Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 2: Under Pressure

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series - Episode 2 is another great episode from the developer. It's better than the first episode in a lot of ways, but still has troubling technical problems that detract from the fun.

Under Pressure keeps the story flowing and the jams pumping as Telltale provides a rare look at one of the Guardians’ upbringings. The hit-or-miss humor and standard technical malfunctions are still on full display, but the strong storytelling helps keep the season moving forward as the dysfunctional space crew keep searching for answers.

An oddly-paced episode is made up for with a deep characterization of the Guardians of the Galaxy, further supplanting the series as a character-driven comedy adventure game. With an unclear look into where the future lies, the next chapter could make or break this series.

Episode 2 manages to deliver far more impactful sense of decision-making (and consequences) than what we saw in the first episode.

By the ending cliffhanger, Guardians creates enough of a mystery with the Eternity Forge--specifically the process and cost of using it--to segue into the next episode. Emotions run high, and that works well for Rocket's story as well as the conflict between Gamora and Nebula, but other pivotal choices seem like overblown drama between kids instead of a ragtag band of heroes. It lacks action and big reveals, but it sets up a lot of different avenues to potentially explore down the line.