a desperate situation and hanging on by the edge of your seat. I think there probably isn’t enough of it. You can always tell when a combat section is coming, you’ll enter a wide open area with obvious interaction points etc. I’d have liked it to be a bit more natural, never knowing when something will strike.
The interactions between the main cast are sublime for the most part. I would only complain a little bit with some flat dialogue and jokes that don’t land. You will quickly come to feel that this is a ragtag band of fame seekers making their way during the early part of their joint career.
The puzzles are basic but then over complex world traversal would be unwelcome in a game like this. It’s meant to be breezy, a game where you can just let the plot and atmosphere carry you through engaging set piece to the next plot turn.
Each to their own but I disagree with the reviewer on a lot of key points here, plus, if this is worth anything or not, my opinion is NOT brought to you by skill share.
The intro to this review earned the Subscribe from me.
Honestly dude, I appreciate this video because most of the stuff u called out are also criticisms I have of the game. That said, I still mostly liked this game in spite of these criticisms so I fall into more of the 8/10 crowd
Dang, I feel sorry for you dude. I loved the hell out of this game and it’s easily my GOTY. Easily.
While I absolutely enjoyed this game & cared more about the Guardians in this than their MCU counterparts, I can’t really call this game my Game of the Year, especially when Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart & Lost Judgment came out this year.
@@Phanthief95 I didn’t play Lost Judgement but I can definitely say it topped R&C for me.
Same. This and Metroid Dread are my favourite games thus far(for this year)
"I liked everything the game did, but not how the game did it"
fair review, and not far from most reviews out there, too
The story and dialogue carries this game. The story(to me) is neck and neck with spiderman.
The wave defence and survival arena sections were frustrating. Easily tougher than a lot of the bosses.
It it sad that you spent 2 minutes explaining things that should be obvious.
Also you touched on the subject that some reviewers are afraid of how their option will be taken by fans and in some cases might compromise it, not to step on fans toes.
Now let’s continue with the review
This is goty for me personally
Your honest take is the best take.. the constant banter back and forth gave me an uncharted feeling just imo
There are way more solo games! People that want a solo game because there are few are just repeating a mantra without looking into facts
Multi-player games requires more time, expertise and resources. So there is no way most games companies have that.
I look at the Xbox store and most games that came out, and to be released, are solo. Also, even co-op games can be played solo
It has a lot to do with how AAA sees solo games compared to multiplayer ones. Sure, there are many solo games but alot of them usually don’t get the same kind of polish or attention compared to something like Fortnite or Destiny.
I’d rather play Andromeda and the universe hates that game. GoTG combat & controls just isn’t fun. Bummer
Ah, I got it. I hated Rocket in this game too. He spoiled a lot of it, didn't he?
I have to admit, Hamish... I absolutely did get stuck on the power switch puzzle.
The gameplay just felt really boring and i didnt like the characters
I really appreciated this review it was genuinely honest and it felt honest... personally I am not feeling guardians over Marvel's avengers.. I've been playing avenger since the beta and I absolutely love the game I am still not bored of the combat system in that game I don't have the facetious complaints people have about the game I can understand the complaints about the money but if you don't have it then don't spend it it's really that simple the game's not keeping you away from anything fundamental to the experience.. but like I said it's the combat that's the victory I'm really sad that the character roster didn't fill out like it was supposed to but regardless in comparison to Spider-Man PS4 Miles Morales and guardians of the Galaxy what avengers did end up with seems like an incredible victory I like the story better than these other games combat without question and the character selection without question... Heck if nothing else the fact that we're not pick a different character individuals they don't feel the same as a victory of major proportion and I often love playing by myself without anyone else so I'm getting my single player experiences right alongside my co-op option... I think a major problem today is people in the game of community are just spoiled and feel too entitled to have an opinion about everything while others don't have an original opinion of their own they just recite what they hear without coming to their own consensus based on their own original thoughts... That's not me being judging it's just observation... Like I said I'm really grateful for this review I quite literally do not find this guardians game to be a success and I'm really happy that someone else pointed out the combat feels like the direction final fantasy has been going in for a while I thought I was the only one
I wouldn't worry about your view being different. The balance of views gives a more complete picture and gives an idea if I will like a game, which universal praise doesn't always. Yours is actually the first review I've watched.
My fear with the positive reviews is that it was all about "is it better than Avengers?", which is a pretty low bar.
Don't sweat it, people who say "this critic is terrible at their job" or "this critic's opinion is invalid because X" because they disagree with the opinion expressed aren't worth listening to. You do you.
I just completed the game. I agree a lot with your thoughts, but overall I enjoyed the game a lot more. I ultimately felt the game was a little light on variety. After sliding down the 400th hill, or starting to hear repeat audio, it started to get a little tedious. But I feel this a lot as games truck towards the end and start throwing everything at you that you've already faced 100 times.
Also, there is no sprint button. I know this is a supper weird thing to complain about but during some long walking sequences I really missed a sprint option. All you can do is just go jogging but never sprinting and it’s so annoying. Like why even do that? Every game in the past decade has had a sprint option yet this game for some weird reason doesn’t. I was so surprised the first time when I tried to sprint and just nothing happened
I liked every aspect of the game other than the combat. The combat was a mess, you never felt powerful and there was too much going on.
I am currently trying a bunch of gamepass games just bc I have a new PC and trying out games I never got to play. I pretty much agree with your take. I downloaded it bc I heard it was good and after about an hour or 2 I wanted to see a negative review to see if how I felt others did. I can pretty much see all the issues your talking about in the first 2 hours so this review helped me drop the game so I don't waste my time. Looks beautiful and see why people like it but to me the talking make it meh
This kind of reminds me of Biomutant. It avoids a lot of the really crappy aspects of modern games, but it still has a lot of it's own unique issues.
I was very surprised to find how much I enjoyed the depictions of the characters in this game, and sometimes more than the movie counterparts...which was quite shocking. I think one issue you might be having ins that there's a lot of backstory to these characters and how they met we didn't get to see so we never seen them being welded together and it's quite clear they are very new to being a team so they come across as being more abrasive to each other, though I did see plenty of friendly banter along with the antagonistic banter so maybe you just missed it? After the entire game was done, I really do with Square just made a movie with these characters. This game alone could be cut into a Guardians trilogy.
I hate that society at this point makes people have to start a video with a defence of their point because they go against the norm just to avoid abuse. This is the kinda shit that puts me off wanting to start a channel
They poorly prevented glitches, I glitched behind a rock and got softlocked
i got softlocked in the final scene due to a decision i made 1/2 way through :P
loved the game overall (breath of fresh air, need more games like this) but kinda peeved i can't beat it
Fun little superhero story? Stretching was the main issue? Sure dude...
Like what you like. Great video. I never played Avengers and genuinely don't want too it always looked off for me. My comparison for this game is with other super hero games specifically the Arkham games since I haven't played the recent Spider-Man games. I also compare to some decent older super hero games. I personally enjoy the story and the pace in which they tell it. I think the voice acting, writing, and facial expressions/mouth movement is fantastic. I don't mind how linear it is at all I think it keeps it structured. The small amount of exploration you get is well done and the atmosphere is very well done. I overall don't think the game is perfect nor does it break the mold or raise the bar but what it does do for a Guardians of the galaxy game is possibly GOTY 2021 for me.
If you have so much anxiety over sharing your opinion…you might be in the wrong industry. It’s your opinion. Stand by it. Don’t be afraid of what others think
I feel the same, I'm 9 hours in
The puzzles and the dialogue / whining have been driving me insane. I don't understand the 9/10 etc scores.
At this point playing a game that’s fun is a privilege.. just a simple game that is fun and consistent. With its narrative not going from ww3 to Godzilla IT 2 clown circus in 1 year. And that’s why I loved this game, enjoyed it from start to end and that all I care about.
I hadn't paid much attention to the game pre-release, so my expectations for it were low, but I saw positive reviews once the embargo dropped, with the general consensus seeming to be that it was a decent Single Player Action-Adventure game. That being the case, I decided to check it out from my local library when I saw it on the shelves, since hey, free game. I got less than an hour in before I decided to stop playing, as to echo one of your points from the video, the constant negative comments from Rocket for going even slightly off the beaten path aggravated me to no end. I figured with my limited game playing time, it would be better spent on something I was genuinely enjoying, such as Yakuza Kiwami, rather than forcing myself to finish something I wasn't having a good time with.
Yakuza Kiwami is far and away the better choice!
hope they bring the exciting and dynamic gameplay from Avengers to GoTG's stale gameplay.
When you sit to wonder what average score is a new, big budget video likely to get, always remember that 99% of them are handed between an 8 and a 10 from big outlets.
It always surprises me that, despite the fact when you gather a group of friends you are always going to find games one of them hates but the others love, or viceversa, games journalism always seems to fall on the side of consensus. It feels like they all read each other's reviews before they came out.
GREAT VIDEO MAN
I honestly missed that the Guardians game was already out and going by this, I think I'll be glad to have not gotten it, though for different reasons than why I was glad to have avoided Avengers.
You touched on it but yeah the fact that the term "honest review" has mostly just became a excuse to call anyone who likes something a paid shill is just sad.
I had barely heard anything about this game before it came out and your video was the first time I even saw gameplay, and it looks almost exactly like id expect. Its understandable to dislike the game because it looks just like a more refined and deep versions of avengers. But personally, the only issue for me is that I disliked avengers on a fundamental level, with the RPG lite mechanics and action games with healthbars and weaknesses that has become a recent trend in action games. Its understandable why people like it, in the same way why its understandable why people dislike it. With your comments about how linear the game is with a very bad balance of story moments with the gameplay, wanna know what I thought of? Last of us 2. I understand thats an extremely loaded thing to say but I feel its true and can help find a way to explain how you feel about the linearity and story issues. By using earlier games as a sort of jumping off point to understand what commonalities come from the things you saw.
lol you said the puzzles take no brain power, I've had to use guides on 1/2 of them because they're so confusing or disjointed. Then again I play after a few drinks, and I don't like puzzle games
Is this a review of a video game or a review of the review experience...
Both.
Personally, I _probably_ won't be getting this game, but I think its good that you posted your honest thoughts, just like your review of Dark Souls 2, its very refreshing to have a view that doesn't just praise it. I liked YongYea's video of it, and I like your take on it. I'll definitely be waiting till the bugs get ironed out, but I'll be far, far more informed going in due to a critical take, because criticism is not bad. Criticism is *essential for a story to improve,* and this may just be the first step of Marvel's journey into becoming a good game creator.
they took out the lootboxes that you didnt need to waste money on
and they took out multiplayer which is 1 of the only good things about avengers that made it less boring to play
prettys ure avengers didnt have unskippable cutscenes / qte segments like guardians
so if you dont hit a or whatever buitton in time, you have to sit another minute or 2 to try again to press a on time, and sometimes it says PRESS A, with a small A in the bottom corner of the screen where i didnt even know i was supposed to be hitting a button, thought it was a fkn cutscene
point is, i dont like avengers, but i dont like guardians any more, i kinda like it less
idgaf if the story and characters are great or terrible, as long as i can skip the cutscenes which 50% of the time I CANT. so yea, i dont like this game, glad i got to play it on xbox game pass and didnt waste money buying either
This is the 3rd Marvel game in a row that I drop. First Spider-Man, than Avengers and finally GoG. The irritating dialog, limited gameplay, endless cutscenes, repetitive actions at exhaustion and that walking simulator feeling, even with spider-man kills it for me. It's a shame that a certain gameplay is forced upon this "MCU" games nowadays. Maybe with more creative liberty, their games can become interesting like olde Spider-Man, Wolverine and Hulk games .
This may sound shallow but I think these games would be a LOT more successful if they used the movies characters likeness and actor's voices. The vast majority of gamers are casual players.
I think maybe i just don’t really care for the team, but idk I’ve played like 2-3 hours and then tried watching a few walkthroughs and I just can’t get into the game. I don’t care for the gameplay, I didn’t want to play a shooter in my marvel game, and then having to manage a team mid fight for certain attacks I just don’t find interesting. Also in the hours that I’ve seen, there’s so much walking or standing around going on that really killed the game for me. Story based games usually aren’t a problem for me but I guess this returns to me saying, I don’t care for the team.
I personally just don’t gravitate towards this game I guess, but im happy for those who love it and want a sequel
I would say that people’s personal opinions about a game can come from their own personal experience & the expectations they have for the game going into it. With Guardians of the Galaxy, this game is going through what the first Guardians movie went through: A high level of uncertainty & low level of expectations that once they’ve experienced it, it’s actually better than they thought it would be.
For me, I was uncertain of the game because of its marketing & Square Enix’s last foray with a Marvel property with Marvel’s Avengers. However, I ended up enjoying this game in the end. While the gameplay is not something amazing, it’s still fun & engaging. However, this game’s greatest strength comes from its story & characters.
In my opinion, I cared more about the Guardians in this game than I do the ones from the movies. In this game, you really see the familial bond the team has, & how the characters are written is a really good mix of their comic & movie versions. This more especially applies to Gamora & Mantis. Gamora is a bit more open than her MCU counterpart in this game & Mantis is more eccentric & capable in this game compared to her MCU counterpart. This Mantis is actually smarter than she appears & knows how to fight like her comic version.
I still haven’t played this game because Starlord is the only one playable. They couldn’t at least make Gamora (my fav) playable too. I’ll say another reason because SE Avengers exist and I wasted enough money on that.
I could see where some positive views were coming from, but as you say, with so much of it just being corridors and talking, I might as well just watch someone play the game, since I'm not going to get anything out of it that would be any different while playing it myself.
@@ventusvanitas7544 Your argument would have been more compelling if Guardians of the Galaxy had any greater breadth of player freedom than what's indicated so far.
With the game so beholden to the pace of the story's dialogue, to the point stage design consists of corridors that only exist to walked through and talked in, I cannot think of it as anything more than perhaps a very elaborate movie or TV series. In that case, watching someone else play this game would be no different than watching a movie while sitting beside another person.
So I'd find it hard pressed for someone else to "ruin" the experience, save if they were somehow farting very loudly in the cinema.
I can't get over the pea shooter. It is very off putting
Coming from someone who didn't care for Life Is Strange: I feel you, Hamish.
the stuff about insults and constant beratement while exploring is a big deal to me as well. im not as critical in the other areas but that shit needs to be wrapped up in a package and shot into orbit
It’s a fun game, the gameplay loop and the team combat plus the musical scores, comedy, and puzzles make it an enjoyable experience. Even though there were plenty of QuickTime experiences.
I found it to be an OK game, but nothing more, and when I got to almost the end, I couldn't really be bothered to finish it. The dialogues are sort of nice, but no real aspect of gameplay mechanics really felt much fun, and the story and characters are a bit lacking in depth. I also don't really appreciate the overly saturated palettes that are fashionable in newer games (same with The Outer Worlds).