racing and flying

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.

Anyone remember Road Rash? The game where you had to fight almost as much as you had to race in order to win? Well, Downhill Domination is basically Road Rash on bikes. With fierce fighting while on your bike while you race some seriously steep and crazy courses. All the meanwhile whih crazy stunts and a fast framerate and sense of speed(something Road Rash series had lacked because of the old technology back then) It will also have a 4 player splitscreen mode so bring 3 other friends to race you. This game is made by the team responsible for Twisted Metal 1, Twisted Metal 2 and TM:B so you know it's gonna be wild and with the recent praise and high scores from gaming magazine EGM, it looks like this one is one to watch out for.

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.