[Holiday On!] Best winter levels and BGMs

Bebop7

Keeping in the holiday spirit, this thread is to share our favorite winter-themed levels and music from video games through the years.

I'll get the ball rolling:

Christmas Lemmings


This Lemmings demo from 1993 featured our favorite suicidal rodents celebrating the holidays with tiny red hats. You can still download it here!

LocoRoco Christmas Demo


This game is adorable! According to the Japanese LocoRoco site, it looks like there is going to be a new (Japanese) Christmas demo on the 25th.
Here's music from the game, featuring some singing by the Rocos. Download the Japanese version (the US version is out there somewhere) for your PSP!

Metroid Prime's Phendrana Drifts



In my opinion, the Phendrana Drifts are perfectly atmospheric and have awesome music. Nothing beats the feeling of solitude while wandering through snowy crags and blasting ice monsters!

Post your favorites!

The_Scarab

Kameo



World of warcraft has some awesome winter zones. winterspring, dun morogh.

urahonky

Metroid Prime: Phendrana Drifts (I know I spelled that wrong)

e: Fuck. You mentioned in OP.

Nothing to see here, carry on...

AaronKI

Sonic 3's Ice Cap Zone.







Ize Cap Zone Act 1's Music
Ice Cap Zone Act 2's Music


Also, the SSX series. Especially SSX Blur and SSX3 (I can't find any decent videos of this one.)

Khavall

Oh Ice Cap Zone.


So excellent.

Cameron_Talley

Don't have any screencaps, but I have fond memories of Ducktale's Himalaya (sp?) level...

Also, that Advent Calendar game Nintendo did last year was pretty sweet.

Sceptre

Hey, remember that snow level in Hitman 2? With the castle and the underground roads and such?


Yeah... Not that one.

Magic Pink

My favorite will always be Christmas NiGHTS. Time sensitive content was just too fucking awesome.

Fireflash

That flash snowman game Nintendo had on their website last year. That was pretty cool. And tough.

Bebop7

Magic Pink wrote: »

My favorite will always be Christmas NiGHTS. Time sensitive content was just too fucking awesome.

Does the new NiGHTS game have any X-mas themed levels?

Jurassic Spaceprancer

You know you played the snowboarding game in Gold Saucer over and over.

The_Scarab

Magic Pink wrote: »

My favorite will always be Christmas NiGHTS. Time sensitive content was just too fucking awesome.

Sonic in Phantasy Star Online was awesome.

VGChampion

Cameron_Talley wrote: »

Also, that Advent Calendar game Nintendo did last year was pretty sweet.

Wow, it's hard to believe that was already a year ago. I loved playing around on that little game.

My favorite winter levels have to be the winter zones in WoW and I did always like playing around on freezeezy peak in Banjo Kazooie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUgja4wkAO8

Dondums

Jurassic Spaceprancer wrote: »

You know you played the snowboarding game in Gold Saucer over and over.

Not as much as I played the motorbike one. But yes, Ice Cap Zone and Metroid Prime.

Firebrand

Not a winter level BGM, but, Super Mario's Sleigh Ride

HadjiQuest

The Ice area in Twilight Princess. I forget what the areas name was, and what the temple there was called.

Kilroy

Freezeezy Peak from Banjo Kazooie. So much awesome.

Except for that damn polar bear race...

AaronKI

Cameron_Talley wrote: »

Don't have any screencaps, but I have fond memories of Ducktale's Himalaya (sp?) level...

Also, that Advent Calendar game Nintendo did last year was pretty sweet.

What was the Advent Calendar game like?

DudeMaYn

The lodge in Colorado (I think?) in Hitman: Blood Money.

You know why.

:winky:

Fireflash

Re: Advent calendar

It was a (quite challenging) sidescrolling platformer. You controlled a snowman exploring various frozen landscapes. You had 1 level for every day of december until christmas, kinda like those chocolate calendars. By completing levels and finding collectible items (snowflakes I think?) you could unlock wallpapers, trailers, stuff like that. You could also find life upgrades in certain levels.

Magic Pink

Bebop7 wrote: »

Magic Pink wrote: »

My favorite will always be Christmas NiGHTS. Time sensitive content was just too fucking awesome.

Does the new NiGHTS game have any X-mas themed levels?

I've heard it does but I haven't seen them yet. Maybe it only kicks in right on Christmas.

RoyceSraphim

Guild Wars Winterfest

If its anything like Halloween this year, it will be freaking awsome, I still have candy canes I mean candy cane shards.

I just love the fact that they make it a contest between the gods of death and life, of cold and air. Its just so bloody fantastic, now if only avatar of greneth didn't look so gay.

Ballman

You know, I didn't think I had anything to contribute, but the snowman level in We Katamari is pretty awesome. Especially since there's no time limit and you can make a ridiculously proportioned snowman if you want to.

darleysam

It's not like 'lol snow' or anything, but Half-Life 2 always feels really cold and wintry, and I'm always reminded of it while walking around here when it gets cold and frosty.

jothki

Bebop7 wrote: »

Christmas Lemmings


This Lemmings demo from 1993 featured our favorite suicidal rodents celebrating the holidays with tiny red hats. You can still download it here!

I think I had the full version of that.

Meiz

$kill -9

What about the ice-level in Blaster Master for the NES (American version)? So awesome. Best music in the game.

Damnit, now I have to go play that.

Erfus

All of SSX 3. Bust that out every winter.

AaronKI

The Christmas Lemmings picture reminded me of a game called Ducks. It's sort of like Lemmings meets Chu Chu Rocket.

Anyway, there's also a Christmas version that's free to download. (Though, you need the regular version to run it. It looks like they developers are giving away the registration code for free now.)



... Crap. I just reinstalled it and the sound doesn't work at all on XP (All you get is static). The last time I actually played this was back when I had either Windows 98 or 2000.

Mr Heist

While I was playing through Twilight Princess last winter, right when I got to these fine young Yetis, we were hit by an awesome snow/ice storm. I could play through their snowy lair, all the while looking out the window watching the snow come down. It was the perfect combination of stimuli- and it has made the song very much wintery iconic for me. Now whenever I put on my Christmas playlist, it starts out with the cold, lonely, and yet so awesome dungeon piece (also followed by the mountain's theme, and the more upbeat yeti race).

I just wish the weather had been on my side while playing through the snow levels in Mario Galaxy this year. It was so close

cj iwakura

Ninja Gaiden 2, the level leading up to the showdown with Ashtar. Icy death, but still fun.

Christmas NiGHTS is the only game that I consider a holiday tradition. I don't think any game can top that for pure seasonal bliss.

Phendrana Drifts is excellent as music goes. Also, there's an instrumental piece that plays in the town map during the winter season in Persona 3(namely during

the onset of Nyx's cult)

that always felt kind of wintery. Maybe it's just the bleakness.

redfield85

I know this isn't really an "in-game" level or whatever, but I am in the process of making a tribute to the holidays video game video. This is from Fire Pro Wrestling Returns on PS2. My personal edits.



I have quite a few holiday-ish games (aka snow).

Pokemon Battle Revolution (piplup + blizzard)
Mega Man Anniversary Collection (iceman stage)
We Katamari (either this one or older one has a snow level I believe)
Super Mario Galaxy (ice mario)
NHL08 (its cold, its ice, I like hockey...shut up)
Lost Planet (duh)
Halo 3 (there is a snow multiplayer map/level)
The Thing (not sure if I am going to use it)
Torino 2006 (winter olympics)
Virtua Fighter 5 (there is a snow level, right?)
Super Smash Bros. Melee (ice climbers + snow level)
Worms 3-d (isn't there a snow level? meh)
Any Star Wars game (hoth)
Moral Kombat Armageddon (might not use since FPW will have santa)
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns (santa, grinch, elf ref, xmas ring)

Skab

Mr Heist wrote: »

While I was playing through Twilight Princess last winter, right when I got to these fine young Yetis, we were hit by an awesome snow/ice storm. I could play through their snowy lair, all the while looking out the window watching the snow come down. It was the perfect combination of stimuli- and it has made the song very much wintery iconic for me. Now whenever I put on my Christmas playlist, it starts out with the cold, lonely, and yet so awesome dungeon piece (also followed by the mountain's theme, and the more upbeat yeti race).

I just wish the weather had been on my side while playing through the snow levels in Mario Galaxy this year. It was so close

Man, the exact same thing happened with me. I live in St Louis and the day I got to that temple we got hit with a huge ice and snow storm (knocked out the power for a huge chunk of people for 3 days, luckily not me), it was fantastic.

theantipop

Donkey Kong Country, level 4-1 on the glacier. The level starts off nice and peaceful on a snowy mountain, but as you move through it starts to snow and gradually snows harder and harder until you reach almost blizzard like conditions. Very fun wintery level.

citizen059

December 16, 1999

The forecasts have proven true! Yesterday, like all the days before, the snow gleamed only on Dereth's far-off peaks, stark, clean, and unattainable, a symbol of impossible quests. But this morning, Derethians from Holtburg to the sub-tropical reaches of the southernmost Sho and Gharu'ndim lands awoke to find snow falling outside their windows. During the intermittent breaks, the sun beat feebly in the frosty sky. The first adventurers to explore this strange wonderland were startled by crude snowmen that materialized in a swirl of ice -- only to cast beneficial enchantments on them. Taking these kindly creatures as a good omen, citizens declared a holiday vigil for the sun to regain its strength, and have put aside their usual activities to invent food recipes and create festive robes, candles, and paper lanterns.

However, many sages are studying the situation under grave doubt, fearing some baleful magic is at work. In every town, criers announce that the team of Sir Joffre Tremblant, who sought a fabled mountain city, is overdue to return. Scouts ranging far afield have brought back reports of new snowmen of nasty disposition and even a few of gigantic size. Meanwhile, the world grows colder still ...

The first "event" in Asheron's Call, and the story arc is to this day one of the fondest memories I have of gaming.

Xagarath

Very much seconded on Icecap Zone.

rayofash

Jazz Jackrabbit christmas game.