Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam

In the skating world, there's not a name more recognized than Tony Hawk. In the video game world, there's probably not a name that's appeared on more video games outside of Nintendo's platforming plumber than Tony Hawk. Such popularity has led to a long-established franchise and some mixed public opinions about whether the virtual Tony Hawk needs to retire like his real-world counterpart.

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, the latest game in the series built exclusively for Wii (not counting the DS version), proves the skating legend isn't ready to leave gaming just yet by taking a new approach on traditional Hawk gameplay. There are no free-roaming environments, complex button configurations and walls to be sprayed with graffiti. You have a Wii Remote and a downhill excursion. It's this simplicity that makes Downhill Jam easily accessible to new skaters and fresh for veterans.

Just don't be like this lady who's tilting the controller a tad too much.

The game design is built entirely around the Wii Remote, and beyond that, around the Wii Remote being held sideways. Menus are navigated using the D-pad, with selections performed with the A, 1 and 2 buttons (B trigger can be used in some cases, though it's hardly necessary). The menus themselves are fairly simplistic, with a scrolling road used as a background, and licensed tracks of various genres playing along. Personally, I couldn't name a single one of the songs, but they're mostly energetic and fit the upbeat nature of this game. In the options menu (which for some bizarre reason is in the form of a Nokia cellphone), you can customize what songs you'd like to have playing. The option to play your own songs from an SD card like Excite Truck is unfortunately missing, however.

Moving into the gameplay, you'll first select a skater and skateboard. Naturally, Tony Hawk is available, as are a few other fictional characters; you can also create your own custom skater, and there's a plethora of design choices in that regard. Each skater has his/her own stats, with some taking more skill to master than others, but Tony Hawk is the most balanced and best to start with. A number of other playable characters, as well as all but one skateboard, need to be unlocked by playing through and achieving good rank in the courses.

When first beginning, the game will require you complete a tutorial mode that explains the basics of steering, jumping, boosting, combat and stunts. It's a nice, quick way of compacting and helping players overcome the relatively small learning curve. Once the tutorial sessions are done, the real fun begins.

You can see, and skate, for miles.

The races take place in real-world locations, with your first three being Hong Kong, San Fransisco and Edinburgh; five others will become available as you progress. It's clear Toys for Bob (the developer) put extensive effort into imbuing a high level of authenticity into the look of these cities, but the game also doesn't let reality limit the potential for crazy stunts and break-neck speeds. Before each race begins, you'll be treated to an interview with one of the skaters. While these are optional to watch, they really do contribute to the high production value, as the interviews flesh out each character's eccentric personality and add a humorous flavor to the title.

Races start off as simply quick, but soon become an adrenaline rush, especially as your proficiency with pulling off tricks increases. None of them last more than a minute, maybe two, which is just long enough to deliver a satisfying rush, but leave you with that "just one more time" complex necessary for achieving the best rank. There might be some moments here and there where you lose control of the skater when coming out of a stunt, but this is remedied partly by remembering this skateboarding is based more in fantasy than reality, meaning you're going to land smoothly even from 10 feet in the air and don't need to worry much about adjusting as you hit the pavement. Otherwise, steering and jumping feel quite solid.

If only Sonic the Hedgehog could grind this well.

Visually, Downhill Jam is a mixed bag. The characters are all stylish and well-animated, even if they aren't lush with polygons. The courses are huge and true to their real-life locations, but there's the occasional awkward clipping, like the skater passing through a tree, but that's more an exception than the rule. Like a number of Wii games, Downhill Jam relies more on stylish art direction than raw next-generation power.

If you're a Tony Hawk fan looking for a slightly differnet skating experience from the Hawk norm, Downhill Jam should prove fresh entertainment. There's a great sense of speed, as well as plenty of variation in characters, courses and objectives, not to mention a healthy assortment of unlockables which will all be more detailed in later stages for the interested. If you've never played a skating video game, Downhill Jam may be great title to get you started thanks to the pick-up-and-play controls and design, assuming you're not put off by rock/techno/rap/pop music or talk of butt implants (like I said, interviews can be pretty funny, albeit odd).

For those wanting to know if Downhill Jam has the depth and replay value to last players until its warm enough to skate outside again, stay tuned for Stage 2.