Jet Grind Radio
Developer: Smilebit
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Other
Platform: SEGA Dreamcast
Price: Ranges
It may seem that the Dreamcast doesn’t have many good games since it made SEGA go bankrupt, bit the main reason for that was the fact that it was facing far superior technology. Yet, a handful DC games blow away most games. One of the most original of them all is definitely Jet Grind Radio (JGR). JGR, at first glance, looks like a rip-off of the new extreme sports genre, but calling JGR a sports game is just plain wrong. JGR adds something to games, artwork. In fact, the whole game revolves around spraying graffiti around town. The gameplay can’t be described in words so much that you must play it to see. That, and a perfect blend of some of the best graphics we’ve seen, outstanding soundtrack, and a solid, and rather hard value makes this one of the best games of the year.
What exactly is JGR? Let’s start off with the story. The city of Tokyo-To is the home of a bunch of gangs, only these gangs aren’t bent on drugs or guns. They would rather spray their “tag” or graffiti across Tokyo-To showing that they own that part of town. Your gang is called the GGs and they are having “gang wars” with rival gangs like the Love Shockers. The more areas you take over, the more people will want to join your gang. The story is told through an underground radio station called Jet Set Radio where the D.J. Professor K fills in all the gaps.
As soon as you see the game, you notice a brand-new graphic technology. This new technology makes the graphics seem cartoony AKA cell-shading. These graphics are the first of its kind, and will become quite popular with some GCN games using it. (Guess so. Even Nintendo’s famed Zelda series shocked everyone with cell-shading graphics). JGR looks incredible, to say the least. The game is incredibly realistic. The textures are fantastic, and the environment is outstanding. Why can’t all games look this good? The game’s graphics rival those of early PS2 games. The character models are some of the best I’ve seen in any DC game. There is one fault; the camera is pretty bad. There isn’t even a free motion camera. It just sits behind you. The same button that centers the camera behind you also controls the spray option. Who screwed up there? There are 3 free buttons for the camera. Why not stick ‘em there?
JGR’s soundtrack is untouchable and one of the best I have ever heard. The game has a perfect blend of hip-hop, techno, and even rock songs. JGR even has some licensed music by Rob Zombie. Even a famed Japanese composer has written some fantastic original techno songs as well. It is safe to say that I play my DC just to listen to the soundtrack. JGR has some great voice work as well. In fact, it is even better in the US version. D.J. Professor K has a distinctive voice, and the radio chatter and static of the army sounds really good. Even the sound effects are quite good. But it is tough to notice them when you are busy enjoying the music.
JGR looks like an in-line skating game, but you couldn’t be any wrong. The main focus of the game is to spray your gang’s logo or tag. Some tags are small and only require 1 or stroke of the analog stick while others are large and require many, even a dozen, cans and strokes. Once you get close to the tag areas, the camera will zoon in and you will need to rotate the analog stick to spray.
The tag areas aren’t just located on the ground; some of them are on the roofs of buildings or other oddly placed areas. You will need to grind up railings to get to these places. Not only is it hard to reach the tag areas, but you have a time-limit that does nothing but count down giving it an arcade-like feel—where you can play any level and keep increasing your score. You will also have to dodge policemen, helicopters, tanks, and some annoying bearded cop guy. Fortunately for you, when you dash to gain you more speed you are invincible.
The level design in JGR is simply fantastic. You will be grinding down power-pole lines to get to tag areas. There are also tons of ramps for you to jump to get to tag areas and perform some tricks. The “trick” system in JGR isn’t advanced at all. Your character has his own set of tricks that he performs automatically if you jump at the right time. Yet tricks give you more speed, higher points, and look incredibly cool. Some levels are so big you will travel through subways, up elevators, and through junkyards just to reach certain tag areas. Not all of the game is about tagging. The more areas you tag, the more people are impressed and will want to join your gang. They will usually challenge you to a trick contest where you have to grind in the exact same areas as the character, or even race them. There are even levels where you take out rival gangs by spraying them in the face.
The default graffiti you spray is excellent enough, but there is a severely limited graphic editor. You can create, small, medium, and large size graphics, but you only get a few different fonts to choose from and hardly and background effects. Luckily, you can create your own backgrounds, but the color choice is very limiting. You can even trade your graphics over the internet and upload other people’s work.
The value for JGR is solid. The campaign is about 10-12 hours your first play though, but the challenge is tough. You can’t breeze through the levels. The levels are fun enough where you can play through them over again and try to get a higher score. There are a lot of unlockable gang members to unlock as well. The graphics editor adds a little to the value as well. The replay value, on the other hand, is high. I seem to get the urge to go back and play though this game. That is, if you can manage to beat the game the first time. Not to mention you can listen to the soundtrack whenever you want! *Two Thumbs Up*
JGR delivers what could possibly be the best Dreamcast game. The game is original and addictively fun. The visuals are top-notch with breathtaking textures and environments, fantastic character models and smooth FPS. The soundtrack is unmatched and untouchable. JGR has some of the best music of any game—with excellent licensed music and original tunes as well. The gameplay is about as good as it gets as well; blending excellent platforming elements with extreme sports, and even art. The object of the game is to spray your gang’s “tag” all over the city to reclaim it back from other rival gangs. The games biggest flaw is the camera. You can’t freely control the camera, and you center it by hitting the same button to spray your tag. The value is quite good as well, but the replay value shines. JGR is one of the best reasons yet to get a Dreamcast. It is a shame that SEGA went under. I would have loved to see more of these games then 2.
Scorecard
Presentation: A
Graphics: A+
Sound: A+
Gameplay: A
Value: B+
Tilt: A
Overall: A (96%)
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