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A dark snowboarding title. Sounds spooky doesn't it? Find out whether you'll sell your real snowboard in order to buy this game.
November 14, 2003 | 10:00 PM PSTby: Ahmed Enany
Can't beat the heat this summer? No Problem! THQ is ready to give you a cool down this time around with its latest snowboarding hit Dark Summit. Dark Summit is the only true to life snowboarding game that will benefit both extreme sports fans and non-extreme sports fans. Why is that? Simply because Dark Summit is the first game which combines snowboarding, action, and adventure together. With these forces combined you receive an intense snowboarding experience with over 45 missions to complete. In addition to these features, Gamers will be able to unlock new characters, outfits, and snowboards as they move along with Dark Summit.
As you advance more into the game, you will have the opportunity to choose the level of difficulty for Dark Summit. But you will have to beat each level of difficulty before being able to test out the other levels of difficulty and the only way to accomplish this is to gain enough lift points. Each level has its own specialty in different ways. For instance, On Summit level (Hardest level available in Dark Summit) you will start off on top of Mt. Garrick and race down the Mountain while trying to complete as many levels as possible. As you move down each level you will start off at a lower position on the mountain. To clarify this to you, I have designed a diagram to illustrate the level of difficulty and which location you will start on.
Look At The Shadow
Female Rider
Summit- Begin at Peak of Mt. Garrick
Pipeline- Begin 75% up Mt. Garrick
Function Junction- Begin 50% up Mt. Garrick
First Cut- Begin 25% up Mt. Garrick
Dark Summit comes complete with plenty of gameplay options including Play Dark Summit mode, Practice mode, and Head to Head Games mode. In Play Dark Summit mode, you will encounter a little short film at first displaying your only playable character Naya and her struggles with fellow skateboarders and skiers. After that film is done you will grab your board and begin your adventures down the hill. Meaning that this mode is a 1-player adventure that will test your snowboarding skills. Such skills that will be tested are Flips, Speed, and wild stunts.
Practice Mode is where you can just go out for plain snowboarding fun. I recommend using this mode first when first playing Dark Summit. One reason is because you will get more experienced with Dark Summit here. You can test out your stunts and moves here without any disturbances. You can also test out the Game controls here before starting your adventures in Play Dark Summit mode. If you just feel like relaxing from tough adventures in Play Dark Summit Mode, you can relax here and snowboard freely while listening to nice and soothing background music. Head to Head Games mode is packed with fun and exciting 2-Player games. There are a total of 3 games that you can play with your friends. That includes Wrecking Ball, Race to the Bottom, and Half Pipe Battles.
Wrecking Ball involves both players to destroy as many objects as possible on the slopes. The player with the highest amount of wreckage at the end of the run is the winner. Tricks are nice, but in the Race to the Bottom Games the first player to reach the bottom of the hill is the winner. Now this is where you should be concerned about tricks. Because in Half Pipe Battle Games you must pull off more tricks to earn more points then your buddy before you reach the end of the line.
Gamers these days tend to look at games from a graphic point of view. Many even judge video games based on how they appear on screen. THQ obviously was aware of this while on the works for creating Dark Summit. Therefore, You can tell that Dark Summit offers eye- catching graphics. As a matter of fact Dark Summit is perhaps one of the best games that offers real true to life graphics. Everything from the opening scene to the atmosphere runs smoothly without any glitches. Dark Summit offers stunning environments with animations in the background to keep you entertained such animations include glowing billboards and snow coming down on the ground.
Gearing Up
Other great graphic animations include Bubbles and steam rising from gaps that contain red, green, and blue liquids. The characters look so real that your jaw will be dropping. For instance, while Naya is snowboarding you will see her ponytail swinging back and forth. The other Special Graphic feature is that when you land on one of many traps you will be blown up by a bomb sending you high up in the air to perform all sorts of stunts. The bomb animation looks outstanding and will make you feel like you are on a battlefield. I believe that Dark Summit truly shines as a Graphical game, which is one of the reasons why I give Dark Summit a perfect score for Graphics.
Controls play major role in snowboarding games. These controls depend on how well you'll be able to perform special moves. Dark Summit performs fairly well in this category. Controls in Dark Summit does not surpass any expectations seeing as how snowboarding games tend to lack in this area. Although the controls are not so great, Dark Summit has some easy moves perform along with some difficult moves. There are many button functions and many combinations you can accomplish on the hills. Such functions and controls include:
A button- Jump
B button- Crouch
Control Stick- To rotate left or right in mid-air.
X and Y- To accomplish several special tricks while using the control stick.
Flip- Hold Control Stick up or down to either complete a back flip or front flip.
These and many other combinations are allowed in Dark Summit. My final conclusion for Controls is that it plays fairly well and does not hurt you fingers.
Sound contributes plenty of more options to video games. Especially in extreme sports games. THQ has delivered several good sound options to aid your hearing! Such options include Soft sound music and heart pumping music. Although you may not be able to switch which music you want on your own, Dark Summit is offering a good dose of music and does not go overboard. In Play Dark Summit mode, you will be surrounded with heart pumping music and excitement. In Practice mode, Dark Summit offers soothing music to make you relax your mind and soul. Although Dark Summit does not offer plenty of music options, you get a fair dose of music. Therefore, I give sound in Dark Summit a 9/10!
I believe that Dark Summit has a lot of potential, but has been overlooked by many people. I am also sure that Dark Summit is a great rental game for snowboarding lovers. Dark Summit has been very good to me and has me hooked onto my Gamecube. I am sure it will do the same to you!
As you advance more into the game, you will have the opportunity to choose the level of difficulty for Dark Summit. But you will have to beat each level of difficulty before being able to test out the other levels of difficulty and the only way to accomplish this is to gain enough lift points. Each level has its own specialty in different ways. For instance, On Summit level (Hardest level available in Dark Summit) you will start off on top of Mt. Garrick and race down the Mountain while trying to complete as many levels as possible. As you move down each level you will start off at a lower position on the mountain. To clarify this to you, I have designed a diagram to illustrate the level of difficulty and which location you will start on.
Look At The Shadow
Female Rider
Summit- Begin at Peak of Mt. Garrick
Pipeline- Begin 75% up Mt. Garrick
Function Junction- Begin 50% up Mt. Garrick
First Cut- Begin 25% up Mt. Garrick
Dark Summit comes complete with plenty of gameplay options including Play Dark Summit mode, Practice mode, and Head to Head Games mode. In Play Dark Summit mode, you will encounter a little short film at first displaying your only playable character Naya and her struggles with fellow skateboarders and skiers. After that film is done you will grab your board and begin your adventures down the hill. Meaning that this mode is a 1-player adventure that will test your snowboarding skills. Such skills that will be tested are Flips, Speed, and wild stunts.
Practice Mode is where you can just go out for plain snowboarding fun. I recommend using this mode first when first playing Dark Summit. One reason is because you will get more experienced with Dark Summit here. You can test out your stunts and moves here without any disturbances. You can also test out the Game controls here before starting your adventures in Play Dark Summit mode. If you just feel like relaxing from tough adventures in Play Dark Summit Mode, you can relax here and snowboard freely while listening to nice and soothing background music. Head to Head Games mode is packed with fun and exciting 2-Player games. There are a total of 3 games that you can play with your friends. That includes Wrecking Ball, Race to the Bottom, and Half Pipe Battles.
Wrecking Ball involves both players to destroy as many objects as possible on the slopes. The player with the highest amount of wreckage at the end of the run is the winner. Tricks are nice, but in the Race to the Bottom Games the first player to reach the bottom of the hill is the winner. Now this is where you should be concerned about tricks. Because in Half Pipe Battle Games you must pull off more tricks to earn more points then your buddy before you reach the end of the line.
Gamers these days tend to look at games from a graphic point of view. Many even judge video games based on how they appear on screen. THQ obviously was aware of this while on the works for creating Dark Summit. Therefore, You can tell that Dark Summit offers eye- catching graphics. As a matter of fact Dark Summit is perhaps one of the best games that offers real true to life graphics. Everything from the opening scene to the atmosphere runs smoothly without any glitches. Dark Summit offers stunning environments with animations in the background to keep you entertained such animations include glowing billboards and snow coming down on the ground.
Gearing Up
Other great graphic animations include Bubbles and steam rising from gaps that contain red, green, and blue liquids. The characters look so real that your jaw will be dropping. For instance, while Naya is snowboarding you will see her ponytail swinging back and forth. The other Special Graphic feature is that when you land on one of many traps you will be blown up by a bomb sending you high up in the air to perform all sorts of stunts. The bomb animation looks outstanding and will make you feel like you are on a battlefield. I believe that Dark Summit truly shines as a Graphical game, which is one of the reasons why I give Dark Summit a perfect score for Graphics.
Controls play major role in snowboarding games. These controls depend on how well you'll be able to perform special moves. Dark Summit performs fairly well in this category. Controls in Dark Summit does not surpass any expectations seeing as how snowboarding games tend to lack in this area. Although the controls are not so great, Dark Summit has some easy moves perform along with some difficult moves. There are many button functions and many combinations you can accomplish on the hills. Such functions and controls include:
A button- Jump
B button- Crouch
Control Stick- To rotate left or right in mid-air.
X and Y- To accomplish several special tricks while using the control stick.
Flip- Hold Control Stick up or down to either complete a back flip or front flip.
These and many other combinations are allowed in Dark Summit. My final conclusion for Controls is that it plays fairly well and does not hurt you fingers.
Sound contributes plenty of more options to video games. Especially in extreme sports games. THQ has delivered several good sound options to aid your hearing! Such options include Soft sound music and heart pumping music. Although you may not be able to switch which music you want on your own, Dark Summit is offering a good dose of music and does not go overboard. In Play Dark Summit mode, you will be surrounded with heart pumping music and excitement. In Practice mode, Dark Summit offers soothing music to make you relax your mind and soul. Although Dark Summit does not offer plenty of music options, you get a fair dose of music. Therefore, I give sound in Dark Summit a 9/10!
I believe that Dark Summit has a lot of potential, but has been overlooked by many people. I am also sure that Dark Summit is a great rental game for snowboarding lovers. Dark Summit has been very good to me and has me hooked onto my Gamecube. I am sure it will do the same to you!
November 20, 2009
