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Steve Lambert,

Correspondent (Tech)

So the festive period has been and gone, and there is no doubt that a large number of us were spoilt rotten with gifts, food and drink and are now feeling the effects of such limitless gorging (myself included). However, to try to keep that festive mood alive for just a few more days at least, I have compiled a short list of video games, in no particular order, that have their own unique take on the festive season.

Bully

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Or as it was originally known as, Canis Canem Edit (Latin for Dog Eat Dog). This was due to complaints that the title may encourage such behaviour among children (in actual fact bullying is generally looked down on in the game, with acts of violence severely punished by the teaching staff). Initially released in 2006 for PS2, and later re-released for PC and Xbox in 2008, the game is broken down into 6 chapters that all revolve around the school year. As the second chapter comes to a close, and so does autumn, the snow begins to fall, but the real magic happens at the beginning of the third. The streets are blanketed white, schoolchildren are engaging in snowball fights, snowmen are being built and the dorms and school buildings are heavily decorated. There is even a mission dedicated to the festivities, which revolves around Jimmy, the bad boy protagonist receiving a garish reindeer jumper from his mother, much to his chagrin.  The Christmas chapter just adds to the character of an already engaging and thoroughly fun game.

Die Hard Trilogy

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Released back in 1996 for the original PlayStation, Die Hard Trilogy follows the plot of the first three films by allowing the player take control of cop John McClane to fight terrorists in Nakatomi Plaza from Die Hard, Dulles Airport from Die Hard 2, and New York City from Die Hard With a Vengeance. Both Die Hard and Die Harder take place on Christmas Eve, however it is really in the latter that you see the festive influence. Of course I say that lightly, as snow and decorations don’t really make up for the destruction that McClane inflicts during his all-out war against the terrorists at the airport, but it’s nonetheless a touching reminder that, as bad as you last minute shopping may be, there is at least someone having a worse (Yippe Ki) day.

The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie’s Revenge

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Now if the prior two games had small sections with a Christmas theme, here is one that is festive from start to finish. Following on from the events of the 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas, the game puts you in the ‘shoes’ of Jack Skellington, who lives in Halloweentown and is to Halloween what Santa is for Christmas and the Easter Bunny is for Easter. Jack’s demented enemy, Oogie Boogie, is resurrected after being seemingly destroyed in the film and is out to become the “Seven Holiday’s King”, only needing to kill Jack and Santa to grant his wish. Fortunately for children everywhere, Jack foils Oogie’s plans, defeating him in a scrapyard to ensure the safety of Christmas for the near future at least. Reviews were less than stellar for the game, with Game Rankings giving it a fairly average 65%, however it’s interesting take on the Christmas genre means this game still gets a place in the list.

The Simpsons: Hit And Run

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A personal favourite of my youth, The Simpsons: Hit And Run is not a Christmas based game. It doesn’t even have a section dedicated to the season. So why have I even put it in the list, you ask? Well because of a neat little feature added to the game that involved the internal clock of the PlayStation 2. Once Christmas rolls around, you will be greeted with a main menu that is strikingly different from the usual one. Sure, Homer is still asleep on his sofa, but he is now decked out in a Santa suit and there is a Christmas tree in the corner, with presents tucked neatly beneath. Nothing major, and it had no impact on the story, but it was a cool little touch nonetheless. Of course you could always cheat and change the day to the 25th manually, but where’s the fun in that?

James Pond 2: Codename RoboCod

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The oldest, and probably oddest game on the list, James Pond 2 was released for a plethora of consoles in the early 90′s and features the anthropomorphic fish (a rip off of spy James Bond) fighting his nemesis Dr Maybe (another parody, this time of the James Bond villain Dr No). Dr Maybe has taken over Santa’s workshop, holding the workers hostage in an attempt to steal all of the toys that had been created. To beat the nefarious villain, Pond must use a robotic suit to give him special powers, hence the name ‘RoboCod’, which is a parody of RoboCop. From my repeated use of the word ‘parody’ I think it’s obvious that this game does not take itself too seriously, with side scrolling adventures spanning various wacky landscapes, from a land made of cake to one where you ride a bathtub and of course Santa’s Workshop itself. Enemies are just a ludicrous  ranging from a giant pink teddy bear to a ballerina and an evil snowman at the end. And to top it all of, Dr Maybe is finally killed by Santa dropped a sack onto the Doctor from his sleigh above. A strange one indeed.

Hitman: Blood Money

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Released in 2006, the fourth instalment of the Hitman series is not the first one to involve at least some kind of festive mood within it, as many levels in the prior games occurred during heavy snowfall. However Blood Money, and the aptly named ‘You Better Watch Out…’ mission more precisely, captured for the first time a way of making murder during Christmas time (kind of) acceptable. The mission tasks you with assassinating two men, and true to Hitman form they can be killed in a variety of ridiculous ways. However, the highlight of the mission is the festive themes found within, from the guards with Santa hats on to the festively decorated bar or, my personal favourite, the heavily intoxicated Santa stumbling around the building. And at the end of the day, what’s a more perfect way to seal up this festive round-up than with the tales of a murderous assassin? Merry Christmas everyone!