The top 10 games that remind us of Christmas

Posted December 21, 2011 by Emily King.

Feature: BeefJack’s writers have been thinking back through their gaming histories to come up with ten games that remind them of the festive season – whether because of the games’ themes, or because they turned up in fancy wrapping paper from Santa Claus…

We’ve all experienced games over the years that open up fond memories of Christmas or have got just the right kind of ambiance i.e. snow, to cause us to reflect on this time of year. And so here are the BeefJack team’s ten most Christmassy games.

10. Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (1987)

Released all the way back in 1987 for the NES, Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest is on this list because Julian received the game and a NES for Christmas when he was five. By all accounts, he ‘lost a year’ to the game. For those unfamiliar with this Konami title, the game follows the character Simon Belmont as he does battle with Dracula once again.

9. Tomb Raider (1996)

While not normally perceived as a child friendly game, Ben associates Core Design’s Tomb Raider with this time of year. Lucky, some might say, Ben unboxed it on Christmas Day and got to play as Lara Croft in front of his family in the living room for most of the day. With its popularity on both PC and PlayStation being quite large, the game would have been under many trees the year it was released.

8. The Curse of Monkey Island (1997)

This PC-based swashbuckling tale of bravado, curses and romance is the third game in the Monkey Island series by LucasArts. James apparently played The Curse of Monkey Island to death when he was given it one year. For a few fans of this point-and-click series up to this point, the change in art style to something more cartoonish was not something they were fond of.

7. South Park (1998)

What could be more Christmassy than throwing snow balls at turkeys in South Park? Released on PlayStation, PC and N64, for Yulia the turkeys of South Park did have the habit of making her think of Thanksgiving, but the first-person perspective snow ball battles settles it more in the realms of the other holiday season. The game was based on the characters and location of the satirical cartoon series of the same name. Obsidian are currently developing South Park: The Game – an RPG based on the TV series.

6. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Most notable for being one of the few film tie-in games that is universally seen as quite brilliant, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – published by EA - was a cross platform release and included such epic battles as the confrontation at Helm’s Deep. Released just several months before the second film, Two Towers is Mark’s seasonal game of choice.

5. World of Warcraft (2004)

Some gauge the changing of the seasons by the colour of the leaves on the trees outside. Some check in to their local tavern at Stormwind and check out just what of fetching decoration has been put up. Ben points out that Blizzard’s world-famous MMO World of Warcraft serves more than just decorations, with different in-game gifts available each year. Now that is dedication to your audience…

4. Fahrenheit (2005)

Before PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain, Quantic Dream developed Fahrenheit – an intense cinematic game with a paranormal slant that saw truly bizarre events take place in a wintry New York City. It was originally released on Xbox, PC and PlayStation 2. Having received the PS2 version for Christmas back in 2005, the setting and in-game weather makes Emily crave the game at this time of year – it’s all the snow and the representation of intense cold.

3. Costume Quest (2010)

Costume Quest was originally set at Halloween, which makes it perhaps an odd choice for this list. But there’s method to our madness. Available for PSN, XBLA and PC, the game received a touch of seasonal DLC in the form of an extra chapter titled Grubbin’s on Ice. With giant monster fun continuing in a new winter wonderland, Kelsey explained that it, “was a great videogamey prelude to my favourite time of year.”

2. Batman Arkham City (2011)

With perpetual snow, Kelsey notes Rocksteady’s Batman Arkham City as another winter favourite. Whenever Batman was outside, he could not help listening in on conversations between the inmates and political prisoners who complained to no end about just how cold it was in the prison. It’s available on PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360. Don’t forget to visit Calender Man for a seasonal tale on Christmas Day. And it was favourably reviewed by BeefJack.

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)

If you haven’t realised already, there’s tonnes of snow in Bethesda’s Skyrim. Set in the homeland of the Nords, it’s not snowing everywhere, just in quite a few places. And the mountains are huge, so it’s probably a good idea to be careful how you use those dragon shouts. Available on PS3, PC and Xbox 360, it’s a game that Lewis has found somewhat Christmassy since playing it for review in November.

Honourable mention: Die Hard Trilogy (1995)

Developed by Probe Entertainment and released the year after the third film on PlayStation, PC and Sega Saturn, the sections based on the first two Die Hard films makes this quite the seasonal game with its mix of Christmas setting and terrorists. After all, what says Seasons Greetings more than, “Yippee kai yay, motherfucker!”

 

If there’s a particular videogame that reminds you of the festive season, let us know in the comments below.