Sega's back with Jet Set Radio and it was well worth the wait.
Graffiti is art. Graffiti as vandalism is a crime. Graffiti in a video game is pure bliss. Sega may be out of the hardware business, but they are proving once again that they remain one of the very best software houses in the world. Jet Set (Grind) Radio was a cult favorite on the Dreamcast, and now Jet Set Radio Future is destined for greatness on the XBox.
It's been a while since I last played the original Jet Set Radio, and I shamefully do not have a copy of it anymore. I remember singing the praise at the time of the innovative cel-shaded graphics. I suppose I didn't imagine that it could look much better, but boy was I wrong. Jet Set Radio Future (JSRF) is one of the most visually stunning and aesthetically pleasing video game I have ever had the privilege to lay eyes on. The environments are so large and full of life. Pedestrians, cars, and birds are constantly moving, acting and reacting to your actions accordingly. Skyscrapers line the horizon, and when you are looking around in the first person view, you'll see buildings that could be over a scale mile away. In Rokkaku-dai Heights it's possible to see the ground (without any noticeable loss in detail) through a grate on a platform when you are some 10 stories up.
What surprised me was that the extra geometry added to JSRF on the XBox was actually noticeable. You can tell that the cel-shaded textures aren't just hiding low-poly character and environment models. The animation and special effects rule as well. I love to set the controller down and watch the on screen character break out into a dance to the background music. Grind and air tricks are fluid and sport neat effects like speed blurring and unobtrusive light trails. The wildest trick to witness though belongs to the speed burst. When you kick this baby in, the whole screen blurs and distorts, and you leave a trail of fire and smoke behind you. The sense of speed because of this effect is amazing. There are bouts of slowdown when the draw distance is super far and there are large or numerous moving objects on the screen. The scene I described in Rokkaku-dai Heights is a good example of this.
If there is any one component of the game that can actually be labeled perfect (ok nothing's perfect) it's the sound. This is easily my all time favorite video game soundtrack. Sure I've liked a Final Fantasy song here and there or a licensed soundtrack, but this is the first time I've ever said, "Man, I wish I could get these songs on a CD." Most of them are so catchy you'll find yourself humming and singing them subconsciously during the day. Any of the tracks can be set as your garage music, or you can just use the selection tool as a music player. The character voices are terrific and fit the mood of the game very well. The playable characters don't speak, but they each shout out a few phrases and grunts when they perform tricks. The whole audio package is simply amazing.
In JSRF's case, where there is style, there is substance. If you are unfamiliar with JSR, it's about gangs of inline skater who spray graffiti all over the city. The story unfolds through a mission-based structure. You may be asked to cover all the toxic graffiti left behind by the Poison Jam with that of the GG's (your gang). Other missions may have you take out a set of armored police tanks by "tagging" them in certain areas. Skating is as simple as directing the analog stick. Grinding is automatic when you land on a rail, and your first air trick happens on its own when you jump with enough momentum. Tagging is performed by holding the right trigger while near a tag-able spot, but you can only tag if you have enough spray paint cans in your inventory.
Simple controls do not make for a simple game. There are many obstacles to overcome in JSRF and many techniques to learn, too many to list in fact. Some of the more advanced techniques allow you to reach new heights while jumping or chain together tricks to put up a high score. They are all useful in some form, be it to accomplish a stage challenge or to reach a wall that needs to be tagged to move along the story. Each technique is laid out for you by your robot teammate Roboy in his options menu whenever you need them. This option menu is where you will also find the music player, character select, and even a graffiti editor, where you can create your own tags for the game.
JSRF is loaded with replay value too. The stages are not time based anymore, and it brings about two important advancements for the series. One, you have plenty of time to explore these huge environments, and two, it gave the developers the chance to place mission objectives in some places that require a lot of forethought. There are some points in the game where you'll consult the map, look at the game screen, consult the map again, go back to the game screen and mutter to yourself, "How in the world am I going to get to over there?!" When you finally do, it's so satisfying and surprisingly intuitive. There are tons of characters to unlock and challenges to complete on the side of the story as well.
I hate to even bring up an annoyance I have with the game because with everything else so positive, it might come off extra harsh. This has to be mentioned though in hopes that the developers are paying attention and can fix it for the next release. The auto-grinding, as user friendly as it was intended to be, can really drive you nuts. The problem with "auto" anything is that you get no choice in the matter. There are times when I really, really wish that I could avoid grinding a rail and land on the ground. I've had instances on a narrow set of stairs with handrails where I just could not for the life of me get off. If you jump just a little to the side, it sucks you right back on to the rail. If you jump a little further to the side, you get sucked right onto the other rail. If you jump out to the opposite direction, well, in this case you plummet 5 stories and have to start your way back up again. This could easily be alleviated by throwing in a command to stop or hop down from the rail. I'd even be up for using a little more skill and hitting a button to grind on a rail not unlike in Tony Hawk Pro Skater.
Don't take the auto-grinding as that big of a knock against JSRF. The problem is limited to a few areas, and can be worked around with practice. I surely don't consider it enough to even knock it down a half point in my book. There is so much more to be thankful for. This is a visually and aurally overpowering game with playability to back it up. I would also consider JSRF the leading reason to purchase an XBox right now if you don't already own one. So what are you waiting for, go pick it up!
