Article by Clark A.
It’s the big countdown! Just as you pull out your advent calendars to count down the 24 days to Christmas, so too are we going to count down in our own way, by highlighting 24 games that you could play this month to get into the spirit of the season.
Christmas means different things to different people, but we see it as a time to get together with family and friends, relax after a long year’s hard work (and, given this is 2020, it was an especially hard year), enjoy good food and good company. It’s a good time to knock off that epic RPG you’ve had sitting in the backlog, or crack open the beers (or eggnog) and get stuck into the local multiplayer battles.
Each day we’ll highlight one game that you could have a great time playing over the Christmas season. It’s not a countdown, nor is it a “best of” list. It’s not highlighting new games, nor old. It’s just 24 games, one per day, that we love the idea of breaking into over the season. Have a great and happy season, everyone!
Game #9: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX tells a charming tale about two friends generously helping the community (and overcoming their own hardships in the process). You could argue the game is in tune with the spirit of many Christmas specials. Sadly, it’s also a bit of a misfit toy among Nintendo’s top titles this year. Released shortly before a world-altering event and two towering behemoths named Animal Crossing and Final Fantasy, it’s little wonder that people have forgotten it even came out this year.
The 2006 original was a game I played around Christmas at the time and those fond memories persist vividly to this day. I’d like to think the game’s quality helped it become a nostalgic time capsule of sorts. With DX’s addition of a few more recent Pokémon and an art style that better resembles the original game’s concept art, a new generation of players is set to form memories all their own. The quality of life changes make this version more palatable to the masses, especially if this is your introduction to roguelikes as a whole.
