Bafta Games Awards 2013

Head geeks from the world of video games; actors, sport and pop stars and TV personalities graced the red carpets last night (yes, they actually mixed) as the Bafta Games Awards 2013 karate chopped into action at London’s Hilton Hotel last night.

The first person action thriller Dishonored won Best Game. It is set in a plagued and historic city in which the player seeks revenge on their enemies by using swordplay and special powers. Sounds relaxing.

Downloadable games found most success on the night; take for instance Thatgamecompany’s Journey (in which the player has to travel across a huge desert expanse communicating with other players) which picked up five gongs. The Walking Dead (the spin off from the zombie themed TV series) won two prizes, as did The Unfinished Swan. The Room which challenges players to solve puzzles in a 3D environment in order to reveal the secrets of a mysterious box, picked up British Game Award. The developers, Fireproof Studios are based in Guildford and had previously won Apple’s 2012 iPad game of the year with this title.

Take a look at the full list of winners:

King of a Big Deal – the developers of Starcrossed – won The Ones to Watch award, while the most prestigious accolade of the night, the Bafta Fellowship, went to Gabe Newell, Chief Executive of Valve and creator of influential sci-fi games Half Life and Portal as well as the Stream community and marketplace.

The ninth edition of the awards ceremony welcomed a mix of guests, from Olympic gymnast Louis Smith to TV’s Jonathan Ross who defended his presence at the event: "I don't think you have to be a nerd to play games. You've seen elderly folks playing on the Nintendo Wii - they're not nerds, how dare you accuse them of being nerds?" Doth he protest too much? Perhaps, but who cares, we all know geek is sheek.

The Return of Lara Croft

... and sometimes sexy! Yes; our favourite female adventurer is back. Hurrah! 17 years after her first adventure and 2 films later, Tomb Raider is back on our gaming screens.

It strikes one initially as a big challenge; resurrecting such a well loved gaming character, but her creators seem unphased: "Bond and Batman faced the same challenges as us," explained studio head Darrell Gallagher, "They were iconic characters who had to be refreshed and modernised for a new generation. These stories were a reaffirmation to us, that we could do this."

Aside from the much improved graphics the aspect of the prequel which most stands out is the way in which developers Crystal Dynamics have devoted their time to filling out Lara’s character – and we all know that was the only thing that needed filling out, busty babe that she was (except perhaps her ridiculously minuscule waist). "She barely had a voice, let alone a character," admits Rhianna Pratchett, lead writer on the latest instalment.

But this is all change in the new game; which focuses on Croft’s humanity throughout. The teaser trailer which was released in 2011 showed Lara, who had just graduated from university on a ship bound for the South Pacific to undertake her first expedition as a qualified archaeologist. The ship is wrecked and we see Lara’s struggle to survive on a desert island.

Her previously cartoonish type figure has been altered to look much more realistic. "The technology demands this immersive cinematic interactive experience," explains Ian Livingstone, president of Tomb Raider's original publishers Eidos, and an ever-present figure in the creation and development Lara Croft. "That's where games have been going, the incessant drive towards total realism. If you look at any franchise that's 10 or 15 years old and look at their origins they're totally different to the iterations that are available today."

When asked if she still believes if Lara is a sex symbol, lead writer Pratchett answered: "I think so, but it's sort of in a different way and it's more than being just a pure visual. It's not over-sexualised. It's not the pneumatic breasts and the midriff-revealing top or the hotpants. But I'm not going to deny that she's a beautiful young lady."

Tomb Raider was released yesterday on PC, PS3 and Xbox.

We can't wait to get gaming here at OnRecycle. Don’t forget that if you have any old consoles or gadgets banging around then you should recycle them with us; we will find you the best price, guaranteed ;)!