In theory this game is all about helping Santa Claus (and others) save Christmas and save the North Pole from Jack Frost. I say it’s nice for a game to have goals, but if goals were reindeer then Santa could open an off-season fertilizer factory and vacation in Tahiti (work with me here).Santa Clause III opens with a few short clips from the movie, and then moves into a side-scrolling action game. You start out in frozen terrain (what else) and get to move Santa past jagged ice shards, slick patches, giant snowballs and drop-offs, all the while collecting milk and cookies. Since my daughter really likes Santa, I haven’t let her play the game (though it is rated E for Everyone). I don’t want her to be traumatized by the never-ending perils of poor Santa.
I’m in the second series of challenges for Santa. What can we do to make poor Santa’s life miserable? Let me count the ways. There are falling icicles, giant snowballs, jagged up-thrusting icicles, exposed machinery, possessed snowmen, and maniacal toys. With each new indignity Santa yelps, “Ouch!” No kidding, Santa. Sorry there big guy. My manual dexterity is not what it should be. Santa does run into people outside - some elves, pretending to be Canadian, and members of his family that are being fooled by the Canadian elves (they say ‘eh’ – that’s why you know they’re Canadian).
After each four adventure levels for Santa, there’s a toy shop level for the elves. You have to collect bonus items and parts to make a rocket powered something or other. You have two minutes to get your little guy through the factory. If you die, you can start over at the beginning of the level. After I mangled my little elf in the machinery about the first ten times, I decided to give up on the rocket powered scooter and move along. Note to the wary – elves cannot jump as well as Santa. They looked wiry – who knew?
Following my catastrophic elf level, it was time for Santa to get to work on delivering some presents. You get to collect bonus points, extra time, or speed up your sleigh while avoiding bursts of frosty air that slow you down while you carry out your mission to drop presents to the good boys and girls and lumps of coal to those bad seeds out there. I didn’t do great, but on the plus side, Santa didn’t die. I did like the little victory dance the reindeer did at the end of the two minute run.
The second section began with a few more clips from the movie. We’ve moved inside now and the factory is going nuts. Apparently Santa (with my help, gosh I’m sorry Santa) needs to get to the very bowels of the factory and turn off the generator so the elves can get things back on track.
I did enjoy the Santa Clause movies and I wanted to have fun with this game. The game really does try to interject some flavor from the movie. It may even be Tim Allen saying “Ouch” for all I know. I guess the problem is that I felt like I was playing any other side-scrolling game but with a ‘North Pole’ skin. Maybe for kids the game would be more engrossing. I know I’m probably (okay, I am) over-protective, but I don’t want my six year old seeing Santa getting hurt. And don’t ask me about the music. It could be just me. I could be a little cranky this year and not into the holiday spirit, but I swear, after hearing so many repetitions of the little background song, I wanted to drive Santa into the jagged spikes on purpose. That probably means coal in the stocking for me this year. Sorry, Santa.
I’m a working mom – married with one child. My daughter is 7 and she has autism. Everything else in my life moves around this core. Online gaming has been a big part of my social life over the last several years due to the difficulty of going out and about. I have to say that my daughter Alissa is awesome at computer games. She has skills with electronics that amaze me. When I get away from the computer, I like doing craft projects (knitting, crocheting, sewing, painting, quilling, whatever sounds fun) and reading. I mainly read suspense these days but I have a pretty eclectic collection and a library of about 6000 books. I’ve been using a computer since grade school – I started with an Apple IIe and have upgraded considerably and many times since then. I played Dungeons and Dragons for at least a few decades. I met and married my husband through gaming. He was my DM. I stopped tabletop gaming more from lack of time than anything. It’s easier to meet and game with friends online than it is to coordinate real life schedules around my daughter’s needs.
