Review: Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (Wii)

Here at Incoming Pull we review a lot of MMORPGs and Shooters... I mean.. A LOT! Mostly because that's what we tend to prefer to spend our time playing. We all like the story-telling aspects that those games deliver and the emotions that come along with them. However, once in a while we do like to get behind the controller of a different kind of game. Something that's just pure fun, and that's exactly what Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam is all about.

I spent a lot of time playing this quality selection for the Wii over this past weekend, and I thought I'd share a few of my thoughts on it to get the week off to a good start.

Let me just put this out there off the top. I wasn't a skate boarder. Sure, I surfed around on one from time to time, but I never even learned to properly ollie. I spent most of my adolescent days on bikes and blades (roller blades), but even then never got in to the X-Games type of stunts and tricks that were and still are so cool to watch. However, none of that stops me from thoroughly enjoying a Tony Hawk video game. My first experience was with Tony Hawk 3 on PS2, and let me tell ya, they seem to have only gotten better from there.

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam is a new spin on the skate boarding games that I've played and seen in the past. There're no half pipe ramps and no peddling necessary. It's all downhill... start to finish (hence the name). You start off on a quarter pipe ramp to gain momentum and then all hell breaks loose. The Wii motion controls are a perfect fit for this type of game. I'm sure that it would play fine on a PS3 or Xbox controller too, but the Wii Remote goes beyond "fine" for the downhill turns, jumps and grinds that this game throws at you to no small degree. From leaning into a turn, avoiding cars or keeping balance while doing a Frontside Railslide, you'll be tipping the controller back and forth for hours. You can even go as far as punching and kicking the other racers (or pedestrians) out of the way to improve your position in the race. This game is so addictive that even my wife and son got in on the action and didn't want to stop for meals and bed time.

There are a variety of events that you can participate in. They vary from multi-player races to single-player, objective-based runs like getting the most points from tricks in the allotted time limit or beat a locked opponent one-on-one to unlock him/her. You can also unlock new outfits and boards for your characters as well as create a custom character to board with. The locations that you get to visit include San Francisco, Hong Kong, Machu Picchu, Rome, Chicago, Edinburgh Castle and the Swiss Alps. As a matter of fact, check out this video preview of all of the locations.


Tony Hawks Downhill Jam Locations via Noolmusic.com
So, to wrap up this review, I'd give Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam a 9/10 for pure entertainment value. If you have a Wii and you haven't given this game a go, I'd recommend running out to rent it tonight!