There used to be a time when video game company Sega had its own line of consoles set to impact the video game market. Unfortunately, due to poor sales and rivaling consoles from Nintendo and Sony selling much better than the latter, Sega had to pull the plug on making consoles. However, many games released on those Sega systems would find a second life in the most unexpected ways possible, and one of them was the Smilebit cult classic Jet Set Radio (Also known as Jet Grind Radio when first released in the US.) Jet Set Radio burst into gamers’ memories thanks to its timeless cell-shaded graphics, outstanding soundtrack, and funky cultural tone. Since its release in 2000, it has been ported to many PCs and modern-day consoles and continues to get more and more love as the years pass. As for me, I believe that the sequel, Jet Set Radio Future, is an even better-crafted video game, but there is still a lot to love from the original Jet Set Radio, even if some aspects of the game hold up better than others.
Told from the perspective of DJ Professor K from his pirate radio station Jet Set Radio, a new roller skating team called the GGs has just formed and is out to take over the streets from rival gang members. As the GG team gets bigger, so do the threats, as the police force led by Captain Onishima and Rokkaku of the Rokkaku Group set out to take down the rollerblading punks and look to bring order to the city.
The Story sets out to achieve its Japanese-inspired cultural tone while also taking influence from other media, such as games like PaRappa the Rapper and movies like Fight Club. The combination of inspirations shows in the final product as this story feels relevant when it was released but is also just bursting with such personality. The overall narrative is bizarre, and not everything about it makes much sense, but I didn’t care because I love how it embraces its weirdness to create something unique and memorable. Twists and turns accompany the journey to make things interesting, and the tone the game sets at the beginning carries through until the end. There is never a dull moment, and listening to DJ Professor K’s monologue is always a joy whenever I complete a level in the game. This story was a lot of fun, and its cultural tone complements the narrative to help make the game stand out from the competition.
The Characters are fun, and some are even iconic. Characters of the GGs, such as Beat Gum and Tab, may not have that many speaking lines, but it's easy to tell what their personalities are like judging by how they are presented visually. Other members that join the GGs are also the same way, such as Combo with his big boom box or Yoyo with his green hoodie. Rival gangs come into play as you battle the likes of Poison Jam, The Noise Tanks, and The Love Shockers. Enemies of the rollerblading punks, such as the insane Captain Onishima of the police force or Goji Rokkaku of the Rokkaku group, will also make decent impressions. These characters won’t be deep or thought-provoking, but they will leave quite an impression due to their simple but memorable character traits.
The Gameplay is where the game seems to excel but also falter, as many excellent things about it still hold up today, while there are also plenty of things that do make the experience lack by today’s standards. The primary mission for the main levels is to roller skate around different areas around Tokyo and find red arrows to spray graffiti to cover up a rival gang’s tag while under a time limit, avoiding the authorities, collecting extra spray cans, and collecting graffiti souls hidden in the levels. Some pieces will only need one spray can, while others require more to pull off more significant art pieces with the aid of the left thumbstick. Things won’t be easy as police forces will be hot on your trail and will continue to increase in danger as you spray more graffiti tags. On other levels, you will be pitted against rival gangs as you must chase them around different areas of Tokyo and spray their backs with graffiti to put an end to their reign of terror. Sometimes, new roller skating punks arrive to join the GGs, but for those new characters to be unlocked, the player must complete their challenges, whether copying their moves or racing to tag an area before the opponent does. Once the main story is done, the player can play as the rival gang members if they can complete a jet ranking on each challenge for a specific area of Tokyo. Now, I am more familiar with Jet Set Radio Future’s control scheme, so it was a bit of a learning curve to learn the ways of the original Jet Set Radio game. I noticed that compared to the sequel, this game is much more challenging, knowing you have to accomplish things within a time limit and the hoards of enemies trying to stop you, but the challenges are fair, and I never felt like it was impossible to finish. While the controls for spray graffiti are very satisfying, the big issue that plagues this game is the too-tight control scheme, making it hard to build up speed or grind with enough momentum. I often felt like I lost control of my grind or landed my jump wrong, all because the controls were so limiting to what I could accomplish. Despite the controls, the core gameplay ideas still work to this day, and even though the sequel would further improve the kinks, it is still impressive to see what the developers at Sega and Smilebit accomplished with the gameplay back then.
The Graphics have moved past the compliments of being exceptional and timeless; these graphics are revolutionary and would completely change how some of the most similar stylized games would present their graphics. The game uses cell-shaded graphics to present a cartoony and comic book-like appeal. The art direction is solid, and everything from the well-designed characters to the color palettes for each section of Tokyo come bursting with their personality and flair and look just as good on the Sega Dreamcast as in HD for PC and modern consoles. The character designs for the GGs and rival gangs are spectacular, and each has unique outfits, so it is easy to tell them apart. Each section of Tokyo, including Shibuya-Cho, Benten, and Kogane, is well-designed and always exciting to skate around, allowing for exploration when possible. Sure, there are some hints that this game was made in the year 2000, as there are a few cracks in the otherwise perfect visual style, but overall, this game proves that cartoony visualization holds up much better than graphics trying to capture realism.
The Music in a lot of ways, the music makes this game even more memorable. Each recorded soundtrack is mostly recored by Hideki Naganuma and each song spans multiple different music genres, such as J-pop or hip-hop, to create a more modern feel. Many memorable tracks such as “Let Mom Sleep,” “Sweet Soul Brother,” “Rock It On,” and more will never leave the gamer's ears even after the game is over. It's arguably one of the best video game soundtracks for a reason, as it makes a name for itself by doing something modern and relevant but also timeless at the same time.
I prefer Jet Set Radio Future to the original Jet Set Radio. However, this game still works tremendously, thanks to its timeless art direction and passionate Japanese cultural influence with such a unique soundtrack. Sure, the controls for the game haven’t aged as well as the graphics themselves, but it's easy to work around them after some trial and error. It is much harder to finish, but the challenge is worth it to continue the story and unlock new characters and graffiti tags. Undoubtedly, this game will continue to influence many similar games of its kind. Though Sega has abandoned this franchise in favor of their more popular Blue Hedgehog, the legacy of this game and its sequel will live on in gamers across the globe.
(Final Grade: A-)