A Christmas Game Surprise: Snowboard Santa

I'm still trying to figure out how I ended up with this game, Snowboard Santa, in my download folder. I had no idea it existed, let alone wanted it. It just showed up one day, and I swear, I'd never heard of it before. Maybe I was too busy enjoying some egg nog to pay attention, or maybe I stumbled upon it by accident. Whatever the reason, here I am, about to take a look at this quirky Christmas game.

Snowboard Santa: A One-Man Production

The game was developed by Smooth Enterprises and distributed by Crocodile Software in 2002. What's even more impressive is that it was created as a one-man production, led by a game named Joe Smooth. I can only imagine how cool his name must be – he sounds like the life of the party. While I'm sure he's an amazing guy, I'd love to know what inspired him to create such a unique game.

A Free Christmas Gift

Snowboard Santa was released as freeware on the Crocodile Software website, and it won quite a few awards, including four Gold Disks from Golden Shareware, Game of the Year from IGN, beating out games like Morrowind and Battlefield 1942, and even the Galactic Achievement Award from the Glurglemarg Lizard People. While some of these accolades may be exaggerated or fabricated, it's clear that Snowboard Santa made a lasting impression on the gaming community.

The Game Begins

So, what can you expect from Snowboard Santa? Well, for starters, the game starts with Santa snowboarding down a hill, accompanied by a forgettable story that sets up nothing of importance to the game. Ah, yes, it's your typical Christmas tale – trouble in the air, and this time, it's all about Santa delivering presents on a snowboard! Of course, not only that, but there are evil elves and bombs out there, courtesy of Dr. Death (who, coincidentally, is none other than Jack Kevorkian). It seems even Santa isn't immune to the pressures of aging.

A Snowboarding Side-Scroller

As you play through the game, you'll discover that it's essentially a snowboarding side-scroller with a Santa sprite as the protagonist. Press Space to be greeted with a North Pole weather report, and then get ready to hit the slopes as only Santa Claus can. By "hit the slopes," I mean you'll just play an incredibly simplistic snowboarding game with basic moves like forward, jump, and perform some tricks with the M and K keys. That's it!

A Simplistic yet Addictive Experience

While the gameplay itself is deceptively simple, there are a few extra features that make the experience more engaging. In the top-left corner, you'll find three decapitated Santa heads, which serve as your lives, and a health bar that can be replenished by collecting... well, something (which I'll get to later). The shiny stars floating around the screen might seem enticing, but they're actually there to encourage you to make reckless decisions and die. And yes, it's frustratingly easy to do just that.

A Frustrating yet Charming Experience

Santa has no need for these stars; he's greedy, so he wants them anyway. They do give you points, but let's be real – it's not exactly original. You'll get to the end of a level and smack into a house, only to progress to the next level with pretty much the same experience. The same background music, the same stars, the same enemies (evil elves, bombs, and birds), and even the same basic snowboarding movement that makes it all so... repetitive.

A Free Download

Despite its lackluster nature, Snowboard Santa functions, and some people might find it enjoyable for a few minutes. The music is actually pretty cool – not your typical Christmas tune, but some of the tracks are head-bobbingly enjoyable. So, if you're looking for a game that's... well, this, then Snowboard Santa is definitely worth checking out.

A Christmas Spirit Boost

Watching this video has already put me in the holiday spirit, and I'm excited to share it with all of you! If you're as curious as I am about more Christmas games, or if you just want to see some weird and wonderful gaming content, be sure to check out my upcoming videos. And if you do subscribe, you'll be notified when new content drops – because that's what makes the other eleven months of the year worthwhile!

Mistletoe and Yule Log

As I close this article, I'm reminded of all the festive traditions that come with the holiday season. Time to eat some mistletoe (which, coincidentally, I've never actually tried) and lynch the yule log – or whatever it is people are supposed to do during Christmas. Have a happy selection of holidays, everyone!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enAahhh!So today's game...I have no idea how I got it.Seriously, it just showed up inmy download folder one day.I swear, I had never heard of it,much less sought it out.And yet, here it is!Presumably because I was trying todownload some other Christmas gameand it was mislabeled.Or I was hopped up on too muchegg nog or something, but...Whatever, man.Let's take a look at it.Snowboard Santa,developed by Smooth Enterprisesand distributed by Crocodile Software in 2002.This was actually a one-man production,headed up by a game named Joe Smooth.Wow. What a chill name.I'm sure he gets invited to all the parties.I like to imagine it's THIS guy behind the game,but I'm sure he's even more awesome than this.Anyway, the game was released asfreeware on the Crocodile Software website,and apparently won all sorts of awards,including four Gold Disks from Golden Shareware,Game of the Year from IGN,beating out games like Morrowind and Battlefield 1942,as well as the Galactic Achievement Awardfrom the Glurglemarg Lizard People.Well, one of those is true at least.Snowboard Santa begins with Santa, snowboarding,as well as a forgettable storyto set up absolutely nothingof importance to the game.As freakin' usual for Santa, there's trouble in the air.This time it's his reindeer.Their sick!That can only mean one thing:Santa must deliver the world'spresents on a snowboard!Of course.Not only that, there are evil elves and bombs out there,put in place by Dr. Death.Wait, Jack Kevorkian?I guess Santa is getting pretty old now,so the death doc is just doing his partto help speed along the inevitable.Press Space to be greetedwith a North Pole weather report,and here's a shocker:it's COLD!Get ready and you're off,snowboarding away as only Santa Claus can.And by that, I mean it's nothing special at all.You're just playing an incredibly simplisticsnowboarding side-scroller with a Santa sprite.Right moves forward, Space jumps,and the M and K keys do some basic tricks.That's it!Merry Christmakwanzakkah New Year,and to all a good night.Ugh. Okay.So I guess there's a bit more,but honestly, there's not much.In the top-left, you have three decapitated Santa headswhich equate to three lives,as well as a health bar,which can be replenished by collecting......something.While you can get extra lives,they are few and far between,so chances are you'll die off pretty quickly.Why?Because you're an idiot.You see all these shiny stars floating around?They're there to entice you to be an idiot.A total reckless idiot.Santa has absolutely no needfor stars, as far as I can tell,but he's greedy, so he wants them any way.As such, so do you.I guess they're not entirely pointless,since they do give you points,but it wins no points for originality, I'd like to point out.Get to the end of a level and smack into a houseand, YAY, on to the next levelof pretty much the same thing.The same stars, the same jumps,the same basic backgroundsthat weirdly move even when you're not moving at all.And, yes, the same enemies over and over,like the previously mentionedevil elves and bombs, as well as...birds.WHY?!What do birds have against Santa?First in Sint Nicolaas, and now in Snowboard Santa.Except these birds are flying dicks and nothing more.No dropping extra health or bouncing off them.They just smack into you, causing pain.And because of the way thesnowboarding movement worksand the way the enemies just kind of floatwherever the want to through the scenery,it's a serious pain making it through this without issue.And, yes, it's an arcade game.That's the idea. I know that.But while the game is charmingly simple at first,it quickly just becomes irritating to me.What do I care, though? It's a free Christmas game,and these being a bit lacklusterisn't exactly newsworthy.Snowboard Santa functions.It's fun for a few minutesand the music is actually pretty freakin' cool.Not the most Christmasy I've ever heard,but some of the tunes arejust head-bobbingly enjoyable.So, if you want a game that's......uh, this, this right here, and nothing more,give this a download. It's free.You've got nothing to loseexcept a few minutes of your lifeAnd you've already done that by watching this video.There, aren't you in the Christmas spirit now?I know I am!Time to eat some mistletoeand lynch the yule log,or whatever it is I'm supposed to do this time of year.Have a happy selection of holidays,and I'll see you in 2014.Want some more videos on Christmas games,but mostly non-Christmas games,because that's what comprisesthe other eleven months of the year?Click these to see some of them!Or just subscribe to be notified when more come out,since I do these every week.And as always, thanks for watching.\n"