It's the most
wonderful time of the year... to stay at home and give this whole
Christmas stuff the finger. Yes I'm not the biggest fan of Christmas.
Or at least the commercial side of Christmas. I'm a huge fan of
winter however. There is nothing better than sitting at home,
drinking a hot chocolate and watching the snow covered mountains
slowly getting swallowed by the darkness of the night. But before I
delve to deep into corny territories let me tell you what todays
Toplist is all about.
Winter and Ice
levels/worlds.
As someone, who
loves winter, it's only natural that I have a fondness for frosty
stages in games. I don't mind ice physics and often welcome them as
an added challenge in platforming games. I also love the frosty
atmosphere. It just adds something magical to scenery. Especially
during the night.
Because of that,
and the lack of actual snow outside of my window, I wanted to talk
about my Top 5 Ice Areas in Nintendo Games today. As always it's only
one pic per franchise. So let's jump right in.
5: Frozen Donkey
Kong Island
I have said it
many times before, but Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is
without a doubt my favorite game for the Wii-U. At least until Breath
of the Wild arrives.
It features five
completely new Islands to explore, as well as the returning Donkey
Kong Island. But as the title reveals this time there is something a
little different. The Snowmads have turned the whole Island into a
frozen paradise. Well a paradise only for them because the natural
wild- and plantlife is slowly dying.
The Island is on
this list because it offers a great variety, while keeping the Ice
theme close at heart. From the epic entrance to the World in
Homecoming Hijinx to the somber and ''frozen'' atmosphere in Seashore
War. It doesn't matter if you explore crumbling ruins or climb the
mountain in the midst of a titanic avalanche. Frozen Donkey Kong
Island offers a huge adventure for anyone. It is the pinnacle of a
great game and one of the most varied ''frozen'' zones I've ever
encountered. And that's why it's on this list.
4: World 5 –
Yoshis Island
Another favorite
game of mine. This time for the Super Nintendo. All in all I think
Yoshis Island is the best Jump'n'Run game ever created. In my opinion
it's perfection on a cartridge. And that is why I choose its fifth
world as Number 4 on this list.
Yoshis Island
revolves around the titular Island and after traveling through
Jungles and Forests you finally arrive at the tall mountains in the
middle of the Island. From there on you slowly ascend beyond the
clouds until you touch the sky. And with such an ascent of course the
weather changes accordingly. It starts to snow and before you realize
it the former green hills are covered in snow.
From there on out
this world is epic. Great enemies. A great usage of the cold
enviroment and what's most important Yoshi in Skies. This part of the
game alone is enough to elevate Yoshis Island to All Time Great
status. The Skiing section is the purest essence of fun.
Finishing Yoshis
Island should be on every Gamers bucket list, and with Christmas
around the corner and this great world as motivation.. .what are you
waiting for?
3: Cool, Cool
Mountain
You can't make a
list about Christmas and/or great Snow Stages without this level. And
before some of you start to whine, I consider Yoshi Games and Mario
Games different series at this point so it's ok to include Cool, Cool
Mountain.
This is one of the
first stages you'll enter in Mario 64 and damn does it everything
right. It's a clear step up difficulty wise from Bob-Omb Battlefield,
but it doesn't overdo it. Also its a clever inversion of tropes.
Instead of at the base you start this stage at the Mountaintop. But
what causes Cool, Cool Mountain to make this list is that this level
is pure Christmas to me.
Yes I said earlier
that I don't like Christmas (at least the commercial side), but it's
hard to keep this up when playing this level. From the get go the
atmosphere is pure holiday magic. I mean from the get go the scenery
with the small house and the big chimney on a snowy mountaintop
doesn't need any further explanation. Also the Penguin Slide is some
of the purest fun you can have in this game. Well except for the
cheating fat Penguin of course.
And the music...
well I don't think it needs further explanation. Just listen.
2: Phendrana Drifts
The first three
entrants on this list were pretty action oriented. And while the it
can get quite heated the Phendrana Drifts have a completely different
atmosphere than the entrants before. Of course it's dangerous and
there are countless deadly beasts roaming the frozen wasteland. But
at the same time exploring this frozen wasteland is some of the most
relaxing and at the same time loneliest feeling you can get in
Metroid Prime. It was here that I truly got the feeling that I was
playing Metroid in 3D for the first time.
Here you truly get
the feeling of being all alone. The music plays an important part in
this too. It just sounds cold. Whenever I step outside into the
Phendrana Drifts a shiver runs down my spine.
The only problem
of this Zone is that it offers little variety. Except from the lab
area it's mostly the same icy ravines and frozen areas. But it
presents this to a perfection hardly ever reached. Phenandra Drifts
is the coldest area that I've ever explored virtually. Everything
there just feels, and I'm sorry for the lack of a better word, cold.
Makes you
appreciate your warm flat all the more.
1: Sylvalum
Xenoblade
Chronicles X is the best RPG I played so far in this Generation. And
one thing this game truly excels in, is its world building. Planet
Mira feels like a truly alien world. While Primordia, Oblivia and
even Noctilum have a somewhat familiar feel to them, Sylvalum is the
first time you are truly hit with the realization that this is a
completely alien world. From the get go everything on this continent
feels strange and unfamiliar. The cold atmosphere and strange glowing
plants create an atmosphere that is hard to describe, and absolutely
breathtaking.
Especially during
the night, when the music becomes even more calm than during the day,
and one of the best looking skyboxes in any game appears, you can
truly take in the feel of this land. It is one of the most beautiful
experiences in any video game currently on the market.
But Sylvalum is
also a land of extreme danger. Something that creates a huge contrast
to the peaceful visuals and music, but also is part of the allure
this strange land has. It's the first time you truly encounter a big
presence of the Ganglion (hostile aliens that aim to eradicate
humanity). Also the beasts in this land are stranger than anything
you've seen before.
But surviving all
this dangers is totally worth it, when you can take a look at the
land from above during nighttime.
So what are your
favourite ice themed worlds or areas in Nintendo Games and beyond?
Let me know in the comments.
And as always
thanks for reading
No comments:
Post a Comment