Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam

The graphics, while not gorgeous, look good and do a marvelous job of conveying a real sense of speed. While it may not be a traditional Tony Hawk game, it is a very competent racing game that is fun to play.

The best thing to happen to the Tony Hawk franchise since free roaming, Downhill Jam is allso, if not more so, an introduction to the challenge of re-acclimating oneself to tilt gameplay. [Jan. 2007, p.75]

Despite its condescending moments, Downhill Jam remains an impressive extreme racer that’s difficult to not recommend. [Jan 2007, p.114]

The new take on the game has tons of potential to be fantastic and with a few tweaks to the overall engine and trick system this could easily be a nice compliment to the already great franchise.

Decent attempt, but doesn't quite deliver the goods.

Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam gets an A for effort, but a C- for execution.

In no way does the spin-off game stand up to "Project 8" on the other next generation consoles, but as a "popcorn flick" equivalent to Hawk games, Downhill Jam is a decently entertaining and innovative game nonetheless.

As an entry level title, Downhill Jam makes a good introduction to the possibilities of fast-paced gameplay on the Wii, and is definitely more approachable than "Tony Hawk's Project 8," the series' other current entry.

Solid but unspectacular short-term fun that dulls if you're looking for subtlety. [Jan 2007, p.75]

It demonstrates a welcome change of direction for the now infamous series and definite inroads into future potential for the future of similar racers on Wii. No, it's not without its faults (the less said about the unfulfilling multiplayer, the better), but viewed as a shamelessly simple arcade racer, it offers a surprising amount of longevity and fun.

The attempt to simplify the controls for just a few buttons has resulted in a game that’s far too easy, yet doesn’t have the moxie to hold up when it’s prodded for depth.

Playing Downhill Jam is like watching an infomercial at three in the morning: it's sort of amusing and it passes the time but you're not enthralled by what's going on, either.

The control just really brings it down. Offering some level of sensitivity control would have been nice. Offering support for using the nunchuk/classic controller/GC controller for more classic style of TH control would have been awesome.

While the vision is pure, the final execution is anything but. However, purity has never been a requirement for some, and for anyone after a simple, if shallow Hawk experience on the Wii, this may provide the goods.

Since Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam is tailored for the Saturday morning crowd, the appeal of this title is already weakened to an average Hawk fan. But with the older demographic went the intangible addictive nature of the series.

If the location sub-areas were each as large as a full location, this game would be a blast, even with its other blemishes. In the end though, Downhill Jam is too short, and with the recent announcement of a full-fledged "SSX" game coming to the Wii in 2007, anybody looking to pick up Downhill Jam might want to think twice.

It never reaches the heights of "SSX" or the pure finesse of "Project 8" though, leaving Downhill Jam stuck somewhere between a rock and a hard place.

It's pitched at a younger audience than the usual Tony Hawk games, so the frantic, no-frills racing may only be fun for casual gamers.

A passable but unexciting racing game that substitutes the finesse of the other Tony Hawk games for simple and scattered action.

I said it last year, "Every console launch will have a Tony Hawk game," and while Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam isn’t the biggest or best, it’s still a decent ride.

This one feels like a road rash after a nasty spill and should be avoided unless you have plenty of Bactine on hand.

A mild downhill racer with too many glitches, and beyond the grinding, nothing to do with its licence. The Wiimote controls don't ruin it, despite the madness of the button use, but they don't add anything a regular analogue stick couldn't have made easier.

Downhill Jam isn't an awful game; it's just a game that uses the Wii's new controller in completely the wrong way. Games that would work better on a standard controller have no reason to exist on the Wii, and when they're released with awkward controls and unimpressive presentation you have to wonder what the publisher and developer involved were thinking.

The thrills are just too short-lived, and it simply doesn't stand up as a more boisterous alternative to the razor-sharp focus and freshness of "Project 8" on 360. [Jan 2007, p.83]