Jet Set Radio Review – I am Grinding Flawlessly

            When I was surfing through the net I read the news of Jet Set Radio being re-released in HD for Xbox 360, PS3 and Vita I was ecstatic. I was really happy to see Sega had decided to release one their best games ever made. When this game released I went to read the reviews mainly on IGN and Gamespot. I could not believe what I saw, IGN gave it a 7.5 while Gamespot’s was terrible by giving it a 4.5. It honestly showed that these reviewers didn't like the game and felt that the game was too challenging for them and didn't take the time to learn how to actually play the game. It’s seems they gave the game a bad review because they completely sucked in that game. This I feel you shouldn't do as a professional because it’s mostly your fault not the game. I also didn't remember the controls ever being bad as they described. Fast forwarded to a few months I decided to buy the game when it went on sale for $5. When I finally played I started to feel angered that the reviews butchered on how bad the controls were, when they weren't really bad at all. The controls were still the same but with a slight improvement of the second analog. Yeah I had little moments of getting frustrated with moving the character or camera a few times. But after I got the hang of it I was able to grind through the game flawlessly. Now that I finally let the air out of bashing this game I think it’s time for my in-depth review.

               Jet Set Radio was released on the Dreamcast in the year 2000. When it was released it was considered the most beautiful and unique (as it is still is today) of all time. This cell shaded game had many vibrant colors and a beautiful shade of art on the graffiti and characters as well. It was also acclaimed for many awards of its uniqueness.

   

               In this game, you played as the GG’s rollerblading through the streets of Tokyo-to and spraying graffiti on the walls. During the game you go against three rival gangs (Poison Jams, Noise Tanks, and Love Shockers) and getting stop by the cops and later on the Rhinos. You also meet Professor K who gives you snoops as he’s going on. He always seems to make you laugh and enjoy the story or feel of the game quite well. Also in the game you challenge new characters to play as by copying their moves or racing them to unlock them. By the end of the game, you meet Combo and Cube from Grind City who are looking for their friend that got kidnapped by The Rhinos. I don’t know why but he’s somehow never found (I remember him just betraying his friends and running away) and is completely forgotten about at the end of the game. It’s kind bad for story direction and I was kind of hoping to play as him.

               The graphics in this HD version are very clean and crisp. It really makes me think that this is the best looking HD game as of right now. Sega really cleaned out any of dirty sprites or blocks that these characters and stages had. It still has the characters’ blocky edges which I don’t think can be rid of unless they start from scratch.

               The controls are pretty much the same as the Dreamcast version except the 2^nd analog that helps you moved your character or camera at a good spot to help you grind or reach the rails better. This right analog control really helped me out. For example, when I challenged Garam I was able to jump to the other rail by moving the right analog without going too far and missing it. I was playing the Xbox 360 version so it had, A to jump, LT to spray and RT to speed up. You also had to move the left analog in different directions when it came to spraying big graffiti. It can be a little jarring at times. But I just simply use my right hand over the left analog. I use to do this in the Dreamcast days and it always made spraying more easily for me.  The most thing people tend to complain about is the camera and the character movement. Because the camera sometimes moves into an angle you can’t see and the character moves too far to the left and right when he jumps, making you missed the rails. Also, the camera doesn’t allow you to look around of the stage. It just fixes even when moving the right analog, which can be a pain when it doesn’t work. The thing about this game is you have to get skilled or get the hang of the controls. Once you do, you will forget or get over with the errors. Besides the game is fairly easy even with the big O’ tanks and helicopters are attacking you. I think the only time I got really got frustrated was at the last stage. Because it has a record player spinning on floor as you skate, which it can get you really dizzy. The game is very easy to get through and I managed to beat it in 12 hours. My favorite characters were Garam, Slate, Cube, Beat and Gum because they were very fast, smooth and carried a lot of cans. The other characters were okay. I didn’t get the chance to unlock the rival gangs and Pots. But I remember back in the Dreamcast days, he was the worst character ever! There is also  creating a graffiti mode. But it doesn’t really work out so well. So I prefer to just choose the big selection of graffiti once you get the graffiti souls.

               The level design is still looking pretty good with the HD graphics and I still feel they were very big compared to some newer games today. It wasn’t open world status, but it was big enough to run around freely. I really don’t understand what the reviewers were complaining when it came to level design. The only complaint I had was that I wish Grind City was much bigger like the others.

               The best thing about this game was the music because it really fits well with the game. I even sometimes sing out loud the songs as I’m playing (laughs). The music gives out a mixture of 90’s rap/hip hop, rock and techno. My favorite songs were Dracula, Rock it on, and Sweet Soul Brother. Sega managed to only miss two songs in this version which were only in the PAL version. So, I really didn’t care for it. 

               When I finish the game, I immediately started to play Jet Set Radio Future on my 360. I wish Sega managed to make an HD version of this game. So, they can fix all the massive slow down on some of the stages. I noticed some the quite differences I miss between the two games like being able to speed up because the boost really doesn’t help you out. I also missed using the analog and fighting the bad guys while spraying  because it made it more challenging. I also didn’t like the soundtrack as much of the first once. It was a better and much easier game. But it just made me miss a few things and the only great improvement was adding rollerblading tricks, better graphics and bigger stages. The characters also controlled better too.

               So, I really enjoyed playing this game and it really gave me flashbacks of playing back in the old days. But now I’m once again gushing for a sequel and now an HD version of Jet Set Radio Future. I am going to give this game a 9.0. I really hope you liked my first review and continue to read many more. Also, give me some comments below!