When I look back at the Dreamcast’s library of hits, there is one title that stands out most strongly in my memory. It was a game that was unapologetically odd, with a unique art style, a funky soundtrack, and gameplay unlike anything I’ve experienced.

“Jet Grind Radio” is a standout game worthy of praise, even a decade after release.

Titled “Jet Set Radio” in Japan, “Jet Grind Radio” is set in a slightly futuristic world in which gangs of street hooligans, dubbed “rudies”, roam the streets of Tokyo tagging up their city with their neon art and vying for control from rival gangs. The game centers around a new gang called the GG’s and covers their fight to drive out the other gangs and take the city for themselves.

As you progress through the city, the police struggle to crack down on your shenanigans, with increasingly ridiculous force. Utilizing everything from swat teams with tear gas, to tanks, to suicide bombers; it is apparent that the antagonists will stop at nothing to rid the city of street art.

The game’s plot takes off in a suitably odd direction that I found to be quite enjoyable, albeit simplistic. Narrated by the incredibly eccentric Professor K, DJ for the game’s eponymous radio station, the game’s entire cast is odd, but in a lovable sort of way. The rival gangs also have interesting designs, with the Noise Tanks being my personal favorite.

The music is a very high point for the game. Featuring an incredibly diverse selection of songs, you won’t find a soundtrack like this anywhere else. Songs like Funky Radio and Let Mom Sleep are standouts for me, but each song is unique and interesting. Some new songs were added to the soundtrack when it came to the US, most of which sound good, except for Dragula by Rob Zombie, which is just darn out of place. The game also features transitions between the songs which makes it sound as though it has been mixed by an actual DJ, making each song flow into each other without a pause. All in all, it’s an excellent selection, and worth owning the soundtrack to, even if you aren’t into game music.

Graphically, the game uses a stylistic, cel-shaded look to make the game look like an animated comic book, full of exaggerated styles and really give the world of Jet Grind Radio life. I especially enjoy the fact that each character is quite different from the last, with some (Slate) bordering on absurd. Since it has such a stylish aesthetic, the graphics still hold up rather well, with a few exceptions (The Love Shockers faces, for one). Colors are bright, hair is massive, and everything has that unique sense of Japanese oddness.

When it comes to gameplay, the game features some shining points, and some real rough spots. The gameplay consists of you skating around in roller blades, grinding along rails and getting SWEET AIR off jumps During your x-treme trip around the city, you will spend your time tagging billboards, trucks, and anything else with a flat surface with graffiti. Larger types of graffiti require more spray cans, and take more time. Luckily, spray cans are plentiful and re-spawn quickly, so you don’t really need to worry about hoarding them.

Unfortunately, the game suffers from a common malady. The wonky camera. It is unfortunate that they decided to link the same button for “spray” and “recenter camera”, which means if you hit the button too early, you will just send the camera whipping around behind you instead of doing anything productive. This can also cause problems if you’re running from the cops. As you try to recenter the camera to take a certain route, you may accidentally start spraying, which will get you some guaranteed damage.

There are also some points later on in the game where it begins to chug, as there is just a little too much going on in certain sections, but these are few, and last only for a short period of time. Additionally, the game forces you to backtrack at a certain point and revisit all the previous levels, which becomes tedious. There are some levels with absurd difficulty spikes due to the size of the area and the kinds of enemies thrown at you.

With that said, the gameplay manages to be fun and challenging simultaneously. Learning the exact pattern you want to spray the city so as to maximize your time and score, and minimize contact with the fuzz keeps levels interesting. All the while you can scour the city for new pieces of art to use, with 102 different pieces of street art available. There is also a ranking system for each level, and rewards of unlockable characters for higher rankings. You can also revisit earlier levels to complete challenges, so there is actually quite a lot to do.

As it stands, the game is fairly cheap, and worth a play-through at the least. It’s definitely a game that should be experienced, and is well deserving of its cult status.

Tags: action, Dreamcast, Jet Grind Radio, Jet Set Radio, platformer, Sega Dreamcast

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 at 8:00 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.