Christmas Video Games

[tomswift2002]

I was just thinking, with the Christmas season upon us, are there any Christmas-themed video games in your collection that you own and maybe play during November & December?

Just in my collection I have

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (GBA—-why they never made a console version is curious)
The Polar Express (GBA, PS2, GameCube)
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Wii & DS)
A Christmas Carol - 2009 movie game (DS)
The Grinch (PS1)

And this one I’m throwing in as a bonus merely for a stage, but Monopoly (Wii) since it has a Sweet Board that brings up ‘visions of sugarplums dancing’ every time I play it.

 

[fireproof78]

Which one is your favorite? I've honestly never looked for them but the Escape Clause and A Christmas Carol sound interesting.

 

[Kelthaz]

There's really not any great Christmas games. It's mostly all going to be shovelware based on licensed properties rushed out for the holidays. There are a few decent ones though.

The best full Christmas game is a decent platformer callled Daze of Christmas for the SNES/Mega Drive. You actually play as Santa delivering presents, so it's a solid Christmas game.

Jazz Jackrabbit had an expansion that had a few Christmas levels.

NiGHTS into Dreams for the Saturn had a promotional disc that had a single Christmas themed level.

Hyper Princess Pitch is a freeware indie game similar to Super Smash TV where you play as the titular Princess Pitch who seeks out to destroy Mecha Santa and stop him spreading holiday cheer. Yeah, you're evil and you're slaughtering everyone at Santa's workshop. They're robots though, so it's all good.

Batman Returns on the SNES/Mega Drive is set during Christmas, so that counts, right? It's the Die Hard of Christmas games.

 

[Rincewiend]

One of the Arkham games also takes place around Christmas time...

 

[CorporalClegg]

Play KOTOR with one red saber and one green saber.

*If you're okay with a Christmas setting (as opposed to just being about the holiday), Parasite Eve is probably the best there is.

Also, the NES Die Hard game is very underrated. (Though it's hard AF.)

 

[tomswift2002]

One of the Arkham games also takes place around Christmas time...

Batman Arkham Origins is set at Christmas.

The also recently released Spider-Man: Miles Morales is set at Christmas.

The worst Christmas game that I’ve played is the Wii version of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. It’s based on the 1964 Rankin/Bass special, but aside from the character models (which are based on the 2001 sequel Rudolph And The Island of Misfit Toys models), the games is more a demo, as I beat it in 11 minutes! Yep, disc based Wii game, 11 minutes! It has 4 short mini games, such as loading Santa’s bag, painting toys , baking cookies and throwing toys out of Santa’s sleigh.
And that’s it! There is a story mode that allows you to play the mini-games in order, but there is no story, not even one based on the 64 special. They couldn’t even get a voice actor who sounded close to Burl Ives or the actor from the 2001 sequel. Really it’s low even for shovel ware.

The DS version, which was developed by a different developer but published by the same publisher , sure is longer, and it features a story based on the special.

@fireproof78, my Favorite would have to be The Grinch for the PS1 (there were versions released for the Gameboy Color and Sega Dreamcast & Windows, but I’ve only played the PS1 version).

Also the Monopoly Sweets board is also hard to say as a Favorite game as it’s only one level but it’s a fun one.

 

[fireproof78]

Anyone played the Home Alone games for NES?

 

[Kelthaz]

*If you're okay with a Christmas setting (as opposed to just being about the holiday), Parasite Eve is probably the best there is.

Oh, Parasite Eve is set during Christmas? That's a good excuse to finally play that game then. I did rent Parasite Eve back on the PSX when it first released, but I was a stupid kid at the time who was annoyed that the game wasn't a standard Dragon Quest/Final Fantasy JRPG. It was weird, confusing, and I hated it. I'd probably appreciate it a lot more now.

 

[CorporalClegg]

It takes place over several days. I think It takes place over the week between Christmas Eve and NYE (with the whole "Eve" thing). But it's been so long since I played it myself that I can't be more specific.

 

[BillJ]

I don't think I've ever played a Christmas-themed video game.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Batman Returns on the SNES/Mega Drive is set during Christmas, so that counts, right? It's the Die Hard of Christmas games.

Batman Returns is a good Christmas movie and Christmas game, very reminiscent of Final Fight and Streets of Rage

 

[Reverend]

Not sure why, but the first title to jump out of the dusty corners of my brain was "James Pond 2: Robocod" (yes, it's a real thing!)

 

[John Clark]

Not sure why, but the first title to jump out of the dusty corners of my brain was "James Pond 2: Robocod" (yes, it's a real thing!)

Not sure if's that one or the first one, but the music was a bit of an earworm.

 

[tomswift2002]

Anyone played the Home Alone games for NES?

I totally forgot about those! I have Home Alone for the SNES & Home Alone 2: Lost In New York for the NES.

They’re decent side shooters, but not the best.

 

[Malicia]

I can't think of any Christmas themed games I've played but there is a level in Hitman: Blood Money where you have to infiltrate a Christmas party at a plush hotel.

 

[tomswift2002]

I can't think of any Christmas themed games I've played but there is a level in Hitman: Blood Money where you have to infiltrate a Christmas party at a plush hotel.

There are a lot of games that have Christmas-themed levels. I remember Bully had one.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Technically, RoboCop 3 takes place around Christmas time (there's a tree up in the donut shop), so RoboCop 3 for NES and Super NES counts (SHITTY games, though... can't stress enough how shitty those games are!)

There's also Die Hard Trilogy for PlayStation (yes, I count Die Hard as a Christmas movie! I watch it every year! :P )

Ghostbusters II also takes place around the week of Christmas/New Year's Eve, so the NES game for that counts too!

Edit: I just remembered a game ACTUALLY set at Christmas! Dead Rising 4 for Xbox One!

 

[Rincewiend]

Bully has a Winter/Christmas chapter...

 

[tomswift2002]

Technically, RoboCop 3 takes place around Christmas time (there's a tree up in the donut shop), so RoboCop 3 for NES and Super NES counts (SHITTY games, though... can't stress enough how shitty those games are!)

There's also Die Hard Trilogy for PlayStation (yes, I count Die Hard as a Christmas movie! I watch it every year! :P )

Ghostbusters II also takes place around the week of Christmas/New Year's Eve, so the NES game for that counts too!

Edit: I just remembered a game ACTUALLY set at Christmas! Dead Rising 4 for Xbox One!

Die Hard is not a Christmas movie!

 

[Santaman]

The "How The Saints Save Christmas." DLC for Saints Row IV is really nice.. I mean come on, it will get you the Dubstep gun with a Christmas song destroying your enemies!