Thanks again to Pangburn for convincing me to give this another chance and thoroughly looking over my resulting thoughts.
Here’s a fun little drinking game: open up a video of Jet Set Radio’s tutorial, and take a sip for every comment complaining or memeing about the difficulty. As silly as this sounds, there appears to be some veneer of truth to Jet Set Radio’s reputation as a game where you need a “tutorial for the tutorial,” considering that more people have beaten the full story mode on Steam than have actually cleared the tutorial. As a result, the tutorial has become a microcosm of Jet Set Radio’s critical reputation nowadays when judging its gameplay: take a scan around popular circles, and you’ll find that some of the most frequently used descriptors include “jank,” “frustrating,” and “outdated.” I, on the other hand, would like to reintroduce a different descriptor to the conversation: “misunderstood.”
Back in 2017, I was similarly convinced that the game suffered from flimsy controls and level design, but the more I tinkered with it in the last three weeks, the more I came to realize its consistency regarding its mechanical intersections. Jet Set Radio eschews complex input potential in exchange for simple inputs (skating with the left joystick, jumping, and boosting) and context-sensitive movement using rails and walls for grinding. This works in its favor because the game never plants the player into situations of fuzzy context: all grindable walls and rails behave the exact same way throughout the game and are carefully spaced apart in each sub-area to allow players to naturally jump between setpieces as long as they maintain momentum. Additionally, Jet Set Radio has fairly little RNG, and what little there is can usually be mitigated. Enemy patterns and waves (the latter of which can be directly controlled via keeping an eye on the number of sprayed graffitis) play out exactly the same every time, allowing for players to minimize enemy impact. Similarly, stages have practically no moving physical setpieces outside of easily avoidable cars and trains; they are set to a consistent timer, and even if players are unaware of the exact timing, they give enough advance warning via honks upon approaching so players can jump out of the way. Again, some enemies are tougher to pin down, such as the jetpack enemies in “Fight or Flight” with their aerial pathing/tracking or the burly bodyguard enemies sometimes despawning and respawning upon aggroing them, but these are rare exceptions when considering the game’s enemy roster as a whole.
As a result of this general mechanical consistency, the game’s robust level design allows for a great degree of freedom regarding level approaches. This is where the adjacent topic of character selection becomes particularly relevant. Pangburn has brought up that this system acts as a pseudo-difficulty slider, though I would like to expand upon his point regarding graffiti. Characters with less graffiti skills will not gain as many points via completing graffiti QTE chains, but come with the advantage of requiring less sprays. This can be further exploited due to QTE consistency: spray inputs are graffiti-skill dependent and will remain the same for every graffiti in the game. As a result, players can repeat the cycle of spraying the first single input and immediately disengaging the QTE with LT. By doing so, they can “reset” the graffiti QTE and tap LT again to reenter the QTE sequence and bring up the exact same opening prompt. Essentially, you can “speedrun” graffiti by abusing the simple opening inputs of graffiti-weak characters. That said, it is every bit as feasible to use graffiti-type characters like Gum to maximize points by taking more time for full sprays, or disengaging sprays partly through and fleeing to safety once roaming enemies get close, later returning to finish the job once the vicinity is cleared.
Let’s put everything we’ve discussed to the test in the context of an example, comparing two drastically different yet equally viable strategies. Consider the Chapter 3 Kogane-cho level “Fight or Flight,” which is regarded by many to be the toughest “Jet” rank due to flying jetpack enemies that spawn at the halfway mark. Pangburn’s strategy is to commit to spraying down graffitis as quickly as possible with Mew, a technique character that is considered “graffiti-weak” (and thus has a single opening spray input). He starts by entering the sewer sub-area from the opening rooftops, which also lets him abuse an infinite grind loop within the sewers early on to rapidly build up a point buffer as a back-up. Once he’s gained enough points, he then exits the sewers into the construction area, thoroughly sprays through the graffiti there, and then makes his way downhill (spraying all the rooftop graffiti along the way) until he ends up in the residential area for the final graffiti. My game plan, on the other hand, is more committal, and involves direct enemy manipulation alongside spraying back-up graffiti as a buffer (instead of abusing an infinite grind chain) by using Gum to maximize QTE points. The pathing can be thought of as a giant loop: I start by spraying the large street-level graffiti in the rooftops area and then head to the construction site and despawn a sniper to free-up the set of two large graffiti on top of an entrance. From there, I scrounge up some more paint cans around the construction site before descending into the sewers and carefully jumping in-between two groups of enemies with their backs turned, allowing me to spray the set of two graffiti points several feet away from the crowds without them ever noticing. Finally, I enter the residential area and thoroughly spray all the graffiti there, reversing my course from that point on. All that remains are small graffiti, which makes it much easier to avoid the newly spawned jetpack enemies. Looking at our mapped routes, Pangburn and I took almost completely reversed paths, and yet both of us obtained Jet rankings. That, I believe, is the persisting strength of Jet Set Radio: its intricate yet consistent mechanical overlap allows for great depth that makes itself evident via fairly customizable routing.
While I’m confident that Jet Set Radio has great longevity stemming from its potential for creative planning, I’m unsure if every single level in the game contributes to this longevity. The Jet missions unlocked in the post-game present great opportunities for further mastery, but I do find that there’s a degree of overlap involved. For example, the Jet Crush missions are essentially replayable versions of the rival races encountered in-game. They’re justified during the first playthrough as ventures that give the player an idea of how separate sections in a level connect, but in their Jet Crush form, I find that they’re a bit redundant since nothing is changed outside of the raced character. Still, it’s certainly appreciated that the Jet Crush levels bring new content to Bantam Street and Grind Square, two levels that were without rival races in the main game. The other two Jet mission types attempt to stratify further: Jet Graffiti focuses on spraying required graffitis for points, while Jet Technique only has small optional graffiti to spray and prioritizes trick loops instead. Unfortunately, I find that they’re functionally too similar, because it is far too easy to rely on the infinite loop as a crutch in Jet Graffiti (while it is more or less the intended strategy in Jet Technique). This could have been patched up if the Jet Graffiti levels had tighter time limits to discourage infinite loop grinding. Finally, I’d like to highlight the final boss, which sticks out like a sore thumb since it relies so heavily on straight platforming over rotating gears and doesn’t present much room for planning outside of relying upon tanking damage or abusing the aforementioned single spray spam. At least the fight is over in a few minutes, but it is a pity that Jet Set Radio stumbles rather than glides at the end of each playthrough.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Jet Set Radio’s lasting significance upon the gaming community. How for every player like me, who eventually embraced the once alienating mechanics, there exists another new player who slogs through the tutorial and never picks up the game again, or an opposing retrospective that finds only disappointment upon a replay and describes the moment-to-moment gameplay as “archaic.” I can’t help but feel that most of us saw what Jet Set Radio was on the surface: a “style-over-substance” platformer & extreme sports hybrid that revolutionized cel-shading in video games and turned video game OSTs on their head. Many of the game’s future successors (including its immediate follow-up in Future) seem to have fixated upon these qualities, and while I love Jet Set Radio Future for its own reasons, I nevertheless think that it’s a shame that part of Jet Set Radio’s identity was lost somewhere along the way, becoming further embedded and absorbed into mainstream culture despite its original status as a counter-culture icon. No successor has quite captured that imperfect yet intriguing blend of arcade-style skating and robust level and setpiece design, and they’ve instead zoned in on the personality every time. I suppose at the end of the day, the best we can do to honor its influence is to look beyond the surface and highlight exactly what Jet Set Radio means to us. For me, I still can’t believe I squandered this game for half a decade, but at the very least, I’m proud to put the original alongside its successor as one of my favorite games and firmly establish Jet Set Radio as my favorite SEGA franchise. I remain cautiously curious regarding any potential future, but this time, I can look forward without any regrets concerning legacy.
Here’s a fun little drinking game: open up a video of Jet Set Radio’s tutorial, and take a sip for every comment complaining or memeing about the difficulty. As silly as this sounds, there appears to be some veneer of truth to Jet Set Radio’s reputation as a game where you need a “tutorial for the tutorial,” considering that more people have beaten the full story mode on Steam than have actually cleared the tutorial. As a result, the tutorial has become a microcosm of Jet Set Radio’s critical reputation nowadays when judging its gameplay: take a scan around popular circles, and you’ll find that some of the most frequently used descriptors include “jank,” “frustrating,” and “outdated.” I, on the other hand, would like to reintroduce a different descriptor to the conversation: “misunderstood.”
Back in 2017, I was similarly convinced that the game suffered from flimsy controls and level design, but the more I tinkered with it in the last three weeks, the more I came to realize its consistency regarding its mechanical intersections. Jet Set Radio eschews complex input potential in exchange for simple inputs (skating with the left joystick, jumping, and boosting) and context-sensitive movement using rails and walls for grinding. This works in its favor because the game never plants the player into situations of fuzzy context: all grindable walls and rails behave the exact same way throughout the game and are carefully spaced apart in each sub-area to allow players to naturally jump between setpieces as long as they maintain momentum. Additionally, Jet Set Radio has fairly little RNG, and what little there is can usually be mitigated. Enemy patterns and waves (the latter of which can be directly controlled via keeping an eye on the number of sprayed graffitis) play out exactly the same every time, allowing for players to minimize enemy impact. Similarly, stages have practically no moving physical setpieces outside of easily avoidable cars and trains; they are set to a consistent timer, and even if players are unaware of the exact timing, they give enough advance warning via honks upon approaching so players can jump out of the way. Again, some enemies are tougher to pin down, such as the jetpack enemies in “Fight or Flight” with their aerial pathing/tracking or the burly bodyguard enemies sometimes despawning and respawning upon aggroing them, but these are rare exceptions when considering the game’s enemy roster as a whole.
As a result of this general mechanical consistency, the game’s robust level design allows for a great degree of freedom regarding level approaches. This is where the adjacent topic of character selection becomes particularly relevant. Pangburn has brought up that this system acts as a pseudo-difficulty slider, though I would like to expand upon his point regarding graffiti. Characters with less graffiti skills will not gain as many points via completing graffiti QTE chains, but come with the advantage of requiring less sprays. This can be further exploited due to QTE consistency: spray inputs are graffiti-skill dependent and will remain the same for every graffiti in the game. As a result, players can repeat the cycle of spraying the first single input and immediately disengaging the QTE with LT. By doing so, they can “reset” the graffiti QTE and tap LT again to reenter the QTE sequence and bring up the exact same opening prompt. Essentially, you can “speedrun” graffiti by abusing the simple opening inputs of graffiti-weak characters. That said, it is every bit as feasible to use graffiti-type characters like Gum to maximize points by taking more time for full sprays, or disengaging sprays partly through and fleeing to safety once roaming enemies get close, later returning to finish the job once the vicinity is cleared.
Let’s put everything we’ve discussed to the test in the context of an example, comparing two drastically different yet equally viable strategies. Consider the Chapter 3 Kogane-cho level “Fight or Flight,” which is regarded by many to be the toughest “Jet” rank due to flying jetpack enemies that spawn at the halfway mark. Pangburn’s strategy is to commit to spraying down graffitis as quickly as possible with Mew, a technique character that is considered “graffiti-weak” (and thus has a single opening spray input). He starts by entering the sewer sub-area from the opening rooftops, which also lets him abuse an infinite grind loop within the sewers early on to rapidly build up a point buffer as a back-up. Once he’s gained enough points, he then exits the sewers into the construction area, thoroughly sprays through the graffiti there, and then makes his way downhill (spraying all the rooftop graffiti along the way) until he ends up in the residential area for the final graffiti. My game plan, on the other hand, is more committal, and involves direct enemy manipulation alongside spraying back-up graffiti as a buffer (instead of abusing an infinite grind chain) by using Gum to maximize QTE points. The pathing can be thought of as a giant loop: I start by spraying the large street-level graffiti in the rooftops area and then head to the construction site and despawn a sniper to free-up the set of two large graffiti on top of an entrance. From there, I scrounge up some more paint cans around the construction site before descending into the sewers and carefully jumping in-between two groups of enemies with their backs turned, allowing me to spray the set of two graffiti points several feet away from the crowds without them ever noticing. Finally, I enter the residential area and thoroughly spray all the graffiti there, reversing my course from that point on. All that remains are small graffiti, which makes it much easier to avoid the newly spawned jetpack enemies. Looking at our mapped routes, Pangburn and I took almost completely reversed paths, and yet both of us obtained Jet rankings. That, I believe, is the persisting strength of Jet Set Radio: its intricate yet consistent mechanical overlap allows for great depth that makes itself evident via fairly customizable routing.
While I’m confident that Jet Set Radio has great longevity stemming from its potential for creative planning, I’m unsure if every single level in the game contributes to this longevity. The Jet missions unlocked in the post-game present great opportunities for further mastery, but I do find that there’s a degree of overlap involved. For example, the Jet Crush missions are essentially replayable versions of the rival races encountered in-game. They’re justified during the first playthrough as ventures that give the player an idea of how separate sections in a level connect, but in their Jet Crush form, I find that they’re a bit redundant since nothing is changed outside of the raced character. Still, it’s certainly appreciated that the Jet Crush levels bring new content to Bantam Street and Grind Square, two levels that were without rival races in the main game. The other two Jet mission types attempt to stratify further: Jet Graffiti focuses on spraying required graffitis for points, while Jet Technique only has small optional graffiti to spray and prioritizes trick loops instead. Unfortunately, I find that they’re functionally too similar, because it is far too easy to rely on the infinite loop as a crutch in Jet Graffiti (while it is more or less the intended strategy in Jet Technique). This could have been patched up if the Jet Graffiti levels had tighter time limits to discourage infinite loop grinding. Finally, I’d like to highlight the final boss, which sticks out like a sore thumb since it relies so heavily on straight platforming over rotating gears and doesn’t present much room for planning outside of relying upon tanking damage or abusing the aforementioned single spray spam. At least the fight is over in a few minutes, but it is a pity that Jet Set Radio stumbles rather than glides at the end of each playthrough.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Jet Set Radio’s lasting significance upon the gaming community. How for every player like me, who eventually embraced the once alienating mechanics, there exists another new player who slogs through the tutorial and never picks up the game again, or an opposing retrospective that finds only disappointment upon a replay and describes the moment-to-moment gameplay as “archaic.” I can’t help but feel that most of us saw what Jet Set Radio was on the surface: a “style-over-substance” platformer & extreme sports hybrid that revolutionized cel-shading in video games and turned video game OSTs on their head. Many of the game’s future successors (including its immediate follow-up in Future) seem to have fixated upon these qualities, and while I love Jet Set Radio Future for its own reasons, I nevertheless think that it’s a shame that part of Jet Set Radio’s identity was lost somewhere along the way, becoming further embedded and absorbed into mainstream culture despite its original status as a counter-culture icon. No successor has quite captured that imperfect yet intriguing blend of arcade-style skating and robust level and setpiece design, and they’ve instead zoned in on the personality every time. I suppose at the end of the day, the best we can do to honor its influence is to look beyond the surface and highlight exactly what Jet Set Radio means to us. For me, I still can’t believe I squandered this game for half a decade, but at the very least, I’m proud to put the original alongside its successor as one of my favorite games and firmly establish Jet Set Radio as my favorite SEGA franchise. I remain cautiously curious regarding any potential future, but this time, I can look forward without any regrets concerning legacy.
unquestionably one of my favorite games ever, and it will likely always be given how its outlasted my other adolescent favorites. I still love to pop this on at least once a year and just let it wash over me. I'll roll around the free roam levels a bit, play a couple levels at wherever I'm at in the main story, or even clean up 100% on an old file if I've really got time to kill. this is probably the most fortuitous ps+ freebie I've ever been exposed to (on vita originally of all platforms) and one I'll continue playing as long as I continue to game.
at the same time, this game is a jagged, snarling representation of the sea change in technology moving from the fifth gen to the sixth. 3D action games on playstation and saturn were heavily constrained by low draw distances, blocky characters, and sparse level geometry, all of which limited developers looking to make truly immersive 3D spaces and mechanics. with the dreamcast this all changed: sonic adventure exploded with color and variety and speed beyond what competitors could hope to achieve, and a year later shenmue brought a fleshed-out look at suburban japan that emphasized the physicality of the area with a depth that had simply not been achieved up until that point. sega's games charted a course for what true 3D gaming could be in the 21st century with typical fearlessness, and with this fearlessness arose a lot of jank. sega's design chops lie first and foremost in arcade-style experiences that provide rewarding yet highly-challenging gameplay, and they often stumbled when translating these experiences to the home console market. the often bizarre mechanics that resulted from this transition created some of the most enduring early japanese jank, and jet set radio may be the absolute peak of this set; an unbelievably unique and frictional experience that interleaves many disparate gameplay elements with a loving recreation of tokyo.
jet set radio is a platformer.... sort of? where many fall afoul of the controls is with the slippery momentum-based movement that scans as imprecise to a crowd raised on pro skater (remember that this game came out before pro skater 2!). the player character can grind on rails, jump, wall-slide on specific surfaces, and perform context-sensitive tricks; no other real "skating" mechanics exist. with precise handling the player can flip around and begin skating backwards (including out of a mid-air trick), but the practicality of this maneuver is debatable. players also have access to a boost that both gives additional speed as well as rendering the player immune to hazards. using this boost effectively is not explained very well, and given that it is limited and the base speed is not very fast it can feel sluggish. my usual tactic: boost for four strides and then jump, as you'll retain much of your speed in the air and upon landing your boost will be replenished. maintaining the momentum on rails is a different story altogether, as once attached to an edge the player is likely to lose speed if they cannot find a downward slope. jumping is also an option here to retain speed, though its arc can be hard to manage given that past a certain speed threshold a trick is performed in mid-air, drastically increasing the air time. jumping is overall used differently in this game than in a traditional platformer, as while it's a movement technique on its own, it also needs to be strategically used with elements in the environment and the boost in order to smoothly navigate the world. few other games present such an deliberate and weighty toolkit that at the same time can produce such speed and grace when pulled off correctly. the only thing I can't forgive the game for is automatic rail attachment. while it's coyly explained in the lore as "magnetic skates" (which I guess makes more sense than sonic's soap shoes), this game really could've used a grind button; attaching onto rails is far too touchy.
the gameplay loop is unorthodox as well, combining collectathon elements in a constrained area with arcade-style scoring and timing. players must find targets in an open level and spray paint over them, which involves a quick QTE minigame involving analog stick rotation. while skating from spot to spot, a wide variety of ludicrously militaristic police forces (and later privately-hired assassins) assail players, generally with no way to fight back beyond a select group of enemies that can be sprayed - causing a chopper to spiral out by spraying the cockpit is easily the biggest flex you can pull off in this game. successively more difficult waves of enemies arrive at preset times based on how many targets have been graffiti'd, with pre-defined spawn points as well. with this in mind, players are encouraged to plan optimal routes from target to target to frontload areas that will be under heavy surveillance later on in the level. spray paint cans themselves are a limited resource, and the largest graffiti points can take up to 14 cans to finish, which must be factored into the route as well. all of this must be completed under a generally-forgiving time limit that pushes the player towards more precise play.
what is unappealing to many about this game is that you must learn the ins-and-outs of each level to complete a first playthrough. this will likely require plenty of retries; I know I sure went through a few on my first time around. this is not to say jsr is a masochistic game - far from it - but this is not simply a "vibes machine" to muddle through and then discard after enjoying the tremendous audiovisual elements. careful attention to enemy patterns yields fruitful results: even once deployed enemies often won't leave certain zones, leaving some targets completely open no matter how far the mission has progressed. knowing where caches of spray paint cans and health pickups exist eases the difficulty as well. all of this results in a game with a surprisingly nuanced macro and micro strategy. on a macro level, the player must consider their primary path from target to target, along with backup diversions if the enemy AI doesn't play nice and side jaunts to refuel on resources when necessary. on a micro level, players must know the terrain well enough to build up speed and take advantage of rails when possible while also navigating around or away from enemies. there's a lot of flexibility built in as well - the game isn't that demanding - but at the same time the game mechanics intersect in such a way that you're penalized for not considering the totality of your actions. incorrect planning could result in unwanted excursions into dangerous territory to restock health and paint, while indecision and overly-cautious play will cost valuable time. it's undeniably jank at points, but at the same time this is one of the few "platformers" that manages to incorporate arcade elements in a way that isn't totally alienating.
much of this is helped by the level design, which for the most part I think is rather strong. the first chapter of the game focuses on up-and-coming gang the GG's engaging in a tagging turf war with idiosyncratically-themed rival groups in the various areas of tokyo-to. each area retains a unique mood with a surprising amount of detail thrown into the levels. shibuya-cho features the daytime bustle of the scramble and a busy bus terminal, benten-cho switches to a smooth nighttime atmosphere punctuated by blinding neon lights and throbbing kicks and claps, and kogane-cho highlights the yawning twilight of a fishing hub under renovation, with homely shacks put into juxtaposition with looming highways and the daunting concrete of the massive sewer system. these early levels are certainly not small, but they corral the player into an area with enough restrictions that they (hopefully) can learn the intricacies without being overwhelmed. there is a brief middle section with two unique American-inspired stages; personally I can stomach the Roosevelt Avenue-inspired bantam street stage but I have to agree with the consensus that grind square (based off of Times Square) long overstays its welcome with the staggering verticality and frustrating electrified rails. in the final chapter, each subarea within each region combines into large maps now swarmed with flamboyant private corp assassins, leaving the player to tackle each area in one fell swoop. each subarea organically bleeds into the others, and discovering links between areas is rather exciting, especially when the player stumbles into an area not present in the first chapter. for example, kogane-cho has a rooftop run section sandwiched between the construction area and the sea-level village with its own power lines to grind on and tight corridors at street level. thankfully each of these full areas can be roamed freely and safely via persistently available side missions meant for score attack. there are many spots you may never come across in the main campaign without poking around, and often these areas feature collectables that unlock new graffiti designs.
the score attack isn't just a side activity either, as there are scoring mechanics baked into the main campaign as well. pulling off tricks, taking down enemies (when possible), succeeding at the graffiti QTEs, maintaining high health, and finishing quickly all contribute to a stage-end score and rank. out of all of these graffiti will generally make up the biggest chunk, especially for final strokes on the larger graffiti spots. interrupting a graffiti QTE chain by failing a QTE, running out of paint cans, or taking a hit from an enemy will force you to start over again, keeping you from accessing the highest scoring QTEs, making proper enemy avoidance and paint can routing even more essential when aiming for top ranks on a level (known as "jet rank"). this is made more complicated by the fact that there are actually multiple different types of graffiti with varying difficulties that correspond to how much score they offer. accessing the highest-scoring graffiti requires using a graffiti-type character... and now we dig into a criticism I often see of the game: the character selection system.
the selection of characters on offer is relatively vast even without unlocking those hidden behind ranking requirements, and I have seen repeated complaints about how unbalanced the characters are. graffiti-type characters such as gum yield many more points when spraying but actually have a lower paint can carrying capacity, and they often have either poor handling or low health to further compensate. power-type characters have high health but generally poor handling or graffiti skills, and technique-type characters tend to have comfortable handling and can carry many paint cans, making them the characters of choice for new fans. with this in mind, I encourage thinking of character selection as a difficulty system. technique characters should be chosen by new players to acclimate themselves to the game's unique physics and make paint can collecting less of a chore. however, expect low ranks, as the graffiti QTEs will be easier and will thus score less. if the player is interested in unlocking secret characters and achieving jet ranks on each stage, they can then choose a character with a higher graffiti skill while sacrificing talent in one of the other areas. with the quantity of characters, it should be easy to find one that matches the player's preference - I won't lie though, I don't think I've ever had a reason to choose a power-type character. I still play technique characters all the time though, mainly mew... I used to use her as a pfp on forums when I was younger.
of course, you can obtain jet rank without using a graffiti-type character, but you may have a much more difficult time doing it. there are loops in each region where you can grind infinitely and rack up tricks, which requires practice and a good eye but can come in handy. the full-region levels at the end of the game are the perfect playground for these, as their time limit is relatively lax (once you already know the graffiti layout anyway) and each of them has an accessible loop. I find it easier to use this strategy to jet rank these final chapter stages personally, though I'm not sure I enjoy going in a loop for three minutes straight and then bumrushing the rest of the level quite as much the more thoughtful gameplay required for the earlier levels. I also wanted to bring up a major sin this game commits for stage rankings: you can't free-play missions that you've previously played. the campaign loops perpetually, forcing the player to beat and replay the game whenever they want to retry early levels. while in context this choice makes sense (the order in which you do missions slightly changes the story + is used for the final unlockable character), it's not remotely elegant even though the modern versions have a retry option upon finishing a stage. playing the original version where there isn't even a retry is criminal; have fun power cycling your dreamcast to keep it from saving non-jet ranks when going for 100% completion.
while the above content comprises the majority of the game, there's also a variety of other missions to tackle both within and adjacent to the campaign missions. periodically rivals will approach your hideout, prompting you to either take on certain skating challenges or race them. chump astutely noted in their review that these encounters reveal shortcuts, secrets, and techniques that the player may not have considered otherwise. it serves as a nice barometer on the player's abilities, and sets the bar for where the sophistication of their technique should lie in order to succeed against upcoming obstacles. the races can be a bit fiddly however until routes and AI quirks are learned, though thankfully the most frustrating ones are completely optional. there are also chase missions that occur periodically throughout the campaign, in which the player must tag members of an opposing gang in order to knock them out. keeping pace with your rivals here is not difficult, but carefully sliding behind someone, getting close enough to tag them, mashing the tag button, and then sliding out without bumping into their overly generous hitbox simply does not function well in this engine. this is especially obvious given that the tag button also jarringly snaps the camera behind the player, a limitation imposed by the dreamcast's unfortunate lack of a right analog stick. these missions generally won't set back the player too much time, but still are frustrating. there's also a final boss encounter that is not particularly taxing and ends the game on a suitably visually exciting note. very few other games allow you to spin around on a giant turntable dodging beams of fire...
for a sega game in this era, jet set radio is remarkably content-rich. the main campaign lasts seven to eight hours on a relaxed playthrough when characters are still being unlocked, and less than two hours on replays for jet ranks (not counting retrying stages of course). each region has multiple side missions covering graffiti, tricks, and races, and beyond the structured content there are the aforementioned "soul" colletables that unlock hidden graffiti. many of these souls lie in novel places that require ingenuity in order to reach, and some have their own little sections that are never touched in the mission requirements. all of the graffiti in the game was designed by authentic street artists with a wide range of styles and sizes, all of which are cool to scroll through from time to time. you can even design your own tags via a limited editor, which is novel to tool around with a couple of times. between all of these, achieving full completion is a satisfying task for those invested in the mechanics the game has to offer, and the final unlockable characters more than make up for the significant effort required to unlock them.
I also wanted to briefly rave about the soundtrack for this game, and the way it's incorporated into the story. songs in-game play via the fictional jet set radio pirate station, and thus they are properly mixed as if an actual DJ were working the deck. each stage has a unique playlist with prerecorded cuts between tracks, seamlessly blending multiple songs together as if playing to an actual crowd. there are even radio stingers with their own jingle and bellowing title drop, and in-between levels the host professor k will update the player with current news, jovial side storylines, and commentary. it's simply not the same to hear the songs standalone; the game offers an unparalleled and authentic aural link into its world. everyone who contributed did an outstanding job, from sega's in-house team (including lead composer hideki naganuma) to the wide array of off-beat licensed choices. even the american choices put a smile on my face, from rob zombie's deranged classic dragula to the awkward post-grunge of cold and professional murder music to the surprisingly chill hip-hop from mix master mike. there's a lot of bizarre and lovely vocal performances throughout the game, whether quickly laid down by little-known talent or sliced and served via inventive sample use. cruising through a level and hearing a song I forgot about come on will often stop me in place so I can hear a bit before moving on, and there are so few games that grab me as such.
it is unquestionable that this game is singular both in its artistic vision and in its game mechanics. rarely does a game release that so clearly articulates its own form of play; such an unorthodox design palette with radically deemphasized combat, elements of both platformers and extreme sports, nuanced and intersecting elements to track with meaningful tradeoffs and strategizing, and anti-establishment aesthetic and rhetoric has possibly never come into fruition beyond this. it has no true follow-up in terms of design, as jet set radio future opts to compartmentalize its gameplay components and move away from rapid arcade-style scenarios to a grander adventure structure. many formative adolescent gaming memories lie wrapped up in tokyo-to's streets, with not only the same frustrations I see many others post about but also perseverence through the game's steep learning curve, awe at the many sights and spectacles, and satisfaction at mastery. like all japanese jank, it's an acquired taste, but given that much of this team would later explore a different avenue in tokyo's underground in the beloved yakuza series, this origin point sets the context for a lineage of truly stellar and experimental gaming.
at the same time, this game is a jagged, snarling representation of the sea change in technology moving from the fifth gen to the sixth. 3D action games on playstation and saturn were heavily constrained by low draw distances, blocky characters, and sparse level geometry, all of which limited developers looking to make truly immersive 3D spaces and mechanics. with the dreamcast this all changed: sonic adventure exploded with color and variety and speed beyond what competitors could hope to achieve, and a year later shenmue brought a fleshed-out look at suburban japan that emphasized the physicality of the area with a depth that had simply not been achieved up until that point. sega's games charted a course for what true 3D gaming could be in the 21st century with typical fearlessness, and with this fearlessness arose a lot of jank. sega's design chops lie first and foremost in arcade-style experiences that provide rewarding yet highly-challenging gameplay, and they often stumbled when translating these experiences to the home console market. the often bizarre mechanics that resulted from this transition created some of the most enduring early japanese jank, and jet set radio may be the absolute peak of this set; an unbelievably unique and frictional experience that interleaves many disparate gameplay elements with a loving recreation of tokyo.
jet set radio is a platformer.... sort of? where many fall afoul of the controls is with the slippery momentum-based movement that scans as imprecise to a crowd raised on pro skater (remember that this game came out before pro skater 2!). the player character can grind on rails, jump, wall-slide on specific surfaces, and perform context-sensitive tricks; no other real "skating" mechanics exist. with precise handling the player can flip around and begin skating backwards (including out of a mid-air trick), but the practicality of this maneuver is debatable. players also have access to a boost that both gives additional speed as well as rendering the player immune to hazards. using this boost effectively is not explained very well, and given that it is limited and the base speed is not very fast it can feel sluggish. my usual tactic: boost for four strides and then jump, as you'll retain much of your speed in the air and upon landing your boost will be replenished. maintaining the momentum on rails is a different story altogether, as once attached to an edge the player is likely to lose speed if they cannot find a downward slope. jumping is also an option here to retain speed, though its arc can be hard to manage given that past a certain speed threshold a trick is performed in mid-air, drastically increasing the air time. jumping is overall used differently in this game than in a traditional platformer, as while it's a movement technique on its own, it also needs to be strategically used with elements in the environment and the boost in order to smoothly navigate the world. few other games present such an deliberate and weighty toolkit that at the same time can produce such speed and grace when pulled off correctly. the only thing I can't forgive the game for is automatic rail attachment. while it's coyly explained in the lore as "magnetic skates" (which I guess makes more sense than sonic's soap shoes), this game really could've used a grind button; attaching onto rails is far too touchy.
the gameplay loop is unorthodox as well, combining collectathon elements in a constrained area with arcade-style scoring and timing. players must find targets in an open level and spray paint over them, which involves a quick QTE minigame involving analog stick rotation. while skating from spot to spot, a wide variety of ludicrously militaristic police forces (and later privately-hired assassins) assail players, generally with no way to fight back beyond a select group of enemies that can be sprayed - causing a chopper to spiral out by spraying the cockpit is easily the biggest flex you can pull off in this game. successively more difficult waves of enemies arrive at preset times based on how many targets have been graffiti'd, with pre-defined spawn points as well. with this in mind, players are encouraged to plan optimal routes from target to target to frontload areas that will be under heavy surveillance later on in the level. spray paint cans themselves are a limited resource, and the largest graffiti points can take up to 14 cans to finish, which must be factored into the route as well. all of this must be completed under a generally-forgiving time limit that pushes the player towards more precise play.
what is unappealing to many about this game is that you must learn the ins-and-outs of each level to complete a first playthrough. this will likely require plenty of retries; I know I sure went through a few on my first time around. this is not to say jsr is a masochistic game - far from it - but this is not simply a "vibes machine" to muddle through and then discard after enjoying the tremendous audiovisual elements. careful attention to enemy patterns yields fruitful results: even once deployed enemies often won't leave certain zones, leaving some targets completely open no matter how far the mission has progressed. knowing where caches of spray paint cans and health pickups exist eases the difficulty as well. all of this results in a game with a surprisingly nuanced macro and micro strategy. on a macro level, the player must consider their primary path from target to target, along with backup diversions if the enemy AI doesn't play nice and side jaunts to refuel on resources when necessary. on a micro level, players must know the terrain well enough to build up speed and take advantage of rails when possible while also navigating around or away from enemies. there's a lot of flexibility built in as well - the game isn't that demanding - but at the same time the game mechanics intersect in such a way that you're penalized for not considering the totality of your actions. incorrect planning could result in unwanted excursions into dangerous territory to restock health and paint, while indecision and overly-cautious play will cost valuable time. it's undeniably jank at points, but at the same time this is one of the few "platformers" that manages to incorporate arcade elements in a way that isn't totally alienating.
much of this is helped by the level design, which for the most part I think is rather strong. the first chapter of the game focuses on up-and-coming gang the GG's engaging in a tagging turf war with idiosyncratically-themed rival groups in the various areas of tokyo-to. each area retains a unique mood with a surprising amount of detail thrown into the levels. shibuya-cho features the daytime bustle of the scramble and a busy bus terminal, benten-cho switches to a smooth nighttime atmosphere punctuated by blinding neon lights and throbbing kicks and claps, and kogane-cho highlights the yawning twilight of a fishing hub under renovation, with homely shacks put into juxtaposition with looming highways and the daunting concrete of the massive sewer system. these early levels are certainly not small, but they corral the player into an area with enough restrictions that they (hopefully) can learn the intricacies without being overwhelmed. there is a brief middle section with two unique American-inspired stages; personally I can stomach the Roosevelt Avenue-inspired bantam street stage but I have to agree with the consensus that grind square (based off of Times Square) long overstays its welcome with the staggering verticality and frustrating electrified rails. in the final chapter, each subarea within each region combines into large maps now swarmed with flamboyant private corp assassins, leaving the player to tackle each area in one fell swoop. each subarea organically bleeds into the others, and discovering links between areas is rather exciting, especially when the player stumbles into an area not present in the first chapter. for example, kogane-cho has a rooftop run section sandwiched between the construction area and the sea-level village with its own power lines to grind on and tight corridors at street level. thankfully each of these full areas can be roamed freely and safely via persistently available side missions meant for score attack. there are many spots you may never come across in the main campaign without poking around, and often these areas feature collectables that unlock new graffiti designs.
the score attack isn't just a side activity either, as there are scoring mechanics baked into the main campaign as well. pulling off tricks, taking down enemies (when possible), succeeding at the graffiti QTEs, maintaining high health, and finishing quickly all contribute to a stage-end score and rank. out of all of these graffiti will generally make up the biggest chunk, especially for final strokes on the larger graffiti spots. interrupting a graffiti QTE chain by failing a QTE, running out of paint cans, or taking a hit from an enemy will force you to start over again, keeping you from accessing the highest scoring QTEs, making proper enemy avoidance and paint can routing even more essential when aiming for top ranks on a level (known as "jet rank"). this is made more complicated by the fact that there are actually multiple different types of graffiti with varying difficulties that correspond to how much score they offer. accessing the highest-scoring graffiti requires using a graffiti-type character... and now we dig into a criticism I often see of the game: the character selection system.
the selection of characters on offer is relatively vast even without unlocking those hidden behind ranking requirements, and I have seen repeated complaints about how unbalanced the characters are. graffiti-type characters such as gum yield many more points when spraying but actually have a lower paint can carrying capacity, and they often have either poor handling or low health to further compensate. power-type characters have high health but generally poor handling or graffiti skills, and technique-type characters tend to have comfortable handling and can carry many paint cans, making them the characters of choice for new fans. with this in mind, I encourage thinking of character selection as a difficulty system. technique characters should be chosen by new players to acclimate themselves to the game's unique physics and make paint can collecting less of a chore. however, expect low ranks, as the graffiti QTEs will be easier and will thus score less. if the player is interested in unlocking secret characters and achieving jet ranks on each stage, they can then choose a character with a higher graffiti skill while sacrificing talent in one of the other areas. with the quantity of characters, it should be easy to find one that matches the player's preference - I won't lie though, I don't think I've ever had a reason to choose a power-type character. I still play technique characters all the time though, mainly mew... I used to use her as a pfp on forums when I was younger.
of course, you can obtain jet rank without using a graffiti-type character, but you may have a much more difficult time doing it. there are loops in each region where you can grind infinitely and rack up tricks, which requires practice and a good eye but can come in handy. the full-region levels at the end of the game are the perfect playground for these, as their time limit is relatively lax (once you already know the graffiti layout anyway) and each of them has an accessible loop. I find it easier to use this strategy to jet rank these final chapter stages personally, though I'm not sure I enjoy going in a loop for three minutes straight and then bumrushing the rest of the level quite as much the more thoughtful gameplay required for the earlier levels. I also wanted to bring up a major sin this game commits for stage rankings: you can't free-play missions that you've previously played. the campaign loops perpetually, forcing the player to beat and replay the game whenever they want to retry early levels. while in context this choice makes sense (the order in which you do missions slightly changes the story + is used for the final unlockable character), it's not remotely elegant even though the modern versions have a retry option upon finishing a stage. playing the original version where there isn't even a retry is criminal; have fun power cycling your dreamcast to keep it from saving non-jet ranks when going for 100% completion.
while the above content comprises the majority of the game, there's also a variety of other missions to tackle both within and adjacent to the campaign missions. periodically rivals will approach your hideout, prompting you to either take on certain skating challenges or race them. chump astutely noted in their review that these encounters reveal shortcuts, secrets, and techniques that the player may not have considered otherwise. it serves as a nice barometer on the player's abilities, and sets the bar for where the sophistication of their technique should lie in order to succeed against upcoming obstacles. the races can be a bit fiddly however until routes and AI quirks are learned, though thankfully the most frustrating ones are completely optional. there are also chase missions that occur periodically throughout the campaign, in which the player must tag members of an opposing gang in order to knock them out. keeping pace with your rivals here is not difficult, but carefully sliding behind someone, getting close enough to tag them, mashing the tag button, and then sliding out without bumping into their overly generous hitbox simply does not function well in this engine. this is especially obvious given that the tag button also jarringly snaps the camera behind the player, a limitation imposed by the dreamcast's unfortunate lack of a right analog stick. these missions generally won't set back the player too much time, but still are frustrating. there's also a final boss encounter that is not particularly taxing and ends the game on a suitably visually exciting note. very few other games allow you to spin around on a giant turntable dodging beams of fire...
for a sega game in this era, jet set radio is remarkably content-rich. the main campaign lasts seven to eight hours on a relaxed playthrough when characters are still being unlocked, and less than two hours on replays for jet ranks (not counting retrying stages of course). each region has multiple side missions covering graffiti, tricks, and races, and beyond the structured content there are the aforementioned "soul" colletables that unlock hidden graffiti. many of these souls lie in novel places that require ingenuity in order to reach, and some have their own little sections that are never touched in the mission requirements. all of the graffiti in the game was designed by authentic street artists with a wide range of styles and sizes, all of which are cool to scroll through from time to time. you can even design your own tags via a limited editor, which is novel to tool around with a couple of times. between all of these, achieving full completion is a satisfying task for those invested in the mechanics the game has to offer, and the final unlockable characters more than make up for the significant effort required to unlock them.
I also wanted to briefly rave about the soundtrack for this game, and the way it's incorporated into the story. songs in-game play via the fictional jet set radio pirate station, and thus they are properly mixed as if an actual DJ were working the deck. each stage has a unique playlist with prerecorded cuts between tracks, seamlessly blending multiple songs together as if playing to an actual crowd. there are even radio stingers with their own jingle and bellowing title drop, and in-between levels the host professor k will update the player with current news, jovial side storylines, and commentary. it's simply not the same to hear the songs standalone; the game offers an unparalleled and authentic aural link into its world. everyone who contributed did an outstanding job, from sega's in-house team (including lead composer hideki naganuma) to the wide array of off-beat licensed choices. even the american choices put a smile on my face, from rob zombie's deranged classic dragula to the awkward post-grunge of cold and professional murder music to the surprisingly chill hip-hop from mix master mike. there's a lot of bizarre and lovely vocal performances throughout the game, whether quickly laid down by little-known talent or sliced and served via inventive sample use. cruising through a level and hearing a song I forgot about come on will often stop me in place so I can hear a bit before moving on, and there are so few games that grab me as such.
it is unquestionable that this game is singular both in its artistic vision and in its game mechanics. rarely does a game release that so clearly articulates its own form of play; such an unorthodox design palette with radically deemphasized combat, elements of both platformers and extreme sports, nuanced and intersecting elements to track with meaningful tradeoffs and strategizing, and anti-establishment aesthetic and rhetoric has possibly never come into fruition beyond this. it has no true follow-up in terms of design, as jet set radio future opts to compartmentalize its gameplay components and move away from rapid arcade-style scenarios to a grander adventure structure. many formative adolescent gaming memories lie wrapped up in tokyo-to's streets, with not only the same frustrations I see many others post about but also perseverence through the game's steep learning curve, awe at the many sights and spectacles, and satisfaction at mastery. like all japanese jank, it's an acquired taste, but given that much of this team would later explore a different avenue in tokyo's underground in the beloved yakuza series, this origin point sets the context for a lineage of truly stellar and experimental gaming.
To me, Jet Set Radio is like Star Fox 64. A short but sweet game that is easy to pick up, but hard to master, which allows me to replay this treasure over and over again without ever getting bored.
I'm glad I FINALLY got to this game as it's been in my to-play list since I was like 10 years old. Who knew it would be one of my new favorites.
JSR is pretty much Tony Hawk with skates and style. And when I say style I really don't mean that lightly. This is probably one of the first games to really bring the STYLE to videogames that inspired the style you see in Persona and later Sakurai games.
While the artsyle is obviously responsible for bringing the style to the looks of the game, the style is really boosted by it's soundtrack. Probably one of my favorite videogame soundtracks of all time. There is nothing but really catchy sample funk here and ALL the songs are so good. And I can't wait to play the Sequel and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk just to hear the other tracks.
The stages are full of life and soul. Everything feels so detailed and cluttered in this iteration of Tokyo. Everything exudes a certain vibrancy that just invokes a feeling of happiness.
As for the gameplay, rather than chasing score like the Tony Hawk games, there are objectives in each level you need to complete in order to be successful, rather than just pass a score threshold. I prefer this so much more.
The controls are so simple, you will only ever push 2 buttons in this game. Jump and Tag. But the fact that this game has so many mechanics using just these 2 buttons shows how deep it can get. The skill ceiling is high here as you can either sumble your way completing levels just in time, or gracefully grind your way getting the high score while completing objectives.
It really takes a playthrough or two really master this game, but once you do it becomes an addicting itch that you want to revisit over and over again. As mentioned before, only one other game has done this for me which is Star Fox 64.
I'm glad I FINALLY got to this game as it's been in my to-play list since I was like 10 years old. Who knew it would be one of my new favorites.
JSR is pretty much Tony Hawk with skates and style. And when I say style I really don't mean that lightly. This is probably one of the first games to really bring the STYLE to videogames that inspired the style you see in Persona and later Sakurai games.
While the artsyle is obviously responsible for bringing the style to the looks of the game, the style is really boosted by it's soundtrack. Probably one of my favorite videogame soundtracks of all time. There is nothing but really catchy sample funk here and ALL the songs are so good. And I can't wait to play the Sequel and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk just to hear the other tracks.
The stages are full of life and soul. Everything feels so detailed and cluttered in this iteration of Tokyo. Everything exudes a certain vibrancy that just invokes a feeling of happiness.
As for the gameplay, rather than chasing score like the Tony Hawk games, there are objectives in each level you need to complete in order to be successful, rather than just pass a score threshold. I prefer this so much more.
The controls are so simple, you will only ever push 2 buttons in this game. Jump and Tag. But the fact that this game has so many mechanics using just these 2 buttons shows how deep it can get. The skill ceiling is high here as you can either sumble your way completing levels just in time, or gracefully grind your way getting the high score while completing objectives.
It really takes a playthrough or two really master this game, but once you do it becomes an addicting itch that you want to revisit over and over again. As mentioned before, only one other game has done this for me which is Star Fox 64.
everything about this game fucks except playing it
even enduring the kinaesthetically nauseating movement, the level design here is about as incoherent as it gets. theres glimpses of nuance here and there (barring two exceptions, each district is equipped with infinite grind loop(s) encircling key areas of the map) but optimal routing still demands clumsily backtracking through level geometry, and consequently, breaking all sense of flow. the map being tucked behind two menus only further erodes all good faith, and this sentiment begins to set only three hours in. unfortunately for you, jsr stretches itself out for eight and that 9.6% completion rate on a game that, not only defined an entire aesthetic, but still retains a offbeat allure in its own right starts making sense!
all that being said, you cant listen to this track ( https://youtu.be/8yz9FOI1YFc ) and come out of this game sour like come on dude have some early 2000s optimism in your system yknow
all that being said, you cant listen to this track ( https://youtu.be/8yz9FOI1YFc ) and come out of this game sour like come on dude have some early 2000s optimism in your system yknow
1:59 hours into this game: "These are some of the clunkiest controls put into a video game. No one moves how you'd like, the game flow is constantly interrupted, and it feels like tug of war to move right."
2:00 hours into this game: "holy shit I get it."
2:00 hours into this game: "holy shit I get it."
it's tough to write this review because i feel like it's going to just be that one tweet of ice t talking about fonv's flaws and then ending it with "...BUT I CAN'T STOP PLAYING IT"
this game inspired great moments of frustration out of me. i've always been a proponent of the mantra "if a game makes you mad, it's (probably) because you were on the verge of enjoying it", and that's definitely the case here. but still, i'd be lying if i said the controls weren't aged. the lack of a dedicated grind button really hurts this game on a mechanical level, and i also really struggle to deal with a lot of the opposition that you receive at points. i get that there's a lot of comedic value in calling in attack helicopters that fire missiles at you just for vandalism and it's meant to be a commentary on (japanese) police brutality, but also they're really fucking annoying and hard to dodge. races are also bad trial-and-error situations, and overall the momentum/physics feel a little off in a way that takes a lot longer to get used to than i'd like.
i still can't get over how fresh this feels almost 20 years later, though. i fell in love with the presentation of this game on a visual, audio, and gameplay level, and it's very difficult for me to wallow in the negative when i think about this game. i have a lot of admiration and love for this game, and any criticism i've made of this game comes with a grain of salt, because i think it's one of the most fun experiences i've had in a while.
it's rare that i'll play a game that takes half as many risks as this game did, even moreso when almost all of them pan out.
edit as of 10/9/2020: bumped from a 4.0/5.0 to a 4.5/5.0. replaying this game made my love for it grow. i don't think the attack helicopters are that bad anymore, because, at the time of writing the original review, i didn't know you could stop them from attacking. all the opposition in the game feels fair, actually, except for the assassins that appear in the golden rhino mission for kogane-cho. this is definitely a game that you're going to struggle to get the hang of for a bit, but when you finally get it and it all clicks, it's fucking outstanding.
edit 2: idc idc 5.0/5.0
this game inspired great moments of frustration out of me. i've always been a proponent of the mantra "if a game makes you mad, it's (probably) because you were on the verge of enjoying it", and that's definitely the case here. but still, i'd be lying if i said the controls weren't aged. the lack of a dedicated grind button really hurts this game on a mechanical level, and i also really struggle to deal with a lot of the opposition that you receive at points. i get that there's a lot of comedic value in calling in attack helicopters that fire missiles at you just for vandalism and it's meant to be a commentary on (japanese) police brutality, but also they're really fucking annoying and hard to dodge. races are also bad trial-and-error situations, and overall the momentum/physics feel a little off in a way that takes a lot longer to get used to than i'd like.
i still can't get over how fresh this feels almost 20 years later, though. i fell in love with the presentation of this game on a visual, audio, and gameplay level, and it's very difficult for me to wallow in the negative when i think about this game. i have a lot of admiration and love for this game, and any criticism i've made of this game comes with a grain of salt, because i think it's one of the most fun experiences i've had in a while.
it's rare that i'll play a game that takes half as many risks as this game did, even moreso when almost all of them pan out.
edit as of 10/9/2020: bumped from a 4.0/5.0 to a 4.5/5.0. replaying this game made my love for it grow. i don't think the attack helicopters are that bad anymore, because, at the time of writing the original review, i didn't know you could stop them from attacking. all the opposition in the game feels fair, actually, except for the assassins that appear in the golden rhino mission for kogane-cho. this is definitely a game that you're going to struggle to get the hang of for a bit, but when you finally get it and it all clicks, it's fucking outstanding.
edit 2: idc idc 5.0/5.0
Amazing game for its time and still continues to hold up to this day. Soundtrack is so bumping and the gameplay is arcade like but addicting. controls are outdated and jumps are very floaty but that doesn't detract from this game.
Having played this game extensively back in early 2021, and finished replaying it just recently, JSR solidified itself as a comfort game for me, and I would even say it's one of my favourites by now.
With its cool cel-shaded look and funky beats, the game really goes hard with its stylish look and aesthetic. It’s easily identifiable and makes the game stand out among others, from the world to the characters to the graffiti itself.
Then there’s the gameplay, where you typically skate around performing tricks and doing graffiti to piss off the police and claim your territory, with some occasional racing and tagging others. It can be a bit hard to master at first, especially more complex moves like wall grinding, but with practice and eventual familiarity with the surroundings of each stage, the gameplay becomes incredibly satisfying. The ranking system furthermore adds motivation to perform better in the game. Each stage is also quite distinct from each other, typically with their own aesthetic and unique level layout. Mastering these stages is key to do the best in gameplay, so thankfully none of the stages I found to be boring or a chore overall.
The story is fairly simple, but entertaining for what it is. And while this simplicity does extend to most of the cast, as they typically only have 2-3 lines, each character’s design is stylish and makes them stand-out from each other. Furthermore, with playable characters each have different stats in Technique, Graffiti and Power, so that adds to variety and allows you to see which character suits your playstyle best.
Having said all that, JSR is still rough around some edges. The controls can be a bit frustrating due to either the camera not cooperating well enough or when you get stuck grinding a rail really slowly. Doing graffiti can also be considered as tedious, particularly as the inputs for it can be more complex depending on the character you’re playing as, having to keep in mind the amount of graffiti cans you have, and also needing to consider nearby enemies coming up and attacking you. Again, practice makes perfect, but this can easily make the whole experience more frustrating than needed.
Each stage bar Bantam Street and Grind Square also have some parts that I find unusually more frustrating than needed, mainly due to the way they’re structured. While they don’t sour my experience with the overall stage too much it is a bit of a chore to go through them, such as the Sewage Pipe and Playground in Shibuya-cho. Bantam Street and Grind Square are exceptions since they aren’t separated into sub locations, and thankfully what is there I find to be quite fun.
This is more of a nitpick, but I also wish that for the extra modes for stages you were able to select what music you could play. The choice of song being random each time you do those modes means you can go quite a while without hearing a few particular tracks. I distinctly recall most of the tracks that play in Chapter 2 never playing afterwards for example. Another unfortunate part about this is that only one song will play on loop in these extra modes instead of the smooth transitioning between songs that occurs within the main levels.
Overall, I think Jet Set Radio is easily one of the most fun games I’ve played. Despite its issues, I find the gameplay satisfying to the point that these complaints hardly matter to me in the end. I definitely recommend giving this game a try, and then if possible later, its sequel Jet Set Radio Future, which I heard is a great improvement to the original.
With its cool cel-shaded look and funky beats, the game really goes hard with its stylish look and aesthetic. It’s easily identifiable and makes the game stand out among others, from the world to the characters to the graffiti itself.
Then there’s the gameplay, where you typically skate around performing tricks and doing graffiti to piss off the police and claim your territory, with some occasional racing and tagging others. It can be a bit hard to master at first, especially more complex moves like wall grinding, but with practice and eventual familiarity with the surroundings of each stage, the gameplay becomes incredibly satisfying. The ranking system furthermore adds motivation to perform better in the game. Each stage is also quite distinct from each other, typically with their own aesthetic and unique level layout. Mastering these stages is key to do the best in gameplay, so thankfully none of the stages I found to be boring or a chore overall.
The story is fairly simple, but entertaining for what it is. And while this simplicity does extend to most of the cast, as they typically only have 2-3 lines, each character’s design is stylish and makes them stand-out from each other. Furthermore, with playable characters each have different stats in Technique, Graffiti and Power, so that adds to variety and allows you to see which character suits your playstyle best.
Having said all that, JSR is still rough around some edges. The controls can be a bit frustrating due to either the camera not cooperating well enough or when you get stuck grinding a rail really slowly. Doing graffiti can also be considered as tedious, particularly as the inputs for it can be more complex depending on the character you’re playing as, having to keep in mind the amount of graffiti cans you have, and also needing to consider nearby enemies coming up and attacking you. Again, practice makes perfect, but this can easily make the whole experience more frustrating than needed.
Each stage bar Bantam Street and Grind Square also have some parts that I find unusually more frustrating than needed, mainly due to the way they’re structured. While they don’t sour my experience with the overall stage too much it is a bit of a chore to go through them, such as the Sewage Pipe and Playground in Shibuya-cho. Bantam Street and Grind Square are exceptions since they aren’t separated into sub locations, and thankfully what is there I find to be quite fun.
This is more of a nitpick, but I also wish that for the extra modes for stages you were able to select what music you could play. The choice of song being random each time you do those modes means you can go quite a while without hearing a few particular tracks. I distinctly recall most of the tracks that play in Chapter 2 never playing afterwards for example. Another unfortunate part about this is that only one song will play on loop in these extra modes instead of the smooth transitioning between songs that occurs within the main levels.
Overall, I think Jet Set Radio is easily one of the most fun games I’ve played. Despite its issues, I find the gameplay satisfying to the point that these complaints hardly matter to me in the end. I definitely recommend giving this game a try, and then if possible later, its sequel Jet Set Radio Future, which I heard is a great improvement to the original.
really cool in a lot of ways but it sucks to actually play, can't imagine ever going back to it in a world where future exists
The concept, music and visuals are all very promising. Unfortunately, the controls happen to be janky and I didn't appreciate how automatic the tricks are performed.
Jet Set Radio é um jogo que sempre me chamou a atenção, principalmente por causa do seu visual.
O jogo tem um logo estiloso, um visual moderno, bizarro, urbano e colorido, personagens excêntricos, um nome forte com boa sonoridade e uma das melhores trilhas sonoras de jogos de todos os tempos. Tudo isso em um jogo de 2000 e todos esses aspectos envelheceram super bem.
Só tem uma coisinha um pouquinho importante que não envelheceu bem: jogabilidade. Movimentação pesada e limitada, hitboxes estranhas, câmera mal posicionada, inimigos overpowered, level design super confuso e não podia faltar a cereja do bolo, um timer curto que chegando ao zero te dá um game over.
O que eu fiz então? Usei cheats!
Mais velocidade! Saúde infinita! Timer congelado!
Minha experiência mudou COMPLETAMENTE. Comecei a me divertir e me empolguei com o jogo, tanto que terminei em poucos dias e cheguei ao final com um sorriso no rosto. Eu devo ter tentado começar a jogar JSR umas três vezes, mas nunca engatei. Dessa vez foi e tô satisfeito.
O jogo tá longe de ser perfeito, mas dando um jeitinho ele se torna uma experiência que vale muito a pena.
O jogo tem um logo estiloso, um visual moderno, bizarro, urbano e colorido, personagens excêntricos, um nome forte com boa sonoridade e uma das melhores trilhas sonoras de jogos de todos os tempos. Tudo isso em um jogo de 2000 e todos esses aspectos envelheceram super bem.
Só tem uma coisinha um pouquinho importante que não envelheceu bem: jogabilidade. Movimentação pesada e limitada, hitboxes estranhas, câmera mal posicionada, inimigos overpowered, level design super confuso e não podia faltar a cereja do bolo, um timer curto que chegando ao zero te dá um game over.
O que eu fiz então? Usei cheats!
Mais velocidade! Saúde infinita! Timer congelado!
Minha experiência mudou COMPLETAMENTE. Comecei a me divertir e me empolguei com o jogo, tanto que terminei em poucos dias e cheguei ao final com um sorriso no rosto. Eu devo ter tentado começar a jogar JSR umas três vezes, mas nunca engatei. Dessa vez foi e tô satisfeito.
O jogo tá longe de ser perfeito, mas dando um jeitinho ele se torna uma experiência que vale muito a pena.
why is the description a negative review
I had discovered Jet Set Radio through Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing. It was through that game that I learned of Beat, Tokyo-to, and just how great the soundtrack to this game is. I had it in my Steam library for a bit, so I finally decided to give it a go. What I found was a game with an amazing aesthetic, stylish art design, amazing soundtrack, and undercooked gameplay.
The biggest thing that I think everyone who has played this game can agree on is the amazing vibe it has. The art design and soundtrack really showcase this amazing punk vibe that Jet Set Radio has. Character designs are wonderful and showcase this great cell-shaded art style, while still having a punk feel to them. The style and music is what keeps you booting up the game time and time again. I would go as far to say that this may be one of the best soundtracks ever in gaming.
What frustrated me about Jet Set Radio was its very poorly aged gameplay. It just feels...off with your skating. Sometimes the game is very forgiving with your timing or landing spot, and other times if you are just one pixel off from a rail, you'll just keep falling or get stuck on a wall. It can be extremely frustrating to keep your momentum going in this game. However, I will say, when you are able to pull off a lot of tricks and get through levels fast, it is such an amazing feeling.
What hinders the gameplay even more than its iffy movement is its enemies. Things feel pretty fair during the first chapter of the game, but as things progress, enemies get absolutely ridiculous. Enemies seemingly can track you from anywhere and will hinder your progress significantly throughout levels. The game decides to put graffiti spots that take 6-7 times to fully cover it, knowing that enemies will continue to chase you, even if you got some good distance between you and them. It just becomes frustrating to have to keep rolling around the same spaces over and over just because the enemies are so relentless. Furthermore, there is very little you can do against them. You can occasionally use one of your spray cans to bring down particular enemies, such as the flamethrower users or helicopters, but regular enemy mobs, or the big tough guy enemies towards the end of the game, are relentless. This isn't even mentioning the very out of place and disappointing final boss fight, which barely tests any skills that you may have acquired throughout the game.
Level design is actually pretty solid. In the first chapter, you're given these small little playgrounds to learn skills and put up your tags. As you progress, these small areas begin to connect to each other until you have this big area of Tokyo-to that you have to race around. This is actually really well paced, though it can get confusing to figure out just how these areas connect and where you have to go to progress.
My feelings on Jet Set Radio are very mixed. It has probably some of my favorite vibes, art direction, and music in any game I've ever played. Yet, the frustrating and outdated controls (not to mention the awful camera, pop-in, and locked 30 FPS on the PC version) really soured the experience for me. I kept going to see just what cool stuff I'd see and hear next, but playing the game definitely tested not only my skill, but patience as well.
The biggest thing that I think everyone who has played this game can agree on is the amazing vibe it has. The art design and soundtrack really showcase this amazing punk vibe that Jet Set Radio has. Character designs are wonderful and showcase this great cell-shaded art style, while still having a punk feel to them. The style and music is what keeps you booting up the game time and time again. I would go as far to say that this may be one of the best soundtracks ever in gaming.
What frustrated me about Jet Set Radio was its very poorly aged gameplay. It just feels...off with your skating. Sometimes the game is very forgiving with your timing or landing spot, and other times if you are just one pixel off from a rail, you'll just keep falling or get stuck on a wall. It can be extremely frustrating to keep your momentum going in this game. However, I will say, when you are able to pull off a lot of tricks and get through levels fast, it is such an amazing feeling.
What hinders the gameplay even more than its iffy movement is its enemies. Things feel pretty fair during the first chapter of the game, but as things progress, enemies get absolutely ridiculous. Enemies seemingly can track you from anywhere and will hinder your progress significantly throughout levels. The game decides to put graffiti spots that take 6-7 times to fully cover it, knowing that enemies will continue to chase you, even if you got some good distance between you and them. It just becomes frustrating to have to keep rolling around the same spaces over and over just because the enemies are so relentless. Furthermore, there is very little you can do against them. You can occasionally use one of your spray cans to bring down particular enemies, such as the flamethrower users or helicopters, but regular enemy mobs, or the big tough guy enemies towards the end of the game, are relentless. This isn't even mentioning the very out of place and disappointing final boss fight, which barely tests any skills that you may have acquired throughout the game.
Level design is actually pretty solid. In the first chapter, you're given these small little playgrounds to learn skills and put up your tags. As you progress, these small areas begin to connect to each other until you have this big area of Tokyo-to that you have to race around. This is actually really well paced, though it can get confusing to figure out just how these areas connect and where you have to go to progress.
My feelings on Jet Set Radio are very mixed. It has probably some of my favorite vibes, art direction, and music in any game I've ever played. Yet, the frustrating and outdated controls (not to mention the awful camera, pop-in, and locked 30 FPS on the PC version) really soured the experience for me. I kept going to see just what cool stuff I'd see and hear next, but playing the game definitely tested not only my skill, but patience as well.
the game that dared to ask "what if we made everything about our game amazing but the actual gameplay is very bad
The first time I started this game was on the Vita back in 2016. I remember JSR getting a good amount of representation in the Sonic & All-Stars Racing games and I thought this game looked fun so it caught my attention. Then when I got around to playing it, I dropped it immediately after the tutorial. Partly because of the jank and me just being lazy with games in general. Got the game on Xbox 360 to see if it was any different and the rest is history.
Is the game as janky as I remember it being? Yes, but this time I'm playing it on a much better controller, the Xbox Series X controller, so it's a little bit more bearable. Everything else about the game is great though. The music kicks ass, the art style pops and still looks great to this day, and the characters look pretty cool with Beat being my favorite. The final boss was also pretty unique and stood out to me despite how annoying the last phase of it was. However, what keeps this game from being a truly great one is constantly fighting with this game's physics to get my character to move how or do what I want them to. It's a frustrating experience and it made me nearly drop the game a couple of times, but luckily I prevailed and made it to the end. Despite my rating, I will still say it is good, but a deeply flawed game. I hear Jet Set Radio Future is a major improvement so I hope it either gets added as a backwards-compatible title on Xbox or gets a remaster in the near future.
Is the game as janky as I remember it being? Yes, but this time I'm playing it on a much better controller, the Xbox Series X controller, so it's a little bit more bearable. Everything else about the game is great though. The music kicks ass, the art style pops and still looks great to this day, and the characters look pretty cool with Beat being my favorite. The final boss was also pretty unique and stood out to me despite how annoying the last phase of it was. However, what keeps this game from being a truly great one is constantly fighting with this game's physics to get my character to move how or do what I want them to. It's a frustrating experience and it made me nearly drop the game a couple of times, but luckily I prevailed and made it to the end. Despite my rating, I will still say it is good, but a deeply flawed game. I hear Jet Set Radio Future is a major improvement so I hope it either gets added as a backwards-compatible title on Xbox or gets a remaster in the near future.
Jet Set Radio Is So Fun When U Ain’t Got A Bitch In Ya Ear Telling You It's Aged Poorly
What a nice game with good art and music I wonder if the composer has a Twitter account
Also check this out
Also check this out
For the first hour or so of playing Jet Set Radio, I was fully considering dropping the game soon after. Fortunately I ended up sticking with it, because with a bit more time I finally started to see this as an absolutely fantastic little experience. At its core, JSR is also a game that felt as if it allowed me to better understand certain dichotomies between the game design approach between Nintendo and Sega and how they were able to cultivate a lot of experiences that felt remarkably distinct, each with their own pros and cons to them. While Nintendo tended to approach games largely from the perspective of having a player understand the majority of the game's systems immediately and intuitively to make for something inviting and accessible, Sega consistently seemed to more go for the approach of "Hey, the first few hours of this are going to suck but once it clicks it's the best stuff ever". This feels especially true for this game however, as getting into it proves to be a bit rough due to the control scheme feeling incredibly loose and difficult to handle, with a wide turn radius and a constant sense of momentum that means you can't immediately slow down making it really difficult to start off with as even the most simple obstacles feel like fighting against the game. However, with a bit of time, once you get used to it all, it becomes increasingly clear how so many of the mobility quirks that you have lend themselves perfectly to the level design.
For a movement system that practically requires the player to be getting a bit of a running start to properly gain momentum and actually reach a lot of higher locations, not to mention maintaining this speed for a pretty long time whether you want to or not since rollerskates just tend to do that, it needs to be complemented by level design that supports this, and here's where Jet Set Radio largely shines. Grind rails, secret areas and just your general avenues of traversal tend to be spaced out in such a way where you can flow naturally from one location to another as long as you have a general idea of where everything is. Jumps are spaced in such a way that you'll be finding yourself effortlessly perfectly positioning yourself to barely slow down after a while, it goes from something that feels like it's fighting against the player to something that feels incredibly intuitive, but then also satisfying due to the player knowing how much they had struggled at first to make even the most basic of manoeuvres. It all contributes to a feeling that the game is less interested in seeing you merely beat the stages, and instead wants you to absolutely master them.
This idea of mastery continues to be represented through the way that the enemies within the game are handled, initially seeming like pointless distractions that serve to frustrate and slow you down, but actually being utilised as a clever way to further force the player to understand the levels and plan their routes carefully from the start. Because the intensification of enemy waves is based exclusively off of how many spots you've tagged without the time taken having any bearing, planning is a far more important step to the game than it first lets on, to the point where once you figure out how to approach getting around a stage, the pacing can often feel rather leisurely, with even the most intense waves still being easily managed due to the remaining targets being simple to reach nonetheless. So many elements that initially seem like a hindrance to the Jet Set Radio's experience ultimately prove to contribute to the core gameplay loop in an incredibly organic way to the point where you'll often feel as if you're just being let loose without any real sense of overbearing guidance, even though the game is really nudging you in the right direction for the entire duration.
This reaches its peak with the rival battles thrown throughout the game, that either make you race against someone or just follow what they do, which doesn't only often lead to you being taught about certain tricks to make getting around easier, one example being sliding across walls for extra height, but you'll often be taught about little shortcuts as well. These end up feeling exciting not only because you're being taught about so many things that were always there that you probably just didn't know about, but it all links back into making replaying those stages later all the more satisfying as you once again get to entirely redefine your route with these new tricks and passages in mind, feeding into the remarkable replayability that the game has. Of course, despite all of this, it's still hard to deny that the best aspect of the game for me is just how much insane style it has to it, with the colourful, cel - shaded art making every area be filled to the seams with so much charm, bringing life to what could've potentially been a dreary urban sprawl. The art is further complemented by Hideki Naganuma's amazing soundtrack that takes a lot of cues from instrumental hip hop and the big beat scene to make for one of the coolest OSTs to a game out there, with even the occasional lulls in quality still carrying such a strong vibe to carry the game's aesthetic up into the stratosphere.
On the whole, while I cannot fault anyone who plays this game and hates it for the way you control your character, it not only is a system that progressively feels better the more you play, but the design of the levels and encounters themselves is absolutely incredible in how it perfectly balances between knocking the player around and silently guiding them into feeling like they're pulling off some absolutely insane stunts. While I already love the game, it's also another case where it almost feels built to be replayed a bunch, and those small annoying moments that appear from time to time are nowhere near enough to tank the experience by very much. Definitely worth a shot especially if you love its aesthetic, and even if you've played it and didn't like it very much, honestly give it another small shot, you might be pleasantly surprised.
For a movement system that practically requires the player to be getting a bit of a running start to properly gain momentum and actually reach a lot of higher locations, not to mention maintaining this speed for a pretty long time whether you want to or not since rollerskates just tend to do that, it needs to be complemented by level design that supports this, and here's where Jet Set Radio largely shines. Grind rails, secret areas and just your general avenues of traversal tend to be spaced out in such a way where you can flow naturally from one location to another as long as you have a general idea of where everything is. Jumps are spaced in such a way that you'll be finding yourself effortlessly perfectly positioning yourself to barely slow down after a while, it goes from something that feels like it's fighting against the player to something that feels incredibly intuitive, but then also satisfying due to the player knowing how much they had struggled at first to make even the most basic of manoeuvres. It all contributes to a feeling that the game is less interested in seeing you merely beat the stages, and instead wants you to absolutely master them.
This idea of mastery continues to be represented through the way that the enemies within the game are handled, initially seeming like pointless distractions that serve to frustrate and slow you down, but actually being utilised as a clever way to further force the player to understand the levels and plan their routes carefully from the start. Because the intensification of enemy waves is based exclusively off of how many spots you've tagged without the time taken having any bearing, planning is a far more important step to the game than it first lets on, to the point where once you figure out how to approach getting around a stage, the pacing can often feel rather leisurely, with even the most intense waves still being easily managed due to the remaining targets being simple to reach nonetheless. So many elements that initially seem like a hindrance to the Jet Set Radio's experience ultimately prove to contribute to the core gameplay loop in an incredibly organic way to the point where you'll often feel as if you're just being let loose without any real sense of overbearing guidance, even though the game is really nudging you in the right direction for the entire duration.
This reaches its peak with the rival battles thrown throughout the game, that either make you race against someone or just follow what they do, which doesn't only often lead to you being taught about certain tricks to make getting around easier, one example being sliding across walls for extra height, but you'll often be taught about little shortcuts as well. These end up feeling exciting not only because you're being taught about so many things that were always there that you probably just didn't know about, but it all links back into making replaying those stages later all the more satisfying as you once again get to entirely redefine your route with these new tricks and passages in mind, feeding into the remarkable replayability that the game has. Of course, despite all of this, it's still hard to deny that the best aspect of the game for me is just how much insane style it has to it, with the colourful, cel - shaded art making every area be filled to the seams with so much charm, bringing life to what could've potentially been a dreary urban sprawl. The art is further complemented by Hideki Naganuma's amazing soundtrack that takes a lot of cues from instrumental hip hop and the big beat scene to make for one of the coolest OSTs to a game out there, with even the occasional lulls in quality still carrying such a strong vibe to carry the game's aesthetic up into the stratosphere.
On the whole, while I cannot fault anyone who plays this game and hates it for the way you control your character, it not only is a system that progressively feels better the more you play, but the design of the levels and encounters themselves is absolutely incredible in how it perfectly balances between knocking the player around and silently guiding them into feeling like they're pulling off some absolutely insane stunts. While I already love the game, it's also another case where it almost feels built to be replayed a bunch, and those small annoying moments that appear from time to time are nowhere near enough to tank the experience by very much. Definitely worth a shot especially if you love its aesthetic, and even if you've played it and didn't like it very much, honestly give it another small shot, you might be pleasantly surprised.
Half a star for the art style, the only good thing about this game.
Genuinely baffled at people calling this a classic. Clunky, imprecise and unresponsive controls, your character takes forever to speed up and can barely steer, jumps are floaty, and one of the worst forced tutorial sections I've ever seen. And underneath all that is what? An extremely basic game. Just collect paint cans and do little QTEs to paint graffiti? I've played better graffiti games and better skating games. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the Tony Hawk games had a graffiti function.
And wtf is up with these Jim Crow era depictions of black people??
Genuinely baffled at people calling this a classic. Clunky, imprecise and unresponsive controls, your character takes forever to speed up and can barely steer, jumps are floaty, and one of the worst forced tutorial sections I've ever seen. And underneath all that is what? An extremely basic game. Just collect paint cans and do little QTEs to paint graffiti? I've played better graffiti games and better skating games. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the Tony Hawk games had a graffiti function.
And wtf is up with these Jim Crow era depictions of black people??
On the surface, Jet Set Radio may seem like an explicit expression of the urban teenage outrage from something like Tony Hawk games, you do graffiti around town, the police and even the army pursue you, you help an underground illegal radio, everyone is dancing all the time, the visual style is a colorful explosive display of liveliness. On the inside, this is nothing more than the envelope of an identity crisis lie.
What this really is, compared to Tony Hawk, is a simplified version where about two action buttons carry all the movement. The complex techniques of the older game are now automated, which may sound like an improvement in the flow of movement, yet ends up backfiring, as this automation also means that it is much harder to predict what the character is even going to do. In consequence, penalties are also relieved, falling down, even after impossible falls, is a rare sight, grinding rails no longer requires keeping any balance at all. These watered down decisions exist also because of a more careless attention to detail on movement, where something essential as jumps often becomes unexpected leaps of faith. This lack of attention is to be expected.
Tony Hawk games totally committed to translating skating into videogame through an exaggerated arcade abstraction. Where impossible jumps were possible, still an essence was maintained regardless of the surrealism. You had two minutes, a song, and a place where to find your own style to be turned into your combo tricks playground. Jet Set Radio arcade capacities are but a mere curiosity. Perhaps in recognition of not being able to find a game where moving around was satisfactory enough, perhaps in disbelief of the power of arcade, Jet Set Radio is nothing but a game of following steps and getting interrupted.
No longer is the city there as your canvas, the graffiti spots to paint here are clearly marked with red arrows. Those missions at least still leave up to you the routes to get to the different marked points whereas the duels, in Tony Hawk an even more concentrated and heavily penalized one minute jam, are now the epitome of identity robbery. To show your value to others, you copy their exact movements.
The two minute arcade do what you want without additives is now an infinitely generous timed mission full of stops. Start the mission and get a cutscene. Trigger the police, reinforcements, whatever, get another cutscene, even in midair. Pause and open up your map to locate your missing objectives. Search for health refills if you get too many hits. Perform an incredible stunt, like grinding a rail without pressing a button, and get a replay highlight. Paint a graffiti, halt your movement completely regardless of acceleration and complete a quick time event standing still for seconds.
Tony Hawk games, if cynically seen, may look like a messy license mashup in an attempt to grab attention wherever it could, but, above everything, contained a clear idea on what the urban movement on top of a skate meant in its own arcade terms. Jet Set Radio has clear ideas on the aesthetic it wants to reach, but at its heart is, at best, just a confused teenager that prefers to watch the style from afar, afraid of taking the wheels and falling down.
What this really is, compared to Tony Hawk, is a simplified version where about two action buttons carry all the movement. The complex techniques of the older game are now automated, which may sound like an improvement in the flow of movement, yet ends up backfiring, as this automation also means that it is much harder to predict what the character is even going to do. In consequence, penalties are also relieved, falling down, even after impossible falls, is a rare sight, grinding rails no longer requires keeping any balance at all. These watered down decisions exist also because of a more careless attention to detail on movement, where something essential as jumps often becomes unexpected leaps of faith. This lack of attention is to be expected.
Tony Hawk games totally committed to translating skating into videogame through an exaggerated arcade abstraction. Where impossible jumps were possible, still an essence was maintained regardless of the surrealism. You had two minutes, a song, and a place where to find your own style to be turned into your combo tricks playground. Jet Set Radio arcade capacities are but a mere curiosity. Perhaps in recognition of not being able to find a game where moving around was satisfactory enough, perhaps in disbelief of the power of arcade, Jet Set Radio is nothing but a game of following steps and getting interrupted.
No longer is the city there as your canvas, the graffiti spots to paint here are clearly marked with red arrows. Those missions at least still leave up to you the routes to get to the different marked points whereas the duels, in Tony Hawk an even more concentrated and heavily penalized one minute jam, are now the epitome of identity robbery. To show your value to others, you copy their exact movements.
The two minute arcade do what you want without additives is now an infinitely generous timed mission full of stops. Start the mission and get a cutscene. Trigger the police, reinforcements, whatever, get another cutscene, even in midair. Pause and open up your map to locate your missing objectives. Search for health refills if you get too many hits. Perform an incredible stunt, like grinding a rail without pressing a button, and get a replay highlight. Paint a graffiti, halt your movement completely regardless of acceleration and complete a quick time event standing still for seconds.
Tony Hawk games, if cynically seen, may look like a messy license mashup in an attempt to grab attention wherever it could, but, above everything, contained a clear idea on what the urban movement on top of a skate meant in its own arcade terms. Jet Set Radio has clear ideas on the aesthetic it wants to reach, but at its heart is, at best, just a confused teenager that prefers to watch the style from afar, afraid of taking the wheels and falling down.
Jet Set Radio is initially a difficult game to evaluate. My thoughts weren't dissimilar to the majority; a game that should be played mostly for the experience, but is largely outclassed by its successor, Jet Set Radio Future. At the surface the game is bogged down by clunky controls and borderline insane difficulty spikes that could make a Disney princess swear like a sailor. I tried the tutorial, of course, after hearing of its infamy and similarly walled on the inability to even do 30 tricks in a row and struggling to grasp the concept of maintaining momentum being so...unintuitive while attempting trick loops. I threw in the towel and started the story, where I grew increasingly frustrated with my inability to not bonk off of every wall and how, at the slightest inconvenience, my character would grind to a halt. Grind City in particular made me reconsider whether I wanted to finish the game at all, at which point all of my forward momentum to actually finishing the game was dashed (much like my attempts to rail grind...) and I was content with the evaluation that the game was just trash when the majority online seemed to agree with the sentiment after a few hours of similar experience.
I slogged through what I had left of Chapter 2 out of sheer spite and decided "maybe it's just this one particular level that blows". After all, the grind rails are way too inconsistent and the verticality is plain frustrating when the camera controls are non-existent and you can't make heads or tails of the level layout.
I couldn't have been more wrong at the time when I inevitably hit the single largest filter in the game, "Fight or Flight".
I don't generally consider myself to be someone who struggles to pick up a game, but in this instance I was nearly finished with the roughly ten hour story and hadn't yet been able to grasp why the game is so beloved. This experience may have shaved a dozen years off my life in just a couple hours of hair-pulling torment.
I threw in the towel and put the game down. I decided to read more online, maybe I was just missing something. It was a review on this site, by the user Drax, that encouraged me to re-evaluate my stance on the game and analyze exactly why I was struggling. After all it wasn't like the controls were necessarily hindering me as much as I wanted to blame them. I took the time to look at things from a different perspective, in the light of a 3D platformer that had a focus on the optimization of movement and time rather than just the free-flowing exploration most skating games ask you to embrace. The game asks you not to understand just how to move faster in the moment - but to totally conquer the map and its possibilities. Things began to fall into place, I already knew the levels I just had to apply that knowledge. Before I knew it I blew through the end of the game and decided I would tackle the infamous tutorial again. I hit a 100 trick loop in just a dozen attempts; suddenly the momentum of jumping from rail to rail was natural. Turns out a dozen hours of practice was maybe necessarily to get a handle on the movement. The very idea of getting Jet rank in every level ceased to be something feasible only to the most absolutely deranged fanboys, and before I realized it I sank another 20 hours in the game to clean up the rest of the achievements.
By this point I realized something I'd consider a fundamental truth of the game; the game's controls aren't bad. Not in the slightest. Unintuitive at first? Sure, but I'd argue the game's controls are simply difficult. They're consistent by all metrics. Even those sudden moments where your character shoots far left for seemingly "no reason" was just the hair difference of the twitch of the thumbstick by accident. Jet Set Radio is not an unfair game, it is just a tough game - and then, after taking the time to know it, one as natural as breathing. Knowledge and muscle memory are extremely valuable, which may not be everyone's cup of tea, but you just gotta learn the exact same way a child learns to skate.
I'm glad I was ultimately able to come to terms with what turned out to be nothing more than a monumental skill issue. Jet Set Radio is a fantastic game, and I had a blast with the strategical aspects and the process of familiarizing myself with each route. The level design is generally fantastic (even Grind City, once you actually learn how to cross the centerpiece of the stage, which the game makes no effort to make you even able to see the jump across the center) and I'm truly glad I gave it a fair shake in the long run, thanks in no small part to the amazing community willing to go to bat for it.
I still absolutely HATE Grind City though and it's not even close, I'm gonna hear the fall damage crunch in my nightmares playing on repeat for years.
I slogged through what I had left of Chapter 2 out of sheer spite and decided "maybe it's just this one particular level that blows". After all, the grind rails are way too inconsistent and the verticality is plain frustrating when the camera controls are non-existent and you can't make heads or tails of the level layout.
I couldn't have been more wrong at the time when I inevitably hit the single largest filter in the game, "Fight or Flight".
I don't generally consider myself to be someone who struggles to pick up a game, but in this instance I was nearly finished with the roughly ten hour story and hadn't yet been able to grasp why the game is so beloved. This experience may have shaved a dozen years off my life in just a couple hours of hair-pulling torment.
I threw in the towel and put the game down. I decided to read more online, maybe I was just missing something. It was a review on this site, by the user Drax, that encouraged me to re-evaluate my stance on the game and analyze exactly why I was struggling. After all it wasn't like the controls were necessarily hindering me as much as I wanted to blame them. I took the time to look at things from a different perspective, in the light of a 3D platformer that had a focus on the optimization of movement and time rather than just the free-flowing exploration most skating games ask you to embrace. The game asks you not to understand just how to move faster in the moment - but to totally conquer the map and its possibilities. Things began to fall into place, I already knew the levels I just had to apply that knowledge. Before I knew it I blew through the end of the game and decided I would tackle the infamous tutorial again. I hit a 100 trick loop in just a dozen attempts; suddenly the momentum of jumping from rail to rail was natural. Turns out a dozen hours of practice was maybe necessarily to get a handle on the movement. The very idea of getting Jet rank in every level ceased to be something feasible only to the most absolutely deranged fanboys, and before I realized it I sank another 20 hours in the game to clean up the rest of the achievements.
By this point I realized something I'd consider a fundamental truth of the game; the game's controls aren't bad. Not in the slightest. Unintuitive at first? Sure, but I'd argue the game's controls are simply difficult. They're consistent by all metrics. Even those sudden moments where your character shoots far left for seemingly "no reason" was just the hair difference of the twitch of the thumbstick by accident. Jet Set Radio is not an unfair game, it is just a tough game - and then, after taking the time to know it, one as natural as breathing. Knowledge and muscle memory are extremely valuable, which may not be everyone's cup of tea, but you just gotta learn the exact same way a child learns to skate.
I'm glad I was ultimately able to come to terms with what turned out to be nothing more than a monumental skill issue. Jet Set Radio is a fantastic game, and I had a blast with the strategical aspects and the process of familiarizing myself with each route. The level design is generally fantastic (even Grind City, once you actually learn how to cross the centerpiece of the stage, which the game makes no effort to make you even able to see the jump across the center) and I'm truly glad I gave it a fair shake in the long run, thanks in no small part to the amazing community willing to go to bat for it.
I still absolutely HATE Grind City though and it's not even close, I'm gonna hear the fall damage crunch in my nightmares playing on repeat for years.
why does the ps3 version have lights coming out of your skates and the pc version doesn't????? so weird
cool game though
cool game though
we gotta start using the term “a tight ten hours” for games like film aficionados use the term “a tight 90.” jet set radio is a tight ten hours
Gonna be real with you chief: this game sucks. It looks and sounds awesome but holy shit it is a terrible game to actually play. Just download the soundtrack and do your own graffiti on rollerblades instead. I guarantee it'll be more enjoyable than this piece of shit.
please stop making me scream the lyrics mr naganuma
The occasional clunkiness of the roller skates does not diminish the joys of schmoving on a grind rail past the cops and spraying the nearby billboard with an obnoxiously bright tag.
Jet Set Radioooooo
This game kicks and drags itself screaming to a 6/10. I see why a lot of people love it. I also see why a lot of people would not love it.
Aesthetically, it doesn't get any better than this. It's that jagged, crunchy Y2K goodness you just don't get anywhere anymore. The soundtrack? It smacks. It slaps. It fucks!! Very few games have such bold character. Jet Set Radio nails its presentation. Immediately iconic.
The story never takes itself seriously and, on top of that, it's impressively short -- a tight six hours. That's what I'm talking about!
Unfortunately, the actual, tactile experience of playing Jet Set Radio can be frustrating (Note: I am playing the 2012 PC Port which may have introduced jank, I haven't really seen/heard anyone compare the two versions, but if the Sonic Adventure DX port is anything to go by... I wouldn't doubt it). When players not only recommend against the tutorial but claim that it's actually the single hardest part of the game, maybe something's wrong.
The controls in this game are, uh, ass. Eventually I feel like I got pretty good controlling my trajectory when jumping from rails, but even then, there was always like a 50% chance I end up flying completely opposite the direction I wanted to go. It's near impossible to get off a bad rail grind. You really have to struggle to reach certain items/pathways and a lot of the time it doesn't feel good. This is actually hard to describe but if you've played the game, you understand what I mean.
For some people, it is an endearing level of jank. For me, it was painful. Couple that with enemies that constantly pursue you -- enemies that you can't fight back against -- and it becomes an exercise in patience.
Again, however, Jet Set Radio's one saving grace is that it keeps itself short and sweet, and doesn't overstay its welcome. The final boss is also pretty fun.
I can't really recommend unless you can withstand a considerable amount of jank.
Aesthetically, it doesn't get any better than this. It's that jagged, crunchy Y2K goodness you just don't get anywhere anymore. The soundtrack? It smacks. It slaps. It fucks!! Very few games have such bold character. Jet Set Radio nails its presentation. Immediately iconic.
The story never takes itself seriously and, on top of that, it's impressively short -- a tight six hours. That's what I'm talking about!
Unfortunately, the actual, tactile experience of playing Jet Set Radio can be frustrating (Note: I am playing the 2012 PC Port which may have introduced jank, I haven't really seen/heard anyone compare the two versions, but if the Sonic Adventure DX port is anything to go by... I wouldn't doubt it). When players not only recommend against the tutorial but claim that it's actually the single hardest part of the game, maybe something's wrong.
The controls in this game are, uh, ass. Eventually I feel like I got pretty good controlling my trajectory when jumping from rails, but even then, there was always like a 50% chance I end up flying completely opposite the direction I wanted to go. It's near impossible to get off a bad rail grind. You really have to struggle to reach certain items/pathways and a lot of the time it doesn't feel good. This is actually hard to describe but if you've played the game, you understand what I mean.
For some people, it is an endearing level of jank. For me, it was painful. Couple that with enemies that constantly pursue you -- enemies that you can't fight back against -- and it becomes an exercise in patience.
Again, however, Jet Set Radio's one saving grace is that it keeps itself short and sweet, and doesn't overstay its welcome. The final boss is also pretty fun.
I can't really recommend unless you can withstand a considerable amount of jank.
I've completed this game twice now (once on PC and another time on Series X backwards compatibility). First and foremost, it's easy to point out of course but Jet Set Radio absolutely OOZES style and personality. The character designs, the art style and visuals, the gameplay (to an extent), and ESPECIALLY the music. Mr Funky Man himself Hideki Naganuma convinced me full stop that he cannot put out a piece of bad music if he tried, pretty much every track in this game is a bop, but you likely already knew that already.
The more I think about it, it's hard to nail down what type of game JSR is. I guess it can be considered a platformer since you do a lot of platforming throughout the game, but it isn't entirely the main objective of what you do. You run around these dense boxed in arenas looking for areas to spray paint with quick time events, avoid police as they chase after reckless juvenile delinquents with guns helicopters and...tanks sweet mercy. You do this all within a time limit and are graded at the end of a stage. This format is very odd and unique but I think it works out well, it also helps that there's a map showcasing where certain graffiti tags you still have left. The police/military forces amp up the more graffiti you place down, meaning it's possible to try and strategize what areas you need to prioritize graffiti as to not run into the tougher enemies more frequently later on.
The movement overall though has me mixed. There are points where everything flows together well enough, you get a ton of speed off rails and wall riding, and when it clicks it clicks rather well. That said, when it DOESN'T (which can be frequent), then it's beyond frustrating. You have almost zero air control, turning is a struggle, trying to gain speed without walls or rails around is like pulling teeth, falling off of higher areas is very easy to do and getting back up to higher areas can often be a chore, and to make matters worse some stages just plain suck. Grind Square in general is just badly designed, confusingly laid out, not clear on how you're able to reach certain areas and if you fall off (which is very likely to happen), back to the elevator of shame you go.
There are a couple of extra gameplay styles to partake in aside from the main stages. There are gang fights, where you need to tag each of the 3 gang members 10 times to win, and this mode is genuinely abysmal. Tagging them is so finnicky in execution, sometimes it just doesn't work, and other times you tag them like 7 times in less than a second (and it can often be disorienting since the spray trigger is also mapped to the "reorient camera" trigger), but to top it off, the gang members are the exact same speed as you, meaning you can't outpace them and basically need to follow them to a point where they'll eventually stop and hope to spray them, but even THEN if you get too close to them they can actually damage you for...whatever reason, it's just a frustrating mess. There are also races against rivals to recruit them into your squad, and while on paper this doesn't sound too bad, the course itself is not really clear on where you need to go to win, nor is there a map to tell you where you need to go, so it all ends up being trial and error until you figure out the exact path to travel to.
The story though is so incredibly bizarre that I'm not really able to describe it in full. So there's this big government agency that hates the graffiti spraying punks for spraying graffiti, and when you battle other gang members they drop a piece of this record that when played can summon demons...or something? And then there's a flashback where one friend of a couple of gang members gets kidnapped (and we never hear from him again), and when the main big bad tries to play the record it turns out it was all a hoax and he was just mad with power...I think? To be honest stuff just sort of happened and I was just there to witness it happen
I was overall less frustrated and better equipped to tackle JSR again on my second playthrough, but I also think playing through it a second time made the fun parts a little less fun as a result. It's fine, super weird, but not really my thing.
The more I think about it, it's hard to nail down what type of game JSR is. I guess it can be considered a platformer since you do a lot of platforming throughout the game, but it isn't entirely the main objective of what you do. You run around these dense boxed in arenas looking for areas to spray paint with quick time events, avoid police as they chase after reckless juvenile delinquents with guns helicopters and...tanks sweet mercy. You do this all within a time limit and are graded at the end of a stage. This format is very odd and unique but I think it works out well, it also helps that there's a map showcasing where certain graffiti tags you still have left. The police/military forces amp up the more graffiti you place down, meaning it's possible to try and strategize what areas you need to prioritize graffiti as to not run into the tougher enemies more frequently later on.
The movement overall though has me mixed. There are points where everything flows together well enough, you get a ton of speed off rails and wall riding, and when it clicks it clicks rather well. That said, when it DOESN'T (which can be frequent), then it's beyond frustrating. You have almost zero air control, turning is a struggle, trying to gain speed without walls or rails around is like pulling teeth, falling off of higher areas is very easy to do and getting back up to higher areas can often be a chore, and to make matters worse some stages just plain suck. Grind Square in general is just badly designed, confusingly laid out, not clear on how you're able to reach certain areas and if you fall off (which is very likely to happen), back to the elevator of shame you go.
There are a couple of extra gameplay styles to partake in aside from the main stages. There are gang fights, where you need to tag each of the 3 gang members 10 times to win, and this mode is genuinely abysmal. Tagging them is so finnicky in execution, sometimes it just doesn't work, and other times you tag them like 7 times in less than a second (and it can often be disorienting since the spray trigger is also mapped to the "reorient camera" trigger), but to top it off, the gang members are the exact same speed as you, meaning you can't outpace them and basically need to follow them to a point where they'll eventually stop and hope to spray them, but even THEN if you get too close to them they can actually damage you for...whatever reason, it's just a frustrating mess. There are also races against rivals to recruit them into your squad, and while on paper this doesn't sound too bad, the course itself is not really clear on where you need to go to win, nor is there a map to tell you where you need to go, so it all ends up being trial and error until you figure out the exact path to travel to.
The story though is so incredibly bizarre that I'm not really able to describe it in full. So there's this big government agency that hates the graffiti spraying punks for spraying graffiti, and when you battle other gang members they drop a piece of this record that when played can summon demons...or something? And then there's a flashback where one friend of a couple of gang members gets kidnapped (and we never hear from him again), and when the main big bad tries to play the record it turns out it was all a hoax and he was just mad with power...I think? To be honest stuff just sort of happened and I was just there to witness it happen
I was overall less frustrated and better equipped to tackle JSR again on my second playthrough, but I also think playing through it a second time made the fun parts a little less fun as a result. It's fine, super weird, but not really my thing.