System: Wii
Dev: Toys for Bob
Pub: Activision
Release: 19 Nov. 2006
Players: 1 - 4
ESRB Rating: E 10+
Review by Adam Brown

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Review Rating Legend
1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
2.5 - 2.9 = Average
3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
3.5 - 3.9 = Good
4.0 - 4.4 = Great
4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
5.0 = The Best

Early on in the game, it seems almost impossible to lose a race. No matter how you perform or which route you take through a level, you always seem to finish in first place. This is just the game lulling you into a false sense of security.

Four or five stages in, the game begins to seem ridiculously hard. This occurs because the game assumes that you will spend the first stages scouring every race track to find the often well-hidden shortcuts that will speed you to the finish. If you don't find these shortcuts early it will be virtually impossible to win a race later in the game since all of your opponents will utilize them.

While tricking and racing your way to the finish line, you will be treated to a fairly good supply of music. Downhill Jam's soundtrack is made up of around 40 tracks that are befitting a Tony Hawk game. This game keeps your adrenaline pumping as you fly downhill with songs from Iron Maiden, Motorhead, White Zombie, and many others. You can also create your own custom soundtrack, eliminating some of the potentially annoying songs that are also present.

Downhill Jam has its problems, but it does many things right. It is very accessible, even to those who may have never played a Tony Hawk game before. The graphics, while not gorgeous, look good and do a marvelous job of conveying a real sense of speed. While it may not be a traditional Tony Hawk game, it is a very competent racing game that is fun to play. As it stands, Downhill Jam is a good game that could have been great if some of its minor problems had been fixed.

By Adam Brown
CCC Freelance Writer

Features:

Who would have thought a downhill jam would be so much damn fun? by Patrick Evans

Hands-On preview: The Wii launch is only a mere month and some days away, and rabid Nintendo fans are awaiting the return of all their favorite Nintendo characters to the center stage in the gaming industry. While you can almost bet, based on the success of first-party titles on the Nintendo DS, Nintendo-brewed titles are going to take full advantage of the unique interface as soon as the system launches, the real question throughout the summer was whether or not third-party releases would share the same success. Gamers who want a little interaction in their gaming without having to rely solely on cutesy Mario characters will be happy to note there are plenty of third-party titles that thus far look rock solid in both controls and fun-factor. Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam in particular, which was playable at the recent Activision press event, looks like a sure winner after just minutes of gametime.

Downhill Jam is a spin-off of sorts to the Tony Hawk franchise in that it is completely unique in gameplay and style. Instead of spending all their time performing tricks in an sandbox-style world in Project 8, players in Downhill Jam will be focused on downhill racing instead. Downhill racing is nothing new to the franchise; more than a couple downhill tracks were available in the original that focused on performing tricks and grinds to keep your speed up and whiz by your opponents. Now, instead of simply remaining an aside to a larger game like Project 8, the racing gets a title of its own, complete with custom-designed controls for the Nintendo Wii.

Controlling your racers could be no simpler than in Downhill Jam. Using only the wand, all the tricks, grinds, punches, and boost are all mapped to the old-school controller instead of messing with the nunchuk. Steering your skater is as simple as tilting the controller to the left and right. The 1 button jumps and both the 1 and 2 buttons do kick and grab tricks while you are in mid-air. Tapping the 2 button in mid-air near a rail initiates a grind and is a huge help in cutting times down during winding sections of any stage. If you do get stuck on in an area with sharp, unforgiving turns, you can use the A button to perform a carve turn. The advantage to carve turns is that you can get a decent speed boost when it’s performed correctly.

The beauty of this game is in its simplicity. As a number of journalists stood around taking turns in the four-player split screen, everyone could easily jump in and stay competitive. Even those who hadn’t so much as touched a Wii-mote before were able to understand and execute the different moves available. Tilting the remote for turns is intuitive and also serves as a means for balancing during grinds. Some tricks were a little rough to pull off successfully, but after ten or fifteen minutes we were able to pull of wicked off-axis back flips by tilting the controller in different directions while in mid-air and looking very cool in the process.

Four-screen multiplayer action was a huge focus for Activision at their press event. They gave us free reign to pick from a half-dozen stages and different gameplay modes. The different levels included the hilly streets of San Francisco, the mountainsides of Manchu Picchu, a medieval castle, and others. When blazing through city streets, castle courts, or across the ships in a Chinese harbor, there was a real sense of speed that kept the action fast-paced and my wrists sore from all the controller tilting. In addition to the simple “make it first down the hill” race that you would expect, there were three or four different modes that really mixed things up. Slalom Mode forces players to pick a racing line that allows them to capture different “gates” which add precious seconds to their ever-decreasing time; when the timer ends, your race is over. Capture the Head was a wacky mode that saw all but one racer headless as they whizzed down the hill. Like King of the Hill, players must attempt to hold their head as long as possible down the track while others attempt to take it by pulling ahead in the race. There was also a Trick Challenge that we didn’t see as much of that would have us attempt the sickest tricks as we head down the hill, but the real focus was on the three modes mentioned above.

As we tore down the hillsides, it was easy to spot the visual difference between Downhill Jam and Project 8. As one might expect, the Wii title didn’t look nearly as detailed, but it did look impressive when you factor in the solid framerate during four-player split-screen multiplayer. The style that Toys for Bob has utilized looks like it may have been inspired by games like Hot Shots Golf or SSX. You have your stereotypical skateboard kid, the token black skater, the muscle-bound jock, and the over-cutesy cheerleader, all punching, kicking, and back flipping their way down these hills at high-speed. As far as Wii titles go, this one ranks thus far ranks at above par, but HD freaks will be just as disappointed here as they are with anything else.

Multiplayer got a ton of action on one side of the room, but the other side saw the single-player mode in action as well. Players will complete different Race and Trick Challenges to advance through the “story,” unlocking different environments and boards as they progress. One thing that the attendant noted was that, while the nine different racers all have different stats to begin with, the real focus in upgrading your character will be in the board selection. Each deck has specific statistics attached to them that will drastically effect how you handle the sweeping turns and killer jumps.

Heading into the final weeks before the Wii hits store shelves, Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam is looking like a game that anyone can, and most likely will play. With the local EBs and Gamestops telling us that there will be dozens of Wiis available per store this shopping season, the upcoming Nintendo console and its already-impressive library are looking more and more attractive as the fall marches onward. Look for the final word here at CCC when the Wii launches on November 19.

Features:

Tony Hawk and company are going downhill
by Cole Smith

I'm a'feared. I'm a'feared that this new Tony Hawk game is going to be a glorified kart racer. At least that's what I thought before I saw the preview.

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam is a departure from the free-roaming arenas where Tony and the boys could ply their trade by pulling off all kinds of moves and objective-based tricks and stunts. Instead, this is a racing game that features a bevy of skateboard characters pulling out all the stops to be the fastest one to get to the bottom of the hill. Does this mean that it's all downhill for the Tony Hawk series?

The Wii's motion-sensitive control system would actually improve any kart racer instantly by letting you get into the game at a level never before possible. By holding the controller sideways with both hands, you have the ability to control the movements and direction by tilting the controller side to side. You can even perform many of the top 'boarding tricks such as ollies, plants and rail grinding. To add even more excitement to the racing there are shortcuts, speed boost bonuses, various obstacles and platforms to do tricks off of and even combat. A punch button will allow you to throw a few hooks at your competition. That should slow them down. Even Tony knows that nice guys finish last.

You will have at least eight characters to choose from and if none are to your satisfaction, you can create your own. Each character will have different attributes which can be upgraded over time.

Now these aren't just your run-of-the-mill soapbox racing hills. We're talking major hills like the undulating streets of San Francisco or amidst the mountainous terrain and Aztec ruins of Machu Picchu. Downhill Jam looks like an amped version of Amped. There will be a multi-player mode included so that you can humble all challengers in the comfort of your own living room.

By Cole Smith
CCC Senior Writer