Merry Christmas! Xmas game roundup!

Mr. Toups · tweedle dumb Joined: 03 Dec 2006 Location: moran

Christmas is here and I've come across quite a few xmas themed games online.

Merry Gear Solid is a clever and well-designed holiday homage to the Metal Gear Solid series. Because the skies are unsafe, santa must deliver his presents by foot and infiltrate children's homes using stealth. Clever and loving references to the MGS games are delivered with excellent voice acting which does a great job mimicking classic Metal Gear characters. The game itself plays like a simplified version of Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel for the Gameboy Color.

Flash game superstar Orisinal has a newish game up called Winterbells. Like his best games it features simple mouse-based mechanics with addictive gameplay. Bells fall from the starry winter night sky. Mouse movements control the rabbit and left clicking makes him jump. Landing on a bell will boost you higher allowing to reach more bells. The higher up into the sky you can reach, the better score you can get. Like all of Orisinal's games it features relaxing music and lovely artwork.

Nintendo has had Mission In Snowdriftland up for some time now -- the reason being that it's actually an Advent calender. (For those who don't know, the religious Christmas season doesn't actually start until the 25th; Advent is the name for the days leading up to it.) Religious associations aside, Snowdriftland is a very well designed platformer a la Super Mario World or Yoshi's Island. There's a satisfying amount of depth, challenge, and polish here for a freely released flash game, and it features 24 levels (one for each day of Advent) so it will take quite some time to play through.

Merry Christmas readers of selectbutton.net!
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Persona-sama · Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 1:49 am

The guy who made the first game also made this amazing post about Metal Gear 1 for the MSX:
http://www.superfundungeonrun.com/index.php?subaction=showcomments&id=1152959098&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&

Persona-sama · Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 2:28 am

Dude, that Santa game was pretty awesome. That ending had me really going too - I was seriously wondering how I'd go through the levels backwards. Also, it was pretty clever to have the perspective of the game switch to Snake and have him hold Santa up. I'm sure Hideo would shed a tear at the sight.

A game like that could only be crafted by someone who loved Metal Gear and the originals a lot. If he took the idea and fleshed it out with more levels and absurd bosses, the game could definitely be a legitimate Metal Gear successor in more ways than one.

I'm going to go email the guy and tell him he did an awesome job. I'M GOING TO DO IT RIGHT NOW!!
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aerisdead · Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Location: Toronto, Canada

I want to play this Merry Gear Solid game but won't have time until after Christmas, probably. Like... Well after Christmas. Ah well!

Merry Christmas to everyone at Select Button anyway!
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"Did you read that mr. ignorant new games journalist? YOU JUST DON'T FUCKING GET IT. "
-Alex Kierkegaard, better known as "dmx", irrationally responding to the wonderful gentleman who wrote the post you just read.

BotageL · Joined: 04 Dec 2006 Location: *fidget*

Merry Gear Solid was 30 minutes of solid, in-jokey entertainment.

The guy did a good job aping Metal Gear's gameplay and plotting. I kind of hope he does more with what he's got!
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q 3 · Joined: 05 Dec 2006

Santa Claus? Santa Claus! Santaaaaa Claaaaus!!

It's interesting how grid movement, complex guard placement, and lack of firepower (Santa can't disintepunch!) give this a very strong puzzler feel. It definitely deserves a sequel, hopefully one featuring the exploits of Liquid Santa (a sinister Krampus-like figure) and his terrorist organization Elfhound...

Ratoslov · Joined: 05 Dec 2006

Okay, how the fuck do you pass the ninth floor? Am I missing something? I know to sneak around behind the three kids behind the grid, but I can't quite seem to get past the two in the corridor with the TV.

BotageL · Joined: 04 Dec 2006 Location: *fidget*

There are a couple ways to solve the ninth floor, but here's a friendly tip: darts hitting the wall make noise. Cameras can blind several kids at once.
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Laurel Soup · Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Location: Hitsville, USA

The ninth floor was nuts. Keep at it though, the end is well worth it.
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Reporting from Hell

showka · Joined: 04 Dec 2006 Location: Neo San Antonio

This definetly ranks as one of my favorite freeware PC games ever. They did a good job with the codec scenes. I wish the music and GameOver voices didn't get so shrill, made it hard to use headphones.

dessgeega · damaged Joined: 05 Dec 2006

merry gear solid speedrun: big beard speed.
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