It is virtually impossible to discuss Downhill Domination without making numerous references to the SSX series (from EA Sports Big), so there is no point trying to avoid such references in a review. Plus, it is quite likely that a player of Downhill Domination will have at least moderate familiarity with the SSX series.
Downhill Domination is the latest entry into the extreme sports genre popularized by SSX. SSX and its sequel SSX tricky focus on snowboarding, featuring over-the-top stunts and extremely personable characters, along with combat and numerous gameplay modes/challenges. Downhill Demolition is the same, except that it focuses on mountain bike racing.
Like the SSX series, Downhill Domination features several "initial" characters, plus others which must be unlocked. In the SSX series, more characters become available based upon total number of wins (with all unlocked characters); in Downhill Domination, however, bonus characters are unlocked by defeating various gameplay modes/challenges. Further, Downhill Domination includes several mountain biking celebrities as bonus characters.
In terms of characters, however, the SSX series (and SSX Tricky in particular) does a far better job of giving each character a personality. To some extent, the characters in Downhill Domination are essentially "the same." This is in part due to only-mediocre voice-acting, and in even greater part to the rather scant "phrasebook" allotted per character; this last point is particularly noticeable in longer events (such as Technical Downhill races) as the player's chosen character keeps saying the same catchphrase over and over and over and over and over and...
Like the SSX series, Downhill Domination has a great array of courses available. Courses are located on mountains in Italy, USA (three areas), Peru, Russia, Scotland, Japan, and Canada; each mountain is extremely different from the others, although the courses on each mountain are relatively similar. With the exception of Mountaincross courses, all the courses are extremely vast, with numerous alternate paths to be taken; Mountaincross courses are rather "linear," with alternate paths a rare find.
There is definitely plenty of action in Downhill Domination. With precious few exceptions, there is NO time for the player to "rest" on a course; obstacles and tight corners are seemingly everywhere. When in a pack with the other competitors, there is also a great tendency for opponents to fight the player (literally) during the descent, so the player must be wary of others at all times. Further, many of the obstacles on the courses are MOVING: spectators, animals, rockslides, and even vehicles can easily slow the player's character or cause a massive bone-breaking collision.
Extras abound in Downhill Domination. Some extras (such as new courses, bonus characters, and character-specific videos) are unlocked by continually winning. Others, however, can be purchased in the Bike Shop. Some of these extras provide cool visual effects, while others provide a means to customize the gaming experience to some extent. Some bonus levels can be purchased, such as the Moshbowl. Non-character videos can also be purchased, and better bikes can be purchased as well. However, the player should not expect to simply win a handful of races and be able to acquire the best buyable extras in the game; A LOT of time and numerous races are required to obtain the best extras.
One area where Downhill Domination truly stands out, however, is the game manual. Rarely is a game manual as informative about the tiny details of the game!!! Tips are scattered throughout the manual, which also details exactly how to unlock (or how much it will cost to purchase) every possible extra in the game. Representative screenshots and excellent artwork fill virtually every page. Finally, the back cover of the game manual lists half of the sixty-four tricks available in the game, providing the player with a handy quick-reference guide which is extremely useful when participating in the Freestyle Career; this same information is located within the game manual as well.
Without a doubt, Downhill Domination is among the top games released in 2003. In the extreme sports genre, only the SSX series (SSX Tricky in particular) is superior and even that is solely due to the personalization of the characters. This will definitely grab and keep a player's attention, and certainly raises the bar for the extreme sports genre.
Now, EA Sports Big must answer the challenge.
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I am absolutely shocked that this game did not get more press or a dedicated fan base. This game is fast, fun, and the environments are awesome. The week it came out, the people at the store where I preordered it from were sick of me phoning to ask when it was coming in!!!
Choose a character, like Cosmo (from the UK) or Mai (from Japan) and a bike and get riding! You can choose from a variety of careers or just race a single race. Then hope on your bike and start riding!
Characters
Other than their name, basic stats, and country of origin, there isn't a lot to know about the characters. You have the opportunity to unlock additional characters, including real-life downhill pro riders. (Is it just me, or does Lisa Lopes look like Xena on steroids?)
Story
This game doesn't have a story, so much as it has different racing courses for you to unlock. The range of available courses is amazing. It includes:
* Mt. Liddleroch in the Scottish highlands, complete with castles and monks
* Mt. Zorkovaska in Russia, with snow and military bases
* Red Pass in USA, modeled after the beautiful rock features one can find in states like Utah
Although there isn't a ''mission'', the game has an awesome range of careers: Mountain Cross, Freeride, Arcade, Race, Technical, and more!
You can also upgrade your bicycle in the Bike Shop, which provides a wide range of tires, shocks, and frames. The Shop also provides a list of your sponsors (which you acquire the more you achieve in each of the various careers). You can also buy Extras, some of which can greatly enhance your biking stats!
Graphics and Sound
Wow, wow, wow. For a title that listed at $39.99 at its release, the graphics are far better than I imagined. No slowdown, no loading times within levels, and great detail on both the characters and the environments.
I usually hate the ''popular'' music that accompanies games (with THPS being the rare exception), but the music that comes with DD is far better than I expected. I usually mute the music on racing games, but this game is enhanced by the soundtrack.
Will This Gather Dust?
There are a lot of things to unlock in this game -things that I will not spoil the surprise with in this review. It has a high replay value for me, as I play it at least an hour or so a week, even 4 months after its release.
Overall Recommendation:
If you like downhill sports racing (Freekstyle, SSX, Amped, 1080), you'll like this.
If you like tight controls and cool tricks, you'll like this.
If you like realistic sports simulations, you'll like this.
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Downhill mountain biking is relentlessly fast, extremely dangerous, and not for the faint of heart. Same goes for Downhill Domination, which delivers more frantic speed thrills than most extreme games. It's neither inaccurate nor an insult to call Downhill Domination "SSX on dirt." Not only do players choose one of 14 characters and careen down 27 enormous international mountains while busting tricks, smacking opponents, and collecting power-ups, but the controls are nearly identical, too. All stunts are performed with the shoulder buttons plus Triangle as a modifier (and it's not always comfortable). As you earn cash, you'll upgrade your bike and unlock goodies. Downhill Domination features an incredible sensation of speed and a canted camera that will make you leave your stomach at the top of the mountain. Narrow trails, treacherous terrain, and the fast gameplay really ratchet up the tension-it's hard to keep up, and you almost forget to do tricks in the mad scramble to stay upright. Avoiding polar bears, mountain goats, hikers, vehicles, and maybe even a sasquatch or two is all part of the frantic fun. Less enjoyable is the amazingly blatant product placement-bike brands like Trek and Specialized make sense, but while you pedal, billboards for online auction sites and energy bars peddle under the guise of earnable sponsorships. Gamers will tire of it quickly, along with the repetitive voice quips and lackluster music-whee, rap about bicycles! Action-sports junkies should at least rent Downhill Domination to experience its admirably difficulty and teeth-rattling sense of chaos. It's not for the weak.
Honest reviews on Downhill Domination
Downhill domination is one of the best games I have ever played in my life. After you get past the menu (I had a little trouble starting a new game with a character) and choose from one of many different games such as a single event, like a race; the superjump; a career; and a mosh bowl (do I need to explain?) you enter the bike shop where you start the game by choosing a brand-name, real-life bike, from a well-known manufacturer such as Specialized, GT, Giant, and Karpiel; buy special unlocks with the money you make racing opponents, winning races, etc.; view your sponsors and "resume'," and customize bikes with a wide variety of brand-name parts.
From there you can choose from one of nine mountains, each with three different tracks, and then start throwing yourself off cliffs hundreds of feet tall and speeding down rocky trails in speeds excess of sixty miles per hour. Earn points by doing tricks, modifying them in hundreds of ways, and knocking opponents off bikes by kicking, checking, and hitting them with homing water bottles.
I will say it one more time, this is one of the greatest games I have ever played. I highly reccomend you discover this game for yourself, it is worth it.
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I love this game! I usually [am bad] at racing games so I don't usually like them but this game is so fun. My husband and I sit and play it every night before we go to bed. Be careful though because it's addictive.
