Retro Review - Jet Set Radio Future

"A great update of a timeless classic."

Jet Set Radio Future

Despite not having been able to carve out a niche in the burgeoning 128-bit generation to survive in its own right, for the two or so years that the Dreamcast existed it provided some of the most original and innovative titles ever known to the console market. Amongst some of its most innovative titles was Jet Set Radio (Jet Grind Radio in the US). JSR combined extraordinary cel-shaded graphics with funky music and unique gameplay to provide a once and a lifetime gaming experience. With the arrival of Jet Set Radio Future for the Xbox, who would have imagined that lightning would strike twice?

GAMEPLAY: The object of JSRF is quite simple: graffiti. In the near future Tokyo-to has been co-opted by private enterprise and the last bastion of creative thought and artistic style resides with gangs of rollerblading street urchins who express their individuality by spraying graffiti over corporate art and any Rokkaku police officer who happens to stumble across their path. This urban guerilla warfare wouldn’t be complete with Professor K pumping out some really funkafied tunes through his pirate radio station, Jet Set Radio. Anyone who played JSR will be quite at home with the storyline in JSRF as it is practically the same. However, this is not a bad thing as the gameplay takes the story of the underdogs against the system to new heights.

Having played JSR to death, I was interested to see what Smilebit had done with JSRF to improve what had already been an excellent concept. They have not disappointed. JSRF improves on all areas of the gameplay. To start with, JSRF does away with the manual graffiti system of the first game in favour of just a simple tap of the R button. Some might say that this would simplify the gameplay, but it doesn’t. What it allows you to do is enjoy the game more without having to stop and practically break your thumb copying onscreen prompts. There are no longer any time limits, you can take as much time as you want completing the levels which is a good thing as the levels in JSRF are a lot larger than JSR’s and quite complex.

Grinding has been made simpler and nearly any surface can be ground on. My particular favourite is grinding up telephone poles and across connected power lines. Sounds fun, huh? It is, believe me, it is. The speed and length of the grind can be controlled by depressing the left analogue stick which allows for greater control and ease of tagging on the move. The speed boost is easier to use this time, a simple tap of the B button will set you going for a few seconds but it requires 10 spray cans to do so. Added to the mix a plethora of new multiplayer modes, JSRF takes all the things that made JSR great and improves upon them to no end. 10/10

GRAPHICS: Another thing that made JSR unique has also been improved upon by JSRF. In one word the visual style of JSRF can be described: unreal. It actually looks more like a cartoon than the original. Textures on the characters have been improved, the speed of the game has been bumped a notch without loss of detail (a steady 60fps) and there is no popup that tended to plague the original. The levels are huge and there are infinite grind loops on every level allowing you to appreciate the complexity of the level. Thanks to the improved power of the Xbox, Tokyo-to now looks and feels like a metropolis, with people thronging the streets and cars rushing by. The visceral visual style of the first game has been kept and the city areas feel more alive than ever. Smilebit’s art team have gone overboard as the art style of the game oozes through the screen. For a first generation title JSRF makes me wonder just what Microsoft’s not so little black box can do. The graphics are that good. 10/10

SOUNDS: Nowadays, a good game isn’t truly complete without an appropriate sound track to accompany it. Like JSR, JSRF has a truly ear popping soundtrack comprising remixes from the first game along with new songs that serve to annunciate the style of the game. The music is primarily Japanese pop and American funk and quite catchy (I’m trying to forget Concept of Love, but I just can’t). All the usual suspects return for the sequel, Professor K in particular gets more airtime this time around as he helps guide you through levels with helpful hints and derisive comments. In my opinion though, the soundtrack in JSRF isn’t as snappy as JSR’s. This is maybe a matter of personal preference, but the remixes sound a little bit flat. However, despite that the sounds are very well done. 9/10

LONGEVITY: Perhaps the greatest criticism that can be leveled at JSRF is that it’s not as hard as its predecessor was. The challenges are not quite as challenging and the moves are quite easy to master. That said, after the single player mode has been completed, you’ll be returning to JSRF to play with friends for the multiplayer modes on offer. 8/10

PROS:
+ Phenomenal graphics, it makes JSR look archaic.
+ Fun to play. One go and you’re hooked.
+ Great controls.
+ Large complex levels.

CONS:
- Not very hard.
- People who disliked JSR may not like it.
- Music may not suit everyone’s tastes.
- Nope, that’s about it.


FINAL WORD: The future is definitely looking rosy for the Xbox if it keeps churning out quality games like this. JSRF is an excellent improvement over the original and can only be seen as a sign of better things to come for the Xbox as a new console, Smilebit and Sega in general. If you have an Xbox, you must have JSRF.

OVERALL: 9/10


Replay: I wrote this review for Gamefaqs some six years ago and despite the fanboy bent I still agree with most of what I said. JSRF was a phenomenal game and is (despite what others might say) much better than the original Dreamcast version. The game has aged extremely well graphically but suffers slowdown on the 360, better played on the original Xbox.