Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Downhill Domination

Written by Tony Kennetz on June 26, 2003

First Impressions: ЕOr as it is better known, domination that goes downhillЕ

Incog just keeps going out on new tangents on their developing path. They went from putting out crazy motor mayhem with Twisted Metal: Black, to unleashing B-Movie wanna-be monsters in War of the Monsters, to now creating downhill motocross's answer to Tony Hawk. It boggles the mind when you have to think about it, how do they manage to go from genre to genre and still kick out great games? Don't look at me like I know, all that I can tell you is that they do it and DD is looking like no exception, as SCEA and Incog boast, it's the first game of its kind one a next-gen system.

At least it's the first of its kind in this sub-genre. Honestly it's hard to say it doesn't share a lot in common with games like Tony Hawk and Freakstyle. That's alright though, because spin-offs and the like are always welcomed if they are done correctly. Incog is looking to make sure that it is done right which can be quite easily seen in the details that have been supplied to the public.

Step one on the path to making some needed adjustments to the genre formula was adding more originality to the upgrade system you see in most extreme sport games. You know what I'm talking about, the lame little screen where you move the bar back and forth to make your character better. Well, I can't say the format is going to be gone, but I know that you'll get a lot more stuff to upgrade and buy. Anything you can think of will be open to customization, from bike parts to tricks to combat moves. That's right, combat moves. Kick, punch, and even throw a water bottle at the enemy! Add to that the fact that you'll be competing for corporate dough in the form of sponsorships and you have yourself a formula for blood boiling rivalries, if the development team decides to give some form of story.

But you can't have bitter competition without a good cast of characters, so here we have 14 riders (including 5 professionals) for the taking. Each has their own pattern of riding and skills, so each experience will be different. Having a big group of characters certainly isn't anything new to the genre, but it is still prerequisite and SCEA is letting us all know they plan to meet it.

Bikers need a quality places to let their inner menaces inside run free, and those menaces are going to get a lot of playtime because they're going to be surrounded by playgrounds. Incog is promising 27 courses on nine worldwide mountains. Not only that, but there will be three different styles of courses as well, including mountain, classic racing and Freeride. Look out for suburban streets, tropical paradises, frigid alpine mountains and others to tear up. Oh, and did I mention you're going to be going after these courses at over 60 miles per hour? Well, you are, and on a bike that's moving pretty fast.

Fully interactive weather patterns and ground conditions will also play major factors in your racing strategy. If it is raining outside, it will be important to take the turns slowly so as to not plow over the edge or off your bike. And you'll need to watch out for those dastardly rockslides (and presumably avalanches) or they'll just brush you aside like the petty little human you are.

You'll be hitting the dirt, concrete and snow in a variety of modes, including your basics and a few others that really managed to catch my eye. The biggest of them being the Custom Tournament Editor and Specialized Career. Could we be seeing some evolution in how we go through single and multiplayer extreme games? We'll have to wait and see if the modes are really that different from the norm.