Jet Set Radio Future Xbox Review @ Gaming Target

Written by Ryan Smotherman on March 08, 2002

Review: The first must own game of 2002 has officially arrived!

With recent hopefuls like Wreckless and WWF Raw falling a little bit below our high expectations, everyone has been wondering how Sega's sequel to the highly acclaimed Jet Grind Radio would turn out. Although it's certainly not for everyone, it might just be a little too cheerful for gamers who need to murder people and hear Slayer in the background, I'm happy to announce that Jet Set Radio Future turned out to be a masterpiece of a game, that next to Halo, is the best experience your going to find on the Xbox, or any system for that matter.

Before I get into any details on the finer aspects of this title, let me first clear something up. Those people looking for another Tony Hawk, let it be known that the only thing these two titles have in common is that your characters roll around on wheeled devices. Other than that, the two games really have no similarities, and those who go into JSRF expecting something akin to Tony Hawk will only find disappointment. In fact, JSRF is really unlike anything else out there in the gaming world today. Even though technically it's a sequel, prequel, remake, or whatever you want to call it, the game turned out to be so much more than it's predecessor that it's almost as if the young series has been reborn.

Set in a futuristic Tokyo, the year 2024 to be precise, you control the funky, rocket skate wearing, graffiti painting gang known as the GGs. Whose goal, under the guidance of DJ Professor K, head DJ of the underground radio station, Jet Set Radio, is to dominate the streets and mark the entire city of Tokyo under their name. As you'd expect, this isn't going to be easy. Whether it is the Rokkaku police, headed up by the insane Inspector Hayashi (he seems a bit too happy, if you know what I mean), the Golden Rhinos, or a rival gang, you're going to have some competition along the way.

If you are familiar with Jet Grind Radio's formula, you should feel right at home with JSRF, though, a lot has changed as well. You'll still skate through various locales spray painting over other's graffiti, busting out some tricks, and taking out those who get in your way. What seems to have changed the most is just the sheer scope of the game in general. Immediately you will notice the massive levels that offer so many different paths and places to grind on that at first it can be a bit overwhelming. They are so big in fact that you could find yourself getting lost on certain stages. Thankfully though, Smilebit, just as in the original, included a map for every location. These are not only great for finding your way around, but they also map out where each important item is, whether it be a tag, a Graffiti Soul, or a key person that you need to communicate with.

Controlling your character is pretty much as it was in the original. Although character movement still isn't perfect, there is noticeable improvement. The trick system still lacks any depth and isn't nearly as improved as I expected it to be. It still seems as if your moves are completely random, although, now tricks double as a sort of a small speed burst. Grinding is probably the most important way of getting around, as you will need to do it to reach many different locations throughout each level. And to do it you simply jump on whatever rail or object you wish to ride on. This time you also have the added luxury of grinded vertically up power line poles and whatnot, I found this to be a very nice addition. The game still includes a turbo button, but it is drastically different this time around. Pressing the button will ignite your rocket skates and you'll go speeding along for a limiting amount of time, all for a measly 10 cans of spray paint. This effect doesn't just look cool (more on this later), but it's also very useful when trying to make tough jumps or if you need to get some enemies off your back, literally.

Overall, the controls are very well done, and from the get go you'll find that it's just plain fun to skate around and grind on everything. The lack of any competent trick system is a bit of a disappointment, however, like I said before, this is no Tony Hawk and that aspect of the game has always played second fiddle to the meat of the gameplay Ц the tagging and enemy encounters, of course.

Okay, listen up all you Jet Grindians. Along with the massive level designs, what I'm about to say is also the biggest changes you'll notice in this sequel. Remember when you played Jet Grind Radio and you were dodging tanks as you tried to make all the complicated tags before the time limit ran out? Yeah, it was pretty damn intense, eh? Well, forget all of that. Instead of just throwing everything at you at one time, Smilebit has arranged things where everything is pretty much separate. You will no longer have to avoid the police as try and make all the tags, and you will no longer have to worry about a time limit. I have very mixed feeling towards this new set-up. For one, just like all the other fans of the original, I really enjoyed the intensity of the gameplay. However, the new system promotes exploration and has a more laid back feel, so you never really feel like your in a hurry and you can take your time enjoying the game for what it is.

The tagging system itself has also been modified and is considerably different from the original. Movements with the analog stick are no longer required to tag an area. Now all you have to do is press the R-Trigger, and voila, paint. Tag areas come in 6 different sizes, ranging from small to extra large, although, since you're just hitting the R-Trigger, there really isn't any challenge besides holding the button in longer. Where the real challenge comes in is when you're trying to locate some oddly placed tags. The majority of the tags can be found right in front of you, but on occasion you'll have to bust out some sweet moves in order to reach an obscurely located tag(s). These easily give you the greatest feeling of accomplishment.

Then we have the encounters with your opponents, which comes in several forms. Usually when you encounter the Rokkaku Police you'll see them on foot. Then all you have to do is knock them down and spray paint them. On occasion, though, you will be treated to a variety of mechanical devices, which includes tanks, helicopters, and even a huge robotic bug that's piloted by Mr. Psycho himself, Inspector Hayashi. The problem with the Rokkaku police is that they just don't offer much of a challenge and you'll find yourself less than threatened when encountered by them. Thankfully, your rival gangs, which includes Poison Jam, The Love Shockers The Immortals, and more, do add a little excitement. Whether you're involved in a spray battle, where you chase your opponents down and spray paint them, or a flag battle, get the most flags to win, there is some entertainment to be found.

In all, JSRF's gameplay is fun and extremely addictive, but unfortunately it's not without it's faults. One thing that really bugged me is that as the game progresses it seems to lose a little steam, and at times your objectives become a bit blurry. While I'm no expert on game design or anything, I think they should have brought back some of the older gameplay mechanics, like a time limit, later in the game. Seeing as you already know the huge areas, it would have been less frustrating and would really livened things up a bit.

One of the major selling points to JSRF is most definitely the game's unique and very stylish look and sound. Smilebit's wonderful creation can best be described as a precision assault on your senses. The graphics are easily some of the best the Xbox has seen, with a smooth 60 fps, absolutely huge draw distances, and a cel-shaded look that seems better than ever. C'mon, Smilebit originated this technique, who better to take it to the next level? The levels in the game are bustling with activity and convey much realism. Depending on which level you're on, there is literally hundreds of people that occupy the streets, each who will run away from you and basically tell you to shove off. You'll also see traffic, which will actually try to stop and avoid hitting you this time around, tons of buildings/businesses, and massive skyscrapers. Not to mention that you can wreak havoc on the streets by knocking everything thing over.

As I mentioned before, when your character performs the dash move it creates a very striking look that brings even more of that УcoolФ factor into effect. Flames shoot out of your skates and the entire screen fills with that super impressive heat wave effect. You can't help but to stare in awe. Unfortunately, there is one small flaw in JSRF's graphics that prevent them from reaching a perfect score. At certain points in the game you'll encounter some very noticeable slowdown. It happens very rarely, but it can be an annoyance.

I never is my wildest dreams imagined that Smilebit could top the songs that were featured in Jet Grind Radio. But thankfully, I was wrong. I mean, my God, JSRF's soundtrack is simply incredible and really works well in drawing you into the game. Composed of mostly hip hop-ish techno tunes, each track will have your complete attention, and before long you'll even be singing with them. You can thank the Latch Brothers the most, for their songs compose the majority of the soundtrack, one that I highly recommend you pick up if you ever get the chance. Sound effects are also well done and include a little bit of voice work (mostly Professor K's). For a company notorious for bad voice acting in their games, this is some high quality stuff.

While Jet Set will only take you anywhere between 12 and 15 hours to complete, it does offer it's fair share of replay value. Each level has things called Graffiti Souls hidden throughout them. Graffiti Souls are basically different looking tags that you can use in the game. Searching for these in each level can almost become addicting and you have a strong desire to Уcatch Сem allФ. Likewise, there are many, many different characters in the game that can be recruited into your gang. Trying to find all of them also adds to the fun.

Then we come to the newly added multi-player modes, which, unfortunately, I have yet to try out. Nevertheless, I've heard that these modes are a nice addition, and multiplayer modes can never be a bad thing, no?