February 13, 2002 - There have been snowboarding games. There have been action-adventure games. But never has there been a snowboarding-based action-adventure game. Dark Summit from developer Radical Entertainment changes all of that. The title, which mixes elements of the snowy extreme sport with exploration, mission-based objectives, and even a quickly conjured storyline, has quite a lot of commendable ideas packed under the hood. At times, this all comes together for a fun experience. But Dark Summit is kept from being something much more memorable by a decidedly clunky control scheme and an unconvincing set of physics.

The Facts

• Unique, groundbreaking game design -- the only action-adventure snowboarding game with mission based objectives and a compelling storyline
• More than 45 mountain based challenges and missions including, Half Pipe Hero, Clear the Table and Backcountry Helicopter
• A massive mountain to unlock and explore, complete with expansive runs and alternate routes
• Improved visuals over Xbox version
• An innovative point system boosts the player's status on the mountain and allows access to new areas & chair lifts
• Five different snowboarders each with their own characteristics, personality & attitude to unlock
• Physics-based board simulation for tight, responsive controls allowing for realistic carving, shredding, jibbing and more
• Tons of high-tech equipment upgrades including boards, bindings and gear
• Bust big air tricks unique to the game -- high flying, crazy and death defying. Pick up additional detachable board tricks -- heart attacks, high kicks, b-boys and more!
• 1-2 player modes including competitions in mountain challenges, the half pipe and more
• 

Gameplay
Something fishy is going on at Mt. Garrick, a popular ski and snowboarding resort. Vacationers and enthusiasts alike have made this spot their home for years, but all of this looks to come to an end thanks to governing ranger Chief O' Leary, who wants the locale vacated for reasons unknown. This doesn't sit well with the heroine of the adventure, Naya -- an independent beauty who happens to love snowboarding and hate rules. She decides to investigate on her own, which sets up the basics for things to come.

Dark Summit , a third-person snowboarder action-adventure, situates players as the gorgeous Naya as she explores the mountain in search of the mysteries that Chief O'Leary seems intent on hiding. She's part of a rebellious group of snowboarders who refuse to leave the mountain, but this motley crew is definitely in the minority. O'Leary's gang of appointed snow-goons will stop at nothing to make sure that she and her cohorts are banished, and there are other obstacles to think about -- dangerous objects, death-defying races, huge mountain jumps and bumps, and much, much more.

Okay. Everyone knows the set up. What this really boils down to is a mix of downhill boarding, tricks, racing, exploration, mission goals and a storyline. Indeed, developer Radical Entertainment is juggling a lot, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. The ideas deliver decent enough -- the downhill tricks are big and satisfying, the mountain is huge and varied, there are quite a few different objectives that range in difficulty and the storyline, while gimmicky, adds to the experience. There is a clear sense of accomplishment after landing a big combo or successfully disabling a bomb, or out racing a foe.

But on the other hand, the technical shortcomings are equally dissatisfying. The action unfolds slowly when compared to other snowboarding games. Just about every IGN editor that has played Dark Summit has expressed concerns over a lack of felt speed. This problem is made all the more evident by the way Naya herself seems to float from one place to another -- it's almost as if she's moving in a semi-slow-motion, and not as a result of poor framerate. It's intentional.

With this noted, Dark Summit is not a bad game. It's unpolished, sure, but we'd be liars if we said we still didn't find ourselves mildly enjoying some of the mission objectives -- and clunky or not -- trick combos. Given the chance to play this one or SSX Tricky, though -- storyline and mission objectives considered -- there wouldn't be much of a choice.

Graphics and Technology
Dark Summit delivers an absolutely gigantic mountain for players to race though, and this alone is an impressive feat. The scope of locale is gargantuan -- it just seems to go and go and go, and indeed players may find themselves consciously searching for the end of the course at points. Radical Entertainment has textured the environments with a futuristic blend of colorful wildlife and seemingly post-apocalyptic backgrounds -- there are toxic spills, alien ships, crashed vehicles, and more. It looks good enough. Meanwhile, the character models, particularly Naya, are well detailed and depending on who you talk to nicely designed. For the record, we actually like the look of the main character, but others at IGN find her downright ugly. Go figure.

The GameCube version of Dark Summit has some extra graphic notables, including a reflection on the board and an improved framerate. The fluidity comes nowhere near THQ's former claim of 60 frames per second, though -- and indeed there are points where it actually chops a bit. Also, there is the occasional refresh issue in which half of the screen momentarily misaligns with the rest. Only hardcore nitpickers -- Craig Harris of IGNpocket in particular -- will constantly complain into the reviewer's ear about this, however.

But the biggest gripe we have technically has to do with some of the textures used -- they come off as blurry, with a very PS2-like appearance. We probably shouldn't be terribly surprised given that this is, in the end, a port of the Sony version. But GameCube is capable of much more.

Like the adventure itself, the visuals in Dark Summit are more than competent, but with flaws, and not entirely up to snuff with the competition.

Sound
The audio portion of Dark Summit is very moody. Edgy beats play in the backdrop as Naya races around, and these are certainly better than the standard mix, but what we really like are the effects themselves. Opposing characters call out and players can hear their echoes off the slopes of the mountain, there are semi-spooky music inserts keyed at specific points on the mountain and even when someone wipes out the effects come off respectively. Only the commentary from Naya herself is annoying, and thankfully this doesn't happen very often.