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Genre: Sports

Format: CD

Developer: Bongfish

Publisher: MacSoft Games

Minimum System Requirements: Intel processor, Mac OS X v10.4.10, 512MB RAM, 64MB video card or Intel integrated graphics

Review Computer: 2GHz 20" Intel Core Duo iMac, 1GB RAM, 256MB ATI Radeon X1600

Network Feature: Yes

Intel Compatibility: Only

Price: $24.99

ESRB Rating: E

Availability: Now

Official Website: www.destineerstudios.com

When I opened up my review package of Drop Point Alaska, my first thought was, "They still make games like this? I thought all these 'Xtreme' sports games went the way of...well...Tony Hawk." But then I realized that as long as there are development companies with names such as Bongfish, there will always be snowboarding games.

"Unfair!" you cry. "That is a crass generalization of snowboarders! Not all snowboarders own bongs, old dude! Quit promoting stereotypes!"

Okay, I will...just as soon as you quit naming your company Bongfish after your bongs.

But anyway, Drop Point Alaska. I had to go all the way back to the (far too many) Tony Hawk reviews to remember how to play games such as this. In Tony Hawk, the point was to skate around town and do tricks off of various objects in order to get points or money or something to upgrade your equipment or outfits or something and unlock other levels or something. That's pretty much the same here, or something, except you're on a scenic mountain, not in some depressed urban community. That makes Drop Point Alaska a bit more inviting, as it's set somewhere you'd maybe actually want to be.

Let's talk about the scenery for a minute, since that really is what separates this game from its competition (well, scenery and age, anyway). Although the trees, rocks, and other objects seem tacked on, the mountainous landscapes themselves are gorgeous, and there's plenty to view. There are ten drop points to master (all of them accessible via helicopter, but sadly, you never get to fly the helicopter to chase down other snowboarders). As you work through the tasks of each drop point, you'll unlock higher elevations for greater challenges and greater rewards. One you've unlocked them all, you can ride in the helicopter to any location on the mountain to begin your descent. The result is a much more open, unique experience than you got from the old skateboarding games. Changing weather and time-of-day add to the experience, but mostly cosmetically.

And when I talk about the game being open, I don't mean just in the number of paths you can take. There are some insane drop-offs that throw you into vertigo-inducing free-falls which seem to last forever. If you're the type of player who can get really get caught up in a game, don't be surprised if you find yourself rising out of your seat now and again as you drop back down to Earth. It's pretty cool.

Now, the whole point of games such as this is to learn button combinations and timing to perform tricks. I get that. And so, as you speed down the mountain, you'll be not only concerned with getting to the bottom (if you can find it...the openness of the terrain does cause some confusion), but also with finding objects off which you can perform the tricks necessary to unlock higher elevations and additional drop points. There are natural objects such as snow mounds and felled trees, as well as man-made objects such as fences and the obligatory pipe. Do people really put pipes on mountains just so riders can smash their snowboards into them? Seems like a waste of good pipe to me, but what do I know about it? I've never climbed a mountain, never been on a snowboard, and never installed plumbing. In fact, my pipe experience is relegated solely to climbing in and out of them in the Super Mario games, so I'll let this go.

The gameplay in Drop Point Alaska has a natural progression to it. The first few times down the mountain, you'll be searching for trick points. Next, you'll work on the best way to get to them to perform your tricks. This leads to a lot of practice as you discover and master the various tricks that work best. You get combo points for stringing tricks together, so you'll find yourself spending plenty of time perfecting your moves on single runs before you're ready to advance. This gives the game a decent shelf life, but, more importantly, leads to one of the more interesting features, called Stick a Trick.

Some of the various trick points on the mountain are "owned" by other riders. As you approach them, you're presented with a video of what the owner has done. To claim ownership, you have to one-up the previous owner's trick. This wouldn't be all that cool, except that if you have a live Internet connection, you'll actually be fighting other living players for ownership. If you own the trick, a video of your performance is uploaded to the Net for others to see and beat. It's pretty cool, and it gives you something a little more interesting to play for. Bragging right really are bragging rights.

The physics of Drop Point Alaska are decent, but there were times when my rider was in ridiculous positions no human being could possible maintain on this planet. He also was able to defy gravity often, and seemed able to bounce off trees without harm. In fact, the wipe outs are certainly a let down, as they're wildly unspectacular. The developers made the odd choice to illustrate wipe outs with a shattered screen effect. I'm not sure what this means. Am I watching the rider through the helicopter window that just a bird hit? Am I supposed to be playing this on the Wii and I threw my remote at the TV screen? Do I have goggles made of glass? It's weird.

The controls are basic enough; you don't have dozens of keys to hit. But although everything's well within reach without sliding your hands around the keyboard, I still recommend a gamepad. You'll need very precise movement to really get the most out of the runs (and therefore get the high scores necessary to progress), and you just can't get that from the keyboard's arrow keys.

Drop Point Alaska plays well within the recommended system requirements (although those with Intel integrated graphics will have to keep that resolution very low). This is because of the lack of definition up close. Although the mountainous terrain looks great from up high, large portions of the game will involve your rider surrounded by a whole lot of white and the occasional tree. The snow spray effects are minimal, but that's a fair sacrifice for gameplay. The riders look especially good, with natural movement and sway, but they lack any defining mannerisms and emotions, making them feel somewhat robotic.

The game has the type of soundtrack one would expect. If you're not into this style of rock, you should at least be used to it by now. It's never blaring, but I would've preferred less attention towards the baggy-shorts frat rock and more towards the natural environment sounds.

Despite coming well after the prime of extreme sports games, Drop Action Alaska doesn't really bring much innovation to the genre aside from the Internet features and some impressive graphics and wide open play areas. In fact, if this game had come out three or four years ago, it easily could've been lost amongst your Tony Hawks and Kelly Slaters. But here it is, now, and fans of extreme sports games have nowhere else to look. Luckily for them, Drop Point Alaska is a good game. Pick this one up, and you really won't need to look anywhere else...

...which is good, because the only place you're likely to find Tony Hawk these days is on some Nickelodeon TV show.