I have a passion for videogames thanks to the first PlayStation. I started playing in 1998 and I had that console until 2005. Now I mostly play RPGs, but at the time it was different and my tastes changed over time. Crash Bandicoot was my first ever videogame, and in the years I played other gems like the first Resident Evil, Fear Effect 2 and the Tekken series.
There are, however, three videogames that are simply unforgettable for me. Three experiences that made my childhood and that made me the gamer I am today.
Tomb Raider
As I said before, Crash Bandicoot was my first videogame ever, but the second one I ever played made the real difference. I was right away hooked Tomb Raider and with its charming setting. Plus, I loved Lara Croft and as a child I wanted to be just like her.
I played all the games on PlayStation, PlayStation 2 (The Angel of Darkness too) and the reboot on PlayStation 3. During the year, I have to admit, Lara lost her charm. On her first games she was a badass, and on later installments, trying to make her human, the developers managed to portray her weaker and weaker, her badassness lost. Plus, the 2013 reboot feels like an Uncharted-like, without a bit of personality.
My love for this game still goes strong, since Tomb Raider was the title that made me passionate about videogames. I still have to play Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and I hope to find a bit of the old Lara there.
Resident Evil 2
February 2003. The month where Resident Evil 2 was brought into my home. I already played the first title between 1999 and 2000, but I don’t remember much about it. Resident Evil 2, on the other hand, has remained imprinted in my mind. 2003 was a particular period for me, since it was when I started playing again. In 2002 I had to take a long hiatus, due to many problems I had at the time with my family. Starting to play videogames again in 2003 was a way for me to go back to normality, or at least trying to. And the first game after the hiatus was Resident Evil 2.
I actually had not the permission to play it. My father tried to hide the disc from me, but I was always able to find it and play it when he wasn’t home. I spent many afternoons playing nonstop again and again. I literally consumed the second disc.
As I told in another article, I have yet to play the remakes of the series. My fear is that the experience would not be like the one I had as a child. And obviously it will never be like that: I am a different person now, but deep down I know that Resident Evil 2 will remain special for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=178sHm8RxlI
Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer
Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer (or Ripto’s Rage if you are reading me from the US) was actually the third title of the series I played. I started with Spyro 3, and then I played the first one. It was one of the cons of buying only preowned games. The other one being sometimes finding ruined discs.
Anyway, between 2004 and 2005 I finally got my hands on Spyro 2. I enjoyed a lot the other two games, but Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer for me was different. I loved every bit of the game, and it’s the only game that I’m sad I don’t have in my collection. It was my last game for PlayStation before moving to PlayStation 2.
At the time, I think I played it four times in a row from start to finish. I also played it twice on my PlayStation Vita. And I admit that I bought the Reignited Trilogy mostly to play it again. I actually cried when I saw my beloved Avalar totally remade, but still like I remembered it.
