In the world of video games anything is possible, and it can be Christmas every day: here are our top 11 of the most festive realms of gaming
What can we tell you, if between a slice of pandoro and a game with i video games you have decided to dedicate some time to us at TechGameWorld.com, if not wish you a merry Christmas with a top 11? For this year we thought, in a similar way to the snowy settings of two years ago, to bring together eleven scenarios in the gaming world expressly inspired by December 25th. Of course, we’ve already missed some of the best examples like Gita al Gingerbread, but don’t worry: we’ve gathered together the ideas and those you see below, perhaps to the tune of Happy Holidays! from Yoko Shimomura’s official channel, are the results. Why eleven positions, you ask? “Because we always take one step further”, as the Nostalgia Critic would say. Happy reading, and best wishes!
Number 11: Olligiolli Village | Christmas and video games: our top 11
Let’s get right into the heart of Christmas with the first of our top 11 video games. That Mario & Luigi: Brothers in Time for Nintendo DS was a white fly in the series, all fans know it. Partly due to the little-used features of the console, partly due to certain overly simplified mechanics (Brother Tools, we’re looking at you). But without a doubt it is the plot, much darker thanks to the Shroobs as antagonists (aliens more in the style of Mars Attacks! than expected), that makes it stand out from the others. The point at which the two brothers are reunited with their infant counterparts is the Olligiolli village, a charming village decorated for the holidays… razed to the ground by invaders. Umm… fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la, we guess?
Number 10: Land of the Damned | Christmas and video games: our top 11
If you remember correctly, we dedicated a position to exactly two shooters last year with our Nintendo Switch Advent Calendar. And taking twentieth place was the trilogy of Serious Sam Collection. Don’t worry: this is the last Christmas scenario that’s a little “darker” than the others, and that’s why it ranks almost at the bottom. In any case, the Land of the Damned it’s a snowy village in which to clear out opponents, with the same lovable, rowdy air that Croteam has accustomed us to for years. And with what musical accompaniment could we have done it, if not with a pressing rearrangement of Jingle Bells? Come on, you have some coal to deliver. In bursts, though!
Number 9: Tom Nook’s Island | Christmas and video games: our top 11
Even on the island of Animal Crossing: New Horizons it can snow. It fits: the Big N never fails to include as many players as possible, regardless of how unlikely the situations may be if analyzed with a cool head. And theTom Nook tropical atollas December 25th approaches, sets up the so-called Toy Day: you can exchange gifts with the other villagers… and receive them from Jingle, a reindeer who acts as the equivalent of Santa Claus. In addition to apparently being his assistant… it is not yet clear, but the important thing is that on the island there is never a lack of opportunity to celebrate together. It’s a little more difficult for us to say the same about Ovid, the only videogame character capable of making us hate Easter, but that’s another story…
Number 8: Winter Mesa | Christmas and video games: our top 11
The decline of the little dragon, between the original trilogy and the resurrection with Spyro Reignited Trilogy, is a fact unfortunately known to all his fans. What not everyone might remember, however, is that in reality the purple flame-spitter enjoyed a much more dignified post-PS1 period on Game Boy Advance, with the commitment of Digital Eclipse and the approval (as well as a minimum of collaboration) of Insomniac Games. As a demonstration of the quality of the games, after the many references to the worlds of Insomniac with Spyro: Season of Ice, the sequel has earned the right to also give a “sequel” to its original settings. So in Spyro 2: Season of Flame the Mercato Mesa alpine level from the first pocket chapter has received a successor, Winter Table. Guess what time of winter it’s set in?
Number 7: Holidaius | Christmas and video games: our top 11
And to think that nowadays platformers like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Sonic Superstars are almost a protected species. In the nineties the trend was very different: the genre was the equivalent of whatever the Triple A bandwagon is today (“Lots of space tonight”), and everyone wanted a piece of the pie. In case you’re wondering who the fuzzy green rabbit on the posters in Fortnite houses is, it’s Jazz Jackrabbit. When it wasn’t limited to the development of a single live service and to having a marketplace, Epic Megagames (this was the name at the time) created a platformer for PC that lacked nothing: a cartoonish Sonic-style design, Rambo’s headband between the ears and, why not, even weapons. Too grim? Maybe this is why the shareware version (read: free) Holiday Hare 1994 Planet added Holidaiusa level accompanied by a medley of Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls and other festive songs.
Number 6: Winter Landscape | Christmas and video games: our top 11
A bit of a generic name, don’t you think? Almost as if it were… the basis, let’s say, on which to build a real way. Yes, we’re talking about LEGO Worlds, another cornerstone of our previous Advent Calendar. Although eclipsed in its scope by LEGO Fortnite these days, the game remains the most faithful to the brick aesthetic in the entire gaming sphere. Better than that, there’s only one gift! And in fact it is precisely with a free update that the planets that can be explored by the player have been added Winter Landscape, a place capable of making you feel nauseous even for the best party of the year. Everything here is about Christmas, from the unlockable avatars to the NPC needs.
Number 5: Halloween Town | Christmas and video games: our top 11
We would have placed the Halloween City higher in our rankings, if only the reason behind the placement of Kingdom Hearts II in the ranking was not shared with the primary setting of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Compared to its counterpart in the first Kingdom Hearts, here Halloween Town has a separate section dedicated entirely to Christmas City, which in Tim Burton’s feature film plays a much more important role (a split between 60% and 40%, compared to the 75% and 25% seen in the game). Not to mention that the music included at the beginning of the article is an addition to the re-release Final Mix+: in the original, the costumes of Sora, Donald and Goofy remain identical and the same goes for the background music.
Number 4: New York | Christmas and video games: our top 11
And we want you here. Certain, New York at Christmas it’s a sight for sore eyes even in the real world, but which of the many video games set in the Big Apple deserves a place in the top 5? He gives us the answer Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the interquel between Insomniac Games’ debut in the Marvel universe and the highly successful sequel. The adventure is on a scale compared to the solo game dedicated to Peter Parker, but the time of year in which the game is set provides a refresher on Manhattan and its surroundings. We could philosophize for a long time about how the PlayStation-branded Spidey costume is the most similar to Santa Claus’s red and white coat… or, more simply, enjoy the show offered by the City that Never Sleeps on our screens.
Number 3: Crackshot’s Shed | Christmas and video games: our top 11
The bronze medal goes to the most famous cabin in the gaming world. If otherwise you are tilting your head inquiringly, just know that Crackshot is a skin of Fortnite. Specifically, Epic Games’ reinterpretation of the Nutcracker from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s composition of the same name. Usually the Crackshot’s shed it can be visited from the lobby during the Midwinter period, but this year the celebrations due to the many new features have been reduced to a simple separate tab between the tasks (hey, we couldn’t have predicted that!) and therefore we can only find it in-game. Not that a place of honor hasn’t been dedicated to it: no less than as a replacement for the villa on theBooty Island!
Number 2: Valico Addobbo | Christmas and video games: our top 11
Silver is all about Addobbo Pass, although this is where we anticipate a quibble. If you want to limit yourself to official products only, you can consider this a top ten and the track of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe positioned here the undisputed moral winner. With a surpassing worthy of Dino Risi’s film, the Christmas setting best described in our guide to the Luna Trophy makes up for the defeat suffered two years ago with the aforementioned Gita al Gingerbread. The reason? An absolute triumph of the festive atmosphere, from the joyful orchestra to the heart-pounding excitement caused by the final straight. What’s in your package? A victory or a second place? Like the track placement (depending on how you take that last paragraph), this is a surprise that’s up to you to discover.
Number 1: the fangame you don’t expect
Well yes, it is a parodistic fangame that ranks at the top of the top 11 dedicated to Christmas in video games. We’ve lost your attention, haven’t we? Can we bring you back if we put Hideo Kojima’s name under the tree? Because in this case it is one of his most famous creatures that is being honored (half-jokingly). The nice one Holiday Espionage Action: Merry Gear Solid – Secret Santa is based on a premise as delirious as it is intriguing. Saint Nicholas, better known as the Santa most loved by adults and children, has to deliver gifts. The problem is post-September 11 paranoia: no one would look favorably on an unauthorized aircraft headed towards the roofs of houses. For this reason, with the code name Solid Santa and with the help of Little Tim from A Christmas Carol via Codec, our hero sneaks around an apartment to deliver presents on foot. The fan base of Metal Gear he loved the game so much that he dedicated an article to it on the series’ wiki!
Now it’s up to you to tell us yours: would you like to exchange some good wishes all together? Write to us below, and as always don’t forget to stay on techgameworld.com for all the most important news for gamers and beyond. For your purely gaming needs, you can instead find the best discounts in digital format on Instant Gaming. We bid farewell wishing you Happy Holidays again!