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EA Sports Must Answer the Challenge

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 15
Date: August 18, 2003
Author: Amazon User

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.

Jet Moto + Road Rash = Downhill Domination

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: August 27, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Actually, I imagine there's probably some other video game added into it, but I've only played Jet Moto, Road Rash, and Downhill Domination for comparison purposes.

Yes, you can attack competitors and friends alike (there's even a convex royal rumble event for up to four players plus bots).

Yes, you can perform stunts (1080 backflip + special + extreme + no-hands = POINTS!!!)

Yes, this game has it's own tutorial (so you're prepared even if you don't have the instructions, or don't want to read them)

Yes, this is the best game to spend your money on!

Race down 24 different courses with nearly a dozen competitors, up to three friends (1-4 players), on several different paths to fame (six or seven that I recall), unlocking many bikes and upgrades (I know of 14), getting PRO bikers, more stages, more soundtracks, more tricks/effects/oddities, and even more!!!

But the race is half the fun; when you're not dodging or attacking your competition/friends, you have natural obstacles like trees, fences, wildlife (some that attack!), hikers, onlookers, trucks, tanks (!!!), waterfalls, lakes, lava (!!!), sinkholes, and lightning (!!!)

But don't watch the eye-candy-scenery for too long, there's a race to win!

Ok, stop reading, and buy it!!! I doubt you'd regret it!

Pretty good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: July 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

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.

SSX on bikes, but also a game of its own.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: August 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

When I first heard about this game coming out, which wasn't to far before the release, I was pretty excited. I have been downhill biking for some time and to here a game coming out for the sport I was pretty thrilled, but I doubted it's greatness and I thought it would let my hopes down. It turned out to be far from.
The game's smoothness and it's relativity to real bikes is great and it never faulters. The graphics could do with a little work but they weren't a problem at all. The tricking system is also flawless, a bit unrealistic, but would it be fun if it was relistic? Thats what makes it a video game. The combat system is very key to the game and kicks it up a notch. I also love how much interaction is on the mountains. There are hikers, cars, tanks, soldiers, workers, deer, sheep, cows, llamas, bears, and even big foot.
Sometimes the game gets frustrating. You crash an awful lot and sometimes when you crash you restart right infront of the object which you colided. This doesn't happen enough to make the game any worse. The one thing I really disliked was the sound track.
This game is great and highly addictive. You come across rain, snow, lava, and everything in between. The 24 levels never let up and will have you at the edge of your seat.

Realistic Downhill Racing, Minus the Road Rash

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: July 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

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.

Best game this year

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Downhill Domination combines the fantasy effect of SSX and the reality of downhill mountain biking. The controls are easy . If you aren't the most avid gamer you can easily beat the whole game by just setting the game on the easiest level, but still can be set to a very challenging level for experienced gamers. It features actual bikes from brands like GT, Trek, Foes, etc. You can also achieve sponsors like Sobe, Amazon.com, Smith, Oakley, and more. Races include Freeride (long courses where the jumps are natural hits and cliffs), Technical Downhill (Tight racecourses with rocks and trees in the path), and MX (the motocross of mountain biking). You run into tourists and animals, houses and spas, rivers and lava, snow and ice, and tanks and infantry; yet all fit accordingly. You can do tricks and flips from quick backflips and supermans to wheelies. You can also achieve pro riders like Tara Lanes and Eric Carter and their bikes. This game is flawless.

They should have called this Downmounting Domination

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: June 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Great game. Realy fun, and funy. Some of the "bicycles" there is, are a lamma, deer, and a sheep!
Lots of great levels, great bikes, perfect game to do a lot of tricks. Deffenetly a fun game for all ages.
I read that there making Downhill Domination 2!
It will be realy funny if they would call it Uphill Domination. LOL!!!
Belive me when you will play this game, it wont fill like your riding on a hill, it will fill like your riding on a mounting!
You will never get tired of this game. I dont think I have to tell you to not try this at home! Or outside.
:-)

I'm a REAL mountain biker

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: November 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Being a mtn biker, and this has to be the first mtn biking game in a while; it's alot of fun, and I can relate to some of the more realistic stuff in the game .... racing and riding (not doing 100 - 400 foot drops and getting HUGE air)

But honestly, actuall mtn biking is SO much better than any game. That's why there are so few mtn biking games out. I reccomend playing this game when you can't ride or just got back from one, but actually riding is always so much better. You probably won't be able to do the stuff in this game, but you can definitely get to be a better biker and do technical downhill singletracks, learn some cool tricks and what not.

You can always ride, if it's dark you have a light, if it's raining then you have water proof clothing, if it's day time then you CAN go commando but it's not reccomended.

I LOVE THIS GAME!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

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.

Best Extreme Sport Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 18, 2003
Author: Amazon User

With tons of levels, bikes, and players this game is a taste of the future. By your way through the game with tons of bikes, secret levels, etc. BUY THIS GAME! You will not regret it. WARNING: If you don't like to fall over 200 feet off a cliff don't buy this.

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