10 Best Licensed Video Games Of The Generation (So Far)

After the absolute mess that was Marvel’s Avengers published by Square Enix, expectations for their follow-up, Guardians of the Galaxy, were low. Very low. It looked like another cookie-cutter licensed game - a bit of button-mashing with forced banter slapped on top. But in a surprise twist worthy of Star-Lord himself, it turned out to be… great?

Rather than chasing live service trends or bloated RPG mechanics, Guardians went full single-player, delivering a tightly paced, story-driven adventure that feels like it actually understands the characters it’s working with. You only play as Peter Quill - a bold move - but it works, with the rest of the team woven into combat as squad mechanics and narrative foils.

The writing deserves particular credit. It nails the humour and dysfunction of the Guardians, but also lands the emotional beats. There’s real heart behind the wisecracks, and the story goes deeper than you’d expect, tackling grief, trauma, and responsibility without losing its comic-book charm.

Combat, while nothing revolutionary, is surprisingly solid - a mix of third-person shooting, team commands, and flashy finishers that keep things moving. The soundtrack (both score and licensed tracks) slaps, and the art direction embraces that weird Marvel cosmic energy in all the right ways.

It didn’t set sales charts on fire, but Guardians of the Galaxy earned its cult status the hard way: by actually being good. Proof that when you treat the source material with care - and ditch the microtransactions - licensed games can still surprise you.