Launching with the Wii is a brand new entry in the Tony Hawk franchise. Tony Hawk Downhill Jam can be seen as a spinoff of sorts. It pits you against other racers on a downhill...
Flinging yourself down a hill on a skateboard should be fun shouldnt it?
Launching with the Wii is a brand new entry in the Tony Hawk franchise. Tony Hawk Downhill Jam can be seen as a spinoff of sorts. It pits you against other racers on a downhill rush to the finish. Youll still be grinding and tricking your way to victory but Downhill Jam changes the core gameplay of Tony Hawk. The question that needs to be asked is, is it a worthwhile change? Read on to find out.
Tony Hawk games have always put the player into an open skate arena in which you can pick up challenges, whether it be to collect S-K-A-T-E or score high points. This is no longer the case with Downhill Jam. Instead you will be thrown into purely downhill tracks, much like the SSX series. Arguable this takes away the freedom of the earlier games as you are now on a predetermined track. Theres only one way this game is going, and its down.
Those looking for a fresh take on the franchise will find it in this title. It does offer something new to a franchise thats quickly growing stale, but the whole downhill idea doesnt shine quite as much as wed like. Downhill Jam is severely lacking in gameplay modes. Its surprising that the DS title dwarfs the Wii version with content and features. On the Wii version you will only have two modes to choose between; Downhill Challenge and Multiplayer. In Downhill Challenge you select a player (create-a-skater is also selectable) and compete to finish the list of challenges. Multiplayer allows you play against up to three of your friends.
That’s all the game offers. It was a shock to find out that the Wii version didnt even allow you to set up a singleplayer match. There are no options to choose between mode, track, opponents etc. The only singleplayer experience in this game is the list of pre-determined challenges. This lack of basic gameplay modes shows how rushed this title was to fit the launch window. The DS version houses a lot of additional features including four player online play with voice chat. Although the lack of online multiplayer in the Wii version falls on Nintendos shoulders it still hurts the games appeal.
The singleplayer experience is very shallow. In Downhill Challenge you receive points for placing in the top three in an event. When you have enough points you will unlock another tier of events, and the game continues on until youve unlocked all the tiers. Simple enough. The game lacks some depth as there are generally only three different types of events that you can compete in; race, slalom and trick. In race events you simply need to get to the finish line before the four other opponents. Slalom events have you racing to the finish as well but this time youre alone and need to collect time tokens to extend your time. Trick events have you trying to rake up a high score on your way down the course. It also has a time limit much like slalom so you still have to get to the bottom quick smart. In addition to this trick mode has the inclusion of focus bubbles, which will slow down time to let you pull off some impressive tricks.
You cant increase your characters stats like you can in the previous Tony Hawk entries, which is a shame as it was a nice diversion. Instead you unlock different skateboards which each have a different effect on your stats. If youve unlocked a skateboard it will be unlocked for every character which takes some of the fun out of building up each character individually.
The Wiimote really shines in this title.
The strongest point of Downhill Jam is the controls. Its clear the developers put a lot of time and effort into making the game handle well. The game only uses the Wiimote which is held horizontally like Excite Truck. Turning is handled by tilting the controller left and right which feels tight and responsive. 2 allows you to ollie and 1 lets you grind. When youre in the air 1 is used for flip tricks and 2 for grab tricks when combined with a direction on the d-pad. On the ground any direction on the d-pad makes your character kick and punch which is useful to knock down opponents. These are only the basic controls, from there you move onto more advanced moves that take a little while to get used to. Flicking the Wiimote up just before you ollie will make you perform a boneless which is like an extra high ollie.
Thrusting the Wiimote forward will give you a boost when your meter is full. Power slides can be performed by holding down A button while turning corners which gives you an extra speed boost. Even grinding is transformed by the Wiimote as you balance the controller like your skateboard. The controls really feel satisfying once youve spent some time with them, everything just seems to flow from your fingertips. The only problem is the learning curve. Itll be about two hours of playing before youre completely comfortable with the controls. This can be a bit frustrating for friends youre trying to rope into playing a game with you. If you stick with it the controls really stand out as the strongest point of the game.
Downhill Jam has a much more cartoony style than Project 8 however its not cell shaded like American Sk8tland. The graphics look perfectly fine for a Wii game, its both sharp and fluid. Progressive scan and 16:9 is also supported which enhance the visuals. It is certainly one of the better looking Wii launch games.
The music isnt terribly exciting this time around. The vast majority of tracks are cringingly bad American punk rock songs; only a handful of tracks rise to the top. Luckily you have the option of editing the playlist and excluding some songs. Each character has his or her own voice and they provide amusing commentary before the beginning of each race which is a nice addition to the presentation.
There are a fair amount of unlockables in Downhill Jam. After completing certain challenges or tiers youll be rewarded with perhaps a new character, costume or even a short live action video. Tony Hawk lends his services in a few real life videos of downhill skating along with the voicing for his character. There are six different stages in the game and each is incredibly long to finish from top to bottom. The problem with Downhill Jam is that it lacks singleplayer depth. There is nothing to do once you have finished all the challenges. If you have a friend or two multiplayer will help stretch out the lasting appeal but If not youll be retiring the game to the shelf a little earlier than anticipated.
Tony Hawk Downhill Jam veers far from the path previous Tony Hawk games have set. Typically known for their freedom and simple skating pleasure Downhill Jam steps in to speed things up and take away the freedom to skate where you please. The game controls exceptionally well once you break through the learning curve but is let down the shallow singleplayer experience. Its hard to justify buying the Wii version if you have the means to play the much more complete DS version. Overall the game stands well as a launch title and the aging Tony Hawk formula does need some sprucing up. But taking away the modes and freedom that made the Tony Hawk franchise great is not the way to move the series forward.
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