Imagine you could reach into Santa’s bag and pull out anything you wanted into the world of gaming. What would it be? We’re not talking about something already announced, but rather an impossible item. Join the CheatCC team as we dream our wildest gaming dreams and hope they come true this holiday! It’s time for eggnog and fireplace tales, starting with our very own Mr. Maltbie…
 | Benjamin Maltbie Contributing Writer |
Were a man to approach me and declare that he was some kind of magical Santa Clause who had been given dominion over video games, I might be disinclined to sit on his lap. But, even as I slowly backed away from this man, thoughts of a sequel to Diddy Kong Racing might dance about in my head. If, somehow, he could prove his magical merit to me, well, I would immediately beg him for a remastered collection of every single Final Fantasy game and movie.
When I say every single Final Fantasy , I mean everything that has ever had those words on it should be remastered or remade and put on a cartridge for me to enjoy, portably, on my Nintendo Switch. I would want this to somehow include an offline version of Final Fantasy XI , as well as access to a pocket dimension that contains the game’s community circa 2005 so I could also play online with them. (They were chill.) And, if this Santa man is really powerful, maybe he can also give me holodeck versions of every Final Fantasy game.
Honestly, I’d just settle for a really nice collection of the games, though. Polish the visuals a bit and maybe add some voices. It would be amazing for Square Enix to produce a collection like this, so old fans like me could enjoy these games alongside a potential new wave of players. I don’t even want the graphics to differ that much from the originals. I just want them to be pretty. I want to re-experience iconic moments, like the opera scene from Final Fantasy VI , with fresh eyes. Some trophy support would be nice. Maybe throw in a gallery of art and design documents, so I can stop spending so much money on Final Fantasy Ultimania books. It would also be nice to see an updated version of Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy IX , since Square Enix seems disinterested in producing the former and has lost the background assets for the latter. So, please, hypothetical Santa, won’t you do for me what Square Enix can’t and won’t?
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 | Sean Engemann Senior Contributing Writer |
The first moments and hours playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sparked the long forgotten magic of playing something completely fresh and awe-inspiring. It triggered a childlike giddiness I hadn’t felt in decades, like when I first played Super Mario 64 with its shocking 3D visuals or my first online multiplayer match in Halo: Combat Evolved . However, after about fifty hours (though I did continue for over 200) into The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , the surprises grew stale. The constant mundane drops of breakable weapons not worthy of the Master Sword and useless crafting items inspired little desire to continue exploring Hyrule.
If I could pull some magic out of Santa’s sack, it would be a The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel developed by Nintendo, Bethesda, and Blizzard together. It would retain that Nintendo ingenuity and charm, have the small details and endless surprises found in a The Elder Scrolls game, and offer the satisfying loot system of a Diablo title. Bring me this game, along with events, seasons, and a constant stream of new content, and I’d probably never glance at another game ever again. And just for mashup fun, call it The Zelda Scrolls: Reaper of Poes .
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 | Lucas White Writing Team Lead |
There’s something I want in gaming that’s incredibly specific, and there’s no way to tell currently if it’s feasible or not. That’s because what I want from Magic Gaming Santa is the wonderful, elusive, and legendary Mother 3 . I have played this game, in English, to completion. I have sat on the experience, thought about it, digested it, and don’t really even need to play it again. But I want to own it on physical media; I want to see it released officially by Nintendo of America.
It sounds crazy, but a Mother compilation on the Nintendo Switch is what I really want. Nintendo already released Mother and Mother 2 on the Wii U as EarthBound Beginnings and naturally just EarthBound , so those two games are already covered. It’s just a matter of localizing the third game. If the rumor mill in 2017 and 2018 has any strength at all, Nintendo may already be sitting on one, waiting for the right time to pull the trigger. Help me out, Magic Gaming Santa.
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 | Jenni Lada Site Editor |
My Christmas gaming wish is unfortunately an unlikely one. I would love to see another Advance Wars game. This was the series developed by Intelligent Systems that sent people out onto battlefields with colorful commanding officers whose abilities and skills influenced the capability and nature of their units. It was one with installments dating all the way back to the NES, but things abruptly cut off after Advance Wars: Days of Ruin , a darker and grittier reboot, appeared on the DS in 2008.
While it is quite unlikely, I would love if somehow the series was revived. Perhaps there could be a Nintendo Switch installment taking us back to Wars World and having us help the COs from Orange Star and other friendly territories fight back against darker armies that want to conquer everything and plunge the world into chaos.
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 | Jason Messer Editor-in-Chief |
As a Star Wars fan, I’ve had a lot of adventures that played out in a galaxy far, far away. But to this day, Shadows of the Empire holds a special place in my heart. I’m not sure if I’m just nostalgic for the time period it was released or if it was legitimately that much fun. Some fans have mixed opinions on this one, but for me, Shadows always represented a very exciting period in the franchise. This was also around the era of Rogue Squadron , and we all remember how huge of an impact that had. Shadows was not only a unique story (based on a comic/novel that takes place between the events of New Hope and Empire Strikes Back ), but it gave us a fun third-person romp that still holds up. With all the HD remakes happening now, this is one I would absolutely love to sink my teeth into.
The problem is, the original LucasArts team would have to be involved in order to preserve its awesomeness. As we know, they got sliced in half faster than Darth Maul meeting Obi-Wan’s lightsaber once Disney took the reins. While I’m not saying another studio couldn’t do it justice, I don’t have high hopes that an HD remaster will ever see the light of day. Unless of course, Santa can work some of his magic.