Dark Summit, the latest snowboarding title from THQ, promises a mixture of
story-based gameplay and SSX-style riding. Through 45 challenges, riders try to conquer
the unfriendly Mt. Garrick. The runs are huge and extreme, full of obstacles and peril.
But if you’re good enough, you’ll be able to reach the summit, top of the heap,
head snowboarder in charge.
The story behind Dark Summit is one that has actually played out on mountains
all over the world. Chief O’Leary, the head ranger on the mountain, has taken a
particular dislike to snowboarders, completely closing down the mountain to all
knuckledraggers. Of course, the riders aren’t going to stand for this, and
that’s where you come in. Controlling one of the snowboarders, you ride through the
45 challenges on the hill, earning reputation points and pursuing the storyline, which
will eventually reveal to you the horrible truth behind Mt. Garrick.
Gameplay is
tight and responsive. Tricks are fairly easy to pull off, and most of the challenges are
based on completing a task such as breaking all the "No Snowboarding" signs or
beating ski patrol personnel to the bottom of the mountain. All the cool moves you perform
build your reputation, making you top dawg on the hill.
Keep an eye out
for more details about Dark Summit. The game is set to debut in the first wave of Xbox
titles this fall, and ought to give SSX (also coming to Xbox) a real run for its money. As
a snowboarder, I find Dark Summit’s brand of fantasy boarding infinitely more
appealing than SSX. SSX is snowboarding for folks who have never stepped on a mountain,
and SSX Tricky is absolutely ludicrous. They may as well have made a game with hoverboards
so they weren’t restricted to snowy environments. However, the story of a mountain
closed to snowboarders is a common one, and it’s every rider’s fantasy to
forcibly open up those mountains. Indeed, many riders have violated rules just to get
access to amazing terrain. It’s this key difference that will make Dark Summit a hit,
and hopefully help it drain some of SSX’s naive audience.
