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Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam Review - Wii

Introduction

Downhill Jam is a departure for the series, because instead of focussing on the urban, free-roaming environments of previous titles, you instead use momentum built up from hills and ramps to travel from the top of environments to the bottom. With the Wiimote tipped on its side, control takes a bit of getting used to, but is nonetheless a refreshing departure for a series that needed a rethink.

Gameplay

Don’t worry about the downhill courses forcing unwanted linearity on you – you’ll soon discover that there are literally hundreds of different ways for you to make it down the top. By grinding along wires, breaking through windows and barriers, jumping off pipes and using your boosts, you’ll discover countless ways to shave precious seconds off your time. There are a large number of impressive courses, with the Alps and Machu Picchu stages springing immediately to mind. You’ll have a lot of fun simply following the multiple branches of roads and secret passages through the tracks.

As previously mentioned, your controller will sit sideways in your hands, and by making small twisting movements you’ll be able to direct your skater with some precision. If you’re anything like me, you’ll start off making not ‘exaggerated’ movements, but definitely larger ones than required. A subtle tilt will be enough to get you around the corner – huge swipes make it almost impossible to turn, so wipe all those Wii trailers from your mind. You’ll be hugging the 2 button, which crouches your character (added speed) and then releasing it when appropriate to ollie. The 1 and 2 button, in conjunction with directions on the d-pad pull off tricks when in mid-air, while just mashing the d-pad when on the ground lets you punch and kick bystanders or other competitors.

There is a definite learning curve when playing the game, and you’ll have to force those of your friends that are playing for the first time to push through the initial challenge. Also, it’s really quite hard to turn around. If you’re in a tight corner, crammed against the wall, it can be nearly impossible to get back in the right direction. Only through mad mashing of buttons and violent twisting of the controller can you make a passable U-turn. Unless I missed something, it’s best to just accept it if you missed a turn off, rather than trying to get back. Just restart the mission, if it was important.

Pulling off tricks, and destroying your surroundings builds up your special boost meter on the right hand side of the screen. By thrusting your controller forward towards the screen when you have enough power you’ll rocket along – which is often enough to get you over the line before your opponents. Also, you can have multiple boosts stored up if you’re doing really well. It’s actually all tied together rather nicely – you gain speed from the steep downhill sections, which gives you more air in your ... (continued next page)