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Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam

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6.0 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 42 critic reviews
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Based on 12 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Toys for Bob

Genre(s): Extreme Sports

Players: 2

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)

Release Date: November 14, 2006

Summary

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam delivers an innovative and unique skateboard experience focused on head-to-head racing. The game allows players to feel the breakneck speed of downhill competition as they tear up the world's steepest terrains while performing tricks and outmaneuvering opponents in such locations as San Francisco, Machu Picchu and Hong Kong. Taking on the role of Tony Hawk or one of nine characters, players compete in time-based challenges in one of three gameplay modes including race, trick and slalom. [Activision]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Tony Hawk's Proving Ground

Cheat Codes & Hints: GameSpot Hints & Cheats

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

GamingTrend

With a great control scheme, graphics that don’t look ported, fantastic humor, and a whole lot of races to complete, this quality title is worthy of being a member of the Tony Hawk franchise. This is a safe Day-1 pickup for the Wii, just make sure you buy the three spare Wiimotes for your friends!

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GameZone

Provides challenge and entertainment. It looks different than other next-gen Tony Hawk titles, but that fits the style and charm of the game.

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PGNx Media

A great party game. It literally takes like 30 seconds to get used to the controls in the game and it’s going to be perfect to show people what the Wii Remote can do. Although it’s not the most complex experience out there, the game is incredibly fun.

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Official Nintendo Magazine UK

There's not so much replay value but the controls give it a new lease on life. [Christmas 2006, p.92]

eToychest

Players fond of the control methods found in games like Excite Truck should take notice, especially if interested in something a little more quirky and demanding.

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Game Chronicles

The locations are unique, the tracks long and complex, and the fun factor and energy level is unparalleled with any other Wii title at this time.

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Console Gameworld

While the multi-player is much more full-featured than the single-player, Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam is nonetheless a great launch title that makes great use of the Wii.

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Games Radar (in-house)

There's just enough racing mixed with the right amount of Hawk trickery to make it a successful new direction for the series that definitely has room to grow.

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GameSpy

THDJ plays very, very well. The Wii's smart motion-sensitive control system is absolutely perfect for this kind of game.

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Worth Playing

While Downhill Jam is by no means brilliant, it works well as an extension of the Tony Hawk franchise. It may borrow liberally from both SSX and Downhill Domination, but it differs in execution, largely because of the unique nature of the Wiimote.

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Kombo

With a few impovements in the graphics and gameplay departments Activision could really have a hit on their hands.

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Pelit (Finland)

Proves that the Wiimote really works and makes games more fun. This time Tony Hawk is all about the speed, not the tricks. [Jan 2007]

Electronic Gaming Monthly

SSX vets will feel right at home with Downhill Jam. [Jan. 2007, p.60]

Nintendo Power

Downhill Jam will almost certainly surrender its extreme-sports crown by the time the next generation of Wii games ollies onto the scene, but for now it's the best way I can think of to get down a hill. [Feb. 2007, p.95]

1UP

Its sole commonality with the franchise is Tony Hawk's voiceover "acting" -- but it nonetheless retains the palpable adrenaline of the series, all the while establishing a very high precedent for the future of Wii gameplay.

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NGamer UK

This is solid, but too basic to live up to the Hawk gaming legacy. Good for newcomers to skateboarding games though. [January 2007, p.58]

Cheat Code Central

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.

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Game Almighty

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

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Yahoo! Games

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.

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IGN

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.

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Play Magazine

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]

ZTGameDomain

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.

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games(TM)

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

DarkStation

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

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Play.tm

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.

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Games Master UK

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

GameTrailers

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.

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GamePro

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.

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Digital Entertainment News

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.

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PALGN

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.

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Nintendojo

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.

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Sydney Morning Herald

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.

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AceGamez

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.

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NintendoWorldReport

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.

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GameSpot

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

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Game Revolution

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.

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Deeko

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

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Eurogamer

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.

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Game Informer

Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam is an unimaginative and often times annoying game that hangs its hat on a Wii controller interface that is interesting because it is different, but easily forgettable after a few short hours.

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Edge Magazine

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]

VideoGamer

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.

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G4 TV

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam isn't a sell out on par with hawking Bagel Bites but it's close.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 6.0 (out of 10) based on 12 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Peter C. gave it an8:
This is actually a really enjoyable game. I've gotten tonnes of fun out of it. I often feel games are over-rated and very rarely under-rated. In fact I often agree with the harshest scores. However, I got this one on sale and it has been really fun. Surprisingly so. Takes a bit of time to get used to the intricacies of the game and appreciate on its own terms though. I didn't like it much for the first couple days of playing, but now it's actually serious fun. And I've invested a good 15-20 hours in it over the last month or so, taking the odd hour here and there. I think this is actually a good test of whether critics will actually stick with a game to appreciate it. Gamespy deserves top marks on this count. G4Tv , as usual, are just complete idiots, apparently more interested in making money than actually reviewing the game properly.

Sam gave it a7:
Downhill Jam is a fun diversion to what could be a really promising future to Tony Hawk games on the Wii. I just don't know why Activision stuck with this spin-off with minimal controls when they could have made a "Project 8 Wii" game instead, relying a lot on the motion sensing of the Wii, but motion sensing is minimal in this game, save for the turning. The graphics are decent; not perfect, but surprisingly pleasing. The sound is alright; the soundtrack isn't great and the voices can get annoying, but despite these annoyances the sound is passable. However, no matter how hard it tries, this game just isn't funny. However, I really enjoyed the game, but I just wish Activision took the fullest of their advantages to what could have been a great start to Tony Hawk and the Wii. For that, I take off a point.

Phillip V. gave it a2:
Every Tony Hawk to date was worth at least a 7. But Downhill Jam completely killed the series. It actually hurt to play this game. On the back of the case they should have a warning that says: "Have paramedics standing by, because of the 90% chance that your eyes will bleed"

[Anonymous] gave it a4:
This is a really bad game. Fun for the first hour, but then it gets hard, and the charecters are REALLY dumb, Tony Hawk sounds like a retarded 8 year old, and nothing to make you want to finish it. The only good things are the expertly designed courses, and the tricking thing. What's with people saying it sucks so badly? The tricking is one of the best parts.

Fred gave it an8:
I really doubted this game, but it is so much fun and probably has the most longevity out of any game on the Wii so far. Not a traditional Tony Hawk by any means, but if a downhill skateboard racer with great level design and controls sounds fun to you, then you'll love it.

Michael A. gave it a9:
I think the creators totally took advantage of the Wii controls and that is awsome And the carictors are funny too.

[Anonymous] gave it a9:
I thought this would pretty bad (look at the scores), but it turns out that this is the funnest game I've played on the Wii. Great graphics, easy controls, and it's pretty funny.

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Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam

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