A highly underrated superhero game is free on Epic Game Store

By Tomas Franzese January 4, 2024

Lady Hellbender speaks to Drax in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. — Eidos Montreal

If you beat Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 over the holidays, there’s another fantastic Marvel video game you should pick up for free on the Epic Game Store. As the final game given away for free as part of a holiday event, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is available free of charge on the Epic Games Store between today and January 11.

Eidos Montreal and Square Enix released Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy in October 2021. While it might seem like the game is riding the coattails of the successful movie series based on these characters, it tells a deeply personal and captivating story about found family and fatherhood. Although you’ll recognize the struggles of characters like Gamora and Drax if you’ve watched James Gunn’s films, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy reinterprets all these characters in creative ways, telling an intimate and interactive story in a way only a video game can. On top of that, it’s also an enjoyable action game where players control Star-Lord but can call on the other Guardians for help.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy took those who played it by surprise upon its release, so the game garnered good reviews and a positive reputation for its story. Sadly, it did not meet Square Enix’s sales expectations, perhaps due to the negative reputation of Marvel’s Avengers, the failed live service comic book video game the company had published a year prior. Within a year of the game’s release, Eidos Montreal was sold to Embracer Group alongside Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix Montreal, as were the rights to this game. Embracer Group had a rough 2023, but Eidos Montreal is still around and working on an unannounced game.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy will be available for free on the Epic Games Store until 10 a.m. PT on January 11. If you enjoy superhero video games, don’t miss out on this one, which has gone under the radar compared to the likes of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 or Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

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Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

Square Enix sells Tomb Raider, Deus Ex developers to Embracer

Lara Croft runs from a crashing plane in Tomb Raider.

Square Enix has offloaded its North American operations as it announced the sale of Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal to Embracer Group today. The deal also nets Embracer Group over 50 notable franchises such as Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, and Legacy of Kain.
Crystal Dynamics is best known for its work on the Tomb Raider franchise, though it recently released the tumultuous live service Marvel's Avengers game. Eidos Montreal is behind series like Deus Ex and recently garnered critical acclaim following the release of Guardians of the Galaxy. Square Enix Montreal is a mobile-focused studio that makes games like Lara Croft GO and Hitman Sniper.

Embracer Group is purchasing the three studios, which employ over 1,100 developers, for only $300 million. The status of certain series like Sleeping Dogs and Gex, as well as the status of the Marvel deal that spawned Marvel's Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy game, are still in question. As of now, the only announced game from these studios is a brand-new Tomb Raider that will run on Unreal Engine 5, though the related press release says Crystal Dynamics is "actively working on several AAA projects."
Meanwhile, the announcement says the Eidos Montreal "is working on a host of AAA projects including both new releases from beloved franchises and original IP," and that Square Enix Montreal "will continue to develop and operate memorable mobile games based on AAA IP." Embracer is interested in these studios' potential to make single-player AAA titles for PC, consoles, and mobile and all of the classic series that come with them.
While it's not the best-known gaming company, Embracer Group is much bigger than you might think. This European holding company owns a massive range of developers and publishers from around the world. THQ Nordic, Deep Silver, Gearbox, Saber Interactive, Coffee Stain, and all of those studios' subsidiaries are owned by Embracer. The company even has holdings outside of video games, as it recently acquired Asmodee and Dark Horse.
These former Square Enix studios and the franchises that come with them will simply beef up the company's already massive offerings. Embracer and Square Enix expect this deal to close between July and September 2022.

Gaming

A new Tomb Raider game is in development on Unreal Engine 5

Shadow of the Tomb Raider Review

Crystal Dynamics confirmed that it is working on a new Tomb Raider game that will use Unreal Engine 5, a game engine now available to all developers.
At the end of Epic Games' The State of Unreal 2022 presentation, which marked the wide release of Unreal Engine 5 to all developers, Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider franchise general manager Dallas Dickinson confirmed the new project. No gameplay or in-engine development footage was shown, but Dickinson voiced his enthusiasm for using Unreal Engine 5 to create the project.
"This new engine translates into next-level storytelling in gameplay experiences, and that's why we are thrilled to announce today that we have just started development of our next Tomb Raider game, powered by Unreal Engine 5," he said. "Our goal is to push the envelope of fidelity and to deliver the high-quality cinematic action-adventure experience that fans deserve from both Crystal Dynamics and the Tomb Raider franchise."
https://twitter.com/tombraider/status/1511368712279904258
There are no new story or gameplay details. However, Crystal Dynamics has previously voiced its intention to connect the most recent trilogy and the classic titles with new Tomb Raider media. Outside of Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics is currently working on post-launch support for Marvel's Avengers and is assisting The Initiative in developing the next Perfect Dark game, which also uses Unreal Engine 5. Eidos Montreal, not Crystal Dynamics, actually developed Shadow of the Tomb Raider, so this marks the studio's return to the series.
The new Tomb Raider is one of several brand-new games that will use Unreal Engine 5, as many studios like Crystal Dynamics and The Witcher's CD Projekt Red have committed to using the game engine for their next titles. The new engine features notable improvements over Unreal Engine 4, namely its Lumen global illumination system and Nanite technology, allowing for increased geometric detail and fidelity.
It sounds like this new Tomb Raider is early in development, so it will likely be a while before we hear more about it. Hopefully, it's an awesome showcase of Unreal Engine 5's power when it launches, presumably only on current-gen platforms.

Gaming

Guardians of the Galaxy combat tips and tricks

Guardians of the Galaxy Star-Lord Groot and Rocket.

Guardians of the Galaxy simplifies the role of battlefield commander in a fun, action-packed RPG that every Marvel fan can enjoy. You'll control Star-Lord through the entire story while giving commands to your fellow Guardians as they fend off waves of enemies in true Square Enix fashion. While the different skills may feel like a lot to swallow, combat becomes easier once you understand combos. Here is the complete guide to mastering combat in Guardians of the Galaxy, including the best Guardian combos in the game. The controls explained in this article are tailored to PlayStation.

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