Top 10 Times We Saved Christmas in Video Games
While doing a list like this is indeed silly this holiday season, it is pretty important to think about how we’ve persevered before and remind ourselves that we can absolutely do it again. Especially in a time where so few things are guaranteed or tangible, this holiday season is our perfect time to fend off those feelings of uncertainty and to let that winter breeze carry us to nights where we can look forward to the warm mornings after. With that, I wish everyone happy holidays and whether those days are filled with eggnog, mistletoe, or the funny spirits, I’ll ride them all out with you.
10. Destiny 2 – The Dawning
The universe of Destiny 2 is one where intergalactic war never ends and new planet-eating pyramids are ever-encroaching. The one constant in the game are the firefights that occur at all times, and for a short period every year we get a spin on this fact. The character Eva Levante will always appear during “The Dawning,” which celebrates the holidays and gives Guardians a chance to bring some cheer to the people either working or taking refuge at the Tower on Earth. Usually the event-specific missions lead to small fetch quests that end with baking special cookies or creating gifts for members of the vanguard. Personally, I think it creates some of the sweetest dialogue between these characters. Seeing the usually broody members like Eris Morn and Ada-1 suddenly break character and even break a smile brings a joy that can only be brought out in this season. While the event itself may not directly save a Christmas that may or may not be in peril, The Dawning is what keeps that holiday spirit alive and that is just as important these days.
9. Kingdom Hearts 2 – Christmas Town
I’m sure everyone is already aware of the Nightmare Before Christmas and its inclusion in Kingdom Hearts 2, so when I mention that Maleficent somehow revived Oogie Boogie (who also made his way into Santa’s house and must be defeated before he ruins the factory), it wouldn’t be met with too much confusion. It’s not the most difficult fight nor is it the most fun, but stopping Oogie Boogie might be one of the most important tasks amongst all the other worlds in Kingdom Hearts 2. The very identity of Christmas was held hostage in this sequence, and helping Santa reclaim his home and factory is an easy path to the permanent Nice List.
8. Bully – Chapter 3
Yes, Bully is mostly known as a game about terrorizing every social clique at the local boarding school, but come the game’s third chapter, Bully’s setting enters the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas starts off with Jimmy getting called into the office to receive his mom’s present, which is the most adorable reindeer sweater you could hope to find. After a couple laughs from some classmates, the festivities are at Jimmy’s every whim. Between pelting some workshop elves with snowballs and running a makeshift “Santa Castle” with the local homeless drunk, Jimmy does whatever seems to be the most fun for him in this season at Bullworth. His adventures remind us that sometimes Christmas isn’t just about spreading cheer, but instead about putting some time away for some joyous “me time.”
7. Parasite Eve
I’m sure this addition probably confused some people, but Parasite Eve definitely takes place during Christmas Eve as well as Christmas Day and is a journey that deserves a mention. One of the lesser mentioned RPGs that Squaresoft produced around the same time as Final Fantasy VII and Xenogears, Parasite Eve is a sci-fi body horror story about humans combusting and mitochondria powers. All of these events compounding onto one another can sometimes make me forget that this is all taking place on the holidays adding to the importance of saving the day. It’s one of the weirder games on this list, but Parasite Eve still holds a large fan base and produced a sequel.
6. Saints Row IV: How the Saints Saved Christmas
In true Saints Row style, an alien invader has kidnapped Santa Claus and used his mind to create an evil version of Mr. Cringle called “Clawz” in order to sap all of the Christmas spirit from the world. Of course, the 3rd Street Saints can’t have any of that noise crashing their good vibes, so saving the fat man in the most explosive way possible is a must. Leading up to a giant skirmish in the North Pole, Mrs. Claus and the elf militia help take down Clawz and his army. Only after witnessing this bizarre battle do the Saints going around delivering presents and fully restoring the Christmas spirit. It’s one of the weirdest missions in Saints Row IV and probably my favorite because of the absurdity.
5. Bayonetta 2
This may be a bit confusing for some, but I know many people will understand what I’m getting at here. Bayonetta 2 starts with Bayonetta and Enzo taking care of some Christmas shopping for a party. This is where most of my justification lies so any naysayers gotta hold that. The other big piece that helps nail in the holiday setting would be the fact that Rodin is dressed up as Santa throughout the game. So when Angels come in to ruin the festivities, it is a no brainer when making the decision to descend through the Gates of Hell to save Jeanne and the holidays in the most stylish way possible.
4. Yakuza 5 – Saejima Saves Christmas
The Yakuza series is one that most usually only interact with by looking out from afar, which is understandable given the wacky and bizarre situations that Yakuza throws the player into. In Yakuza 5, one of these situations has Saejima finding a retail worker dressed up as Santa, knocked out in an alley, who explains a group of delinquent youths called “Santa Hunters” are beating up anyone wearing a Santa suit. Saejima takes this opportunity to borrow a Santa suit and lure these Santa Hunters to him so that he may teach them a lesson. After quick minigames of running away from onlooking children, Saejima meets up with the Santa Hunters and quickly obliterates them, knocking them unconscious. Saejima then has the brilliant insight of repurposing their weapons as gifts for the children, quietly maintaining the Christmas spirit.
3. Spider-Man: Miles Morales
I can’t think of too many superheroes who are as in tune with their home and its people as Spider-Man, and in this case I mean both Peter Parker and Miles Morales. Spider-Man: Miles Morales begins with an electric battle with the Rhino as he barrels throughout Harlem as the people are trying to get some Christmas shopping done. Of course, Rhino can’t stand up to one Spider-Man – let alone two – so after making semi-quick work of him, Miles can enjoy a nice Christmas dinner with his friends and family. Though that dinner has to wait until after Miles crawls around his apartment building to fix the power outage and save everyone for a very cold night.
2. Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star
People may meme on Hatoful Boyfriend and how it’s “just a pigeon dating sim,” but Holiday Star cannot be denied the title it deserves as one of the most hilarious scenarios I’ve had the joy to play in a dating sim. Holiday Star plays itself out as an odd detective story trying to find a pair of thieves that have been stealing all of the Christmas trees across town. Between finding poorly written ransom notes and taking out an artillery tank with a sniper, this is a mission to save Christmas that never takes a break until the gunsmoke fades.
1. Batman: Arkham Origins
Batman has the busiest Christmas Eve to worry about this season. He’s tied up somewhere between taking care of a giant prison break and dodging a 50 million dollar bounty on his head. Occasionally you could hear various enemies talking to one another about their plans for Christmas and while those conversations usually end with their spine getting broken by a divekick, the Christmas spirit is still quite intact. Decorations are sprinkled around Gotham as festive reminders that we have until the morning to clean all of this up so that everyone can wake up to a less foreboding Christmas Morning.
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