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One of the problems that many of the home console franchises have when they are translated into Game Boy Advance games is they often lose their feeling of what they once were. Games like Tony Hawk, while still entertaining, doesn’t feel anything like its 3D big brothers. Sega and THQ hope to buck that trend by bringing over their Jet Grind series, which debuted on the Dreamcast. A title that was originally under a lot of scrutiny because of the basic theme of the game; In JGR your main purpose is to spray graffiti (or “tag” as it is called), while ducking the police and other rival “gangs”. Graphically Jet Grind Radio is very solid; of course it is not the slick cel-shaded look that we all now associate with the Jet Grind series. But still Jet Grind Radio for the GBA looks very stylish and does a very good job representing the style that has been established in the past titles. Furthermore, the animations for JGR are extremely fluid; there are never any slowdowns in the animations even when you get a huge group of coppers trying to catch you. The backgrounds in JGR are rich and vibrant, which are full of detail and things to interact with. While at times the areas in JGR seem a little on the smallish side, they make up for it in detail and style. The only gripe I had while playing Jet Grind Radio was that in many areas there are multi-height structures and it is hard at times to distinguish which level you are skating on. This at times can become very confusing; though it is overall a minor problem that doesn’t really hinder the game in the slightest.
Jet Grind Radio for the GBA is a very easy game to learn how to control. Skating in done by pressing which direction you want to go on the Directional pad. Also you can speed skate by holding down the R trigger and moving your character with the Directional pad, this of course make your character move faster but also makes them harder to maneuver. Jumping is done with the simple click of the B button; and by jumping towards railings you will automatically grind away. But one of the things that makes this title so fresh and unique, is how they implemented the graffiti in the Game Boy Advance version of JGR. The graffiti in JGR is not done with the simple push a button, however it is not overly complex in the slightest; a very nice balance indeed. Most similar to the original game, JGR uses the directional pad for setting up your graffiti combos; up, down, half-circle, and full-circle movements are how you do your tags in JGR. And of course I wouldn’t be doing Jet Grind Radio justice if I didn’t take the time to mention the music. JGR has some of the best music I have heard from any GBA game to date. Most of the music in Jet Grind Radio is upbeat, dance music with a touch of J-pop flavor. The music is very well done and doesn’t get old or repetitive, something that is very rare in GBA games. The bottom line is, Jet Grind Radio for the GBA is a tremendous translation of the home console versions; Sega and THQ stayed faithful to the theme and style that made the series a cult classic on the Dreamcast and most recently, Xbox. JGR for the GBA will make a fine addition to anyone’s library; and is the perfect title for the long summer days. However remember kids, even though graffiti is an art, defacing public property is a crime…
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