There's no escaping the heat for the average gamer, it seems. Short of holing up in the garage all summer, gaming for any period of time longer than half an hour is like going for a jog. You sweat buckets. Even at night. Some people might be happy feeling (and smelling) like the smell of wet dog, but I don't know any of them. Playing an ice level feels like cruel irony. I've gotten into cricket, of all things, to avoid thinking about the Jade Barroth still languidly stomping around the Frozen Tundra on Monster Hunter Tri Ultimate.
The reality is that unless you have a 3DS, or PS Vita, you're not going to get much gaming done whilst getting the most of this summer (ie. being outside). And for my money, the former is where it's at.
For a start, you've got the likes of Kid Icarus, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Luigi's Mansion 2, Mario Kart 7, Resident Evil Revelations, Animal Crossing...the list goes on. That's not including any of the downloadable games available on the eShop, including retro titles from Nintendo's back catalog- such as Link's Awakening -or new titles, like the insanely addictive Pullblox.
In other words, there's a huge selection of good games available. I'd go for Kid Icarus every time to start with, as an action-based classic packed with character and a shedload of replay value, or Mario Kart 7 if you've played any of the other six. Either way, it's not lacking in longevity.
It's also, more importantly, portable. This means you can play it anywhere, whether that's on the bus or on the patio. I've been playing a lot more Kid Icarus recently, purely because I can do so during lunch breaks, outside and in the shade.
I'm not saying portable gaming is suddenly essential, for any and all who want to enjoy this strange and balmy British summer. Books still exist, as do more extreme leisurely activities like cycling or meeting up for a social. It's by no means a requirement that you spend twenty-odd-minutes of your life each day controlling a fat plumber on a small screen, even in glorious 3D.
But for gamers like me, or anyone else interested in gaming this time of the year, it's surely worth a thought. Even if that does mean, for some, digging out a Gameboy Pocket and having some long overdue reunions with all six of their pre-millennium Pokemon team...