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The obvious part

Sure, technical performance on PC is still in a bit of an unacceptable state – if the gameplay stutters are only just bothersome, then the outright game freezes at the beginnings of most cutscenes are truly immersion breaking. 3rd party mods and tools can only go so far in fixing some of the problems (Thanks, Ultra+ and Special K!).

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Combat

The game's combat evolved in some ways, but still felt restricted in many others – only mods on PC let you actually switch between the total of 5 lightsaber stances on the fly, and only one singular mod lets you cancel your attacks on all stances (which is particularly important, as being unable to cancel your attacks when the need arises is likely the #1 cause for frustration with this game's and the previous one's combat design, and by quite some margin).

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Story

Yet, having said all that... I honestly didn't expect the journey Cal Kestis goes through in this game to surprise.
"The 2nd act of a story has our heroes go through a dark period of doubt and failure" is not exactly a new concept in storytelling, but as long as the story is told in a way that convinces you to buy in, that's good enough.

And that's what happened to me in Jedi: Survivor. I bought in on Cal's constant fight against the Empire, hopeless as it seems. I bought in on the sense of community you can get in Pyloon's Saloon if you engage with the side content and talk to the characters there. I bought in on Cal's desperate need to do something that really mattered, which means I was there for his non-stop drive in the game's overall plot.

I could see the obvious attempts at forcing Cal to face a potential "Here's you but in a dark place where that drive is all you have left" mirror of himself. It wasn't all that successful, and in fact it was a different antagonist character that seemed more interesting, despite the short screentime he got.

What's possibly the most affecting part of the game's story (and the source of my aforementioned surprise) was how I felt so completely under the mercy of the way the game depicted the differences in points of view and motivations between Cal and a major character in the game, and how the ultimate conflict at the game's end turned out. Usually, in stories like this, the player/viewer/reader have been shown things that make a specific conclusion stand out, and thus it's the protagonist's side of the story that seems the "right" one, or at least the one the player is meant to root for.

In a way so unlike many of the games I played, I honestly wasn't even sure if I was truly able to empathize with the protagonist more than with that other character, and that less than bittersweet, almost sour and hollow-like feeling that lingered at the end of the game was a rare moment when I felt like I really GOT what the game was trying to sell me.

"The protagonist tries to do the right thing, and the way events unfold and characters around him behave means he has to do this one thing, but... This one thing – is it REALLY the ONLY right thing to do? Is the protagonist's conviction REALLY the one driving force that deserves to be seen through to its end?"

Many stories try to convey this, but few that I've experienced managed to nail it. Frankly, I respect what the game tried to do enough that I don't want to spoil any of it in this review.

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Gameplay & Presentation

As for everything else, well... The game looks and plays better than Fallen Order in many respects, so that means a fairly varied 3rd person Soulslite action adventure game with metroidvania elements that really nails so many of the core fundamentals of Star Wars, while also doing something that really is, simply, its own.

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Conclusion

If I had to conclude my thoughts on this game, I'd say: The game's infamous performance issues belie a fun and engaging sequel of a game that, given the chance, manages to enthrall and display character moments that linger, in ways not very common in the genre. A much better game than expected, especially in that regard.

I recommend Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and truly hope Respawn Entertainment get the chance to complete a trilogy of Jedi games, as they want to.

I'll start by admitting that I haven't (Yet!) played Insomniac's Spider-Man games, so my knowledge of really good comic book inspired games is somewhat reduced.
Having said that, I think Eidos Montreal's Guardians of the Galaxy is the best big budget, comic book based game I played since the Batman Arkham games.

When it comes to the main cast, there's just the right mix of familiarity with the MCU movies and the extended lore from the comics, all remixed into something just a bit different, enough to call its own.
They quip, they banter, they argue... Really, it's almost shocking just HOW MUCH dialogue was written and recorded for this game. It's not just cutscenes and specific dialogue scenes, but also during gameplay, both in exploration and combat. While it's a subjective thing, I really believe the majority of it all is really well done, so I found it impossible to get tired of it, and it even seemed too eerily quiet when they just... shut up for a bit. More on that later.

Before the writing and dialogue, the thing that first jumps out at you (other than the aforementioned 50 minute music album) is just how varied and amazing the art design is. There's just SO MUCH variety! Great use of colors, little to any reuse of materials and geometry... Every new place you go looks and feels completely different, in ways not often seen in video games. Even without Ray Traced reflections, the game really looks... Marvelous.

Exploration and combat are probably the least impressive parts of the game as a game, but they're not too bad:
During standard exploration you alternate between looking for collectibles, upgrade materials and listening to the ever-constant character banter. Sometimes you can find yourself just standing still and listening to the Guardians talk. It's fun stuff!

When thinking about the combat of the game, there can be a subjective feeling of a missed opportunity due to gameplay being entirely limited to just Star-Lord, as opposed to the possibility of playing as any Guardian. I get that, but I think the choice to keep it strictly to Star-Lord worked out nicely, because it feels more congruent with the game in general - you play as Star-Lord, the supposed "leader" of the Gardeners of the Galaxy (Wait, Gardeners? Must've been an administrative mistake on my part there. Blame Groot, heh), and throughout the game the character dynamics shift and change as new revelations and deeper connections are formed. I'd say more, but that would be a spoiler in and of itself.
When combat does happen, it's clear that as Star-Lord you're not meant be the main damage dealer of the team, but rather the LEADER of the team - the Guardians will listen to you when you tell them to use a specific combat ability, so it's entirely up to you to set up the right context for them to make the most of their abilities. The weak mobs that pepper the battlefield may not require any measure of concentration when dealing with them, so even just spamming melee attacks on them works out well enough, but when it comes to the mini-bosses... You HAVE to make the entire team work together, which means stacking up stagger multipliers by combining the right attack abilities coming from the whole team to set up special finishers. If this sounds a bit too tactical - no worries, even on the hard difficulty preset you can just get a feel for what works, spam it, and hope for the best.
If all else fails, when a specific bar fills up you can call the Guardians to huddle up, give them a pep talk and enjoy a few seconds of decreased cooldowns and damage buffs.
...Oh, and also a licensed song.

Licensed Songs are an absolute highlight in Guardians of the Galaxy. The game features, both in cutscenes and in gameplay, some of the most popular and famous songs the western world jammed to in the 80s. They're used in every and any way that counts - as exclamation points during cutscenes, specific gameplay moments and even as ambient music in the Player's ship, the Milano.
Not to take anything away from the composed music for the game, however! It's not just the aforementioned album, there's also an entire score of music that fits well and works well for the game, so combined with some welcome advanced audio settings - the game really covers the audio part of audiovisual.

The part I'd like to talk about the least is the game's writing, and not because it's bad or wholly unimportant, rather the opposite - the game's writing, plot and character moments are surprisingly engaging and even deep at times in ways the casual MCU fan may not even realize. All I'll say is that the game tells a story that may have been told many times, but is as worth experiencing here as it's ever been.
As long as you're willing to welcome an entire game with the Guardians of the Galaxy, incessant banter and all, you'll get to experience what is arguably their best depiction in any kind of audiovisual medium.

There's one thing worth lamenting now, years later - the possibly irreparable damage done to this game before it ever came out by the prior release and disappointment of the 2020 Marvel's Avengers live-service game (also published by Square Enix). On the outside, both game seem similar - inspired by the success of the MCU, these games feature a cast that's obviously riffing off their MCU counterparts, both games are third person action games...
...And yet, they're just not the same at all! Whereas Marvel's Avengers was wholly and utterly compromised to its very core by its live-service trappings, Eidos Montreal's Guardians of the Galaxy was a game that was designed, written and produced to be exactly what it should've been - an action adventure game that is entirely single player, entirely story focused, and fully uncompromised.
If it wasn't for that failed Avengers game, GotG might've had the commercial success it deserved. Alas, it is likely to remain sequel-less.

I don't just recommend this game, I practically urge you - if you even heard about it and thought it might be worth playing eventually: It IS. Play it. You'll likely not regret it.