RETROspective: Christmas Video Games

On 12/23/2013 at 08:14 AM by The Last Ninja

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Christmas is only a couple days away! And while you're getting those last minute gifts and trying to relax by the fireplace, take a moment to read about these five Christmas video games. Please understand, these games don't just have Christmas in them, but they are actually games centered on Christmas completely! Of course, there are many more than just five, but these are five which I have researched and chosen, and I hope they brighten your holiday season this year.

Xmas Lemmings

Released: 1991-1994 for Amiga, PC, Macintosh, and OS 2. Developer: DMA Design Publisher: Psygnosis

Lemmings is a puzzle-themed game in which you have to get all the little creatures to the goal. Simple, right? It's similar to Pikmin in the way that you have a little army of dudes that you're in charge of. Xmas Lemmings is the same thing except with Christmas themes. The lemmings are now in a winter wonderland and your goal is to get them all to the cozy home that looks warm and inviting. There are four levels, and Christmas carols play in the background as you work to get those cute little guys to the house. Several versions of this game were released between 1991 and 1994.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Released: 2009 for Wii. Developer: Destineer Publisher: Destineer

This one is a collection of six minigames centered around Christmas, of course. Deck the Halls is a match three game; Present Catch is similar to Fire from the Game & Watch series in which you bounce presents into Santa's bag; Hot Chocolate is like Cooking Mama, in which you mix certain ingredients into the hot cocoa; Reindeer Games has a reindeer jumping from present to present in order to get higher into the sky (don't ask me why); Santa's Sleigh is similar to Paper Boy, in which Santa shoots presents at houses as he flies overhead; and Candy Cane Lanes is a bowling game in which Santa throws a bowling ball at his elves (we'll see this again in a game coming up).

Besides these minigames, the game also has a few activities, such as a virtual advent calendar and a search and find game in Santa's workshop. I've read that this game is pretty fun, so give it a shot if you're looking for a fun Christmas game for Wii.

Daze Before Christmas

Released: 1994 for SNES and Genesis. Developer: Funcom Productions Publisher: Sunsoft

This is a great little platformer in which you control Santa Claus himself. The map of the levels is displayed in the form of an advent calendar, and each level is given a title with a cute picture of Santa doing something. Santa throws snow at enemies and turns them into presents; he can also open presents in order to get an item or rescue an elf that was trapped inside. The controls for the game are loose and the platforming is slippery, but it's rather quite fun.

Here's the best part: when Santa gets a cup of coffee, he transforms into his evil twin Anti-Clause. As AC, he's invincible for a few seconds and uses his sack of toys as a club. Who knew that a cup of joe could do such things to St. Nick? Some of the bosses in the game include the Evil Snowman and the Timekeeper, but the boss fights are very easy. This game was obviously aimed at kids. The presents you've collected can be used in bonus levels throughout the game in which Santa will ride over cities in his sleigh and toss presents into chimneys. This game is fun and interesting, and I actually recommend you give it a try.

Elf Bowling

Released: 1998 for PC. Developer: Nstorm Publisher: Nstorm

I've heard of this game, and I've always thought it was aimed at kids, but I found that it's actually kind of dirty and crude (funny too). Santa is getting revenge on his elves for going on strike by using them as bowling pins (Santa is one mean dude!). The gameplay is simple: hit the button at the right time to release the ball at the elves. Occasionally deers, frogs, and rabbits will wander across the lane, and hitting them can be pretty funny. The rest of the game is the interesting part. The elves are hilarious! While standing there, the elves will demean Santa by holding up signs that say "Santa sux!" and saying, "Is that all the balls you got, Santa?" If that's not bad enough, they might all decide to turn around and moon Santa! Elves can also move out of the way of the ball, and sometimes an elf's head is taken off by the pin setter. The details are pretty cool: if you look closely, you can see elves with black eyes, bloody noses, and the ones in the back may occasionally smoke.

This game along with its direct sequel was released for Game Boy Advance and DS under the title "Elf Bowling 1 & 2." Unlike the PC game, however, these ports have received incredibly terrible reviews. So if you'd like to play the game, be sure to play the PC version. As for the other ones, we can blame the elves for those.

Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams...

Released: 1996 for Sega Saturn. Developer: Sonic Team Publisher: Sega

Perhaps the most famous Christmas game of all is this one. It's a very short game that was released due to the success of the hit Saturn game. It only contains one level, which you can play as either Elliot or Claris (there are slight differences between the two). The cutscenes of the story play out in a story book form as a narrator speaks of the visuals. The music for the level is changed from the Spring Valley theme to a Jingle Bells variation (which is awesome!). The NiGHTS into dreams theme is sung acapella during the end credits (impressive).

There doesn't seem to be much here, but other little things make this holiday gem even better. The disc uses the Saturn's internal clock; during November and January the title screen will say "Winter NiGHTS" whereas during December it will say "Christmas NiGHTS." The disc also has a demo stage which you can play as Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog; the end of the stage has you fighting Dr. Robotnik, and all of this is in a NiGHTS style. That's pretty cool!

And with that, thanks for reading, and have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

BrokenH

12/23/2013 at 06:29 PM

Heck, I didn't even know Lemmings had a holiday edition. I probably would have picked it up back in the day. Didn't "Populace" on the snes also have a Christmas map?

The Last Ninja

12/23/2013 at 07:36 PM

I have no idea. But yeah, Holiday Lemmings and Xmas Lemmings were pretty much the same game re-skinned in a Christmas theme.

Super Step Contributing Writer

12/23/2013 at 06:36 PM

I was expecting all of these to be crap games you were going to lampoon, but actually they all sound like fun.

I used to love killing the Lemmings when I played the original game after school on the computers in the computer lab. I don't think I ever actually attempted to solve any puzzles, just create death scenarios I found entertaining. It is interesting how similar in concept Pikmin essentially is to Lemmings, and people talked about what a novel concept it was when Pikmin first came out. Just another example of nothing being new under the Sun. Someone should really look under the moon some time.

I definitely wasn't expecting the variety game you mentioned to sound as much fun as it does. Usually, Wii games like it are pretty crappy from what I tend to hear, or at least overpriced (which it still could have been), but with inspirations like Paper Boy, Game & Watch, Cooking Mama, it sounds like a winner. Granted, I never actually played G&W or CM, but they sound like fun concepts. I don't actually like the original Paper Boy either, cause I find it frustrating, but I do like the Snowboard Kids 2 mode that draws inspiration from it, so I know it can be fun, and the presents dropping gimmick is a perfect fit for this kind of minigame.

Daze Before Christmas sounds the most interesting to me, since side-scrolling platformers are a favorite genre of mine. I need to get more sleep, though, I initially misread that Santa beat kids with his sack in Anti-Clause mode and did a double-take.

Elf Bowling just sounds hilarious. I like bowling video games ok, but usually I find the place I should hit the pins and the right strength to let the ball fly at, and feel like I'm done. In real life, there's a legitimate challenge to making strikes happen on a regular basis, but I feel like in games it's completely down to timing or the game preventing you from consistent success artificially by having the pins respond differently to the exact same strength and aim of the ball that should cause you to make a strike. I think I'd be a lot less bothered by that if I had the satisfaction of getting revenge on a spiteful elf, and watching them do entertaining stuff like smoke in the background.

As for Nights, I'm still not sure I understand the appeal of the core game, despite it being a big deal for a lot of people. I'll just have to play it for myself some time to see what all the fuss is about. The internal clock thing and the Sonic stage sound cool, though.

Merry Christmas!

12/23/2013 at 07:44 PM

Wow, thanks Joe! The thing is, I haven't actually played any of these games except for Daze Before Christmas (and that was on an emulator). All of these games are good, surprisingly (I did mention that the GBA and DS ports of Elf Bowling are crap, though).

I simply researched these, and I also have experience with NiGHTS, but it's the Wii game, not the orignal. The NiGHS games are pretty simple and easy, but very fun. You fly through the levels and collect points by flying through rings. The bosses are the best part; they're very creative, and you have to figure out what to do in order to beat them (it's never the same thing twice). Thanks for reading!

Cary Woodham

12/23/2013 at 07:11 PM

Glad you mentioned Christmas Lemmings. Jazz Jackrabbit was another shareware game that had Christmas levels. I played that Daze Before Christmas game once. It was actually not half bad. I've reviewed some Christmas Wii games, like ones based on the Rankin Bass Rudolph and Santa Claus specials. Those were not as fun.

12/23/2013 at 07:46 PM

Daze was pretty good, although the controls were a little too loose. We need more games where you can play as Santa and save the world from evil, uh. . . elves? Those poor elves are always getting picked on.

KnightDriver

12/23/2013 at 09:05 PM

sumosanta

Anti-Claus?! The only evil Santa is SUMO SANTA. He’s the Toy Kingpin out to take over Bad Mr. Frosty’s North Pole. At Klaymodo Isle he commands a hoard of thuggish Elves who ALWAYS hit harder than you. Put that in your fruitcake and eat it!

Sumo Santa is the best Sumo Wrestler in Claydonia and will crush anyone with his Flabbalanch at the slightest provocation. He will sit on you, unleash the Belly Lunger, the Kringle Krush, and the deadly Air Blubber. He’s the baddest of the badass! So go jingle THIS all the way!

12/24/2013 at 11:17 AM

He's so awesome! So why doesn't Sumo Santa have his own game? Interplay needs to get their act together and do that! Just imagine playing a crazy platformer like Earthworm Jim with this guy, jumping on bad guys, doing crazy wrestling moves on them. . . this is the game that must be made!

12/24/2013 at 03:20 PM

Best Xmas game ever! Make it a side scrolling brawler that smashes through wintry scenes with Christmas trees and in Sumo Santa's workshop as he clears it of Bad Mr. Frosty's invasion force. Maybe have him conquer the North Pole. I wonder if something like this can be done in Little Big Planet?

PixlBit