It's that time of year for footsie blankets and spending time with the ones that you care about, but maybe that special time includes the finally having a few hours to get through your gaming backlog because work, school, or both has decided to be a greedy bastard and take all of your time. While you may be dying to explore the wasteland some more, or, like me, you just can't get enough of Rocket League, here are some other games that while they may not be directly about Christmas (because those game usually suck), there's no denying that they will give you that festive feeling while also having a complete game behind it.
Batman: Arkham Origins
It was Christmas Eve babe in Arkham City, Black Mask set a bounty on the Dark Knight, but then he fought them off. So that’s enough wrestling words to the tune of Fairytale of New York. Batman: Arkham Origins is set five years before Arkham Asylum and sees Batman learn his ways of being the incredible vigilante he finally becomes. So where does Christmas come into this? You see, Arkham Origins takes place on Christmas Eve which explains why no one is one the streets and lights, trees, and decorations can be seen throughout the city and in buildings.
See Batman at CeX
Snatcher
Before he became known as the man behind the Metal Gear Solid franchise, independent developer Hideo Kojima created a cyberpunk graphic adventure game called Snatcher. This dystopian world has been overtaken by robots known as Snatchers to remove the last humans from the city. There’s even a scene in the game where your character dresses up as Santa to escape the evil robots that are after them. Christmas!
Die Hard Trilogy
Quite possibly the greatest Christmas movie ever had a Christmas game tie-in. Released in 1996, the Die Hard Trilogy was one of the most ambitious titles released at the time. It was a game that broke down into three completely different genres. This game was a driving game, a Third-Person Action game, and a light gun game, which I can assure you was all the rage in the mid-1990s. It didn’t look good or play particularly well but it was essentially three games in one based on the best Christmas movie ever.
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Duke: Nuclear Winter
Duke Nukem 3D was a massive hit when it released both for its gameplay and its controversial content. Back in those times though, post-release content were substantial enough to be known as expansions. You may not know this but Duke Nukem 3D had an expansion set around Christmas time. Alien maggots have brainwashed Mr. Claus and you must take down these alien scum in order to save Christmas. Oh, and because it’s Duke Nukem expect some manly tones as he takes them down.
See Duke Nukem at CeX
Every MMO and MOBA still running
Yup, pretty much every single one of them have some sort of Christmas event going on right now. It might never specifically state “Christmas” but it will include words like “festive”, “Yuletide”, “presents”, and many words that will let you know exactly what to expect. RIFT? Tera? World of Warcraft? League of Legends? I can almost guarantee you that they all have something festive going on in their little code folders. Mounts with antlers, hats, colourful attire, and a bunch of other goodies to get you into the festive mood can all be found but . . . . Is it all worth it? It’ll come and go, hidden until the following year which never comes for so many MMOs and MOBA nowadays.
If you want that magical feeling that this season brings but don’t want to play a game to get it then I recommend watching the intro cinematic of Fable II. It’s just magical. Happy Gamesmas!
Jason Redmond
