I admit it. I have a thing for chiptunes. Especially when the songs are developed using the same tools that crafted the music that shaped my childhood. The soundtrack to my youth consists of music from the Legend of Zelda, Mega Man, Castlevania, Super Mario Bros., Metroid, Bionic Commando, Final Fantasy, and Ninja Gaiden (amongst others). If you’re anything like me, you have a similar soundtrack playing through your head constantly. If that’s the case, then I have the Christmas music collection round-up for you.

Doctor Octoroc released the first nine tracks to his Christmas album 8-Bit Jesus a little over a week ago. At the time, he claimed that another nine tracks would be forthcoming to complete the album, and he has made good on that promise. Each track of the album is a lovingly-crafted masterpiece of NES chiptun-ery. However, not only is each song a spirited re-imagining of a Christmas classic, but they are also performed in the particular style of a classic NES game. Enjoy such creations as Ryu the Red-Nosed Ninja, Carol of the Belmonts, and Icarus! the Angels Sing.  Truly the best Christmas NES chiptune album I’ve ever come across.

A relatively new entry in the NES chiptune Christmas music scene (which is probably a pretty small scene, to be perfectly honest) is Merry Pixmas from Pixelmod Records. The Merry Pixmas album contains recreations of Christmas music with NES chiptunes, but with the artists allowing themselves a bit more “freedom” in how the songs were interpreted. This album also moves beyond the “classic” Christmas songs, and delves into territory that includes re-imaginings of Somewhere in My Memory (from Home Alone) and Christmas Time is Here (from Peanuts). Not without its minor flaws, Merry Pixmas is still a very festive album indeed, and an essential part of the Christmas music collection of any true gamer.

You can’t talk about Christmas music created with chiptunes without mentioning the 2003 album the 8bits of Christmas by the 8bit Peoples. Definitely the forerunner in the movement, 8bits of Christmas veers away from NES chiptunes and into the greater realm of 8-bit audio, including such classic machinery as the VIC20, Atari 2600, and yes, even a Japan-only Sharp X68000. This album adds a lot of variety to the formula with some very inventive use of the most archaic blips and bloops thought lost to time. 8bits of Christmas is truly an ingenious and inspired work, and deserves to hold several places in your iPod this Christmas.

Have you got more Christmas music that gamers should be listening to? I’m sure we would love to hear it. Leave a comment!