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Videogame
Source : Sega Dreamcast |
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Jet
Grind Radio |
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| Gameplay |
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| Overall |
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9.5 |
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Review
by JRClone |
"Hey, this isn’t like Tony Hawk at all!"
Damn straight it ain’t son, and if you’re one of those fanboys brainwashed by
the THPS juggernaut into thinking that this is another Pro Skater clone (along the lines
of Grind Session or that crappy Razor Scooter game), you’d best hit the Back button
on your browser now. This is Smilebit’s (a Sega development house) masterpiece, a
work of art, and the quintessential Dreamcast title; Jet Grind Radio is gutsy, original,
beautiful, and a poor performer in only one aspect: retail sales. Jet Grind Radio, a
rather unusual title, gets its name from the pirate broadcasting station (named Jet Set
Radio, the game’s original title) that you and your fellow gang members jam to while
peppering the mean streets of Tokyo-to with your graffiti.
This whole game is an experience like nothing you’ve ever seen in so many ways, and
succeeds in providing an experience so fun it blows everything in recent memory out of the
water in terms of sheer, unbridled entertainment.
(On a side note: This game is now retailing for ten bucks at your local retailers!
Very few people bought Jet Grind, so if you’re one of the huge number of Dreamcast
owners who don’t own this amazing title, pull that money out of your piggybanks that
you’ve been saving up for the new J-Lo album and go buy Jet Grind Radio!)
The Cel-Shaded Original
Since JGR’s release, several games have jumped on the cel-shading bandwagon (Fur
Fighters: Viggo’s Revenge, Sonic Shuffle), and with good reason. Jet Grind Radio, to
the best of my knowledge, is the first game to incorporate a completely cel-shaded game
world, an accomplishment that goes far in stressing the feel of Jet Grind Radio; the look
of the game is probably the singular element that really stands out and brings the average
gamer in. Cel-shading, for the uninitiated, is a graphical style that gives everything an
ultra-stylized, almost flat, look. Characters and environments look like something out of
a fantastical comic book, and, in fact, narration often takes place using comic book
panels and an accompanying voiceover. An accurate description of the cel-shaded look is
rather elusive, but go to any gaming site, download some JGR media, and I’m fairly
confident you will be impressed.
Cel-shading, although a neat gimmick, could not by itself create such an awesome visual
experience. I mean, cel-shading could be implemented in Barney’s Hide and Seek,
and it obviously wouldn’t have the ultra-modern, off-the-wall look of JGR.
Fortunately, the characters and environments are all superbly designed, with a futuristic
anime style that simply exudes a razor-sharp coolness. In an article I was reading
describing Jet Grind Radio, I was surprised at the brash claim of a high-ranking Sega
executive, who something along the lines of, “Jet Grind Radio could never be ported
to the PlayStation2, because the game uses too many colors for the PS2 to handle.”
That may seem like a rather outlandish statement, seeing as it comes against the most
powerful machine currently on the market, but after playing JGR, I’m inclined to
believe the Sega exec. Every area in the city of Tokyo-to (as well the New York areas,
added for the American release) looks superb. Benten-cho, the city of the night, is bathed
in neon shades of every variety, with incandescent billboards suspended from the
skyscrapers. Grind Square (an obvious replica of Times Square in New York) is buzzing with
thousands of lights that contrast with the dark shades of most of the buildings. In
Shibuya-cho, the GG’s home turf, colorful banners hang from every structure, people
and cars add to the hustle and bustle of the city, and windows shatter as you jump from
building to building. Everything in Jet Grind Radio looks so gosh darn cool, it’s
hard not to be wowed by this graphical marvel.
The GGs, a gnarly bunch who seem to be treading on everybody’s toes!
Professor K, the operator of the illegal operation that is Jet Set Radio, serves as the
omniscient presence in this hyper-stylized world, and will help explain and advance the
epic story of a ragtag rollerblading, spray painting gang known as the GGs. Through the
course of the game, playing as the half-dozen or so members of the GGs, you will go head
to head with rival gangs, the entire Tokyo-to police force, and an evil multinational
corporation that seeks to take over the entire city using an evil mythical artifact.
The story is never completely pushed in the background, and most stages will have some
immediate relation to the plot, but I honestly doubt that you’re expecting a story
driven adventure, so it won’t be too shocking when I say that Jet Grind Radio’s
story has little to do with its greatness.
This game does not have a trick system. That’s right, you heard me.
Yes, it’s true, and this may seem like a strange comment, but when everybody you know
with a Dreamcast complains about how this game “Isn’t like Tony Hawk at all. You
can’t do tricks!”, it leads to some frustration. Instead of an in-depth trick
system, JGR handles all the tricks automatically, opting for a more action-oriented spin
on things. Simply get enough air, and a backflip or some other acrobatic stunt will unfold
before your eyes. In the end, focusing on action was probably the only way to go in JGR,
given the frenetic pace of the stages.
Gameplay revolves around three actions: running, grinding, and tagging, or any combination
of the three. Running would seem simple enough, but oh, the things you’ll be running
from. Captain Onishima of the Tokyo-to PD has gone a little overboard, calling in scores
of foot soldiers, SWAT teams, dogs, helicopters, and tanks to stop the graffiti revolution
spreading throughout the city, and if this seems intense, wait until you meet up with the
foes in the second half of the game. Onishima even leads the charge personally, and,
pistol in hand, chases you across the games expansive stages.
The stages are genuinely massive, especially the later levels, so running (or grinding, if
you’ve got the skill) is integral to navigating the city and staying out of reach of
your pursuers. Participating in a heated chase with soldiers, heavy artillery, and
machete-wielding assassins is a pure adrenaline rush, and succeeds in becoming unlike
anything I have ever experienced in the gaming world.
Grinding in Jet Grind Radio is almost an art form, and it definitely follows the “a
day to learn, a lifetime to master” model. Jumping on a rail is simple enough, but
stringing together a 60-grind combo that spans an entire stage is something else. The
fantastic, extremely deep level design allows for some very intricate combos, and gamers
will be constantly pushing their skills to the limit to come up with new, amazing
arrangements of grinds. Fun, fun, fun!
To leave your mark on Tokyo-to and erase the graffiti of rival gangs like the Love
Shockers and the Noise Tanks, some dexterity will be required. Press the L button next to
any of the numerous arrows interspersed within the stages, which indicate a spot where you
can let loose with the spray paint, and you will enter what I like to call the
“graffiti mode”. Tagging a certain spot consists of several rotations of the
analog stick, but of course, you can’t spray without spray paint, and locating the
cans scattered throughout the large levels requires some level of strategic planning.
Beginners will feel more comfortable choosing characters that can carry a higher number of
spray paint cans, while veterans will probably opt for the characters with “mad
graffiti skillz”; although these characters carry less spray paint and require more
complex manipulation of the analog stick to complete a tag, their works of art can yield
some high point dividends. You can even create your own graffiti with a simple program, or
download hundreds of customized tags off the Web.
One of the few minor quibbles I have with Jet Grind Radio is that it has some control
issues. Although only one of the four face buttons (A, B, X, Y) is used, both the graffiti
action and the camera action buttons are allocated to the L trigger. This is often the
cause of some frustration, as attempting to tag a spot can sometimes result in the rather
unreliable camera going wonky. However, this is a minor complaint in the face of such a
well balanced, enjoyable gameplay system. Remaining wholly accessible and at the same time
multifaceted and complex is a tough task for any game, but Jet Grind Radio passes with
flying colors.
”I’m tryin’ to get…I’m tryin’ to get…I’m tryin
to get some sleep!”
I adore the soundtrack of this game; it’s as simple as that. Before downloading the
entire soundtrack on Napster, I could very often be found turning on my Dreamcast simply
to listen to the tracks of JGR in the BGM mode. The songs really are that good. The tunes
found in Jet Grind Radio are a mix of infectious J-Pop/techno and more Americanized rock,
and they are both the perfect background noise for every stage and some damn catchy beats
all on their own. I’m sure there are some people that won’t dig Jet Grind
Radio’s appealing beats, but I simply can’t get enough.
There really isn’t a bad sound to found in this game (well, maybe the Rob Zombie
Dragula remix). Sound effects are all great, and the sound bites each character has
provide some amusement and never get in the way. The few voice actors that extend beyond
one-liners are decidedly B-list (with the possible exception of Professor K), but
certainly unobjectionable. Jet Grind Radio’s soundtrack is truly one for the ages,
and it might not be heavy on the second rate punk rock, but I consider that a good thing.
Graffiti Soul
The biggest downfall of Jet Grind Radio is its total lack of anything multiplayer. I hate
to nitpick a game simply because it didn’t have this mode or that extra, but there is
some serious multiplayer potential that goes untapped. As it is, there is still plenty to
do. With secret characters to unlock, Jet ratings to gain (after completing each stage you
are given a rating based on your score, Jet being the highest), Graffiti Soul tokens
(These tokens are hidden throughout every level, and, when found, they unlock new graffiti
tags) to nab, and totally original tags to create, Jet Grind Radio is an easy way to waste
away quite a few hours!
The Bottom Line
Jet Grind Radio stumbles a few times with its occasionally clunky controls and lack of any
multiplayer options, but this game is unbelievably fun, surprisingly deep, and the coolest
experience the gaming world has bestowed upon me since I snapped my first neck in Metal
Gear Solid. Hell, Jet Grind Radio is so good, the mere fact that its sequel is coming
to the X-Box forced me to reconsider a console that I’ve never really liked. There is
absolutely no way to go wrong with Jet Grind Radio, so even if you think there is a better
way to spend ten bucks (i.e. a used PlayStation 2 launch title), you’re probably
wrong. |
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