Just before the holiday rush begins to really heat up, Activision is giving DS owners a new Tony Hawk title to sink their teeth into. Back when Nintendo was just getting the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service rolling, the Tony Hawk franchise was the first to offer online play with American Sk8land. The game was a hit and it gave gamers an early glimpse at what was going to be offered in future online-enabled titles for the Nintendo DS. Now, with the release of Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, we're getting a look at how voice chat can be implemented fully into online gaming for DS games while also providing a memorable gameplay experience. So does the experiment work, or is it more of a crash and burn? Keep reading to see how we felt.

Facts and Features

• Tony Hawk's new adventure for the Nintendo DS.
  
  
• Tons of customization for each playthrough.
  
  
• Great online component.
  
  
• Sharp graphics and sound.
  

Downhill Jam does a great job in the presentation department with rockin' tracks and suitably styled menus. Right from the get go you'll feel right at home if you're a long-time fan of the Tony Hawk franchise; based on the presentation of the game. The online modes are integrated smoothly and are easy to navigate through in order to get playing. From top to bottom the game is presented in a poppy and attractive manner while keeping things simple and intuitive.

The gameplay in Downhill Jam is solid. The controls work much better on the DS than you would expect given that the DS hasn't had the best track record for 3D games that require precision movements. One shouldn't, however, go into the game expecting anything too similar to what the Tony Hawk franchise has offered in the past. This can be a good thing for those that are looking for a fresh angle on the Tony Hawk franchise, but purists may cry out that it's nothing more than SSX on wheels (which is actually unfair). Instead of methodically approaching ramps, rails, and jumps to rip off your trick combos, you find yourself blasting down a steep hill in a variety of locations where you are a bit more focused on speed than you are on insane tricks.

Downhill Jam has you competing against other skaters in a competition to cross the finish line first while racking up points as you descend a steep hill in a variety of environments. Several gameplay modes change up the pace a bit, but the basic philosophy is that you want to find the quickest point to get from point A to point B. The game progresses as you complete races and new courses are opened. The locations vary quite a bit as the game unfolds, so the game does a good job at keeping the track styles fresh and unique from one another. The only real downside, however, is that you are often forced to pass a certain type of race you might not exactly be a fan of in order to unlock new areas. I've heard several people grumbling online about having to pass the "Collect the Marker" challenges in order to proceed. I didn't have tons of trouble with these races, but they weren't nearly as fun as the standard downhill races or the trick-focused races.

The track design is admirable and will have you running the same course multiple times to find out which route gets you to the bottom the fastest or which way is the most effective to rack up big trick combo points. Practicing these tracks is the key to domination once you decide to jump online and face other human racers.


Jammin'

All in all, the racing action is fun in Downhill Jam and surprisingly fast. You would expect that the DS might not be able to push such a fast-paced and smooth racing experience in 3D, but the Downhill Jam team managed to to an excellent job pulling it all together in a quality and satisfying package. It's nice to see a development team that seeks out the boundaries of a system's hardware limitations and push them back a bit.