The Games of Christmas Past

Jamie remembers the past.

- Jamie Davies

Cast your mind back —if you will— to a Christmas of your childhood, any one will do. What was the hottest game that festive season? Which new release did you pray would be waiting for you under that tree,concealed under brightly coloured, pristine wrapping paper? Every Christmas brings with it a few must-have games that top the wishlists of gamers — young and old — all over the country. Let’s look back at the top games, released in November or December, that dominated our Christmas mornings over the years.

10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - 24th November 1992

The return of everyone’s favourite blue-dude-with-a-‘tude was bound to run away with Christmas 1992. Sonic was the gaming mascot for “cool kids” who moved fast and basked in the glory of Sega’s Blast Processing —whatever that was. Mario had better move aside with his pot belly, sluggish movement and… erm, blastless processing? Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was essential for any child of the 90s who took the Sega side of the console war against Nintendo, and Christmas morning was when many of them got their hands on this platforming classic.

9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - 8th November 2011