Jet Grind Radio (Dreamcast Game Review)

Jet Grind Radio (JGR) was to be called Jet Set Radio, but the name had to be changed for legal reasons... and it is precisely with a legal message that JGR boots up, stating that "SEGA does NOT condone Graffiti" and that "Graffiti is Art"...

Graffiti? And what has graffiti to do with a game, other than Tony Hawk's Skating?

First of all, I would like to state that, for once, I don't agree with SEGA. Graffiti is NOT Art. By definition, graffiti is "casual writing and / or rude drawing on the walls of buildings", and that *sucks* if the building is someone else's property. If the drawings have such a quality that some dare call it art, then why don't the "artists" go paint them where they legitimately can? I bet that "graffiti artists" wouldn't like to have their personal belongings, such as their pretty faces, painted, just because someone wants to...

Graffiti, as I know it, is just a stupid graphical form of urban violence. And yet, graffiti never looked so good, as in this JGR Dreamcast game...

But JGR hasn't that much to do with graffiti. The game's hardcore is grinding, ie, performing stunts on walls and other public spaces, wearing roller blades. You perform these stunts on Tokyoto @ Japan - a city that "isn't in the map".

You play as a member of the GGs, against the local police and other gangs, such as the Poison Jam, the Love Shockers and the Noise Tanks. The Police hates you and you can even get killed... but as a result of your acts, you can also win enough respect to gather new band members.

On Tokyoto, you have to thanks the Jet Set Radio (JSR) local radio station, that not only broadcasts the greatest alternative music (Jurassic 5 && Rob Zombie), but also warns about the cops.

Painting graffiti is just one of the many tricks that you can do while grinding - in fact, it is the easiest of the tricks. Jumping, somersaulting, 360s, 720s, leg stretching distance flies, tunnel performances and many others do-not-know-what-to-name-them demonstrations are much harder to accomplish.

The truth is that there will be times when you simply won't have a clue "how to do that", but because JGR has "a kind of magic", you'll find yourself insisting on trying, until you drop dead furious OR end up understanding the combo. Combinations are the key, and some are so demanding, that you'll be king-of-the-controller, if you can consistently do them.

Grinding. Tricks. Roller blades. Alternative music. Graffiti. Bands. Gangs. Punks. Tokyoto. Still, they aren't the key feature on JGR!

JGR top feature is its graphics! They are true ART. SEGA has indeed delivered the first Dreamcast title with "cel shading", applied to such an innovative design, that every level feels as something unique, truly new.

JGR is wonderful to look at. Level design and character movements are as perfect as possible. Gameplay is also very original and highly addictive. Overall, this game brings in a plethora of NEW candies, that I can't remember an equivalent videogame jump, since the ZX Spectrum days.

This game alone, demands you to buy a SEGA Dreamcast. And it is a *CRIME* that SEGA is 1 million Dreamcasts down the expected sales figure, because the key to great interactive fun, is NOT just on hardware specs, but (mostly) on imagination. The Dreamcast is the most UNDERevaluated console on the market - it deserves much higher sales. If you don't have one go BUY one *NOW* and get JGR with it. Honest.