Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam

Downhill from here?

I've been trying to think, has there ever been a really good racing game that's not been based around driving or piloting something with an engine? Every great car or motorbike racer out there obviously doesn't fit and the same goes for the few enjoyable aircraft or boat based racing games we've seen. Even wonderful sci-fi racers like WipeOut use craft powered by some kind of futuristic technology which pretty much covers all the bases I can think of. Yet, despite the lessons from gaming history developers keep trying to hit gold as racing titles based around more muscle powered events like cycling, snowboarding and skateboarding still keep hitting the shops every year. While these 'extreme' sports can often make great subject matter for more trick based games using them as a basis for a pure racing game just never seems to work, the dismal Dave Mira BMX Challenge on the PSP being the most recent example. So, hands up who thinks this latest skateboard based racer from the Tony Hawk's brand is going laugh in the face of such odds and be a classic?

All decided? Good. To draw the suspense out a bit longer (Big Brother eat your heart out!) lets have a few facts to set the scene a little. Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam is a PS2 version of the Wii and DS game that came out a few months ago. Taking the trick based gameplay of the regular Tony Hawk's games and simplifying it into a more traditional racing game Downhill Jam features over ninety events spread across eight environments. Righty, that's the basics out of the way, now to the answer to my earlier question. Unfortunately for anyone who optimistically raised their hands it's my duty to report that while THDJ is infinitely better than the recent Dave Mira BMX effort it's still another in the long line of non-engine based racing games that fail to capture the imagination in any way. It's not that it's bad; it's just that it's not really fun either.

The courses are partly to blame, while they're full of different routes to take to the bottom this variety actually causes more confusion than excitement and means you often spend a large part of the race completely on your own if you pick a different route to your fellow skaters. Based on suitably stylised interpretations of real world locations from San Francisco to Edinburgh the courses are strangely filled with pedestrians and cars going about their business seemingly oblivious to the passing racers and the presence of the large ramps etc that fill the streets. It feels a little like you're naughtily racing down a track before the events stewards have cordoned it off for the proper race that's taking place later in the day.

The racing also feels fairly fast, almost too fast when using boost round some of the more corner filled tracks, but again this often simply adds to the feeling of confusion brought on by the branching track design. The controls work well enough although turning isn't as smooth as you'd like. Small tweaks to your direction are fiddly while turning hard can result in massive over steer with any movement in-between feeling a little dead. Perhaps that's how high speed skateboarding really is, but realism at the expense of playability isn't ever a wise choice. There are plenty of tricks to pull off and successful completion of these are used to earn boost, however since it seems next to impossible to mess any of them up the sense of achievement you may have got is lacking so instead they become just another part of the racing routine, a quick way of earning boost. The combat aspect to the action, being able to punch and kick fellow racers or members of the public as you pass, feels tacked on and pointless. Such simplistic mid race fighting antics may have been fun back in the days of Road Rash but it's just an unwanted distraction from the rest of the already often confusing action here.

It's not all just simple first past the post racing shenanigans however; there are time trial, slalom and score based events in there too. Score events see you up against the clock but assuming you finish in time final positions are calculated based on trick points amassed during the race down. Higher scores can be gained by hitting gates that slow down time a little allowing for more impressive tricks to be performed. These extra events do add to the variety but since they take place on the same limited number of tracks there's never a sense of seeing anything new and it all starts get a bit familiar all too quickly. It's also not the hardest game around, skipping through events is rarely too challenging and even the prospect of unlocking new boards and racers isn't really enough to keep you coming back once the novelty wears off. Some entertaining split screen multiplayer options do add some longevity to things but can't wipe away the increasing sense of apathy surrounding the game.

It's hard to really criticise Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, it does what it says on the tin perfectly well. It's not got any really gaping flaws and it's all put together professionally enough even if the graphics don't exactly push the aging PS2. As an extension to the Tony Hawk's brand it's an interesting novelty, an admirable attempt to try and broaden the market a little. But as an investment for your hard earned cash there's really nothing to recommend it ahead of the piles of other engine powered racing games on the PS2. If you've always wanted a skateboard based racer or are a Tony Hawk obsessive then no doubt you'll find much to enjoy, for the rest of us it'll provide an evening of casual fun but then end up in the large pile marked 'meh' never to be seen again.

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By Paul Newcombe