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Dark Summit Preview
Jason Julier
00/12/0000
Dark Summit promises a novel twist on the snowboarding genre, but can it deliver???
It is hard to raise your expectations above a groan when yet another extreme sports title is unveiled. THQ and Radical Entertainment are set to bring us Dark Summit, not a futuristic RPG but a mission based snowboarding game with a story? Yes its true and how they intend to pull it off without becoming laughable (see Airblade) will be of great interest. The story revolves around a legendary mountain, which is known to all boarders, a modern day elephant graveyard if you will, which you must visit once at all costs. It seems that the Chief Ranger and his troops who have begun to impose restrictions and close off several slopes threaten the future of Mount Garrick. The community is all for the protection of the natural environment and wildlife but it seems Chief OâLeary has other interests, a nice development for instance? The aim of the game is to find out what his plans are for the mountain and to stop him in his tracks.
As with most RPGâs your character can be built up through experience, performing tricks and acquiring lift points. The same also applies to Dark Summit where you can learn new tricks, gain better equipment, improve your all round abilities and lift points can be used to go higher up the mountain. Unlike most snowboarding games previously you only have the option to select one character; the good looking Naya who does resemble a Lara Croft on board complete with backpack. This girl can do anything on a board and the developer has promised a trick based system that offers the depth of Tony Hawks complete with board grabs and rail grinds. The missions themselves are varied with the mountain being split into five sections and within each of these there are several courses and missions to be completed totalling over 45 in all. Missions are not the usual first over the line wins; instead as with Tony Hawks 3 you will need to collect or dispose of items on your way down the track. Rangers will ski down tracks and try to stop you bringing back memories of all those fantastic Bond set pieces. If you think that once the game is complete it is very much over, then you are mistaken, as upon completion five more characters become available each with their own story. As this is from THQ expect plenty of secrets, boards and outfits to be available for those who achieve success.
Product placement in video games is becoming more and more popular as it serves all concerned very well. The manufacturer receives good exposure and perhaps reaches a target market while the developer receives a cheque towards recouping development costs and the game player enjoys a realistic setting. Dark Summit will include a device called the Control; this handheld Nokia device will offer the player tips and information on what is required for each mission. A similar device was only recently seen in Segaâs Headhunter with its use of the Casio Personal Communicator. In both games these devices played a central role in completing the game and the Control will even offer you exclusive missions that can rack up those much needed and forever useful points. Turn off or ignore your Nokia at your peril!
The game promises to be a unique combination of both genres offering the depth of an RPG and engaging storyline while maintaining the fun element with tricks and fantastic tracks. The tracks are set very much in the present day ignoring the futurist trappings of EAâs SSX and instead offering tracks and scenery that you might expect on a mountain such as a disused Olympic Ski Jump. Each track will not be a one way affair and will include several short cuts and possible routes. As your Naya becomes stronger and faster you can access areas that were off limits beforehand. Dark Summit from the screenshots promises to provide detailed graphics at a constant speed with the various lighting effects that now seem standard in games.
