Jet Set Radio

After much clamouring from fans, Sega has bowed to demand and is releasing a trio of classic games from it's back catalogue onto the Xbox Live Arcade. The first to arrive being Jet Set Radio. Initially released on the Sega Dreamcast back in 2000, the game sold relatively poorly but amassed a cult following due to it's unique presentation and compelling score attack gameplay. Sega had their work cut out for them if they were to deliver the port that fans would expect, and after their butchering of Crazy Taxi, and the solid but underwhelming attempts at Sonic Adventure and Sega Bass Fishing, anyone would be forgiven for thinking that this particular project would be doomed from the outset, right? Wrong. Sega have learned their lessons, and have set out to show their new found focus.

I should probably get this out of the way first; this game is hard. Brutally hard. It's a 12 year old game and it shows, as absolutely NO concessions are made to the audiences of today. No checkpoints, no 'restart level' option on the pause menu, and combined with a steep learning curve and overall difficulty, this game could quite possibly alienate a lot more people than it will charm, a statement that totally belies it's cult status. A little perseverance goes a long way however, and with some practice you'll have the basics of the game under your belt, and will be able to play the game with some semblance of competence. You aren't going to be able to breeze through the game knowing just the basics, but if you aren't put off by the difficulty at this point, you are more than likely going to invest the time needed to learn the intricate mechanics of the game, and the necessary skills needed to reach the end.

The game itself centres around the GG's, an upstart street gang and their turf struggle with rival gangs from neighbouring districts as well as the pesky authorities. You start the game as Beat, a kid on a mission to find acceptance, and after learning the fundamentals of the controls and getting a couple of followers for doing so, you're thrown into the game proper, where you'll gradually gather a gang of colourful playable characters as the game progresses, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Different characters are better suited to some tasks than others, and the game's various challenges will encourage you to try them all to find the ones you like best for any given situation.

Each area of the game can be revisited later in the game in different game types, which adds replayability. There are also collectibles called Graffiti Souls littered throughout the stages that unlock more graffiti artwork that you can choose from back at your base, and there's a smattering of hidden characters to unlock, too. For the completionist there is plenty here to work on, despite the relatively short story itself, although the average gamer will likely put it down once completed and never return, assuming they even get that far to begin with.

Going back to the tagging aspect, and by extension the gameplay itself, the crux of the game involves traversing the levels on your magnetic in-line skates, grinding rails, collecting spray paint cans, and tagging the environment with your gang's graffiti, eventually completing the level and getting a grade for your efforts. Spraying graffiti involves inputting commands with the left stick. Strings of successful inputs reward you with higher scores than you'd get if you were to complete a tag in several attempts, and whom you choose to play as also factors into this, as those with higher graffiti skill generally hold less cans and have harder inputs, but are able to reap higher scores. There are 3 different tag sizes, ranging from Small to Extra Large, which as you would imagine, become more complex as they get larger, and also require more spray cans to complete. It's very simple to understand when you actually play it, and it works very well.

As you progress through a stage, you'll face a variety of foes, from the aforementioned rival gang members, to police squads, SWAT teams and so on. As tags are not just at ground level, and some enemies can only attack you at certain heights, you are forced to go vertical to avoid potential harm, and you quickly have to develop strategies to minimise confrontation, introducing a risk/reward system. The bulk of the gameplay lies in learning the levels and learning your enemies. As a result, the game can often be a test of your resolve, but when you've bested a particularly difficult stage, the feeling of satisfaction and relief is immense.

How the characters handle and interact with the environment also factors into the difficulty, but whether or not that's a good thing is up to the player to decide. As part of a product of it's time, they show themselves to be awkward and often clunky to manoeuvre, and again, you'll need practice if you want to get anywhere near decent. Landing on rails and such can often be a hit-or-miss affair without a firm grasp of the mechanics and “nuances” of the game, an annoyance compounded by the somewhat small and cluttered levels, and for a game that is dependent on fast and efficient travel, this can feel a little unforgivable at times. Of course, it pays to remember that games of today benefit from higher production values and as a result, much higher levels of polish and focus testing, so taken objectively you can overlook this if you're willing to shoulder the burden of frustration.

In terms of presentation and performance, this game holds up incredibly well despite its age. It has a very stylised look and sound that is steeped in graffiti culture and the Japanese's obsession with western culture, and while sounding weird in principle, it feels incredibly “cool” in execution. The cel-shaded graphics that the original game pioneered still look great, if a little lo-res texture wise, with superb animation throughout, all of which has been updated to display in native 720p HD and formatted for widescreen TV's, the lack of the latter feature being a major criticism of Sega's earlier Dreamcast ports.

The soundtrack is an eclectic mix of break-beat, trip-hop, J-Pop, funk, metal, hip-hop and rock, and can only be described as bonkers. Mostly made in-house by Sega, it also features licensed acts like Rob Zombie, Mix Master Mike (of Beastie Boys fame) and Jurassic 5, only missing one track from the original soundtrack because of licensing issues. Of course, the audio has also been updated to support Dolby Digital Surround, which the Dreamcast version did not support, and is always a welcome addition.

Even the controls have been given a slight update with the inclusion of a 'free camera' option, which wasn't possible on the Dreamcast due to a lack of a second thumb stick, and it is a great addition as the standard camera can often be a nightmare to deal with. Overall there is very little to complain about here, save for some minor 'stuttering' that occurs when an achievement unlocks, but it is so brief that it hardly interferes with things, and otherwise the game runs silky smooth.

Speaking of achievements, it has to be said that much like the game it represents, this list is not for the easily dissuaded. They range from the simple (start the game), through the deceptively tricky (complete the tutorial) to the incredibly tough (finish every mission with a 'Jet' rating, complete the game without any enemy grabbing you), totalling 400 gamerscore. It's fair to say that the list will appeal to the hardcore score whores and fans of the game, but everyone else is probably going to have a tough time getting even half of them. With that said, it is a very balanced list assuming you have the required skill, or the patience to get them.

Elsewhere in the package there is a robust (if basic) graffiti creation tool if you wish to emblazon the streets of Tokyo-to with your own artwork, a documentary on the creation of the game that was made especially for this re-release, and some unlockable music from the pseudo-sequel, Jet Set Radio Future, as well as a smattering of Gamer Pictures and Avatar Awards. A pretty decent yet mostly standard offering, although the documentary is lacking in substance and new information which may disappoint fans of the series.

Overall, this game is a fantastic conversion, superbly presented and faithfully reproduced, just as the fans would expect. Newer or more casual gamers will probably fail to see the appeal because of the harsh difficulty and dated mechanics, and the quirky style of the game is not going to be to everyone's taste, but those interested who persevere will be richly rewarded with a challenging and entertaining game, faults notwithstanding. The competence displayed here certainly bodes well for the upcoming ports of Sonic Adventure 2 and NiGHTS into Dreams, and we can only hope that more classic Sega titles make the jump in the future with this much care and attention paid to them.

Overall: 8/10[/size]

Good review mate. Although every time I've tried this I've had issues with freezing, general slowdown and awful audio. Apparently it's something to do with the dashboard beta.....although I may just be unlucky. My JSR Future disc for the original Xbox stopped working after a week.

My beta dashboard gave me no issues with the game. It could just be luck that it didn't, though.

Good honest review.

Sounds too tricky for me though.

Good review mate, used to love this on the dreamcast

Spot on review mate!

I already have this on Dreamcast and am a big fan. I'll probably get this version too eventually.

great review of a great game, i only had a japanese import of the game on the DC so its great to actually understand how the play the game properly.

I only played Jet Set Radio Future on the original Xbox I think. I remember it being pretty good but stupily hard. Much prefered playing Tony Hawks 3 . Tried the trial for this and was pretty impressed with the HD treatment but don't think I'll be buying it any time soon.

Ah Jet Set Radio this was annoying back in the day. Tried the trial and realised how easy games have gotten nowadays I'm toying the idea of getting the game but I heard its going to be part of a retail game pack called the Sega Heritage iirc. =3 It's gonna have Radio, Nights into Dreams (Squeee finally) and Sonic Adventure 2 <3 I'll take on Radio when that time comes.

I had Jet Set Radio Future on the original Xbox and I couldn't get into it, so I think I'll pass - in spite of your glowing review!

It's definitely not for everyone, and I'll make no effort to pretend it is. It's certainly a niche game, but it just so happens I fit into that niche, and I feel obligated to recommend people try it

Solid review as always mister. Never played this one first time around and I've got points burning in my account, thinking of giving this one a go..... I'm about to open TH Proving Ground not sure I'll be able to be rubbish in two games at once

Nice honest review. I suppose I should try the demo as I have never played it. Probably not for me but never say never

Good review mate, if you find it hard that means it's one for me to stay clear of as I would deffo get gamer rage lmao. Graphics look pretty good on it

Anything that doesn't have frequent game saves is also not for me... I'm a rubbish gamer lol

It does save after every stage, thankfully, and it doesn't take too long to learn how to clear a stage with a low ranking so progress isn't too hard for the most part, it's getting Jet ranks that are the pain in the arse. And the sodding final boss. This game did make me swear. A lot.

TheTCD wrote:It does save after every stage, thankfully, and it doesn't take too long to learn how to clear a stage with a low ranking so progress isn't too hard for the most part, it's getting Jet ranks that are the pain in the arse. And the sodding final boss. This game did make me swear. A lot.

Ohhh, lol I'm a ding bat at the moment Still think I would kill my TV if I tried it lmao

I could have sworn I posted on here, but obviously not. Great review mate, I used to love the quirkiness of this game and always end up shouting JET SEt RADIOOOOO at random times as its stuck in my head quite often. I will be picking this up at some point in the future, either once I've finished my current personal goal or deal ot the week.

minkey_monkey wrote:

TheTCD wrote:It does save after every stage, thankfully, and it doesn't take too long to learn how to clear a stage with a low ranking so progress isn't too hard for the most part, it's getting Jet ranks that are the pain in the arse. And the sodding final boss. This game did make me swear. A lot.

Ohhh, lol I'm a ding bat at the moment Still think I would kill my TV if I tried it lmao

It was rage inducing at times for me. So many middle fingers were given to the TV. It's not for the easily frustrated, it seems. Still love it. Perhaps I'm mental.

This is one of few classics that have slipped by me over the years, so after eading the review I went and downloaded trial.

Seems pretty decent from what I played but this year has been full of so many fnatastic XBLA games that I just can't get all of the ones I want -though i'm giving it a damn good try. I will get this but right now other games have priority.