For me, when I was younger, I didn't really play many video games until my parents surprised us with a PlayStation 2 for Christmas, then the obsession began. Tomb Raider, Battlefront, Lego Star Wars, Assassins Creed, BUZZ, Bratz, we slowly built up our mass collection. However, there was one game that would always be the game of my childhood.
The Hobbit (2003)
An animated prequel to Lord of the Rings based on Tolkien's book, this game was my childhood. Weekends, after school and long into the night, I sat out in our conservatory in all weather to play this game. It was one of those gems that didn't get old and felt so long and full of detail that I could easily go a few months and play it all over again.
Full of puzzles and sequences, it's quite easy to once again get lost in the mazes and try to remember how on earth you passed this level last time. One particular level which always caused me problems was the journey through Mirkwood forest! Having just found the One Ring, you have to make your way through the dark to find the dwarves again. Annoyingly, you don't realise until the end of the game that you need to increase your life bar as much as possible to be able to pass the end of the level. As you fight more spiders etc. your allowance of "life bubbles" increase. However, if you speed through the level to the final battle in the forest without achieving this, you will 100% be stuck at the end. A serious challenge yet it makes the game last longer in a way. Nothing is worse than a game that presents no difficulty. The games worth buying are the ones that make you work for your victory.
It slowly became part of the game to see how quickly I could complete it this time, how many side challenges could I complete. Will I get stuck on the same bit again? Will the game glitch in the same places?
The animated characters were always quite amusing and, as a fan of Tolkien's story, I loved diving into the background of this tale. Long before The Hobbit was even being considered by Peter Jackson, this was the game we had when it came to Bilbo's adventure.
As a fan of adventure games, I don't think this game will ever lose it's appeal. It's been a few years since I have had a go and, to be honest, I think it's time to challenge myself again… Two days is the record to beat!
Did you ever have a game that you just loved playing? Leave a comment below.
Gaming was a massive part of my childhood...whether it would be on the Xbox 360, PS2, Wii, DS Lite, I'd be happy. I miss those days :(