8 Snow Levels to Get You in the Mood for Winter

Yesterday was the first day of winter, but in many parts of the country, we haven’t seen snow yet. Luckily, there are plenty of great winter levels in video games that let us get our snow fix. The list of possible levels is long, so we turned to our awesome community to get their favorites. These eight games were some of their favorites.

Think we missed one? Tell us what it is in the comments!

Thanks to Mutant1988 for starting the thread!

Contra – Stage 5 Snow Field
First mentioned by: slo

Contra is one of those game that you rarely hear anyone say bad things about. There’s a lot of love for the classic side-scrolling shooter, especially from those of us who grew up playing it. When you’re talking about snow levels, you can’t forget Contra’s Snow Field. It was a challenging level, but the boss was pretty simple.

Splinter Cell: Double Agent – Sea of Okhotsk
First mentioned by: StatusNil

Splinter Cell: Double Agent was a strange game. It had two different versions, created by two completely different development studios. They share the same basic plot and locations, but the levels, twists and other things are completely different. Sam Fisher is in the Sea of Okhotsk on a mission to take over a Russian oil tanker. You get ice, snow, and a whole of of Michael Ironsides. In other words, it’s completely awesome.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Snowblind
First mentioned by: TheMigrantSoldier

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was a great game, and not just for the multiplayer. There were great characters in the single-player, and some great missions – like Snowblind. You start out on a frozen lake on the way to a downed satellite, and soon find yourself engulfed in a blizzard and trying to get off a mountain. It includes a cool mechanic where you can freeze to death if you don’t find warmth during the blizzard. Once you make it through, you rejoin your squad. It’s a great experience.

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire – Battle of Hoth
First mentioned by: gmaverick019

Although it may not look anywhere near as good as the videos we’ve seen from Star Wars: Battlefront, the Nintendo 64 title Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire was a huge milestone for Star Wars fans. Its recreation of the Battle of Hoth was the first time that a video game really made us feel like we were in the movies. Taking on AT-STs and AT-ATs felt great, and it really brought the movies to life. Sure, it looks better now, but it doesn’t lessen the impact of the original game.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Cliffhanger
First mentioned by: MysticSlayer

The third mission of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sent you out to infiltrate a Russian base in the mountains of Kazakhstan. Snow is flying everywhere, and you’ll climb mountains using ice axes, ride around on snowmobiles, and shoot a lot of dudes. You’ll even get to use your heartbeat sensor to sneak around enemy patrols. It’s a lot of fun, even if you do crash into a tree and kill yourself on a snowmobile a few times.

No One Lives Forever 2 – Project: Omega
First mentioned by: 1981

The No One Lives Forever series is one of my favorites, and the second game is just as good as the first. The third mission send you up to Siberia, where you’ll creep through snowy landscapes, snowmobile across frozen lakes, and generally wreak havoc on the Soviet soldiers stationed throughout. Just make sure you keep the pilot alive, or you might never get out!

Syphon Filter – Rhoemer’s Base
First mentioned by: Xeros

Syphon Filter is one of the best games from the first PlayStation generation. In the third-person stealth shooter, main character Gabe Logan is sent out to take out some of the scientists behind the Syphon Filter virus in Erich Rhoemer’s Kazakhstan base. Sneaking and headshots are all part of the job.

Timesplitters 2 – Siberia
First mentioned by: Headsprouter

Siberia is the opening level of Timesplitters 2. It sends you to investigate a secret research facility located beneath a Siberian dam. The scientists that were stationed there have been replaced by a Russian military garrison, which will have to be dealt with as well. You’ll bust in, grab the time crystal, destroy the biohazard container that’s been developed, and then get the hell out. The iconic gunship battle really can’t be beat, either.