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 Style
and substance are often mutually exclusive, especially in the world of
videogames. While a lot of games have one or the other – which is
often enough - combining both is much more a rarity. Jet Grind
Radio is one of those very games, and it's so chock full of both
that it's got plenty to spare. Set in the fictional city of Tokyo-to,
the game follows the trials facing your gang as it protects its turf,
stakes out new turf, and keeps clear of the overzealous cops who are
bent on taking these well-meaning street punks out.
In
a nutshell, the game sends you on missions in the three sections of
Tokyo-to which generally involve tagging (a.k.a. spray painting)
various locations in the city while avoiding a Rodney King-style
beating. As you succeed, the cops get more intense, sending SWAT
teams, tanks and helicopters to get you off the streets and into
jail. For a little variety, there are also a few levels which
require you to tag rival gang members, as well as challenge levels,
where you've got to complete a challenge to convince a fledgling
recruit that you're cool enough to have them in your gang.
Comparisons
to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Crazy Taxi made long
before Jet Grind Radio was released really did the game a
disservice. While great
games in their own right, gamers who come into Jet Grind Radio
expecting similar experiences are likely to be disappointed. Jet
Grind Radio shares more with 3D platform games, but that in itself
is something of a tenuous comparison. The levels offer a lot of
freedom but often ask gamers to find a way to a seemingly unreachable
spot to tag. Usually the solutions are not as hard as they seem at
first glance. This isn't
a game where you're expected to puzzle for ages on how you need to
make that jump. A lot of the fun and challenge is doing things
in the most stylish way possible. Linking together tricks when
you jump -- done automatically in a very non-Tony Hawk manner
-- is a great draw. The more tricks you link together, the
higher your score and the better your ranking on a level. And
that's part of the game's beauty: it will appeal to people who like to
achieve personal bests, but it's such
a well-designed
game that gamers who just want to work through it every now and again
not worrying about score should also like it.
Explorer-type gamers will like the opportunity to find logos
that unlock new graffiti designs. The level design is excellent no
matter what type of gamer you are.
 Getting
around in Jet Grind Radio requires a bit of a learning curve,
which makes the challenge levels that much more valuable - they serve
as tutorials as well as a recruiting tool for your gang. The
floaty gravity in the game takes a bit of getting used to, but it's an
easy enough adjustment. The controls are precise and effective,
so it's really just a matter of building techniques. Still, one
slight problem that occasionally haunts players is the typical 3D game
Achilles heel: the camera.
Generally it's very good, but occasionally the camera will
twist into an unfriendly position. It doesn't help matters that
the button you use to spray paint also centers the camera.
Again, after a bit of time most gamers will be able to work through
any camera issues but, from time to time, the camera is sure to annoy.
Visually,
the game is excellent. The much-ballyhooed cel-shaded characters
look every bit as good in motion as they do in stills, animating
nicely and looking cool. The character designs are great, as are
the environments. Simply put, the game offers a consistent
graphical style that makes the game a resounding artistic
success. While other games may try to model the head of a pin
with crazy amounts of polygons to
achieve visual excellence, Jet Grind Radio takes a totally
different approach which, when all is said and done, is likely more
successful.
And
then there's the music. Oh, the music! Without a doubt,
this game has one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard, and that's
not even considering the new material that was added for the American
release by artists such as Rob Zombie and Jurassic 5. Excellent.
The voices and sound effects are all good, although Professor K
sounds a bit monotone. This is more than made up for by the
hilarious police assailants, who "hup-hup-hup" after you
relentlessly.
 Jet
Grind Radio is a truly amazing and complete package. While
the game may not resonate with some gamers, it's got plenty of appeal,
and gamers of all stripes should at least give it a shot. If you
own a Dreamcast, rent it, borrow it or buy it. Just find a way
to get that disc in your console and give it a good spin.
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