Thank you to every single person who took the time to enter our Win With Vamers Win a Copy of Rise of the Tomb Raider for PS4 and Xbox One competition; which was held in honour of Lara Crofts 20th Anniversary.

Those who entered had to share their most favourite memory from the Tomb Raider franchise and winners were selected by members of the Vamers Crew. Entrants will know that this competition officially ended on the 25th of November 2016. So why the long wait to announce a winner? 

In accordance with our Transparency Policy, and our continued mission to always be honest about what goes on behind the scenes, the simple answer is that we, embarrassingly, kind of lost them. Well, rather than “lost” they were simply misplaced.

After some extensive Tomb Raiding, which took far longer than we anticipated, we eventually found the games. Turns out they were right under our noses and had simply slipped behind one of our bookshelves. Thing is, the games did not fall all the way through to the floor. Instead, they were caught behind the shelves and the wall. Needless to say, it was quite a relief to finally find them, and both in pristine condition – save for a little bit of dust.

Without further a do, here are our two winners:

Congratulations to James MacKay and Lyle Arends, who each win a copy of Rise of the Tomb Raider for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, respectively. 

James’ answer:

My favourite moment would have to be how we saw Lara turn into the Tomb Raider we know and love during the last Tomb Raider game. It’s very interesting to see a favourite character being developed in front of your eyes as you play a game. Xbox One please!

Lyle’s answer:

My dearest Vamers,

I trust you are well, my dear. Do forgive the late response, I have just received your request for me to regale you with stories of my time with the lovely Ms. Croft. Although a seemingly simple task at face value, while sitting here in my library, the fire crackling and popping in the background — in my purple cigar jacket, puffing away on my pipe of rich mahogany… I realise that this is in fact not as simple a task.

I mean, do I start with something simple like the awe of seeing her climbing the great pyramids? Or the terror of facing the skinned tragedies known as the Damned? Perhaps the nail-biting battles between Lara and various predators (both beast… and man) as she’d summersault and jump her way around them, a true polygon ballerina of death to all who would cross her?

Maybe I shall tell you of that time she took on a living, breathing relic from a time long forgotten in the form of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, which was a little more than my heart could take and you could not possibly phantom the relief when our dear Lara emerged triumphant.  
Or maybe I should start with the more devilish pranks she used to pull, like locking poor space-invading, privacy shattering Winston, the butler, in the manor’s freezer (worry not, the old bastard was a tough one)?

I guess I could even speak of her recent adventures, where I got to witness her evolve from a helpless and naive young girl to a woman, reforged in blood and lead, forever changed as her innocence was shattered, but replaced with a beautiful, bright fire which will undoubtedly guide her on this new path she walks and help her Rise and become the legend she was always meant to be.

My favourite memory cannot be isolated to one simple answer, so to answer your question, my dear, I would have to say that the sense of wonder and awe Ms. Croft and her adventures have instilled in me — taking me to wondrous, mythical places I myself would have never set foot in, allowing me to face off against both beasts, monsters and men, saving the very world itself all from the comfort of my bedroom. That sense of joy, wonder and adventure may mean little in today’s modern world, but back then… Back then in a simpler time to a young gamer on a Saturday morning, how… How glorious it was.

Kindest regards,
L

P.S: The PS4 is doing quite fine. Quite fine, dear. Thank you for asking.

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Owner, founder and editor-in-chief at Vamers, Hans has a vested interest in geek culture and the interactive entertainment industry. With a Masters degree in Communications and Ludology, he is well read and versed in matters relating to video games and communication media, among many other topics of interest.