Secret Gaming with Lara Croft

I've always loved video games. Some of my earliest memories are of going round friends' houses to play on Cool Spot (a wonderful interactive ad for 7up for those who don't remember) before getting the long awaited Megadrive for my sixth birthday, allowing me to take part in the ever-heated debate over who was better; Sonic or Mario. 

Sonic, obviously.

My Megadrive saw me through my childhood (along with the first gen GameBoy in all its gargantuan glory which was my stalwart companion on many a long car journey), before finally giving up the ghost during a Mortal Kombat II marathon sometime before my eleventh birthday. It was with a heavy heart that the classic black controllers were retired to the loft, where I believe they still reside, and quite surreptitiously replaced with the console which would go on to shape my gaming life for the next two decades.

The Sony Playstation was, upon its release, a breakthrough in gaming technology. Looking back, it seems basic, almost primitive, and when we consider the triangular graphics of the first Tomb Raider game, it's amazing to think how far we've come in the last twenty years, now producing games that are often so realistic that vertigo can be induced simply by swinging the camera view over a cliff top.

Indeed, it's Miss Croft's buxom adventures that have played the main role in my gaming career. Having played through each and every game in the franchise from beginning to end, with the recent "reboot" in all its beautifully rendered glory very much helping to keep my mind away from the harshness of reality during my first few months back from Japan, the Tomb Raider series has probably clocked up far too many hours of my adolescence that should perhaps have been spent on more worthwhile pursuits such as going out and having real adventures rather than playing God to a digital avatar.

Its epic mix of puzzle and adventure (and of course a certain perky protagonist) has led the Tomb Raider series to earn a very special place in my heart, and although some games have not held up as strongly against others (Chronicles and Underworld are no match for the likes of TR3 and the reboot... And I still maintain the Angel of Darkness is, despite the general hatred, one of the most enjoyable entries in the franchise), every one has added something new and memorable to the mythology. And cost me many, many hours of my life.

I'd like to say that such wastefulness of time is the reason I've yet to buy a PS4, but the sad truth is (aside from my decrepit bank balance) that I'm waiting until the next Croftian adventure comes out until I part ways with however many hundreds of pounds the darn console costs. Any other games I happen to buy will be nothing more than a bonus, and on the positive side, the PS4 will probably be a heck of a lot cheaper in a year of so's time. The other problem is that my better half (ironically hailing from the land of Sony and NamCo), hates home gaming, and gets in enough of a twist about my iPad gaming time without bringing a console into the mix. That said, I've already informed her quite firmly that when Rise of the Tomb Raider hits the shelves, she will be playing second fiddle and ensuring I have a constant supply of Cheetos for a good couple of weeks.

Until then, however, I guess that Relic Run, Lara's blatant Temple Run ripoff will have to keep me occupied. Either that or I go and buy the Angelina Jolie box set...

Wasting Time with Mari Takahashi

I will be the first to admit that I spend far too much time on video games. Well actually, my mother would be the first one, since she manages to point it out at any given opportunity. But unfortunately, in the age in which we live, the gods of technology, who previously had been so benevolent in their blessings, decided that we all needed to be taken down a few pegs.

After being granted the gift of the internet, allowing us to garner knowledge in moments, we were then endowed with this encyclopedic skill at our very fingertips when Wikipedia decided to create a mobile phone app. Couple this with a 3G network, and never again will an argument ensue over what the names of the couple next door in Bewitched were, and pub quizzes are now little more than a challenge to be the first to spot the other team cheating.

Alas, with great power has come great procrastination, as the main use nowadays for the tiny powerhouses we now hold in our hands has become comparable to that of a Nintendo Gameboy. Now, I myself have not owned a games console since buying my PS2 nearly ten years ago, and that in itself was merely because it was cheaper than buying a new DVD player. As such, for the most part (I do allow myself every new Tomb Raider that gets released) I have managed to avoid the countless hour-wasti that accompanies any length of gaming time.

That was until I bought my iPhone about two and a half years ago. 

Since then, I have been reading less, I watch fewer movies, and I am rarely found without the cursed thing in my hands. And for this I blame the advent of iOS gaming. I have a highly addictive personality. As such, the old console games were perfect for me; the were finite. I could obsess for a few days, get the game completed and then move on with my life. Now, however, we have endless updates and expansions of games that don't even require the television to be turned on; one simply has to reach into ones pocket and swipe left.

For me, there are three main culprits;

The Simpsons Tapped Out

I adore city building games. I also love the Simpsons. Put them together, constantly update, and you have me hooked. Sigh.

Candy Crush Saga

I tried so very hard to avoid this game, but when everyone at the restaurant I was working in at the time was playing it, I couldn't help but give in to curiosity. Addictive and ultimately unrewarding, having Candy Crush on my phone is a daily reminder of how glad I am that the removed Flappy Bird from the Apple store before I had the chance to download it.

Marvel's Avengers Alliance

This is the big one. Marvel has always been a big part of my life anyway, and to create what is essentially Pokemon, but with Marvel Universe characters was always going to enthrall me. I've been a daily player of this ruddy game for almost three years now, and with Playdom not in any way slowing the influx of new characters, and Marvel essentially having an infinite amount of heroes at their disposal, there's part of me that fears I shall still be logging on into my retirement years.

I'd like to say that I've learned from this piece of catharsis, that I will now take the knowledge of my addiction and put it towards a brighter, game-free future. But let's face it, next time I'm on the bus, or waiting for an appointment, or simply on the loo, there's just too much temptation at my fingertips. And when YouTube is filled with delightful gamers like the lovely Mari reminding us just how much fun it is to while away the hours, then who is really at fault? 

Let's blame YouTube. 

Mmm... YouTube...