Occasionally there comes a game that appears to be the typical offering to a particular genre be it a basketball title or a snowboarding title, but taking a closer look, there is much more to the game than meets the eye.  Dark Summit is that kind of game--a snowboarding title fused with action-oriented gameplay that results in something original and something interesting.

The game starts off with gamers assuming the roll of Naya, a snowboarder that comes to Mount Garrick looking for the perfect snowboarder’s paradise, however parts of the mountain itself has mysteriously become subject to the Ski Patrol’s heavy presence.  Yet there are boarders--much to the Patrol’s leader Chief O’Leary’s dismay--who wants to uncover the mystery.  Somehow, Naya becomes involved in this group’s plan and joins them.

Much of the snowboarding action should be familiar to gamers who have played the SSX series or Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series.  Basic stunts and air tricks are easy to perform given the right speed and jumping point, however the special tricks (such as half pipes or detachable board tricks require much practice that can become tedious to many gamers.  The instruction manual does go into each trick (there are thirty-three listed) and shows you how to execute them and in the paused menu screen there is an option called Special Trick List that goes into the same detail.

Mount Garrick is split in four locations First Cut, Function Junction, Pipeline and Summit.  To advance to the next location, gamers will have to earn Lift Points which can be used as money to purchase items like new snowboards, costumes in the Equipment Hut or even a forged Lift Pass to the next location.  You can unlock new costumes and new boards (and later unlock other snowboarders) by performing special tricks or completing the given challenges and missions.  And there are a lot of hidden places to explore on the mountain since the path winds into several different locations.

Located within the mountain’s various areas are Challenge Com Link (CCL) Stations--which is shown as a glowing station with an antenna--where Naya receives instructions and challenges from an unknown ally to the conspiracy cause.  Each challenge varies from station to station, some have you making flipping air tricks or eluding the Ski Patrol troops that chase you and you can choose to abandon the challenge in the Pause Menu.

The game’s main objective, though, is to help the covert operatives locate five bomb pieces scattered throughout the mountain to be assembled in another location.  But the challenge comes in trying to reach the other areas of the mountain first, which isn’t an easy task at all.  Gaining enough Lift Points to move to the next location takes many tries down the same side of the mountain (points are not given if you ruin the jump by taking a tumble) and can prove to be repetitious and frustrating.  Locating bomb parts can prove challenging too, especially the ones where operatives don’t show you where it is but half the fun is looking for them yourself.

Luckily the game’s graphics are so detailed and interesting that gamers will know it when they do see a bomb part . . . when they’re not too busy looking at the shapely Naya.  The skiers and the snow effects are actually quite good and the mysterious green toxic brew (that gamers will get to see a lot when they fall into them) is done to bubbling perfection.  Still, it’s unfortunate that the good graphics don’t have a good soundtrack to compliment it or the action.  The music consists of mellow tunes and acid jazz that is not bad but does not sit well with the action sequences.  And the voice acting is uninteresting and many of the characters are stereotypes (Felix looks and sounds like a California surfer, etc.).  And when characters speak to you during the action, their face is displayed in the bottom.

The Multiplayer option is somewhat of a let-down, though, and it‘s mostly due to the fact that there are only three multiplayer game challenges two players (shown in split screen fashion) can compete in.  There is Wrecking Ball (players destroy objects on the way down, the one that destroys the most wins), Race to the Bottom (fastest one down wins), and Half Pipe Battle (players that pulls off more tricks wins.  Of the three, Wrecking Ball offers more excitement and diversity than just racing down the mountain.

Somehow, THQ has managed to pull of an interesting feat--designing a game that takes a different approach to the snowboarding genre and that is actually quite fun.  It does have its share of annoyances but great graphics and fun missions make this a title well worth your time and money.

Gameplay: 7.6
Basic stunts are actually fairly easy to perform while the more advanced tricks--such as detachable board tricks--require a lot more work to the point of become frustrating since many of the required challenges ask for various difficult tricks the be executed more than once.  In order to make the points, the landing has to be perfect and the snowboarder must not take a tumble.  Thankfully the manual goes through all of the tricks and how to execute them and there is an option in the paused Menu screen that reveals the same information.

 There are forty-five challenges that vary from performing elaborate tricks to evading ski patrol troopers and there are even some challenges gamers can choose to skip altogether.  However, completing challenges earn lift points (basically used like money to purchase boards or even a forged lift pass to the next part of Mount Garrick.

Graphics: 8.0
While the graphics are not stunning, they are impressive enough to satisfy gamers of this genre.  The neatly packed snow and the surroundings are rendered quite nicely and the in-game and cut-scene characters are nicely detailed--especially the main character Naya. 

The effects are also notable.  When Naya kicks up snow, the effect is as neat as when she takes a tumble on it.  When she smashes into empty boxes, the pieces shatter and spread across the snow.

Sound: 7.5
The sound is somewhat of a disappointment especially since the theme of the game and the action is frantic and pumping with nerve-wracking suspense.  The mellow trance and acid jazz-fusion is not bad, but it takes away the excitement of chase sequences.

Sound effect-wise, things such as passing helicopters and the sound of the board shooting across the snow is not bad at all.  Then again, the voice acting is another story.  During animated cut-scenes, many of the characters sound stereotypically like you would expect them to talk and the acting is on the sloppy side.  During gameplay, Naya (your character) spouts some phrases when she takes a tumble and other skiers or ski patrol troops shout back at you annoyingly.

Difficulty: 8.0
Aside from the complicated tricks that are often infuriatingly difficult to carry out without taking a nasty tumble, trying to reach the various bomb parts can prove to be a tricky feat itself.  Still, part of the fun is going through all of Mount Garrick’s many areas and then come back for the parts once you memorize where they all are.

The challenges all range in difficulty but many can be skipped while others just need two or three tries to get right.

Concept: 8.0
At first glance this game appears to be just another snowboarding title, but within seconds it becomes very clear that gamers will need more than just air tricks to advance in this game.  There are challenges and missions aplenty that help advance a storyline.  And there are many hidden areas on the mountain to explore as well as equipment, costumes and snowboarders to unlock (there are five new boarders) via points earned for performing unusual tricks or completing the missions.

As far as the story itself is concerned, it is weak but very welcome nonetheless.

Multiplayer: 7.5
The head-to-head games are made up of three game types, only two players can compete against one another in split-screen fashion.  Two of the game types have been seen before in other snowboarding titles, but the first one, Wrecking Ball, is a more creative and fun challenge.  Still, this game would have benefited by more challenges that fit the theme and story.

Overall: 7.8
Dark Summit plays to the sports crowd as well as the action crowd and that is a rare treat indeed.  Mixing genres is often a tricky and challenging quest, but if done right, as is the case in this title, it makes for a worthwhile experience and a concept many gamers would appreciate.  There is a lot to like about this title even though there are little things that bring it down, but it still a title gamers should definitely check out.