A strange mix of EA Sports Big SSX series and long forgotten, under appreciated ESPN Extreme Games on the PS1, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam is a complete departure for Activision's skateboarding franchise. This new spin on the genre is a fantastic run that feels fresh, unique, and different enough to make it a worthy addition to Tony Hawk's paycheck.
Instead of a focus on absurd goals and tricks, Downhill Jam is a pure racing title at its heart. The superb sense of speed across a rapidly changing level design is the addictive hook that keeps you playing. The basic trick system is in place, and occasionally crucial depending on the style of the challenge.

The single player game is about advancing through different tiers of challenges, earning new boards to increase stats and gaining new medals to level up. Challenges vary from races, to destructive runs, to goofier things like knocking over as many pedestrians as possible within a set time limit. Each proves different enough to make them feel unique even when barreling down a familiar track.

Translated from the Wii launch title of the same name, nothing has been altered aside from an obvious need to re-do the controls. Performing tricks will feel more familiar for Tony Hawk followers here, yet the motion options on the Wii were one of the better aspects of the game. Balancing with an analog stick eliminates the fresh feel the title gained points for on Nintendo's new hardware.

Otherwise, this is still the same Downhill Jam, aiming for a younger audience. It's nearly impossible to wipe out when landing. Randomly pressing buttons can get you through the early races as long as you pay attention to the turns. Damage is dealt by other riders who can knock you over or by hitting stationary objects that are unbreakable.

Levels are crammed with shortcuts, and in later runs, you'll need to know the position of each to make it through. Exploration is a heavy risk however. Going even slightly off course can result in race altering disorientation, and it's far too difficult to recover after hitting a wall. It's easier to reset here than it was on the Wii as opposed to taking a wipeout, but either way it's still hard to figure out the position of your character.