Welcome back to the new series, simply titled, “Games that Define Me.” This is not any normal top ten list. These are the ten most influential games that have defined my life as a gamer. My favorite games. Number 10 was Donkey Kong Country, and number nine might be a surprise to some folks. Probably not to anyone who truly knows me and the love I have for this franchise. But to anyone who might not be aware…
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is my ninth favorite game of all time, and one of the best Guardians of the Galaxy stories in existence. It was also my second game I ever reviewed when this was Game Over Gimmicks. This game did not receive the recognition it deserved and went totally under the radar. Play it to force the hand of Square Enix into giving us another one.
Let’s not go too far into the story weeds, outside of saying that anyone who has seen MCU Guardians should know how it starts. Peter Quill is kidnapped, then becomes the mercenary known as Star Lord. It skips the recruitment part of the other members as we join the Guardians on a quest to capture a rare monster for a client. The plot unfolds as the Guardians do what they do best, and get into a ton of trouble.
The narrative of this game is truly its best feature. I don’t want to spoil anything because of how good it truly is. The game won a bunch of awards, most notably “Best Narrative” at the Game Awards. It truly deserved that award. And it’s one of my favorite stories, not because it’s a Comic Book game or a Guardians of the Galaxy game, but because of the characters. They are flawed in the best way possible, and we spend meaningful time with every single one of them as the plot takes us through twists and turns.
It would have been easy for Eidos Montreal to use the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a crutch, however, they did not do that. At the time of release, only the main characters appeared in any movie. It’s a completely original story with loveable characters, and one of the best Guardians experiences ever.
The reason I love this game, and the Guardians themselves, is the ensemble cast. Yes, that ensemble cast contains a talking raccoon, sentient tree, and a human with more alien STDs than he’s willing to admit, but that’s what I love about it—the ensemble! There is something special about a great story revolving around varied characters and using their different strengths and weaknesses to overcome any obstacle. That is why I love RPGs so much! A few will pop up on this list!
2014’s MCU debut of the Guardians spurned that love of the ensemble cast. There’s an assortment of Pop Funkos, a complete collection of Guardians comic books, and a giant cardboard cutout of Groot.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy defines me as a gamer in one specific way: narrative gameplay. I love a good story in my video games. This is why FromSoftware games have never been my jam, despite knowing that Hidetaki Miyazaki creates confusing stories on purpose. If I was more invested in the story, perhaps FromSoft bosses liquifying my body would not be so cumbersome and frustrating.
But my favorite games blend their stories with the gameplay itself. This game has decent, not great, gameplay at the start.
This is from my original review, and it displays (albeit poorly) a little of the gameplay. You control Star-Lord and shoot a bunch of enemies with your blasters. The cool part is controlling the other members of the Guardians from Star-Lord’s perspective. It gives the feeling of coordinating the attack as the leader. Each member has their own unique independent moveset and group moves that unlock as the game progresses and the story unfolds. The moves unlock perfectly in line with the story, so it feels like the group is growing together.
There are games that do this time of gameplay/narrative better, but it means a lot to the Guardians fanboy in me to experience a true Guardians story firsthand.
And that’s why Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is my #9 favorite game that defined me.
Thank you so much for reading! Up next, another narrative game featuring a man, a girl, and a bunch of infected zombies. It’s probably not the one you’re thinking.