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LTTP: Why is Guardians of the Galaxy So Underrated?

Cyborg

Member
It's a great game! A big surprise of 2021, everyone should give it a go!

The only complaint I have is that you cant get the Trophy via chapter selection, such dumb decisions cause there are a lot of collectibles.
 

jonnyp

Member
I've been playing this game all weekend, and I'm shocked at how underrated this game is - not just by average gamers, but even by official reviews, which settled on a Metacritic average of 80. I genuinely can't understand why that is. Is it because the marketing was so bad that it permanently tainted people's perception of the game? Is it because of Avengers being so bad that it permanently tainted people's perception of western SQEX games? Is it superhero fatigue? EIther way, I've just lost even more faith in the opinions of journalists to tell me what is worth playing.

After firing it up I realized within a few hours that this is a masterpiece of a game. It's basically the modern incarnation of Mass Effect 2, complete with team combat and light puzzle mechanics, Bioware-at-their-best-level dialogue, and a great story. There is zero open world bloat. No side quests. You're going to new places the entire game, and almost every location in the game so far has stood out as being unusually original and interesting visually and in terms of story. And honestly, the dialogue is probably better than Bioware's best. It's genuinely entertaining and funny almost the entire time.

It stands at the very top of the superhero genre as well. Arkham Asylum, Spider Man (90% a Batman clone with tons of polish), and now Guardians.

Graphically, it is literally one of the most impressive looking games I've seen ever. The environments remind me of the kind of polish I saw on FFXIII when it first came out. It's that good.

Will this game ever get the sort of admiration and prestige it deserves? It's literally right up there with Mass Effect 2, Spider Man, Arkham Asylum and some of the best western games I've ever played. The only downside I can think of is that the combat is pretty casual, without a ton of depth. But it's honestly still fun combat, and fits with the tone and pace of the game. It's just not difficult.

I just wonder if this game will be appreciated several years from now after we hear what the Deus Ex team moves onto next. This is pretty much the best thing western SQEX has ever made, by far.

It's an OK game, nothing more IMO. Combat is a bit boring and repetitive. Boss fights are meh.
 
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Yoboman

Member
For me its the art style and particularly the character models that look like they were spit out of a character generator from five years ago

Reminds me of Dragon Age which was also great but the character art was just so uninspired
 

bargeparty

Member
This review is the only one I'm aware of that really sums it up for me, it just wasn't particularly interesting.


Can't be arsed to watch the entire thing but the gameplay from this person, the way they play, looked horrid. I dunno if this guy is any good at games, a classic "journalist/reviewer" issue.

Anyway, the game is great, as others in this thread already stated well enough. One of the best games I've played recently and very well may be one of my favorites. I started another run-through immediately because I wasn't done being in that world and living with those characters. Although I stopped somewhere nearing the end and that's not on the game that's on me. I stopped one night as I think I was closing in on some of the late game stuff and wasn't ready to go through it again.

Again, not a knock on the game, nothing to do with it. I'd gladly play through the late game again, this was a "me thing" for reasons I won't spoil.

Even on the immediate second run I was still impressed by the visuals and the dialogue. I was taking even more time going through to ensure I heard every bit of dialogue and soak in the world.

I've recently classified some games I've enjoyed as "cozy." Just something I know well and enjoy playing and will always get sucked into. Not a knew classification I'm sure, but I've never really considered it before. I feel this game will become one of the cozy games in the future for me.

Quick add here: The detail, the game is full of details, dialogue for so much, situations covered that I can't say without spoiling anything. There was so much care put into this game, you see it throughout. It's something I don't really see much of.

Anyway I've rambled.
 
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Robb

Gold Member
I just remember seeing some footage of it at a presentation where the characters wouldn’t keep quiet. Came off as super annoying and put me off.
 

GymWolf

Member
Same here. I’ve read and heard that it’s supposed to be really well written and funny but I can’t stand anything Guardians of the Galaxy related. I’ve never watched any of the films. Completely puts me off.

Having said that, I’m allergic to Star Wars and loved Fallen Order. So, we might be able to enjoy the game despite Marvel.
I fucking hate guardians movies and give 2 fucks about the characters, and i still enjoyed the game, give it a try when it's like 15 dollars.
 

bargeparty

Member
For me its the art style and particularly the character models that look like they were spit out of a character generator from five years ago

Reminds me of Dragon Age which was also great but the character art was just so uninspired

The fuck are you talking about? Everything about this game is gorgeous, especially the characters.
 

bargeparty

Member
I fucking hate guardians movies and give 2 fucks about the characters, and i still enjoyed the game, give it a try when it's like 15 dollars.

You don't care about the movie characters or the games characters? I can't imagine not caring about these characters and playing an entire game with them. Why even play a game like this if you're not looking to get invested in the characters?
 

tassletine

Member
Why is it under rated?

Maybe it's because there are people like the OP who declare the game a masterpiece after a few hours playing?
If you genuinely feel like that then yes, of course it's going to be underrated.
But if you'd like to come down to earth for a moment then maybe there's wriggle room for some nuanced opinion.
 

Patrick S.

Banned
It's not underrated and you know it. U just wanted to make a thread because you are bored or whatever.
you-smart-you-very-smart-matter-fact-you-a-genius-15213570.png
 
Marketing, Avengers PTSD, and the gameplay is just shit which everyone can see in the videos. The story and voice actors carry the game.
 

bargeparty

Member
Why is it under rated?

Maybe it's because there are people like the OP who declare the game a masterpiece after a few hours playing?
If you genuinely feel like that then yes, of course it's going to be underrated.
But if you'd like to come down to earth for a moment then maybe there's wriggle room for some nuanced opinion.

Someone's angy
 

GymWolf

Member
You don't care about the movie characters or the games characters? I can't imagine not caring about these characters and playing an entire game with them. Why even play a game like this if you're not looking to get invested in the characters?
I never cared for the comics and i hate the movie version, but the vg version are fairly better, except maybe rocket that is the usual annoying angry little cunt.

I played the game because it is a big budget tps with a great art design, i played games for much less, i don't need to care for the original material, then i discovered that the guardians part was better than the tps part :lollipop_grinning_sweat:
 

Pedro Motta

Member
I've been playing this game all weekend, and I'm shocked at how underrated this game is - not just by average gamers, but even by official reviews, which settled on a Metacritic average of 80. I genuinely can't understand why that is. Is it because the marketing was so bad that it permanently tainted people's perception of the game? Is it because of Avengers being so bad that it permanently tainted people's perception of western SQEX games? Is it superhero fatigue? EIther way, I've just lost even more faith in the opinions of journalists to tell me what is worth playing.

After firing it up I realized within a few hours that this is a masterpiece of a game. It's basically the modern incarnation of Mass Effect 2, complete with team combat and light puzzle mechanics, Bioware-at-their-best-level dialogue, and a great story. There is zero open world bloat. No side quests. You're going to new places the entire game, and almost every location in the game so far has stood out as being unusually original and interesting visually and in terms of story. And honestly, the dialogue is probably better than Bioware's best. It's genuinely entertaining and funny almost the entire time.

It stands at the very top of the superhero genre as well. Arkham Asylum, Spider Man (90% a Batman clone with tons of polish), and now Guardians.

Graphically, it is literally one of the most impressive looking games I've seen ever. The environments remind me of the kind of polish I saw on FFXIII when it first came out. It's that good.

Will this game ever get the sort of admiration and prestige it deserves? It's literally right up there with Mass Effect 2, Spider Man, Arkham Asylum and some of the best western games I've ever played. The only downside I can think of is that the combat is pretty casual, without a ton of depth. But it's honestly still fun combat, and fits with the tone and pace of the game. It's just not difficult.

I just wonder if this game will be appreciated several years from now after we hear what the Deus Ex team moves onto next. This is pretty much the best thing western SQEX has ever made, by far.
Agree with all of this.

I think it was marketing, because when I saw the first previews, Starlord shooting gelatine cubes, I was very disappointed about the gameplay, very confusing.

But then watching some reviews I was convinced and picked it up when it went to sale and it was one of the best experiences of last year no doubt.
 

kyussman

Member
Perhaps there are lots of people like me who are sick to fucking death of Marvel anything at this point.Same with Star Wars.....I guess it's the Disney effect.
 

SJRB

Gold Member
For me personally Guardians is one of the most boring, uninteresting IP's in the Marvel universe. I hate the movies, I hate the characters and I'll never understand how they became so popular.

Aside from that I think Avengers being a complete dumpster fire took all the wind out of this game's sails. No one expected this to be any good, trailers were pretty bad, earlier gameplay demos were terrible. It had mediocrity written all over it.
 
I’m sure one big factor is guilt by association to the Avengers cluster fuck. Most people I know wrote this game off and forgot about it long before launch simply bc Avengers was a thinly veiled MTX machine disguised as a game with a decent at best story dragged down by a lame, woke central character no one cares about and mind numbingly repetitive gameplay.

The fact that Guardians ended up really good is met with disbelief by most people I’ve told about it. 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
I ended up buying this game full price and it was way better than I expected.

One of the best single player games of last year.

My main gripe is the limited combat options. Next game really need to expand on gameplay systems.

Interesting Systems are where modern games are lacking the most.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
I actually think it's a bit overrated. Everyone was raving about how surprisingly great this game is around release, and while I agree that the story, acting, etc, is pretty damn good, I find the gameplay to be very average and monotonous (SO many bullet sponge enemies), and the game to just be a bit janky and unpolished in general.
 
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I didn't even know it had single player.

Good game to offer to a kid it seems. Bad marketing? Is there a demo?
 
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I finished this up a couple of weeks back. I looked past this game after seeing the gameplay demos, decided to give it a chance once it went on sale, I never put it down after that until I beat it. Super underrated.
 

Bramble

Member
Underrated? I have seen nothing but praise for the game. And an 8 is excellent for a multiplatform Marvel title. I finished it myself and an 8 seems about fine. Great fun, serviceable gameplay, beautiful graphics, excellent and funny dialogues, minor bugs here and there, but also one and done.

Edit: And I think it's time people ignore Metacritic fully. Just watch/read a couple of reviews from outlets you trust. We've seen mid games getting 10's and masterpieces getting 6's the past couple of years.
 
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SJRB

Gold Member
I actually think it's a bit overrated. Everyone was raving about how surprisingly great this game is around release, and while I agree that the story, acting, etc, is pretty damn good, I find the gameplay to be very average and monotonous (SO many bullet sponge enemies), and the game to just be a bit janky and unpolished in general.

2021 was a dogshit year for videogames, making the "not terrible" games stand out more.

Case in point: Deathloop. And probably this game as well.
 

VN1X

Banned
I didn't know if was done by the deus ex team until DF mentioned it in their best graphics of 2021 video, fuck yeah HR and MD are both in my top 10 games of the decade, this bodes well for the next deus ex game, and bodes well for my chances of buying this one day
Dead giveaway is always the way too intricate ceilings they have scattered across their games haha. Love details like that.
 

Braag

Member
It was one of the best games of last year. I think Avengers really hurt future Square Enix Marvel games.
 

Kokoloko85

Member
Because the first gameplay showing looked awful, boring and with damage sponge… sponges as enemies.

Plus the character designs looked like Square Avengers and the music was trying too hard
 
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Fbh

Member
Haven't played it but I think it's a mix of Avengers disappointing a lot of people as well as bad marketing.
I was actually surprised to see mostly positive impressions for this as the previews looked kinda bad. The art direction looked bland, the enemies very spongy, the combat looked similar to Avengers but with just 1 playable character and they seemed to be trying really hard to make it look funny but most of the jokes were falling flat.

Of course, the mostly positive impressions tell me most of that probably isn't true....but that's the impression I got from trailers and early gameplay videos.
 

Werewolf Jones

Gold Member
It was decent at best in hindsight.

Leads normies on with the MCU cast but they sit themselves down it's drenched more in the comic history and tone instead of what James Gunn made.

Fighting is average and just consists of basic shooting and waiting until you tell your team mate to use their stomp move, wait for cool down, rinse and repeat. Also has a cover system that you'll never use unless you're on hard.

Character interaction is the biggest strength of the game, I chuckled a few times but it's not exactly comedy gold and it is tiring when they literally won't stop talking like... Ever. Best two scenes of the game is Peter remembering his birthday and Peter Quill and Drax speaking about the departed on Knowhere.

Games length goes on waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long though, a lot of "choices" that don't really matter that much, I was pretty much forcing myself to get through it by the end. Really prefer tight sub 10 hour experiences over devs pushing for 20 to justify the full price tag when this game was on sale EVERYWHERE during Black Friday.

The new addition to the cast at the end game was good and not what you'd expect considering the game leads you on with Mantis or Adam Warlock and the post credits stuff was really bad as well but yeah...

Environments were alright and some of the free costumes you unlock were good but doesn't compare to Spider-Man but how could it considering the current Guardians has only been around for like what? Ten years?

Voice acting was solid too for literal who's, no Laura Bailey or Troy Baker.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Because the first gameplay showing looked awful, boring and with damage sponge… sponges as enemies.

Plus the character designs looked like Square Avengers and the music was trying too hard

That's how the gameplay actually is though. Bullet sponge enemies is the main feature.

But what the original revealed failed to show off is the stuff that's actually good.

It was decent at best in hindsight.

Leads normies on with the MCU cast but they sit themselves down it's drenched more in the comic history and tone instead of what James Gunn made.

Fighting is average and just consists of basic shooting and waiting until you tell your team mate to use their stomp move, wait for cool down, rinse and repeat. Also has a cover system that you'll never use unless you're on hard.

Character interaction is the biggest strength of the game, I chuckled a few times but it's not exactly comedy gold and it is tiring when they literally won't stop talking like... Ever. Best two scenes of the game is Peter remembering his birthday and Peter Quill and Drax speaking about the departed on Knowhere.

Games length goes on waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long though, a lot of "choices" that don't really matter that much, I was pretty much forcing myself to get through it by the end. Really prefer tight sub 10 hour experiences over devs pushing for 20 to justify the full price tag when this game was on sale EVERYWHERE during Black Friday.

The new addition to the cast at the end game was good and not what you'd expect considering the game leads you on with Mantis or Adam Warlock and the post credits stuff was really bad as well but yeah...

Environments were alright and some of the free costumes you unlock were good but doesn't compare to Spider-Man but how could it considering the current Guardians has only been around for like what? Ten years?

Voice acting was solid too for literal who's, no Laura Bailey or Troy Baker.

It has a cover system? I'm playing on hard, and a few fights have been a little on the annoying side.

But yeah, the voice acting is definitely one of the highlights, it's generally pretty great.
 
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Kuranghi

Member
Loved it, the combat became 10x as fun when I set my damage output to very high in the difficulty customisation menu, also set the ability cooldown to its lowest value because to me it wasn't about challenge at all, it was about creating awesome looking scenes in slow motion and doing combo attacks.
 

stn

Member
Having beaten it and platted it recently, it was indeed very solid and I'm glad I bought it. That said, it is a 7.5/10 game because it has flaws. The combat is extremely basic, the game can run like shit at times, and some of the features become stale quickly (ex. the huddle system). The story and dialogue saved the game for me, personally.
 

SafeOrAlone

Banned
I've seen this game compared to the Uncharted series a lot lately, but I have to imagine that's using a very broad brush.
Like, if this actually has the polish of an Uncharted game, I'll be all over it this week. I'm skeptical because I didn't hear much praise for it, and there are probably a lot of people who think of all third-person shooters as being similar.
 

Werewolf Jones

Gold Member
I've seen this game compared to the Uncharted series a lot lately, but I have to imagine that's using a very broad brush.
Like, if this actually has the polish of an Uncharted game, I'll be all over it this week. I'm skeptical because I didn't hear much praise for it, and there are probably a lot of people who think of all third-person shooters as being similar.
You travel from A to B and the characters won't shut the fuck up. That's as close as Uncharted as I can see.
 
Great game - easily one of the best of the year. Quite striking to see the difference between the player and professional reviews for this and Deathloop. Moral of the story - don't trust reviewers.
 

Vagswarm

Member
Just beat the game yesterday. It was fun and worth playing, but almost over-stayed its welcome. I couldn't stomach any more after a while, even with the character interactions. That was the best part of the game IMO. The combat was repetitive and easy and there was nothing that really stood out. There was no way to lose on the powerup group huddle because all you had to do was match 1 word. And you could easily gang up on enemies. Everything was straight-forward as can be and made Final Fantasy X look easy. Felt dumbed down to appeal to the masses in a lot of ways.

The most difficulty I had was with falling off due to the timing of the hover jump, or strafing during combat when there's a cliff.

Much like the movies, it was an enjoyable ride while it lasted. It actually felt like a Marvel movie in game form.
 
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JayK47

Member
So far it is not too bad. The combat is not that great, at least with a controller. I'm fine with the characters not looking like the movie characters. Also noticed it is not quite like the movies. Maybe it is more like the comics, which I have not read.
 
It's a hard sell to get people to play a game that is trying to mimic the superior adaptation. I took one look at the main character and his cool hair, constant zingers, and DreamWorks smirk, and was immediately turned off.

I don't think it's "Marvel fatigue". I am greatly anticipating Spider Man 2 and Wolverine. Guardians never captured my imagination. I feel the same way about Suicide Squad. I got my fill from the movies and comics, and the game looks like more of the same.
 
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I bought the game on a whim because the price was right in my wheelhouse. I couldn't have been happier with my purchase. This game is so beautiful and fun that I can't believe it didn't win any GOTY awards or wasn't really nominated for any. This was such a fantastic game and I really hope they make DLC or a sequel. The voice acting is top tier too.
 

anothertech

Member
I've been playing this game all weekend, and I'm shocked at how underrated this game is - not just by average gamers, but even by official reviews, which settled on a Metacritic average of 80. I genuinely can't understand why that is. Is it because the marketing was so bad that it permanently tainted people's perception of the game? Is it because of Avengers being so bad that it permanently tainted people's perception of western SQEX games? Is it superhero fatigue? EIther way, I've just lost even more faith in the opinions of journalists to tell me what is worth playing.

After firing it up I realized within a few hours that this is a masterpiece of a game. It's basically the modern incarnation of Mass Effect 2, complete with team combat and light puzzle mechanics, Bioware-at-their-best-level dialogue, and a great story. There is zero open world bloat. No side quests. You're going to new places the entire game, and almost every location in the game so far has stood out as being unusually original and interesting visually and in terms of story. And honestly, the dialogue is probably better than Bioware's best. It's genuinely entertaining and funny almost the entire time.

It stands at the very top of the superhero genre as well. Arkham Asylum, Spider Man (90% a Batman clone with tons of polish), and now Guardians.

Graphically, it is literally one of the most impressive looking games I've seen ever. The environments remind me of the kind of polish I saw on FFXIII when it first came out. It's that good.

Will this game ever get the sort of admiration and prestige it deserves? It's literally right up there with Mass Effect 2, Spider Man, Arkham Asylum and some of the best western games I've ever played. The only downside I can think of is that the combat is pretty casual, without a ton of depth. But it's honestly still fun combat, and fits with the tone and pace of the game. It's just not difficult.

I just wonder if this game will be appreciated several years from now after we hear what the Deus Ex team moves onto next. This is pretty much the best thing western SQEX has ever made, by far.
Should have been an avengers expansion. Feels kinda shitty
 

Tams

Member
Ummm, it pretty great reviews.

But a mix of Marvel fatigue and it not really being that great of a game are against it.
 

Jimmy_liv

Member
I HATED the combat and the closer to the end you got the more frequent the combat scenes became until near the end the game reduced itself to battle after battle after battle. Awful.
Even my little boy was like 'dad, I don't want to do this anymore'.

So the first half's goodness was washed away with the back ends monotonous
 
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saintjules

Member
A big part of the problem are people relying on reviews and immediately thinking it's a bad game 🤷🏾‍♂️ I'll never use metacritic to gauge whether I'll play a game or not.

Gonna actually dive into it next week. I got it half price during Black Friday.
 
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