In Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, players compete in a series of races through various locales, from the bustling streets of San Francisco to the neon lights of Tokyo. Along the way, they perform a group of tricks to earn points and fill a boost meter, which provides an extra push for the finish line. The Wii version, released last November succeeded thanks to motion controls. The PlayStation 2 edition, however, leaves a lot to be desired.

The Wii version has motion control to lean on, as players steer their character by moving the Wii remote left and right. On the PS2, the lack of these mechanics make the game disappointingly limited. Instead, Players tilt the left analog stick in various directions . Worse yet, the change-up in controls make the problematic combo-building system an even bigger issue. Gamers tap buttons while grinding along rails and perform mid-air grabs to bolster a high score without much of an effort. Only the "super moves," executed by pressing L1 and a face button, pose any major threat to a player's perfect run.

Graphics also take a big hit with this conversion. Each of the tracks offer variety with their settings, like a medieval village with townsfolk wandering about and street cars that roll through San Francisco. Many of them also come littered with shortcuts. Sadly, the Wii version looks better. The frame rate holds up but the game suffers from annoying glitches that ruin the experience.

Multiplayer further disappoints. The original Wii version has four-player split-screen support, with the screen sliced into four quadrants. The PS2 version only supports two players. It provides multiple variations to choose from, including the laughable "Steal the Head" game (ever see a headless skateboarder?). However, it feels too limited, especially with the screen cut in half. The player can't see the entire level this way, forcing them to scramble in particular turns. Also, why no online play? The PS2 version of Jam needed every original advantage it could get -- any advantage, for that matter -- to stand out. Sadly, Activision didn't come through and the game feels limited as a result.

Downhill Jam could've been so much more than a quickie port with just a few key ingredients, such as more tracks and online play. This downhill run may be fun for a little bit, but the uphill climb that follows is too much to bear.

Final Score: 5 (out of 10)

Related Links

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam Game Guide

Activision

Our Final ScoreBad

What did you think of this game? Post Your Own Review