Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series: Episode 2 - Under Pressure
Score: 90% Publisher: Telltale Games Developer: Telltale Games Media: Download/1 Players: 1; 2 - 12 (Crowd Play) Genre: Adventure
Previously On Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series: Episode 2 - Under Pressure starts off right where the first episode ends. Actually, it starts off with Peter finishing the expletive he started at the final moments of Episode 1. And his reaction is justified considering all he's been through over the past few days. You know what? It's going to be hard enough talking about Episode 2 without revealing some of the twists this episode puts players through, but to have to avoid talking about some of the major events in Episode 1: Tangled Up in Blue as well? Nope. Here comes some big-ole-spoilers, so if you are reading this review and haven't played the first episode yet, then shame on you. It was fun. Go play it. Ready? Okay. Thanos is dead. The Guardians followed him to a strange planet, into a strange temple, and teamed up against the Mad Titan. They defeated him once and for all and grabbed the odd artifact he was hunting. With Thanos out and the Guardians selling off his body in order to pay back the massive tab they accrued during the after party, Peter Quill/Star-Lord had to decide who to sell the big evil creature's corpse to. If you took Rocket's advice, you chose to sell him to The Collector, meanwhile under Gamora's instruction, you could have chosen the Nova Corps. You don't get as much money, but you could have haggled for being cleared of all past and future crimes. Either way, things didn't go as Star-Lord planned and the Guardians were attacked by the last few living Kree. The Kree were, of course, after the Eternity Forge and they were able to take it from the Guardians. In the ensuing battle, Peter is killed, but the artifact brings him back to life. Why? What exactly can the Eternity Forge do? What's the deal with the strange vision with Peter's mother in it? Well, of course, Under Pressure is too early in the season to answer these questions, but the Guardians do start realizing that these are concerns they will need to look into.
Rocket vs. Gamora: After Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series: Episode 2 - Under Pressure's initial sequence and everyone calms down from seeing Peter brought back from the dead, the team needs to decide what to do with the artifact, not to mention find a place for some repairs because the Milano took some damage after the encounter with the Kree warriors. Peter takes the Guardians to visit Yondu, and introduces the group to his odd father-figure in the hopes of getting the ship fixed. Peter's team takes this downtime to figure out exactly what they should do next. Oddly enough, the Eternity Forge has started projecting strange symbols and, according to Gamora, they are Kree. While Gamora doesn't know the language, she informs Peter that her sister, Nebula, can help, if only they can find her and convince her to help. That last part is going to be tricky though. The Guardians did just kill her father, after all. Right about the time Gamora learns where Nebula is and wants to go after her, Rocket asks Peter to go to Halfworld, Rocket's homeworld, so they can try the Eternity Forge on someone he lost years ago. So now, you have to choose. Do you help Rocket, and learn a good bit about his backstory, but arrive later than you would otherwise when hunting down Nebula, or do you chase after the cyborg immediately, despite Rocket's wishes? Remember, Telltale's games are all about choices like this and how characters treat you later in the series could be based on moments like these. Someone isn't going to be happy with Peter after he commits to a decision. It will be interesting to see how this piece plays into the overall arc of the season.
Interrogation Techniques: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series: Episode 2 - Under Pressure's other big decision is how you treat Nebula once you finally get a hold of her. You need information she has, but what's the best approach for getting it? Drax has some crude and potentially bloody suggestions, Gamora has a different view, but she also finds herself overwhelmed with strong emotions that could be clouding her judgement. There are a couple of other options in the mix too, but for the most part, you have to decide if you are going to be the good cop, or the bad cop. Either way, you won't really have a partner in the interrogation to play the complementary part, so Peter better do some fast talking to get what he needs from her. Similar to the decision forced on you between Gamora and Rocket, it looks like how you treat Nebula and the rest of the crew during this segment, could shape how they feel about Peter and might have some unforeseen consequences in later episodes. But only time will tell on that front.
Next Time On Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: By the time Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series: Episode 2 - Under Pressure ends, not many of the questions raised during the first episode are answered. There are some answers sleuthed out, but mostly you will find more new questions being raised than answered. But that's okay. There are still three episodes left and a lot can happen before the season ends. Like the end of the first episode, Under Pressure's "Next Time On" is portrayed as a series of interviews with the various Guardians members that seem to take place sometime after everything plays out. While no real specifics are given during this segment, there are a lot of ominous references to someone they will encounter and them having to make some hard decisions when they are given "too much power and responsibility." While this approach for the "Next Time On" isn't as revealing as other Telltale games, it definitely adds to the overall suspense of the game and how everything will play out. Episode 2: Under Pressure adds to what looks to be a strong Telltale game that puts an original story and unique twist on characters that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has helped to make a household name, or at least a much more well known one than it was just a few short years ago. Like the first episode, Under Pressure is a fun experience and furthers an interesting story.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
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Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series: Episode 2 - Under Pressure Nioh: Defiant Honor