Clay Fighter is a strange byproduct of the fighting game explosion in the 1990s, an over-the-top 2D brawler featuring characters like an angry snowman, a sentient piece of candy and a ghost with a pumpkin for a head. Clay Fighter 63 1/3 on the Nintendo 64 was the height of the franchise, and one of the unlockable fighters was good ol’ Santa. This version of Father Christmas wasn’t throwing presents or directing elves. Instead, he’d spent some time in Japan mastering the art of Sumo. Unfortunately its execution boiled down to “recurring fat joke,” but the idea of a Sumo-fied Santa is hilarious.
Evil Santa (Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko)
The Gex franchise on the original PlayStation, particularly the 3D platformers, focused on lampooning the art of television. Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko’s first level “Holiday Broadcasting” turns that focus to Christmas specials, complete with a miniboss fight against a corrupted St. Nick. A dirty red suit, glowing eyes, and lethal presents await those who encounter this Yuley ghoulie, but don’t expect too much of a challenge: simply whacking the gifts he throws back at him with Gex’s tail will drop him fast.
Santa Claus/Frost Gigas (Secret of Mana)
Secret of Mana, a hidden gem RPG from the Super Nintendo, features a surprise cameo from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in a section called the Ice Country. He directs the party to the Ice Palace, where he says Santa himself has been captured by a terrible enemy called the Frost Gigas. When the party enters the palace and defeats the monster, it’s revealed that the Frost Gigas was Santa the whole time, and he transformed into the Gigas because he didn’t think kids believed in him anymore. That logic is…hard to follow, but it makes for an excellent and unexpected cameo.
Sadistic Claus (Dead Rising 4)
As if Frank West didn’t have enough to worry about in Dead Rising 4, being back in Willamette in the midst of another zombie outbreak, one wrong turn into a Christmas tree lot finds him face-to-face with Sadistic Claus, a boss dressed as Papa Noel and wielding an Electric Axe. This former mall Santa is no joke, summoning fellow maniacs dressed as elves to attack and distract Frank while he moves in for the kill. Be wary of Santa in the world of Dead Rising, adding him to the already long list of Things That Can Definitely Kill You.
”How The Saints Save Christmas” (Saints Row 4)
The most elaborate of all Christmas crossovers, one of Saints Row 4’s DLC packs decided “hey, we’re going to write our own television-style Christmas special.” The result, “How The Saints Save Christmas,” is a delightful romp with a Santa Claus who’s a lot more, shall we say, human than other versions. For example, in this universe Santa doesn’t talk to Krampus anymore because he lost to the demon in a poker game and Santa is a sore loser. Come on Santa, give the guy a chance.
Photo courtesy of Interplay Entertainment