Play Impressions: Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam

Everyone has a particular hill somewhere in their memory banks. Perhaps it’s that one where you nearly killed yourself on your tricycle. For me, the hill is in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where I spent my college years pouring over obscure literature. It was simply referred to as, “the hill,” by scores of inebriated freshman trudging back up to their dorms, but the incident which sticks most in my mind is getting pulled over for speeding on my rickety hand-me-down Huffy. The clock read 41 miles per hour, and I was late for Anthropology class despite my alacrity. I didn’t even know you could be pulled over for speeding on a bike. Downhill Jam’s characters, on the other hand, know all too well the consequences of tearing through populated areas and leaping police cars in a single bound.

My first impression of Downhill Jam was, “this isn’t Tony Hawk at all.” It’s more of a weird hybrid of racing, tricking, and vehicular combat. We discovered this soon after booting up the game for some four player action. That’s correct, a launch title that supports four player split screen. Microsoft, are you taking notes on this? Our first play session involved barreling downhill at obviously illegal speeds, all the while shaking our Wiimotes at each other and leaning into the turns like our lives depended on it. We tried gate racing, trick mode, and plain Jane streak to the finish. Then somebody discovered the punches and kicks available by mashing on the Wiimotes D-pad. Our races quickly descended into mayhem after that.

The most satisfying aspect of Downhill Jam is the controls. It’s not so much that they feel more responsive than an ordinary analog stick, but the range of motion they provide is an order of magnitude above any control scheme I’ve experienced. Even the stand up flightsticks of old can’t hold their own versus these controls. I tilt the Wiimote a bit to the left for a smooth gliding turn. A millisecond later, I’m cranked all the way over for a ponderous hairpin. Then, whoa, I’m airborne above the cityscape, wind whistling in my ears and hands flailing around to discover new tricks. Add in a couple friends and you’ve got a roaring good time.

Downhill Jam’s Achilles heel is the walls of the track. If I so much as bumped an obstacle or barrier, my character seemed to glue himself to the wall. No amount of tilting, shaking or cursing would dislodge him. This glaring problem mars a game with an otherwise smooth presentation, and if not for the “put me back on the course please” button, Downhill Jam would be completely unplayable. Besides the stickiness of their walls however, the tracks are very well designed with excellent vistas and plenty of alternate routes. In fact, there are so many alternate routes that it’s very possible to get completely lost and end up heading back uphill again.

After my gaming buddies left last weekend, I threw in Downhill Jam again to experience the full widescreen and progressive scan graphics without being cut down to a single quadrant. The graphical presentation is a step above GameCube level, especially in the draw distance department. Well crafted skybox textures complete the effect nicely. Despite a couple framerate issues, this game looks good.

The single player campaign features a hilarious character editor, in which I was able to design an impressive Goth slash Pirate of the Caribbean hybrid. Unlockable skateboards and characters also abound, and the repeating cutscene where Tony throws a skateboard at you and then walks away coyly is hilarious. Speaking of hilarious, the game’s story is told through tiny snippets of interviews with the various characters overlaid with the track’s establishing shot as my next race begins. Although the characters themselves are your typical stereotypes, the interview dialog works more often than it doesn’t, and had me starting many of my races with a smile already firmly planted on my face.

Campaign mode unlocked new courses for my downhill pleasures through a pyramid of interesting race combinations. One race would have me simply barreling downhill, while the next would shamelessly request that I punch as many innocent civilians in the face as possible. In another interesting variety, only the leader has a head, while every other racer is decapitated. Get it? A head, ahead . . . oh nevermind. Plain racing remains my favorite mode, although I also like the random select squares that appear from time to time in my progression.

Overall, my impressions of Downhill Jam lean toward the positive. Despite that all too common “launchy” feel of the game, the control scheme is definitely more than a gimmick. Expect to soon find many imitators in the tilt-to-steer genre. In the meantime, you’ll find us in four player split screen mode, relishing that effortless same-room camaraderie that Microsoft hasn’t been able to deliver on since Halo 2.