By the time this post goes live, I will be in Charleston, South Carolina, with my husband. We planned a road trip through West Virginia, Virginia, the Carolinas, and a final stop in Savannah, GA, before driving home. I haven’t done a road trip since Boston in 2018. I’m a big fan of road trips as I think it’s a great way to travel. I wanted to share my potential traveling plans for the year.
March 2022 – Carolinas
Mountains in Georgia. Photo was taken in 2017
My husband and I knew we wanted to do a road trip. There were several places we had in mind, but we ended up settling on the Carolinas. I have been to the Appalachian Mountains when I went on my road trip through Nashville in 2017; however, I have heard lovely things about the Carolinas. Someone I went to college with has a family cabin in North Carolina, and she raves about the area. We will end up stopping in Charleston, South Carolina, for the majority of our trip, and I’m really looking forward to a beach day.
Memorial Day Weekend Trip – Arizona?
Phoenix Fan Fusion is happening Memorial Day weekend, and I thought it would be fun to attend. The only concern I have is whether I would be able to get up to the Grand Canyon and Sedona on the same trip. I’m more than likely to be flying into Phoenix, which would mean either renting a car or figuring out if there’s a bus or a train I can take to get there and back. Another option I considered was Portland, Oregon, Salt Lake City, Utah, or Las Vegas. This way, I can be in one city without having to travel long distances.
Emerald City Comic Con – Seattle, Washington
Could this be the year I make it to Seattle? I was supposed to go to Seattle in March 2020 before the pandemic altered my plans. I ended up re-scheduling which was the right choice. Emerald City Comic Con has been rescheduled to August, and I really want to go.
This is an ambitious year for traveling, and I’m motivated to make it happen. With the pandemic stalling travel plans, I feel like I have a lot of traveling to catch up on. Let me know your travel plans in the comments down below.
The last time I played in Adventurer’s League was before the holidays. Zehiri, my Tiefling Paladin, almost died because I kept rolling so poorly. I played Adventurer’s League at Red 6 Games in St. Paul. I like the DM who leads the sessions, and I don’t get to go to St. Paul that often, so I find playing at Red 6 is a treat. I’m happy to say that Zehiri did so much better in this session, and I didn’t die.
Our session took place in the village of Parnast. Our contact, Regnar, said thefts and other petty crimes were occurring in the town. Regnar accused a local carpenter, Gundolin Cartwright, of being the suspected culprit, as he had refused to build a watchtower to protect the town. Regnar offered our group fifty gold if we could apprehend the person responsible. As our group conversed with Gundolin, we interpreted that he was innocent and another individual, Tove, was responsible. As our group followed Tove into the forest, a battle ensued with numerous orcs and an ogre coming to greet us.
In this session, I earned my first inspiration from the DM. Inspiration is when the DM feels there’s roleplaying or character development that’s worth recognizing. Inspiration allows the character who received inspiration to re-roll a die. I received inspiration because Zehiri helped get the group together. Our group was a bit all over the place, and I cast a cantrip called Thaumaturgy, which allows for my voice to become a megaphone of sorts. I told the group to calm down and think for a second. The DM liked that I did that, hence I got inspiration.
Another cool moment for Zehiri was in the big battle. There was a female orc champion named Korgath who was targeting me. I had Zehiri taunt her a bit into attacking me. She dealt thirteen damage to Zehiri, but I was ready. As a reaction, I have Hellish Rebuke. Hellish Rebuke is a reaction spell, meaning I can cast it even if it’s not on my turn if my character is targeted. As I cast Hellish Rebuke, I rolled three D10s of damage, which was enough to kill her. Korgath attacked me, I taunted her, and I used Hellish Rebuke to turn her to ash. How cool is that?
Along with the role-playing session, one of the players brought his son. He was playing a Rogue, so he would do sneak attack damage. As he rolled the dice, his dad was helping him add up all his damage. It was the cutest thing. We all knew the answer, but we didn’t tell him until he could add it all up for himself. It goes to show that D&D can be educational, as there’s a lot of math involved, whether it be in combat situations or skill checks.
From this session, Zehiri is now level #4. I’m on the cusp of leaving the beginner’s session and moving into the advanced session for levels #5 – #9. I’m thrilled that Zehiri lived throughout the session, and I’m excited to fit another Adventurer’s League session into my schedule.
When Robert Pattinson was cast as Batman, I felt the casting choice was surprising. I wouldn’t have picked Robert as my first choice to play Batman. I have been skeptical about casting decisions before, but I have always kept my opinions to myself until a trailer is released. Once the Batman trailer dropped, I was hooked. My husband and I went to see The Batman last week, and it was amazing! I’m so glad I kept an open mind because Robert Pattinson is one of my favorite portrayals of Batman to date.
The Batman takes place in the first few years of Bruce donning the Batman persona. He has physically prepared for the job, yet he still has a lot to learn. Batman (played by Robert Pattinson, as hinted above) is called to a crime scene by James Gordon (played by Jeffrey Wright). From what they can gather, a serial killer is targeting Gotham’s elite, and once he disposes of them, he exposes these individuals as being morally corrupt. This killer has the same goals as Batman but is not afraid to kill. As Batman investigates this killer, he gets entangled with Selina Kyle (played by Zoe Kravitz) as Selina is looking for her missing friend. Batman has to juggle between protecting Gotham, exposing the corruption, and living his double life as Bruce Wayne.
As mentioned above, Robert Pattinson does an excellent job of playing Batman. With Christian Bale’s performance, he capitalized on the “Playboy” persona of Bruce Wayne. Robert portrays Bruce as a millionaire in the shadows who seems uncomfortable being Bruce Wayne in public. I felt this was a more authentic take on the character. As Batman, Robert is an intimidating presence, along with providing his intelligence in being the world’s greatest detective. Besides Robert, the whole cast in this movie did an excellent job. Zoe’s portrayal of Catwoman was so good. Robert and Zoe’s chemistry was on fire throughout the whole movie. There was flirty banter between them, along with a bond being formed after Bruce prevents Selina from killing someone from her past. By the end of the film, Bruce has a growing respect for Selina and seems to miss her as she leaves Gotham. Jeffrey Wright fully embodied Jim Gordon, and Colin Firth was unrecognizable as Penguin. Last, but not least, Paul Dano’s take on the Riddler was realistic, as I think the Riddler is often a villain whom people make fun of.
The cinematography in this film is haunting. The way Gotham is portrayed as a vibrant city with a criminal underworld. There are several sequences that are shot beautifully. There’s a scene where Batman is fighting several men, and the room is completely dark. The only light comes from the men shooting their assault weapons. It reminded me of the Daredevil stair fight scene in Marvel’s Daredevil. From the trailer, there’s a moment where Batman steps out of the Batmobile with flames in the background, walking to a flipped car. Seeing this scene on the big screen was so worth it.
The Batman is accompanied by a terrific movie score. The main song used in both the trailer and whenever Batman has a major moment is addictive. I have been listening to the score non-stop since seeing the film.
The Batman was everything I could have wanted from a DC film. The Batman reminds me of the Batman Arkham Asylum video game series in a movie form. My husband and I can’t wait to see this movie again.
In February, I wrote my Romance Reading Month post, where I mentioned which romance books I had on my list to read. I had five books on my list and ended up reading three of them, with a fourth being read at a slower pace. Let’s take a look at the romance books I read last month.
Eleanor & Park – Not Finished.
I have been going through my bookshelf and picking books I want to re-read. Eleanor & Park is a romance story starring Eleanor & Park, who meet at school and develop a romance. Eleanor & Park has come under some controversy with how Rainbow Rowell wrote Park. My prediction is similar to how I felt about Fangirl, that this book won’t hold up to what I felt when I first read the book years ago. I’m slowly reading a chapter here and there. I plan on finishing Eleanor & Park before the end of 2022.
The Ex Hex – Didn’t Read
I saved The Ex Hex for Fall as I think it’s a perfect book to get into the Halloween spirit.
Well Met – Finished
Well Met is a romance starring Emily and Simon. Emily temporarily moves to a small town in Maryland to take care of her older sister, who was involved in a car accident. Emily gets roped in by her niece to volunteer at a Renaissance Festival, where she meets Simon, a pirate who helps organize the festival. Simon has a hardened persona, but eventually Emily breaks through this, leading to the beginning of their romance.
I adored this book. Emily and Simon had great chemistry together. I liked the Renaissance Festival as the background of their relationship. I kept imagining the lush forest surrounding the festival and all the performers sashaying throughout the grounds. Besides the festival, I liked the setting. There’s a small town bookstore Emily works at that’s owned by one of the founders of the festival. This book was everything I wanted, and I rated Well Met five stars on Goodreads.
One to Watch – Finished
Bea Schumacher is a successful plus-size fashion blogger who is also a fan of the reality show, Main Squeeze. As the next season is being determined, Bea is approached by Lauren, the producer of Main Squeeze, to be the star of the next season. Bea decides to accept. While Bea is confident in her blog and fashion sense, she has concerns about whether men will want to date a plus-size woman. Will she find love? Or leave alone?
I went into this book wanting a confident and sassy plus-size woman to have fun on this reality TV show. Unfortunately, it seemed Bea’s entire character arc was her saying no man would date her for her size. I understand Bea having some insecurities over her body, but it seemed to be the background of the entire book. I struggled to understand why Bea would agree to a reality TV show, given where her headspace was at.
This was a big let-down for me. I rated One to Watch two stars on Goodreads.
Get a Life Chloe Brown – Finished
Chloe Brown is a chronically ill geek who comes up with a bucket list of things she wants to accomplish. Chloe meets Red, who decides to help her with her list. A romance develops with Chloe realizing her feelings for Red go beyond the list she originally created.
I liked the idea of Chloe being this geeky woman living her life through her chronic pain. Red seemed like such an opposite to Chloe, so I thought they would connect well. Although I did like this book, I struggled to fully immerse myself in it. I found myself stuck on the first half of the book for a long time. I think this book is so important because of the representation of a character with chronic pain. I rated Get a Life, Chloe Brown three stars on Goodreads.
The books I read in February were a mixed bag. In March, I’m taking a break from romance and tackling more of my mystery and thrillers on my TBR.
It’s March! This means spring is right around the corner. I tend to do most of my gaming in winter as there’s not a whole lot going on otherwise. I’m looking forward to writing these gaming updates to keep me on track for gaming throughout spring. I wanted to spring into my latest gaming update.
Consoles
I’m currently playing through Far Cry 5 on my PS4. Far Cry 5 takes place in Montana and focuses on the main character taking on a cult. This cult is impulsive, and I have no shame in overtaking an outpost to help the resistance. Far Cry 5 makes me want to visit Montana, as the world is so pretty.
In my last update, I mentioned playing Animal Crossing. I’m in another lull; I don’t think I played at all throughout February. I have so much to do with my island, so I do want to get back into playing regularly.
PC
I had some issues with loading Steam. Thanks to a quick Google search, I was able to fix the issue I was having. I started playing Coffee Talk. Coffee Talk is a visual novel about a coffee shop owner who sees a variety of supernatural customers coming to order coffee. This feels like D&D took place in a coffee shop; that’s what Coffee Talk reminds me of. I’m liking it so far! During the week, I tend to play more cozy games, so Coffee Talk and Animal Crossing are a perfect fit to play after work.
I still have Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy to complete. I haven’t had any desire to play the Nancy Drew PC games. If I’m feeling it, I might return to the game this month.
Board Games
For my mom’s birthday, we played a few games at my apartment. My brother and I taught my mom Exploding Kittens,and she loved it! She wanted my brother to buy a copy of the game. My mom has been getting into board games more, which is fun to see. She likes simple games, nothing too complicated. Exploding Kittens is a great game for those who like simplicity, and a game that doesn’t take long to play.
Roleplaying
Curse of Strahd is still ongoing and fun. In one of our latest sessions, our barbarian got bit by a vampire, and fortunately, I rolled high on a blood hunter check, so we were able to prevent him from being turned. Our group still has no process if we get bitten by vampires, so that’s something we have to figure out, or we won’t last through this campaign. I’m playing at Badwolf Adventure Studios, and once Curse of Strahd is complete, I plan on hopping into another campaign, as I think Badwolfdoes a great job at professional DMing.
Tomorrow I’m playing in Adventurer’s League with Zehiri, my Tiefling Paladin. She’s the character I reserve for Adventurer’s League sessions. I haven’t played Adventurer’s League since December, so I’m excited to play.
Miscellaneous
For gaming news, the new Pokémon starters have been released. I’m partial to Sprigatito because it’s a grass cat! As a cat person, I’m happy. However, Fuecoco is growing on me. It’s a cute fire gator. While I think Quaxly is adorable, Sprigatito and Fuecoco have grown on me. Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are set to release late this year on the Switch.
My goal for March is to get farther into Far Cry 5, complete Coffee Talk, and level up Zehiri in Adventurer’s League. Let me know in the comments what you’re playing through.
Our grand entrance song was the Doctor Who theme song. Our photographer got this photo of me before we walked out. Yes, I did wave the Sonic Screwdriver around during the grand entrance.
I saw a tweet on Twitter the other day that I identified with. The tweet said they were sick of adults saying to grow up and give up hobbies that are deemed as juvenile, such as video games, comics, collecting toys, or cosplay. The second half of the tweet mentioned how it’s ironic because it’s usually in our 20s and 30s that we can afford to invest in our hobbies. This is so true! I have a rad comic collection because I can afford to keep a pull list at my comic book store. I wanted to talk about how, as I’m getting older, I have no plans to grow up.
When I was in middle school, my friend and I were still playing with My Little Ponies. We were made fun of, although my friend was targeted more for other reasons. I think of how silly this is now because there are Bronies, or male fans of the My Little Pony TV show. While My Little Ponies always remind me of my childhood, I’m still a toy collector. I have a few Funkos, including my Percy Funko from Critical Role Vox Machina, and superhero figures on my DC comics shelf.
One of the more expensive hobbies I have is cosplay. Cosplay can be extremely expensive, with the accessories, and if there are any weapons associated with that cosplay. I’m finding that, in my late 20s, I finally have the money to start investing in more well-built cosplays. Besides cosplay, I can now afford to travel to conventions out of state. This has been a fun experience being an adult because I can explore a new city and attend a convention. It’s the best of both worlds. While I wish I could travel on a monthly basis, I need hobbies that help me find joy in my daily life.
Fortunately, I have had many adult role models exemplify this message. My mom has Twilight posters all throughout her house. My mom read the Twilight books while I was in college and absolutely loved them. My uncle is still a big gamer; he has a Star Wars X-Wing collection and plays the game regularly. One of my best friends, her mom, still goes to the Renaissance Festival, and I occasionally see her at CONvergence when I go. I have never been made to feel ashamed by anyone close to me about being who I am and having my hobbies.
This post is a reminder to have no shame about the hobbies carried into adulthood. Life is precious, so find hobbies that make you happy, not to please anyone else.
I’m usually on top of posting my book reviews on a timely basis. However, I sometimes forget to write about the comics I’m reading. Since starting a pull list last year, I have been reading more single issues than ever before. I wanted to share what comics I have been reading and what I have been enjoying so far.
The Last Session Issues #1 & #2 – Mad Cave
Jasmine Walls, Dozerdraws, Michah Meyers, Michael Moccio, and David Reyes.
The Last Session follows five friends who met at an LGBTQIA+ high school club. During their club meetings, they launched a long-term D&D campaign. The friends are now in college and have decided to resume their campaign.
I love everything about this series! I like how the friends are still good friends after all this time and how D&D has become a big part of their friendship. I like how the issue flashes between the campaign and their real life. I think this comic series does a great job at highlighting the insecurity they face as they are unsure of the direction of their lives. As someone who graduated from college five years ago, I can relate to a few of the characters in this comic. I rated The Last Session five stars on Goodreads.
Vampire Emmy and the Garbage Girl – Space Between
Pat Shand, Roberta Ingranata, Carola Borelli, and Jim Campbell
Vampire Emmy and the Garbage Girl follows Emmy, a cynical Vampire who’s finding herself a bit bored with life. Her relationships have never lasted, partly due to outliving her partner. Emmy meets Annabelle, the garbage girl who collects her trash twice a week. Emmy invites Annabelle on a date, and they start to bond over shared supernatural lived experiences.
This was a quick read! This graphic novel was shorter than I expected. There didn’t seem to be much of a plot to this, as it was more about following Emmy and Annabelle on their adventures. I wish this were longer, as I felt there wasn’t enough material to connect to both Emmy and Annabelle as characters. I rated Vampire Emmy and the Garbage Girl four stars on Goodreads.
The Death of Doctor Strange Blade #1 – Marvel
Danny Lore, Dylan Burnett, Mike Spicer, and Travis Lanham.
The Death of Doctor Strange Blade is Marvel’s latest crossover, where Doctor Strange is murdered, leaving a cataclysm of events on Earth. This includes releasing vampires who were otherwise imprisoned. Blade, being the vampire hunter that he is, is displeased and serves as Dracula’s bodyguard.
It seems fitting that Marvel’s latest event is Doctor Strange-themed since the movie is being released this year. As someone who’s a fan of Blade as a character, I thought this was a blast. The art is vibrant, and the story moves along at a good clip. I’m curious to see how Blade will move through this crossover. I rated Blade #1 four stars on Goodreads.
Peacemaker Disturbing the Peace – DC Comics
Garth Ennis, Garry Brown, and Lee Loughridge
Peacemaker Disturbing the Peace follows Peacemaker, aka. Christopher Smith as he’s being interviewed by a therapist. Christopher goes into his story about why he cares so much about peace and his military experience. It’s clear Christopher is being examined for some sort of assignment, but it’s not disclosed what that assignment is.
I liked this series; however, with the success of the Peacemaker show, I prefer how the show portrays Peacemaker versus this series. With Garth Ennis attached, this series was gory, which I think fits the character. There isn’t a whole lot going on in this issue, as it’s clearly meant to be an origin story for those unfamiliar with Peacemaker as a character. I rated Peacemaker Disturbing the Peace three stars on Goodreads.
Hawkeye Kate Bishop #1-3 – Marvel
Marieke Nijkamp, Enid Balam, Oren Junior, and Brittany Peer
Hawkeye Kate Bishop stars Kate, who’s living in LA, taking on bad guys. Kate is invited to a Hamptons resort by a mysterious guest. Kate realizes that her older sister, Susan, invited Kate to help her find a missing ring. While the resort is beautiful, it’s clear there is something more sinister going on.
This series is okay. I’m finding that each issue seems to follow the exact same setup. Kate goes into investigation mode, she brings Susan, Kate beats up a bunch of bad guys, and more bad guys arrive, leading to a cliffhanger into the next issue. I plan on finishing this story arc to see if this is a series I plan on continuing with. As of now, I’m not super invested in this. I rated Hawkeye Kate Bishop three stars on Goodreads.
If you thought this was a lot of comics, I still have a small pile on my nightstand. It helps that I carve out time every Saturday morning to read comics before I start my day. I want to prioritize writing more comic reviews, so there will be more to come! Let me know in the comments what comics you’re reading right now.
I’m currently in a Curse of Strahd campaign that meets every other Thursday. For those unfamiliar, Curse of Strahd is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure where players come to Barovia to confront Strahd, the ruler of Barovia. When I first started the campaign, I debated writing weekly posts about our sessions, but decided against it. Instead, I wanted to write an occasional post where something big happens in our campaign. In this post, I wanted to recap how our group killed our first vampire.
Our group finished defeating a few black tentacle creatures before reaching this church. As a side note, my character, Levenia, nearly got mauled to death, so I was not looking too well. Our group arrived at this church to lay to rest an NPC’s father. As we arrive, the priest is acting like a creep, and we hear screaming from the floorboards. Our group determines that there is someone underneath and through investigation checks, this screaming is from the priest’s son who was turned into a vampire.
Our group debated for a long time as to what we wanted to do. There were two options that we went back and forth on:
Do nothing. Let the vampire trapped underground stay there and hope he doesn’t escape.
Kill the vampire and put it out of its misery.
After a long conversation, it was decided to kill the vampire. One member of the party stayed above the floor, while the rest of us went downstairs to confront the vampire with our stakes. The vampire, instead of attacking us, attacked the member of our party who stayed upstairs. She was pulled underneath and bitten by the vampire, which was really bad. If our group didn’t do something, she would have become a vampire that we would have had to kill. Our clerics, fortunately, were able to remove her vampirism. It took five of us to hold on to the stake, and I used a cantrip called Eldritch Blast to magically shove the stake further into the vampire, which dealt the killing blow. Levenia got the killing blow on the vampire, which is easily one of the coolest moments I have ever had playing D&D.
This was easily one of my favorite role-playing sessions I have ever been a part of. The stakes were high (no pun intended), and my character got to do some badass stuff. I’m enjoying Curse of Strahd so far, and I hope that my character gets to live through the adventure, although it’s all up to the roll of the die.
Yesterday was my mom’s birthday. My mom is an extraordinary person in my life. She’s equally geeky like I am, and she is such a selfless person. While I have talked about my mom in previous posts, I wanted to write a more personal essay about who my mom is as a person, so you can understand why I love her and appreciate that she’s a big part of my life.
My dad and my mom as babies holding hands in the same baby carriage! They knew each other as babies and ended up together. If that’s not true love then I don’t know what is.
My mom was born and raised in Minnesota, along with my dad. The above picture is literally my dad and my mom as babies holding hands in the same baby carriage. My aunt (dad’s older sister) taught my mom and her sister (aka my aunt) dance lessons when they were little. While my parents knew each other as babies, they didn’t reconnect until the 80s. My dad was working in radio in California when he found out his dad died of a heart attack (my grandpa, whom I never met). My dad moved back to Minnesota to be closer to family, and that’s how my mom and dad got together.
When I was born, my mom was the breadwinner in our family. She worked full-time while my dad worked part-time to take care of my brother and me. My mom worked a stressful job and took the bus to work, so my dad could have the car. Her commutes were long, but she did this so my brother and I could live in a stable home. I admire my mom for working a job she may not have loved, so my brother and I could have a fulfilling childhood.
For those who have never read any of my posts, my dad passed away from cancer when I was 12. All of a sudden, my mom had to work full-time and raise my brother and me. Now that I’m married to my husband, I think about the pain I would feel if I were to lose him tragically. My mom felt that plus be strong for us. I will forever be grateful to my mom for raising my brother and me in such traumatic circumstances.
On a light-hearted note, my mom is geeky like I am. She loves action movies, including James Bond, any Marvel movie, and thinks Baby Yoda is the cutest thing. There are various trinkets around her house, including a Baby Yoda stuffed figure, Daniel Craig posters, and a few Twilight posters in her room. She’s fully embraced wearing geek t-shirts, including her Gryffindor hoodie, which she purchased in Orlando during a family vacation. I hope that when I grow older, I will be like my mom, who will love what she loves no matter her age.
To celebrate my mom’s birthday, we went out to dinner at a nice restaurant. After dinner, we went back to my apartment, where we played a few board games. I introduced my mom to the card game Exploding Kittens. She has asked my brother to buy her a copy, so she can keep playing.
My mom is my rock. I’m so fortunate and grateful that my mom loves me for me. She’s someone whom I aspire to be in every aspect of my life. She’s someone who has had to overcome adversity and showed me how to be independent and to get through life’s challenges. I hope that if I ever have kids, I’m as selfless as my mom. Happy Birthday to my lovely, caring, and wonderful mom.
SQUARE ENIX had a rough start with their superhero games. I reviewed Marvel’s Avengers at the end of 2020, and it was such a letdown. I was adamant that I didn’t want anything to do with SQUARE ENIX and superhero video games. Last year, SQUARE ENIX released Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy,and I was astonished to hear the game was getting rave reviews, with Google stating 95% liked the game. While I was apprehensive, I figured if other gamers liked the game, it can’t be that bad. It certainly couldn’t be worse than Marvel’s Avengers. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy was an entertaining space saga that I would absolutely re-play.
The game opens with Star-Lord aka. Peter Quill is leading the Guardians to collect items to sell and gain credits. As the Guardians explore, Peter stumbles upon a yellow stone, and much to Peter’s immature personality, he uses the stone to accidentally release an alien into space. As the Guardians flee, they are captured by Nova Corp and forced to pay a fine for illegal contraband. Once the Guardians have the credits to pay their fine, they head back to Nova Corp, and clearly, something is wrong. Nova Corp seems corrupted, and they viciously attack the Guardians. Whatever Peter released is setting off a chain of events that could lead to the entire galaxy being mind-controlled. The Guardians of the Galaxy are ready to take on this all-encompassing alien being.
To start off, I like the look of the Guardians. Peter is sporting a buzz mohawk of sorts, which I think fits with his persona. Do I dare say that I prefer Star-Lord in the game to Chris Pratt’s film version? Star-Lord is the only playable character, yet since he’s the leader, I can use him to direct the other Guardians to attack. Another fun way this game uses the Guardians is through a huddle. A pink meter is filled as the Guardians unleash their attacks, and once the meter is filled, Star-Lord can call for a huddle. As the Guardians express their thoughts, Star-Lord can give an enticing speech. If done correctly, the Guardians are given temporary health protection. Additionally, 80s music is played once a huddle is completed. Nothing creates more energy during a tough combat sequence than 80s music playing throughout. This was a great way to incorporate the energy of the Guardians in their own video game.
Another intriguing aspect of the game was the choices. For example, in one chapter, the Guardians come up with a plan to scam Lady Hellbender by pretending to sell one of their own. The player can choose whether to pretend to sell Groot or Rocket. I chose Rocket. Since I made this choice, the plan ended up failing, and I ended up having to fight my way out. However, if I had chosen Groot, the plan would have worked; it would have eliminated the need for combat. While most of the choices are harmless, they can allow for galactic assistance throughout the chapters. I thought it was a neat idea to include something like this in a superhero game.
Throughout the chapters, there are various collectibles, gear, and character outfits to collect. As a completionist, I plan on going through the game again and collecting everything I missed. My personal favorite is the outfits because, as they are unlocked, it’s shown which comics displayed that particular character’s outfit. As someone who hasn’t read many Guardians of the Galaxy comics, I liked learning more about each outfit and the outfit that it corresponds with.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a surprisingly well-made game. I was not expecting SQUARE ENIX to do a great job, as their track record isn’t great. I’m happy to say that this game is worth playing. I’d rate Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy 9/10.
Bizarre Brunette 