A welcome diversion in a good series growing stale.
User Rating: 7.8 | Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam WII
After thirty Tony Hawk games that are all essentially variations on the same theme, Downhill Jam breaks the mold. Alright, so I'm exaggerating a bit, but as a fan of the series, Jam is a welcome diversion. The graphics aren't breath-taking, but if you're moving slowly enough to really soak them in, then you're missing the point of the game. And the roster of fictional skaters, as well as their pre-race banter, is uninteresting (if not borderline obnoxious), but they're easy to skip over in order to get to the good stuff. The soundtrack is in keeping with previous Tony Hawk games, and the variety of events (race, elimination, slalom, trick, etc) keeps things fairly fresh. Downhill Jam has much more of a pick-up and play element to it than its predecessors, but still manages to engage for longer, more in-depth situations, as there are always better medals or higher scores to chase.
The meat of the game is the speed, though. In the races especially, the momentum is exciting; in each event the ability to react quickly is rewarded.
While this installment of the series might throw off fans grown comfy with standard TH fare, for those looking for something different, Downhill Jam satisfies.
