Daze Before Christmas

"Never before has Santa kicked so much butt."

I had never heard of this game until I found it on the net. Much to my delight, this game was a hidden gem on the Genesis. I don't believe this game was released in the U.S., which would account for why I had never heard of it. Even though this is a Christmas game, it is extremely fun to play any time.

Story--7/10
You are Santa Claus. Enemies wish to stop you from making your Christmas run and delivering presents to all the good children of the world. It is up to you to stop them in order to save Christmas. Even though this sounds like a really basic story, there is one extremely fun differenciation to it. If you drink hot chocolate, you become Satan Claus, or something like that. He sports red horns and looks like a demon, and is invincible. This aspect rules, and it is so warped, it gets 5 points just for the creativity.

Graphics--10/10
These are top notch Genesis graphics. I was amazed as to how nice this game looked for a Genesis game. It feels as though you are in the north pole, and Santa and the demonic version of him are very animated. Excellent.

Control--10/10
Any game in which Santa Claus shoots magic out in order to kill gets a 10 in my book. You can jump, run, and duck. The duck animation is very bizzare. Worth watching at least once. When you turn into the demonic counterpart, you get invincibility, and you swing your sack to kill enemies. The controls are tight, and there is nothing to complain about.

Difficulty--5/10
This is the lowest score for the game. It, being a game meant for children, is obviously going to be easy. Some parts are relatively difficult, such as delivering presents from the sleigh. Some levels are ruthless, but for the most part, you can get through the levels in under a minute.

Music/Sound--8/10
You've got the ''Ho ho ho's'' and the ''Merry Christmas.'' You also get very good Christmasy music. However, there are not enough songs. I don't remember too many for this game, but the songs that were in the game were just swell.

Replay Value--9/10
Every so often I do feel the need to play a game that I can beat to make me feel as though I can actually accomplish something. This game does the trick. This game is simply fun, and when I'm bored, it is a great timekiller. The only downside is the bizzare looks you'll get from your friends for playing a Christmas game in July.

Overall--9/10
This is a very fun game, and if somehow you are fortunate enough to stumble upon it, buy it. As far as games in which you are Santa who turns into a demon, this game is the best one out there. Anyway, have fun killing as a jolly old elf.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/21/02, Updated 06/21/02