What is it about Christmas that brings out the cornball in all of us, and I'm not taking about the popcorn balls. I'm talking about fruitcake at the office, inflatable reindeer on your lawn blowing Styrofoam snow, cheesy holiday movies like Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and of course, the strangest GBA games you'll ever see.
Now don't think that because these are on a top list that they're any good. While some are quality fun, others are ho-ho-horrible, but what they all have in common is the holiday season, and that they're stranger than a fat man in a red suit breaking into your house to give you presents.
1. Elf Bowling 1 & 2
This has it all, poor graphics, lack of gameplay, decapitations and lots of naked elf butt! Sick of sweatshop conditions at the North Pole, Santa's elves have gone on strike. Old St. Nick, being a kind and fair man decides to humiliate, torture and slaughter his half pint employees in a deadly games of bowling and shuffle board. The fun of these games lasts an entire 30 seconds as you soon discover that there is more to holiday cheer than gross-out wackiness.
2. James Pond - Codename Robocod
A remake of the Super Nintendo classic Super James Pond sends the fishy secret agent in a Robosuit to the North Pole where his arch nemesis, Dr. Maybe, has taken Santa and his Elves captive. The suave flounder must do battle with playing card winged birds, Glove-Men, and punk rocker henchmen, to save Santa's elves who've been tied to dynamite and scattered throughout each level. The best and strangest game on the list.
3. Santa Claus Jr. Advance
Santa enlists the help of a young boy named Nick to deliver gifts to children who've gone into hiding from an evil which who's out to destroy Christmas. To do this she's possessed all of the toys and animals in the world with evil spirits. It's up to you to destroy the innocent creatures on your mission to deliver all the presents through surprisingly high quality Super Mario Bros. style levels. At the end of each level Santa sits on his jolly old butt and criticizes his protégé's efforts...and you thought your Dad puts pressure on you.4. Elf - The Movie
I don't know about you, but when I think of Will Ferrell dressed like a giant elf I don't think video game gold, and from the poor attempt at making this oddity I'm guessing the developers didn't think so either. Like its film counterpart Elf set out to be a satire of kiddy games but, other than the weirdness, it lacks all of the fun. Collecting candy, bouncing on gumdrops and dodging deadly Polar Bears that completely ignore you, may sound like a good time, but the glitches are so bad you'll want to give this cheese ball a sleigh ride right out the window.