I am so excited right now. I HAVE to tell you all about this game. Its one of my favorites. Seriously, like, top five. Right up there with Earthbound. If you havent already read the title of the post, then I'll tell you the name of the game right now: Jet Set Radio Future.
If you've played the game before, then the first thing you've noticed about my review so far is that the first image I've used is not in the game. Nor is it on the box. In fact, it's the interior of the hard-to-find Japanese soundtrack CD. If you're wondering about my choice of screenshots to introduce people to the game, then I'll be straightforward: it is incredibly hard to use a screenshot to convey the dynamic beauty of JSRF. It's even harder to find a good quality Youtube video that doesn't have some ten-year-old shouting over top of the footage, so you'll just have to try it for yourself.
So by now, those unfamiliar with this series of games are probably wondering, what it's all about? Well then, let me ask you, do you think graffiti is cool? Yeah? Well, what about roller
blades? I know, kind of lame, but these ones run on electricity (or something)! Neat, eh? Wait, I'm not done. Ever want to fight a tank? What about a Harrier Jump jet, or an attack helicopter? Or choke two dozen police officers to death using spraypaint? Well, in JSRF, you can do all those things!
Ok, maybe that description wasn't very good, but that's because it's hard to classify JSRF into an existing genre. It takes place in a future, somewhat dystopian, Tokyo, where you take control of a gang of oppressed teenagers who rise up against the police and rival gangs using nothing but spraypaint. It combines elements from action games, platformers, sports games, even rhythm games. And in this great mashup of differing and previously very seperate gameplay mechanics, nothing is overlooked.
The one main reason to play this game is the sheer sensory overload you'll experience. The game world is beautifull. You start off small, but a couple hours in you'll be grinding vertically up hundred foot teleph
one poles overlooking a massive ravine filled with crumbling pre-fabricated houses, attempting to clog the air intakes of an assault helicopter to get it to crash into the empty skyscrapers nearby. Jet Set Radio Future's predecessor, Jet Grind Radio (a game I'll review seperately in the future) was one of the first games ever to utilize cel-shaded graphics (a feature, like quick-time-events, far over-used and often ignored). The result is nothing short of stunning. The draw distance is relatively large for the XBOX, and the game universe is extremely detailed and infinitely charming, but let's not forget the soundtrack.
You have probably never heard of these songs or artists before, but after you finish the game you will probably go looking for a soundtrack torrent. All of the songs are original, and fit the mood of the game perfectly. In fact, if the game had no soundtrack at all, I would probably have hated it. The music plays such an integral role in your experience with Tokyo-To (their name for the future Tokyo) that it is impossible to imagine the two seperately. With the exception of one song about a birthday cake (trust me, you'll wish you'd never heard it) every song on the soundtrack is excellent, and for its time the tracklist was gigantic, but what about the gameplay?
While not as important as the visual and audio impact of the game, the mechanics are pretty solid. The grafitti controls have been simplified from the prequel making the game playfaster and more fluidly, if a little bit easier. Some of the acion sequences involving multiple police officers may get a little repetetive, and the endless hunt for that one graffiti youve missed can be very frustrating, but it doesnt have too much of a detrimental effect on the fun you'll be having. There is one level that WILL piss you off, as hunting for graffiti tags to spray over while jumping from the roofs of skyscrapers and trying not to fall hundreds of feet to your death can get old pretty fast. So can the hunt for the skipped tag when you inevitably miss one, but that level is the exception to the rule, with the rule being an overall great gameplay experience.
The game was bundled with SEGA GT 2002 and given away as a pack-in with the XBOX, and as such it is now extremely easy to find and incredibly cheap. I myself have three copies; the most expensive being 5$ and the cheapest being 2$ from EB Games (GameStop for you Yank
ees out there). If you already have an XBOX, there is NO EXCUSE to not have this game yet.
For those who don't, it might just be worth buying one. I myself bought an XBOX just to play this game, and now the systems can be found used for around 20$. When you put that together, you might spend 25$ to pick up a game and working XBOX, which is far cheaper than any new title coming out for the 360 or PS3.
And speaking of the 360, it IS backward compatible. Barely. There are some graphical glitches, some serious slowdown, and the map is basically unreadable. And without the map, forget it. The aforementioned skyscraper level will take you a month to finish without it. I'd reccomend simply finding (or borrowing) an original XBOX . They're cheap and easy to find. What's your excuse?
-futtigue
(Also, if you're interested in the game, check out this site with some amazing fan art. It's some of the best I've seen, and it really shows you the love from the fanbase for this awesome series.)
So by now, those unfamiliar with this series of games are probably wondering, what it's all about? Well then, let me ask you, do you think graffiti is cool? Yeah? Well, what about roller
blades? I know, kind of lame, but these ones run on electricity (or something)! Neat, eh? Wait, I'm not done. Ever want to fight a tank? What about a Harrier Jump jet, or an attack helicopter? Or choke two dozen police officers to death using spraypaint? Well, in JSRF, you can do all those things!Ok, maybe that description wasn't very good, but that's because it's hard to classify JSRF into an existing genre. It takes place in a future, somewhat dystopian, Tokyo, where you take control of a gang of oppressed teenagers who rise up against the police and rival gangs using nothing but spraypaint. It combines elements from action games, platformers, sports games, even rhythm games. And in this great mashup of differing and previously very seperate gameplay mechanics, nothing is overlooked.
The one main reason to play this game is the sheer sensory overload you'll experience. The game world is beautifull. You start off small, but a couple hours in you'll be grinding vertically up hundred foot teleph
one poles overlooking a massive ravine filled with crumbling pre-fabricated houses, attempting to clog the air intakes of an assault helicopter to get it to crash into the empty skyscrapers nearby. Jet Set Radio Future's predecessor, Jet Grind Radio (a game I'll review seperately in the future) was one of the first games ever to utilize cel-shaded graphics (a feature, like quick-time-events, far over-used and often ignored). The result is nothing short of stunning. The draw distance is relatively large for the XBOX, and the game universe is extremely detailed and infinitely charming, but let's not forget the soundtrack.You have probably never heard of these songs or artists before, but after you finish the game you will probably go looking for a soundtrack torrent. All of the songs are original, and fit the mood of the game perfectly. In fact, if the game had no soundtrack at all, I would probably have hated it. The music plays such an integral role in your experience with Tokyo-To (their name for the future Tokyo) that it is impossible to imagine the two seperately. With the exception of one song about a birthday cake (trust me, you'll wish you'd never heard it) every song on the soundtrack is excellent, and for its time the tracklist was gigantic, but what about the gameplay?
While not as important as the visual and audio impact of the game, the mechanics are pretty solid. The grafitti controls have been simplified from the prequel making the game playfaster and more fluidly, if a little bit easier. Some of the acion sequences involving multiple police officers may get a little repetetive, and the endless hunt for that one graffiti youve missed can be very frustrating, but it doesnt have too much of a detrimental effect on the fun you'll be having. There is one level that WILL piss you off, as hunting for graffiti tags to spray over while jumping from the roofs of skyscrapers and trying not to fall hundreds of feet to your death can get old pretty fast. So can the hunt for the skipped tag when you inevitably miss one, but that level is the exception to the rule, with the rule being an overall great gameplay experience.
The game was bundled with SEGA GT 2002 and given away as a pack-in with the XBOX, and as such it is now extremely easy to find and incredibly cheap. I myself have three copies; the most expensive being 5$ and the cheapest being 2$ from EB Games (GameStop for you Yank
ees out there). If you already have an XBOX, there is NO EXCUSE to not have this game yet.For those who don't, it might just be worth buying one. I myself bought an XBOX just to play this game, and now the systems can be found used for around 20$. When you put that together, you might spend 25$ to pick up a game and working XBOX, which is far cheaper than any new title coming out for the 360 or PS3.
And speaking of the 360, it IS backward compatible. Barely. There are some graphical glitches, some serious slowdown, and the map is basically unreadable. And without the map, forget it. The aforementioned skyscraper level will take you a month to finish without it. I'd reccomend simply finding (or borrowing) an original XBOX . They're cheap and easy to find. What's your excuse?
-futtigue
(Also, if you're interested in the game, check out this site with some amazing fan art. It's some of the best I've seen, and it really shows you the love from the fanbase for this awesome series.)
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