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"With the untimely
departure of a great system; the Sega Dreamcast produced
some of the finer games to hit any console. Anticipating
the hyped prequel, I ran out and purchased an XBOX,
solely for this game..."
Intro
Way back in 1999, the Sega Dreamcast was at its
prime. The Japana-converted Jet Set Radio hit the
US market under the name Jet Grind Radio. Sega
has always been known to produce some
"alternative" styled games, and this was no
different. Spraying graffiti all over the place on
roller blades, seemed like a hit-or-miss effort.
Thankfully for us gamers, it was a dead on hit.
Not only did JGR allow us to experience a new
type of gameplay, it also introduced us to a new style
of graphics. JGR was the first to fully use cell
shading. Cell shading is a cross between 2D and 3D
with contrasting colors. It is very similar to your
Saturday morning cartoons (well when I was a kid
cartoons only came on Saturday... never mind). The
style is a nice change of pace, and other new games are
taking advantage of the process. While Cell Damage
is the only game to totally use cell shading; other
games on the market use it in conjunction with standard
3D graphics.
With the 2002 release of Jet Set Radio, I
couldn't hide my excitement. Those who remember the old
game, much is the same but with some improved eye candy.
The storyline is basically the same: Cyber city,
Tokyo is overrun by a crazed corporation who wants to
take over the city. The corporation owns the law
enforcement, and want to take out all of the graffiti
spreading youths. Our rasta-man DJ Professor K
spins some tunes in the underground and gives vital
information on the streets. To overcome the levels, you
not only have to deal with the Gouji police, but also
other rival gangs; competing for the same strips of
land.
Jet Grind Radio v.2.0
Much is the same when it comes to the gameplay, and it
mixes most of the old with some new twists. Your basic
control is the same: collect spray paint cans, spray
graffiti and dodge the bad guys. The biggest change is
the ability to grind. Previously, grinding took a great
deal of skill to keep it going; but now it is as easy as
jumping. Grind sessions are long and complex, and the coolest
way to get from point A to point B.
Since the XBOX controller is somewhat similar to
the Dreamcast controller, much of the control was
nicely ported. The left analog stick controls your
skater’s speed and direction and the right analog
stick changes your first person perspective view. The
left trigger centers the camera (thank heavens)
and the right trigger allows you to spray graffiti. If
you have played JGR you will notice spraying
graffiti is much simpler. Before to spray a large
graffiti it required you to use a combination of
movements (half circle's and button combinations).
Now, it will automatically do what is needed. This is a
good thing and a bad thing. The positive is that it
keeps the game fast and furious, but negatively it
detracts a bit from the skill involved. It's a toss up,
but overall I like the concept.
The dash was also replaced with the spray
boost. This takes collected cans of spray paint and
uses them as compressed force giving you some serious
speed. The downside is that it really sucks your supply
of paint up, but in return you can really motor. Not
only can you go super-fast, you can also charge into
opposing police, knocking them silly. Much of the game
deals with coping with the onslaught of Rokkaku forces,
so bullying them around takes skill and patience. One
nice advantage of Jet Set Radio Future is the
fact you can spray anywhere at anytime.
This lets you spray (offensively) rival gangs and
annoying police. As mentioned your only other attack
methods are either jumping on them or using the spray
boost.
Tony Hawk and the magical spray can
This time around you can actually perform tricks. While
it's not as complex as a Tony Hawk game, it is a
nice change of pace from the previous version. Using
combinations of your controller and the "X"
and "Y" buttons, allow you to pull off some
nice moves. These moves aren't only nice to look at,
many times it will allow you to reach new heights and
areas unreachable by normal jumps.
As nice as some of the tricks are, the real
meat-and-potatoes behind the game is still the unmatched
gameplay. Much of the game deals with
"tagging" rival gangs and law enforcement to
complete areas. At other times, you simply have to
"mark" your territory by following locations
on the map. The staple of the gameplay follows the same
principles as the first, but with some nicely added
bonuses that really makes this game unique and with
substance. Sega and Smilebit took out the
frustrating time limits, which freed up the linear
gameplay and allowed you to roam at your free will.
The game is much bigger than I imagined, easily out
shadowing JGR. In the middle of the city lies
your "base", and new and old characters (12
in all) meet up there. Surrounding your base is the
entire city, which different sections are unlockable;
depending on where you are. There are eight different
"levels", each with rich gameplay and
complexity. In these levels you are given certain tasks
(as mentioned before), but there are also a fair
deal of mini-games. These include collecting items (a
la Tony Hawk) and finding secret areas and missions.
To be truthful, becoming fully accustomed to the
controls there is a slight learning curve. For those
familiar with the first game, this should come second
nature. But, for the most part getting used to grinding
and spraying at high speeds can be somewhat taxing.
However, once into the meat of the game, you should
start warming up to the controls. The only real negative
I've found (which could be translated into a positive)
is the enormously of the levels. Sometimes levels become
confusing and knowing where to go becomes frustrating.
Since the game is not limited to one plane of play,
there are different areas to explore. This can be
anything from the ground to 20 stories in the air.
Finding these points is challenging, but in the same
breath incredibly frustrating.
The other issue that seems to plague games such as this
is the dizzying camera angles. For the most part, most
of these issues were ironed out, but still seem to be an
anathema at times. At certain points, the camera will
flicker and spin, leaving you all but helpless. Still,
the improvement made in JSRF are head and
shoulders above the original in the series. With the
help of the centering button, most of this should not
effect average gameplay, and since the speed is much
greater in JSRF you won't have time to breathe
aside from thinking about camera angles.
One last addition is the introduction of a multiplayer.
The multiplayer consists of a variety of mini-games and
allows you to have up to four players going at one time.
The concept is nice, and the performance is right on,
but much of the flavor of the game is lost. The real
lure of the single player mode, is the sense of freedom
and exploration. Most of this is lost, and you are
forced to rely on chance and random events to produce an
outcome. Overall, it is a nice addition to the
game, but nothing strong enough to make it a great party
game.
The music will set you free
I usually start this section with descriptions of the
visuals, but in this case the music supercedes
everything else. While I was more than impressed with
the original musical score, JSRF is leaps and
bounds better than the original. Hard to believe
I know, but the background music was simply
unbelievable. This is the best audio track
released on any console... EVER! I really can't
say enough about the futuristic, Japana-techno, rave,
industrial, rap score... The music is so good, that I
know I will be snaking a copy of the soundtrack. It
really sets the tone for a great game, and will keep
your head bobbing from start to finish.
Sound effects are also solid, but nothing comparable to
the BGM. Most of the voice-overs are comparable to JGR
with some nice added vocal effects. Sound effects are
also on the same level as the first, just with added
sounds. The sound effects are average, and keep pace
with the action. The bottom line is that you will be so
hooked on the music (give it an hour or so)
everything else will become secondary.
Visually, Smilebit opened the floodgates of cell
shading. Even more impressive than the Dreamcast
version with dynamically changing shadows and
environments. The backgrounds are beautiful. Once you
get past the sweet character animations, the backgrounds
are immense and gorgeous. Other small details have been
addressed, such as; people and birds scattering as you
fly by them and ambient fog and lighting effects as you
whiz by venders. For most people who played the first in
the series, you might think on how someone can improve
cell shading. Well, it looks better than ever, and
really shows the power of the XBOX. Graphically,
the game is nothing but eye candy for the soul and
blazes at a whopping 60FPS... hang freakin' on my
friends.
66 Says:
I know I compared Jet Set Radio Future to its
predecessor, Jet Grind Radio. For that I
apologize, simply because its not fair for those who
never played the first. It was difficult to do by not
comparing it to the original. Nevertheless, this is a
game that can be enjoyed by everyone. For those who have
played and loved the first, will still get a kick out of
the XBOX version, and will get a buzz from the
fumes you leave. And for those who never were lucky
enough to play the first, I envy you, for you will have
an experience all your own.
JSRF is the combination of great control, unique
gameplay, killer graphics and a soundtrack to die for.
This justifies a full-fledged purchase. A rental would
not nearly give you enough time to complete. In fact, it
took me about 20 hours to beat the game the first time
around. The multiplayer was decent, but lost its luster
a few hours into it. I hope you have the chance to pick
this game up, and experience what a real game is
like.
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