Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (Wii) Review

Downhill Jam strays from the familiar story of mission-based antics from previous games in the series by adding a new main focus: racing. For the main bulk of the game this is done in a rather underwhelming fashion, simply turning left and right down a series of winding courses, grinding a few rails and pulling off the odd power slide. It would, however, be very naïve to ignore the fact that turning is actually done with a simple motion to the left or the right and that boosting is done via a firm shake of the Wii remote, but when you have to go at a very wide angle to even initiate the “turning process” that the skaters rely upon, then making you become frustrated with turning, then making you shake the remote and use boost when you didn’t want to, you start to realise that analogue sticks are better in certain circumstances.

Although kudos must go to Toys for Bob, the game’s developer, for creating what is essentially ‘SSX-with-wheels’ for a new generation, some things definitely missed the mark. The engine that they have used shares an uncanny resemblance to the Hawk games of the past (who was it that said the Wii was just a GameCube with a new box?), but it is clear that effort has been applied to aspects such as the relatively impressive draw distance, 16:9 presentation and progressive-scan mode. Overall, though, graphically it disappoints. Sadly, as with a lot of the Wii’s launch games, the tweaked GameCube development kit that was used for the primary stages of the game’s creation was deemed sufficient by the developer for the visual side in the final build as nothing seen in this finished product would be out of place in a pre-2005 GameCube title. Character models are simple as well, somewhat adding to the disappointment of the lacklustre presentation found in the game’s menus and pause screens. That said one thing we must not forget is the good old cliché of ‘gameplay over graphics’.

The main part of the game is based around a series of challenges that take place on downhill courses, such as elimination, slalom, destruction rampages and good old racing fun, and although the selection of locations on offer is quite varied (San Francisco, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, to name a few), it is all too easy to just float through the main goals and complete the final section of the game in a few days. Akin to the "Am, Pro, Sick" system used in Tony Hawk's Project 8 (360, Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2), challenges can be completed at bronze, silver or gold level. Hardcore Hawk fans might be saddened to find that the highest level probably will not tax them until the final few stages, but at least the choice is there for people of a lesser ability.

Another aspect of the game that has been somewhat ruined by Activision is the multiplayer side. Anybody who has seen the promotional videos for this can vouch for how insane the amount of moving and shuffling done by the actors is. And with four people with individual Wii controllers trying to see their specific quarter of the TV screen, it is all too easy to lose yourself in all the 'enjoyment'. It has to be said that this game is a very apt social game, and with quite a few multiplayer modes to keep you busy throughout a night, it would probably never fail to fill the void that might be left by someone forgetting their copy of Wii Sports. As with many games, an online mode would have been excellent for Downhill Jam (heck, the DS version supports voice chat!), but understandably due to time constraints and the lack of an online system set up by Nintendo, Toys for Bob was left to make it an offline affair.

All in all, this is a solid yet uninspiring start to the Birdman's Wii journey. Thrills here could be found in the significantly cheaper SSX games of pre-2006, with the added luxury of online gaming for Xbox and PS2 versions, but for all the Tony Hawk fans, this is a decent title. Try renting it, and if you absolutely love it, you know what to do.