It’s December, which means many of us are looking towards Christmas and getting as fat as humanly possible on dry turkey. It also means that the weather is a little colder, increasing the chances of a few snow days between now and the New Year. But enough about IRL — what about snow in video games?
The GameRevolution team discussed their favorite snow levels in video games, but now we want to know your thoughts. You can share your own opinion in the comments section below. As always, we’ll feature our favorite in tomorrow’s Tell GR.
Paul Tamburro, executive editor: “Journey‘s The Mountain is my favorite snow level. Typically, snow levels see you doing battle with a game’s controls more than anything else, but in The Mountain, you feel like you’re locked in a genuine battle against the elements. Spotlight monsters prey above you, the snow tears away your all-important scarf’s energy, and it concludes with your player-character collapsing with exhaustion having all but given up. Falling into a heap on the floor next to a stranger is an oddly bond-building moment.”
Jason Faulkner, senior editor: “My favorite snow level is Surface 2 from Goldeneye 007. When I was a kid I would trip the alarm on purpose by getting spotted by the cameras and spend a half-hour or more just fighting dudes. It was impressive to me since it was one of the first levels in a game I remember seeing that revisited a location later on that showed tangible changes. In Surface 1, things were under construction, but when you return, it was finished and the base had been expanded. Even to this day, few games take efforts to mark the passage of time in their worlds and it helped push Goldeneye’s relatively barebones narrative forward without saying a word.”
Mack Ashworth, lead editor: “I loved Cliffhanger in Modern Warfare 2. This single-player mission was part of the game’s reveal, and man did it look awesome! It nails that opening stealth section with Soap and Roach closing in on the objective. Of course, things don’t go to plan and an escape must be made. Enter the snowmobiles!”
Bradley Russell, news editor: “I hate the cold. I hate winter. But I love winter levels. For me, there’s none better than the original Ape Escape‘s Hot Springs level. It feels like Frozen on LSD with its evil sentient snowmen, deathtrap snow bridges, and *checks notes* monkey spas (admittedly, I’ve never seen Frozen) but, most importantly, it’s really relaxing. I could chill out with the lo-fi-esque soundtrack for hours and it’s always one winter wonderland I’m happy to come back to.”
Michael Leri, features editor: “Snow Go, the second level in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, has always been one of my favorite snow-themed levels. I didn’t have a PS1 memory card for the longest time so I’d replay that level over and over again. Any my dumb child brain was fine with that because I liked the level so much. The remaster showed that my dumb adult brain also still likes that level and is able to better appreciate the great song in that level as well as the slick way it transitions from 2D to 3D. And the look on Crash’s face as he skates is still priceless.”
Yesterday’s Best Comment
Question: Do You Buy Collector’s Editions?
Marco Caballero: “I particularly like steelbook editions of games. It really adds up the uniqueness of collecting physical games. However, many times the steelbooks are locked as part of the “rewards” of a massively expensive collectors edition that includes many things more. That, I don’t go for.”
