Snail trail

We're an impatient lot, gamers, and it doesn't help that game development is prone to some whopping delays. Whether it's changing platforms, ambition crashing down to reality, bugs that won't be squelched or just plain bad luck, there's something about hotly-anticipated titles that makes them never turn up on time. Here's a look back over 10 recent waiting games – some past, some ongoing.

Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness

Lara's ill-fated final expedition with Core Design began PS2 development in 2000, but still looked a little creaky when it was revealed to the world in 2002. Sure enough, it would miss its November release, and then another couple of 2003 dates before Eidos declared a definite July 2003 deadline. While the game did arrive as promised, the final version was far from a finished version – maybe four years would have been the charm.