The Video Game Critic

I know it's coming time for the critic to put up his christmas themed games. I myself have started getting in the mood for some christmas games or levels. Currently I've been going through the Holiday level in Gex: Deep Cover Gecko which is very festive.

But, in my search I found this video online which I never knew about and wanted to know if it was true and if it'd qualify for your christmas list Critic. It's in Donkey Kong Country 3, apparently with a code you can make some things christmas themed? Did anyone else know this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbatzMoiYg8

The Winter Stages in Dare Devil Derby 3D Will give you chills of Christmas spirit!

Good thing this was just revived, because I was looking for a good place to post a few X-Mas recommendations for the Critic, since he's always looking for new ones. As you've probably realized by now, there are very few games ever made that are exclusively about Christmas, and even fewer where you actually play as a Christmas character (like Santa).

Just learned of this game.. Daze Before Christmas for SNES & Genesis. It's a rare game and import only, released in Australia and Europe. In terms of finances, it's very rare so a repro cart might be the best way to go.

If you recall, last year I also mentioned that the CD-i has two very rare Christmas-themed platformers. In Christmas Crisis you play as Santa; in Christmas Country you play as an elf. But Daze Before Christmas looks like it has more potential than those two.

But my favorite Santa-themed X-Mas game is Jetpack Santa, which was an old DOS shareware game from the early 90s. I don't even know if it can be downloaded anymore. Plus, it was a PC game, so it wouldn't work as a review for the site. But I included a in-game shot below. You fly around the screen as Santa, collecting presents, avoiding enemies, solving puzzles, etc. in order to move on to the next level.

Two games I would suggest.

Dreamcast and I think PS2. The Grinch. While not a great game it's certainly very very decent. I would give it a C+. And it has a lot of Christmas spirit.

Saturn-Christmas Nights Into Dreams-Originally released as a promo disc from Blockbuster Video back in the day, it is highly sought after. Not cheap for a promo game, but it is my fave Christmas game of all time. And one of my very fave Saturn games too. This game is everything about Christmas! The gameplay is timeless and the presentation as good as any. With a beautiful story and Christmas tunes playing throughout this is a must have for any Saturn owner. Get it before it becomes even more rare! Check out the Critics review for more details.

Thank you for the suggestions - I already had two Philips CD-i games on my list.

Technically not a full on Christmas game, but Diddy Kong Racing has a set of 4 Christmas themed tracks, and they all play really well. The catchy holiday themed music puts me in the mood as well.