In
an effort to utilize the unique functionality of the Wii controller and
its abilities, Activision and Neversoft have released Tony Hawk's Downhill
Jam, a spin-off from the popular skating franchise. This isn't a
traditional Hawk title, instead it offers players a chance to compete in a
number of downhill races through a variety of environments. You can use
the Wii controller to steer your racers, perform some basic tricks and
unlock additional items. There are also some multiplayer modes and other
extras. This an interesting idea, so look inside and see if the end result
of this experiment is successful or falls flat on its face.
While a number of developers to this
point have tried and failed to bring a standard console-type game to the
Wii with limited success, Activision has developed a unique approach to
the Tony Hawk franchise. Instead of releasing a full-bodied version of
Project 8 on the Wii, they have instead developed an entirely original IP
called Downhill Jam that supposedly has been tuned to take advantage of
the console's unique Wii-mote controller. Unfortunately, the game itself
doesn't deliver what Hawk players have come to expect from the franchise.
While the approach sounds admirable on paper, Downhill Jam's execution
leaves a lot to be desired. Instead of a complete skating simulation with
deep moves lists, multiple challenges and non-linear worlds to explore,
Downhill Jam is a fairly standard racing game with a few Hawk-like
flourishes and stunts. This is probably one of the biggest disappointments
Wii owners will have and this simplistic approach feels like a dumbed-down
version of the franchise. It doesn't help that instead of facing off
against pro skaters as you would in a standard Hawk title, you are instead
battling generic, stereotypes that offer little motivation to beat. While
you can create your own skater, the options are limited and not that
interesting over the long haul. This shallow approach is somewhat
patronizing and gives Downhill Jam much less depth and challenge than has
been expected of the series, making it feel more like a long series of
mini-games than the deep title players have come to expect. The lack of
originality extends to the structures as well and Tony Hawk's Dowhill Jam
is structured exactly like you'd expect a standard racing title and offers
little in the way of innovation from this standpoint.
The
game includes several racing modes to compete in. There's the standard
racing mode where you have to finish first in a race, slalom mode where
you have to race through gates to extend your time and a trick mode where
you need to perform tricks and reach a target point total. You need to
compete in these types of races to progress, which at least gives you some
variety. Downhill Jam's controls are fairly easy to understand, you tilt
the Wii-mote to steer your character down the course and use the cross-bar
to perform tricks while the face buttons allow you to crouch down for
increased speed. When your skater crashes, you can shake the controller to
get up and return to the race. The system is fairly intuitive to use and
the steering and responsiveness can be a little off sometimes which can
lead to frustration when you find yourself stuck in an area or go slamming
against a wall when you're turning the Wii-mote. This approach is a bit
disorienting as well, since the inconsistent feel of its controls makes
playing Downhill Jam difficult. It's hard to get into the flow of the
races until you get the hang of its somewhat quirky controls. Once you do
get the controls down, much of the difficulty evaporates, and Downhill Jam
quickly loses its luster, becoming just another bland racing game.
One you get beyond the novelty, DJ's
gameplay offers only a fairly average level of difficulty and the rival
racers can knock you down. However, you can fight back as well by pressing
the cross bar to punch or kick them and other nearby pedestrians. The
course layouts are fairly straightforward, but you can find numerous
secret areas and short-cuts to shave seconds off your time. As you race
down the course, you can perform a basic set of tricks such as grinds,
grabs and ollies. When you do this, you earn points and fills up your
power-up bar. When this is filled up, you can perform a special move or
gain a speed boost by shaking the controller. Along the way, you'll also
find special icons that will multiply your score or give you a brief
moment of slow motion where you can perform additional tricks and moves
for a bigger score. As you progress through the game and win races, you'll
unlock additional courses and challenges while earning points that you can
use to purchase additional skaters and boards during the course of the
game, which makes your character go down the courses quicker.
From a visual standpoint, the game
offers a serviceable graphics engine, that while moving fast lacks detail
and resolution. The character models are bland and animate poorly while
the surrounding areas lack the detail to be convincing. You can skate on
some objects in certain areas which is pretty interesting, but the game
offers very little that hasn't been done much better in other titles. Some
humor tries to inject itself with the between race interviews with the
skaters, but these jokes lack any edge because its hard to laugh at
cliché ridden characters you don't care about. The game's music tracks
offer the same old, same old mix of hard rock and metal that every extreme
sports game from the past decade has - even that ever-present Rob Zombie
track "More Human than Human" makes its umpteenth appearance in
a video game. This only serves to highlight the game's lack of originality
and innovation.
It
underlines what a disappointing release this is - which is doubly true
given the opportunities the Wii-mote could open up for a skating game.
Instead of mapping more complex moves to the controller, you are instead
limited in the number and style to the most basic moves you can imagine.
Once you get past the fact that the game's controls are somewhat novel,
there really isn't that much new or interesting underneath expect yet
another bland extreme racing game populated by bad music and boring
characters without personalities. While most Hawk titles generally offer
something new, Downhill Jam feels like a massive step back for the series.
It's unimaginative approach to racing makes for a pretty bland experience
that makes it seem less impressive than it could have been. You've played
a hundred games like this over the past few years, and this one offers
little that hasn't already been done. Ironically enough, while Tony Hawk's
titles brought the skating genre to life and spawned dozens of cheap
imitators, Downhill Jam itself feels like an imitation of better games
like SSX and Amped, which makes this title doubly disappointing. In the
end, releasing a watered down, simplified game doesn't do either the Wii
or Hawk any favors and makes the experience feel shallow and empty.
Grade: C-
