Dark Summit

How many 540s can you do? How long can you ride a rail on a snowboard?

Skills do matter, even though Dark Summit submerges the skills in a diabolical conspiracy. The game, a GameCube release from Radical Entertainment and THQ, will challenge player's snowboarding skills on a variety of slopes, while adding some secret agent-style adventure.

As the storyline goes, the military has mysteriously closed the summit of Mt. Garrick, and snowboarders are being driven off the mountain. The antagonist is Chief O’Leary, while the protagonist starts begin with a red-headed ‘outlaw’ boarder named Naya, and players, through showing skills and solving puzzles, can unlock other boarders.

A confidential memo was intercepted, which sets up the whole scenario backing this wild mountain ride.

That memo, in part, reads: "At approximately 2200 hours on Wednesday, December 29, our facilities observed an object entering the atmosphere travelling due west from a point of the Atlantic Ocean. The object was tracked until completion somewhere in the vicinity of an operational ski resort, Mt. Garrick. …"

"Further investigation warranted the need to act quickly to secure the area without causing any question or alarm. Field reports stated that Mt. Garrick was struggling financially. Offer the resort a large settlement to set up operations and co-exist with the current facilities proved a simple matter. …

"Recent security reports from the resort may be a cause for alarm. In the past, Mt. Garrick catered only to skiers ­ easily manipulated, conservative, slow and dim-witted folk. Recently, however, a small number of the snowboarding community have arrived. Young, adventurous and strong-willed, these subjects must be controlled in order to protect our asset."

That should give you a strong idea of the plot behind the game.

Now, back to that initial question about the number of 540s you are able to perform. This is one of the first challenges you will face. Perform six, and you can head to the shop to upgrade your gear. As far as riding that rail ­ well, you will be led to a pipe, at the top of which sets a bomb. Build up your speed and ride the twists to the top and you can snag the explosive device.

Along the way, there are other obstacles to overcome. Tricks count for points, points translate into upgrades

There are approximately 27 different tricks that can be performed, using the full range of GameCube controls. With plunging drops, obstacles, and jumps over boiling pits of something green and unhealthy looking, you may have to incorporate every skill at your disposal to overcome the ski patrol. Of course, just getting a lot of speed and knocking them off their skis works well.

The game is broken down into sections. If you complete the challenge on a certain section, you will earn enough points to get a forged chair pass to the next level ­ where more (and tougher) challenges await.

The graphics of the game feature dynamic animation and environments that are lush and well rendered. Ok, so there is something unsettling about orange snow, but it is presumed that is patchy ground, even though the sound doesn’t convey that idea. However, the sound does comply with a board sliding over a rock outcropping.

Multiplayer features three head-to-head challenges: such as wrecking ball (in which you try to destroy as many objects as possible on a run down the slope; an all-out race to the bottom of the hill; and a half-pipe battle for points.

Dark Summit is a tough and intriguing game. It looks good and plays very well. Without the plot elements, this would still be a solid boarding game, but the addition of the mystery at the top of the mountain, gives the game an added boost that will push players along.

This game is rated Teen for comic mischief and mild language.

Install: N/A
The game will take up to four blocks of memory for save games.

Gameplay: 7.8
One in a level, it is either succeed at the challenges or fail. There is no middle ground. Nor can you backtrack your boarder to try the challenge again ­ assuming you have time left in the challenge.

Graphics: 8.4
Some of the coloration seems to be there for color-sake only. However, the animation is very good, and the overall look of the game is nice.

Sound: 7.5
The audio track is bright and strong, though it does not offer anything that is not expected.

Difficulty: 8.5
The entire controller comes into play in this game, which will provide quite a learning curve. You usually get one shot at accomplishing a challenge.

Concept: 8.4
Combining straight snowboarding action with an adventure plot is a very nice touch.

Multiplayer: 7
This is where the game becomes little more than a standard snowboarder game.

Overall: 7.8
This is a solid action game. It features excellent graphics (aside from the pits of green gunk) and an enjoyable, if somewhat predictable, story. This is a fun title.