Cel-shaded beauty (Jet Set Radio (DC))

Member Name: ben_83

Product:	Jet Set Radio (DC)
Date:	17/05/01 (192 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Endlessly playable, sublime visuals better than any game on any format currently available, excellent soundtrack

Disadvantages: The 3D camera isn't perfect

If any proof were needed that it is Sega who deserve the title of 'best developer/publisher in the world' (in the current climate at least - I'm sure it will change once GameCube is released and Nintendo and Rare start releasing games again), then 'Jet Set Radio' provides it. It is one of the most original, graphically beautiful, aurally pleasing and, most importantly, playable games I've had the pleasure of experiencing in the last few years.

'Jet Set Radio' is probably best described as a 3D platformer but, like all the greatest games, doesn't really fall into a set genre. Most of the levels see you take control of your chosen rollerblade-clad graffiti artist (you start with a choice of three but plenty more are unlocked as the game progresses) to tag a certain number of set locations in the shortest amount of time possible. Obstacles to the achievement of this goal exist in the form of a limited supply of spray cans and a variety of bad guys - from helicopters that fire missiles at you to shady mob types - that will stop at nothing to prevent you from completing the level. Refreshingly for a game of its type, 'Jet Set Radio' shuns huge stages in which the player could get lost and elects for smaller, more intimate levels which are easier to navigate and quicker to finish meaning that there's no danger of boredom setting in.

The feature of 'Jet Set Radio' that has garnered most attention is undoubtedly its graphics. The cel-shading technique (the method used to make 'Jet Set Radio''s characters look two-dimensional when they are actually rendered in polygons) pioneered by Sega offers the game a totally unique, comic book look which is a highly refreshing departure from most games on current release who all seem to be striving for photorealism. Practically, too, the graphical engine comes up trumps. Although the 3D camera is often a little sluggish to swing around, it's still
a better system than most third-person perspective games.

As well as this, the graffiti tags used in the game are, to say the least, on the arty side of the toilet door-style 'Dave is a knob' fare and the kind of thing I certainly wouldn't mind having sprayed on my house. It's just a shame it's impossible to come anywhere near emulating them with the dreadful graffiti editor included in the game (rendering the home-made graffiti-swapping online feature obsolete). An option to import image files created on a PC would have been a nice bonus.

The one facet of a game that is almost universally forgotten about by developers is the sound. Sega, however, have excelled with 'Jet Set Radio'. Although I would not normally choose to listen to the style of music on the soundtrack (it being mostly obscure J-pop), it fits the game like a glove, aurally expressing its style and feel perfectly. The addition of Jurassic-5 and Mix Master Mike (of Beastie Boys fame) to help western appeal is bonus too.

And now on to what's important: playability. Pulling off a difficult rooftop grind or successfully executing a tag while falling past a red arrow is immensely satisfying stuff and keeps the gamer coming back for more of what could, admittedly, get a bit repetitive in the hands of a lesser developer. Also keeping the interest of the player up is the variety of the levels. Although this reviewer has already described the flow of the majority of the levels, Sega do mix it up a bit by changing the format occasionally. Particularly enjoyable are the stages where the gamer has to eliminate a rival gang by chasing them around and tagging them when you get close enough.

In this Sony-created distopian videogame climate we find ourselves in currently where endless commercially-sound sequels rule the roost and developers aren't allowed to fully express themselves (at least not without the publisher's permission anyway), it
's reassuring to know that truly innovative games are still being released. The one good thing that will come from the demise of the Dreamcast is that more people will have access to this calibre of software.

Summary: