If you're like me, you enjoy playing video games "in season". It's simply more fun and immersive to play a snowy game when the flakes are falling outside. That's why I've put together this page which recommends a few of the many games best played during the cold winter months.
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Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Capcom 2007) System: Xbox 360 Grade: B |
I'm not sure what critics who panned Lost Planet were expecting, but this game delivered exactly what I was looking for: Large scale battles in expansive, snow-covered environments! The premise is familiar: Boy meets girl, girl meets boy, humans colonize bug-infested ice planet, boy is eaten by giant snow-worm. Playing the role of a soldier with only fragments of memory, you'll face off against snow pirates, mech robots, and enormous bugs with glowing orange "thermal cores". The graphics are sensational. The snowy terrain features fantastic city ruins, vast snowy plains, and majestic rivers of ice floes. Less impressive are the generic interior cave locations. Lost Planet is mainly a third-person shooter, with some weapons so large they need to be dragged along the ground! The rampaging bugs are awesome, and each variety exhibits a unique set of attacks. Some will attempt to steam-roll you, and others use their oversized front legs to pound you into oblivion. The glowing thermal cores give away their weak spots, but those spots aren't always easy to hit! Once dead, the bugs freeze solid, so your next shot shatters their carcass into a thousand pieces (sweet). High-jumping mechs also play a role in the action, and you'll man them as often as you'll battle them. I love the vibration effects of these things stomping in the snow. Unfortunately, the controls for these mechanical beasts are less than responsive, which is frustrating when you're getting pounded non-stop by rockets. Much has been made of the game's explosion effects, and they are in fact probably the best I've seen. Still, all that smoke and fire tends to obfuscate your vision, making it difficult to tell what's going on. Lost Planet incorporates a few other interesting elements like grappling hooks that pull you up to high ledges, and data posts that recharge your thermal energy and point you in the right direction. The main problem with the game is its wildly uneven difficulty. Some bosses are so relentlessly hard that you'll want to set the difficult to easy just to avoid the inevitable frustration. It doesn't help that the collision detection is spotty when facing some of these behemoths. And where's the split-screen action? Sorry, but if you want to play multi-player, you'll need to go on-line. Another issue is how you can only save after each mission. Call it frustrating, call it uneven, but you can't deny that Lost Planet is an exciting shooter. The non-stop action and sweeping musical score really got my blood pumping, and I couldn't wait to see what each new mission had in store.
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Cliffhanger (Sony 1993) System: Super Nintendo Grade: C |
Cliffhanger is based on the action movie in which Sly Stallone (Gabe) is a mountain climber attempting to save his friends from the clutches of the evil John Lithgow (Qualen). This game isn't as bad as you might expect, but it certainly has its share of 2D fighting cliches. The henchmen all look the same but wear different colored outfits. When killed, they simply flash and disappear. Gabe is sometimes required to make impossible leaps with little margin of error. Even so, Cliffhanger has enough positive traits to pull it into average territory. First and foremost, there's a lot of snow, and for some reason snow always looks great in video games. The action is mainly a side-scrolling affair, but there are a few unconventional stages that let you scale the side of a mountain or run from an avalanche (please kids - don't try this at home). Fighting bad guys with punches and kicks seems pretty boring at first, but there is some technique involved in defeating gangs of converging thugs. It helps if you can grab their knives and machine guns to use against them. The worst parts of the game are those that force you to make difficult leaps, in which one false move will cost you a life. With the exception of those tricky areas, I actually enjoyed playing Cliffhanger. There are continues available, but they sometimes take you way back to the beginning of a stage! My buddy Eric has actually made it to the final showdown with Qualen, and he says it's well worth the effort. So keep making those leaps of faith!
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Ice Hockey (Activision 1982) System: Atari 2600 Grade: A |
Quite possibly the best sports game ever produced for the Atari 2600, this two-on-two game brilliantly captures the essence of hockey. As a kid, my father surprised me by bringing this one home one afternoon, and my best friend Andy and I played it constantly. Ice Hockey's graphics are clean and bright, with nicely animated, multi-colored players and a puck that's easy to follow. The outstanding gameplay boasts non-stop action and pinpoint control. When in possession of the puck, it moves back and forth across your stick, and your timing determines the exact angle of your pass or shot. Playing off the boards is really the key to this game. Despite having only two players on each team, passing is surprisingly effective. Player control switches automatically between your forward and goalie, and it always seems to occur at exactly the right moment. You can even get physical by swinging your stick wildly, knocking your opponent onto his backside! The computer is a worthy challenge, but nothing can beat this game's two-player action. Ice Hockey by Activision is not only a sports classic - it's even better than the real thing!
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1080 Degree Avalanche (Nintendo 2003) System: GameCube Grade: B+ |
Before reviewing 1080 Degree Avalanche, I played a few rounds of SSX3 to calibrate my snowboarding sensibilities. SSX has been the de facto standard snowboarding series for years, so comparisons to it are inescapable. But Avalanche offers a very different experience. The courses look more natural than the artificial wonders of SSX, and the gameplay is less complicated in general. For casual gamers, this may actually be a better choice. I personally love the understated natural beauty of these courses, with their powdery snow, scenic evergreens, and scurrying wildlife. Most are a joy to behold, although a few inexplicably have more mud and ice than snow (yuck). The controls are simple as can be, although "rolling" the joystick to regain your balance seems oddly unintuitive. A more practical feature is how your character becomes transparent so your line-of-sight is never obstructed. I also like the slow-motion as you execute mad stunts in mid-air. As much as I love the racing aspect of Avalanche, I have to admit that the "tricks" element of the game is somewhat lacking. Another weakness is its music, which I recommend turning off in favor of the crisp sound effects of slicing through the icy tundra. A terrific split screen mode allows up to four people to compete against each other, and it doesn't seem watered down at all. I only wish they would have incorporated a multi-round "championship" mode (a la Mario Kart). It's not the most ambitious snowboarding game ever made, but for those who prefer to keep it simple, 1080 Degree Avalanche is the perfect antidote to SSX.
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Super Empire Strikes Back (LucasArts 1993) System: Super Nintendo Grade: B+ |
Empire Strikes Back is widely considered to be the best film of the original Star Wars trilogy, so I was terribly anxious to get my hands on this game back in 1993. In fact, my buddy Eric and I took the day off so we could drive over to the mall and pay a whopping 75 bucks each for the thing! I recall how the clerk asked his manager if he could give us a free game guide, but that jerk replied, "Nah - save 'em for later." Had that cashier not given us one anyway (to share), a serious beating would have ensued. Upon arriving back at my house (with McDonald's in tow) we were giddy with excitement, and Empire did not disappoint. The game gets off to a strong start with some beautiful ice-planet stages where you ride a Taun-Taun through blizzard conditions. Unlike the first Super Star Wars, Empire packs ample lightsaber action, and Luke can even perform various "Force" powers. Best of all, there's an ambitious 3D stage where you pilot a snowspeeder to destroy mammoth AT-AT Walkers! The scaling is a bit choppy by today's standards, but it's still cool to fly around freely and trip up the Walkers with tow cables. After Hoth, you head to the swamps of Dagobah, and then onto the beautiful Cloud City for an encounter with Boba Fett. The final stage pits Luke against Darth Vader in a dramatic climax that had me absolutely mesmerized. A much-needed password mechanism is provided so you can save your progress between stages. The main problem with Empire is its severe difficulty, which is aggravated by cheap hits you can't see coming. Who in the hell came up with the idea for "spouting crystals" in the Hoth stages?! Also, slowdown does rear its head when the action gets hectic. Even so, Empire's sky-high productions values, excellent controls, and fascinating stages make it an experience worth having.
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NHL '94 (Electronic Arts 1993) System: Genesis Grade: A |
In my humble opinion, NHL '94 was the absolute pinnacle of hockey video games. This edition introduced a number of new features including penalty shots, four-player support, and reverse-angle instant replays. But NHL 94's best addition is its "one-timer" shots (aka "quick-stick"), allowing a player to quickly redirect the puck into the net after receiving a pass. It really adds a whole new dimension to the offense. Other bells and whistles include a season mode, statistic tracking, and player cards. The game is fully customizable, and I'd advise you to turn those penalties off! NHL 94 doesn't have any fighting or blood, but that's okay, because they would only interrupt the flow of the action. Interesting animations include a little boy in the front row of the crowd who occasionally walks up to the glass. When a player turns a hat trick, yellow hats are thrown onto the ice, although this looks so sloppy that I initially thought it was a glitch in the game! NHL '94 has held up well over the years, and I'd take the Pepsi Challenge between this and a modern hockey game any day of the week.
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Darkwatch (Capcom 2006) System: Xbox Grade: B |
Although Darkwatch boasts a western theme, this first-person shooter appealed to me more for its winter scenery and occult content. You play the part of Jericho, an outlaw who's slowly becoming a vampire after being attacked by a bloodsucker during a train robbery. Your goal is to hunt down the head vampire Lazarus, but first you'll need to blast hundreds of his skeletal minions back to hell. Darkwatch's graphics look terrific, especially in high definition. The action is fast and fluid, and the degree of detail in the scenery is commendable. One of the early stages takes place in a graveyard outside of a church, and it looks magnificent under the eerie moonlight. As you journey through trains, graveyards, mineshafts, and snow-covered forts, you'll blast rampaging skeletal warriors, undead cowboy sharpshooters, and levitating barmaids with glowing red eyes and hoop skirts. These chicks look especially creepy as they swoop down from above and unleash bloodcurdling screams. Darkwatch is brimming with style, which compensates for its by-the-numbers gameplay. The weapon selection is pretty standard, but at least the crossbow is unique, firing exploding arrows! I love how the skeletal creeps panic when they realize they have one of these things embedded in their chest. You can blast off the limbs of approaching creatures, and it's especially satisfying to detonate the explosive barrels they like to carry around. Throughout the game you'll toss dynamite, man turrets, and drive a jeep mounted with twin gatling guns. During horseback stages you can turn 360-degrees to attack demonic horsemen. At certain points in the game you're prompted to make a moral decision, and this affects what powers you'll acqure and what enemies you'll face. Another neat feature is your "blood vision", which highlights enemies and items of interest. This is initiated by pushing in the right thumbstick, and I often triggered it accidentally during the more frenetic parts of the game. Darkwatch is generally entertaining, but some stages are better than others. You can get lost in the pitch-black mineshafts, and the aptly named "torture maze" truly lives up to its name. The four-player split screen game is a nice bonus, but for some reason the two-player split screen doesn't include a scanner, and that stinks when you consider how huge these battlefields are. At its core, Darkwatch may be just another first-person shooter, but it has a certain polish and style few can match.
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Skiing (Mattel 1980) System: Intellivision Grade: B |
Skiing really captures the spirit of the sport as you careen down white slopes while trying to maintain control. It's fun to beat your best times in the downhill mode, where you move from side to side trying to pass through each gate. I love how the snow makes that satisfying "whoosh" sound as you round the gates, and you can even jump over the occasional rock. The evergreen trees look attractive against the bright snow, and there's a nice finish line at the end of the course. Although the downhill events are a blast, I didn't like the slalom courses at all. The gates are spaced too closely, making it nearly impossible to weave through them without coming to a halt! You practically have to ski sideways across the mountain, and that's no good. If you stick to the downhill action however, Skiing is always a good time.
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Blades of Steel (Konami 1988) System: NES Grade: A |
Some prefer Nintendo's Ice Hockey, but in my eyes Blades of Steel is the definitive hockey game for the NES. Its realistic graphics, digitized sound effects, and tight controls combine to make this the complete package. Like Nintendo's entry, Blades is played on a side-scrolling rink, but the arena is larger and more realistic. Before each contest the teams enter the rink and skate in circles to a disco theme. What is this, the Ice Follies? The large players look surprisingly realistic and it's easy to determine which player you control because he flashes brightly. Passing and shooting are responsive and intuitive, and finding an open man in front of the net is key to scoring. Unlike Nintendo's Ice Hockey, your selected defensive player changes automatically, which is very convenient. Battling for the puck often leads to fist fights presented with a special close-up view. These battles let you pummel your opponent by mashing buttons, and the loser is left on his rump as the winner speeds away with the puck. Penalty shots also occur, and these are also impressively depicted with dramatic close-ups. Blades of Steel's gameplay is fast and intense, but like real hockey, scoring can be like pulling teeth. Digitized sound effects include grunts and referee voices, but I could do without that annoying whistling that accompanies the crowd noise. The limited play-by-play is mainly limited to "makes the pass!" every time you pass the puck. In the tournament mode, I was shocked to see ads for other Konami games ("All your friends will want it!"). There's even a shooter mini-game. Blades of Steel has it all. Not only is it one of the best titles for the NES, but it's one of the best hockey games of all time.
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Sled Storm (Electronic Arts 1999) System: Playstation Grade: B |
The first time I played Sled Storm I actually became nauseous! I don't know if it was the up-and-down motion of the game, the blaring Rob Zombie music, or the Manwich I ate for dinner, but I felt pretty bad. My love of snow led me to purchase this game, and it certainly delivers plenty of the white stuff. Sled Storm provides a somewhat realistic snowmobile racing experience, with easy-to-follow tracks and pinpoint controls. I love how the sleds bounce softly on the snow, and the game's brisk frame-rate keeps the action running smoothly - even on the four-player split screen! My friends said they liked the gently falling flakes and the snow kicked up by the sleds. In terms of scenery, there's not much to see, but snowy ramps and shortcuts can be found all over the place. You can even catch some air and perform trick combinations. In addition to off-road tracks, there are also motorcross-style courses which tend to be more repetitive than fun. The music is dominated by Rob Zombie and his omni-present "Dragula", but I guess it could be worse, right? No, not really! Sled Storm isn't spectacular, but it does provide competitive winter racing action, especially with multiple players.
Check for Sled Storm on Ebay, Amazon
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Winter Games (Atari/Epyx Arts 1987) System: Atari 7800 Grade: A- |
This Olympic-style title is even better than Summer Games, thanks to its bright, wintery conditions. You can almost feel the chill in the air! Only four events are included, but they're all winners. The first is the biathlon, which is a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. The key to this event is moving your skier's legs to the beat of the heart displayed in the lower corner. The scenery is a winter wonderland of snow-covered evergreens, and the controls are nice and simple. On the downside however, the event runs a bit too long, to the point of feeling repetitive. Next up is speed skating, which is the only event that lets you go head-to-head against a friend. You'll need to move the joystick rhythmically to your skater's strides to reach maximum velocity. The ski jump event is arguably the best of the bunch. As you take off and soar through the air, you need to constantly correct the position of your body to maintain balance and nail the landing. Points are awarded for both distance and style. The final event is the bobsled, and there really isn't much to it. You basically just steer in the opposite direction of turns to prevent the sled from tipping over. There's no closing ceremonies to wrap things up, and that's a shame because otherwise this is a stellar effort.