Wasted Hours Trivia Quiz

Answer: Guild Wars 2

MMORPGs, by their very nature, are designed to keep people playing over a long period of time. The juggernaut that is "World of Warcraft" was released in 2004 and released its seventh expansion in 2018, with millions of active players across the world. For my tastes, my go-to MMO has been "Guild Wars", and I have spent a considerable amount of time in the world of Tyria since I first joined in 2006.

In 2012, when "Guild Wars 2" released, I dove head-first into it, excited to explore a familiar world with significant gameplay changes, improved visuals and an ambitious overarching narrative. Players create a character by choosing one of five races (human, norn, charr, asura, or sylvari) and one of eight professions (nine with the "Heart of Thorns" expansion) which determines their skills.

After that, it's a journey across the land to learn about the Elder Dragons and figure out how to stop their destruction.

Answer: V

In terms of standard RPG fare, "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" has sucked up a few hundred hours of my life. My first encounter with RPGs as a whole was in 2003 when I was given "The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind" (which had released the year before) for Christmas.

At the time, I was 10 and didn't really know what I was doing (I don't think I remember ever getting past the first town) so I largely ignored the series as not really being my cup of tea. Fast forward to 2012 when I had a bit more gaming experience under my belt and my interest was piqued by the then-recently released "Skyrim" (2011). I was instantly hooked and so began my travels as the fabled Dragonborn. Coincidentally, like "Guild Wars 2", "Skyrim" also deals with a land besieged by the awakening of dragons and players are placed in the boots of a prisoner on the way to execution.

After it is interrupted by a dragon attack, players are free to wander the land and start a new life for themselves, up until they discover they can absorb the souls of dragons and speak their language, at which point they take up the mantle of Dragonborn and have to save the world.

Answer: Truck

I'm a fairly simple man with simple tastes, and games that satisfy that slight OCD tendency in me are always welcome. Enter "Euro Truck Simulator 2" (2012), my inaugural foray into the world of 'simulator' games. Strangely calming and addictive, the game is pretty much what it sounds like - drive trucks around Europe. Of course, you are encouraged to start your own haulage empire and spread across the continent, purchasing garages and trucks and hiring other drivers to bring home the bacon.

It's a game I tend to play when I want to relax.

Answer: Team Fortress 2

"Team Fortress 2" was released in 2007 as part of "The Orange Box" collection by Valve, and primarily sees two opposing teams competing against one another to complete an objective, like retrieving the enemy's intelligence or securing the delivery of an explosive payload to the enemy base. Players pick one of nine classes, each with unique styles of play - the Medic, for instance, has the ability to heal other players, while the Spy can turn invisible or disguise themself as another player. Back when I used to regularly play with other people, there was nothing more enjoyable than firing up "Team Fortress 2" and playing a few rounds with my friends. I, being not the best at the game, would try to join the team of a friend, for the sole purpose of saving myself the embarrassment of my character being repeatedly killed by people I knew.

It rarely paid off, but it was fun nonetheless.

Answer: Diablo III

If "Euro Truck Simulator 2" scratches my OCD itch, then "Diablo III" more than satisfies my urge to collect all the loot and level up and up and up. My first encounter with "Diablo III" came with the 2014 PlayStation 4 release (even though the game had already been out for 2 years prior on PC) and I immediately wondered why I hadn't played it (or games in a similar vein) sooner.

The game sees players attempting to thwart the resurrection and return to power of Diablo, with the action taking place across Tristram, Caldeum, Bastion's Keep and the High Heavens. Even though the core game has little variation between start and finish, the replayability and the addition of passive bonus stats beyond the level cap keeps the game feeling like there's always something to accomplish or aim for (for me, at least).

Answer: Up Your Arsenal

On my eleventh birthday, I bought myself a PlayStation 2. One of the first games I picked up was "Ratchet & Clank" and it was an instant favourite. In fact, the series as a whole is firmly up there in my list of favourites. Even though it is not my favourite game in the series (that trophy goes to "Ratchet & Clank 2"), the one that I distinctly replaying more than any of the others during my pre-teenage years was "Ratchet & Clank 3".

The intergalactic duo's third adventure sees them returning to their home galaxy and revisiting a few familiar locations, thanks to the new threat posed by the soon-to-be-regular Dr Nefarious, a robot with a dislike of anything organic and sentient. True to form, a whole new array of over-the-top weaponry and vibrant, challenging planets set the stage for a game that I spent many hours playing. For my younger self, it never got boring, even when breezing through with everything fully upgraded.

It surely is the mark of a good game that I played it that much, not out of a need to complete it faster and faster for personal satisfaction, but purely out of enjoyment.

Answer: Aperture Science

A follow-up to the surprisingly popular "Portal", which was also included with "Team Fortress 2" in "The Orange Box", 2011's "Portal 2" benefited from a longer story, new portal puzzle mechanics and a wider cast of characters, including Wheatley (voiced by "The Office" and "Extras" creator Stephen Merchant) and Cave Johnson (voiced by actor JK Simmons). With a game like "Portal 2", you would assume that once you've played the game a couple of times, you've pretty much learned all the puzzles and any replays would be to improve speed. And you might be right.

However, in 2012, Valve released the Perpetual Testing Initiative, a set of in-game tools that allow players to create and upload their very own test chambers to the Steam Workshop for anyone to play. For me, that meant a steady stream of new test chambers to enjoy, which sated my appetite for mind-bending puzzles that "Portal" and "Portal 2" had started.

Answer: Mario Kart Wii

With the Nintendo Wii introducing a motion controller to home video gaming, one game in particular made good use of it. Although the "Mario Kart Wii" supported regular controller inputs, the novelty (for me, at least) was in being able to hold the Wii Remote horizontally and replicate the turning of a steering wheel. New features to the game also included bikes (in addition to karts) and a larger roster of playable characters.

When I bought a Nintendo Wii in 2008 (at the age of 15, if you're playing along at home), one of the first games I had to buy was "Mario Kart Wii", having not owned or played a game in the series since "Mario Kart 64".

The 32 playable tracks was amazing enough, but being able to play online as well, against players from around the world? Needless to say, I spent many, many hours indulging my inner child.

Answer: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Ubisoft's bold historical action games have been immensely popular since its inception in 2007. Focusing on an enduring conflict between Assassins and the Knights Templar, the series dips between past and present, interwoven by the mysterious machinations of the god-like First Civilisation.

The second, third and fourth games in the series focus on the assassin called Ezio Auditore and take place across a range of cities, including Venice, Florence, Rome and Constantinople. "Brotherhood" was my introduction to the world of "Assassin's Creed", a series which I did have much interest in when the first game came out. I discovered what I had been missing and I was soon hooked. "Brotherhood" was where I spent most of my time, exploring the busy streets and landmarks of Rome.

Answer: Wild Hunt

"The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" returns to the world inspired by the novels of Andrzej Sapkowski, and focuses on Geralt of Rivia's search for Ciri, his (adopted) daughter. The game switches between Geralt and Ciri, as the pair try to reunite with one another, fighting humans, monsters and other creatures across such regions as Velen, Novigrad and the Skellige Isles. Critics and players alike have heaped praise upon "The Witcher 3", and rightly so.

It was a game which was surprisingly difficult to for me to put down when I first got my hands on it.

The size, scope, and amount of content kept me hooked for ages, and was one of the few games for which I've bought the DLC. "Hearts of Stone" (2015) and "Blood and Wine" (2016) added several more hours of content to the game, the latter even adding an entire region to explore (the spectacularly picturesque Toussaint).