, is a video game developed by Smilebit and published by Sega on June 29 2000. Jet Set Radio was developed for the Dreamcast, although a 2D version of the game was later released for Game Boy Advance and was developed by Vicarious Visions, and published by THQ. Its sequel, Jet Set Radio Future was released 2 years later for the Xbox after SEGA became a software-based company. The game is known for spearheading the use of cel-shaded graphics in video games.
History
Jet Set Radio was announced at the Tokyo Game Show in 1999 and
generated a prodigious amount of press attention due to its use of
the then revolutionary rendering technique, cel-shading. Now
commonplace in game design, cel-shading allows for a "cartoon-like"
appearance of 3D rendered objects. Jet Set Radio was released in
Japan on June 29, 2000.
The US release, re-titled Jet Grind Radio, contained two new maps,
various new songs, and other in-game content designed to increase
the game's appeal to Western audiences. This version also allowed
the user to connect to the Internet via SegaNet and download
user-created graffiti tags, or upload tags of their own, as some
could also be used to promote other SEGA games. Sales of the game
were relatively low, but despite the slumping sales of Jet Grind
Radio, it has gone on to achieve a cult following in the gaming
community.
Plot
The game
begins in Shibuya-cho, and is introduced by
Professor K, the DJ of a pirate radio
station based in Tokyo-to
, who
explains the basics of life in Tokyo-to
for a
"rudie", the term he uses to refer to young
people who roam the streets spraying and skating, as a means of
self expression.
The city is split into three parts—Shibuya-cho, Benten-cho, and
Kogane-cho, each of which corresponds to a different time of day.
Shibuya is a shopping district full of blue skies and daylight,
Benten a nocturnal entertainment spot that represents night, and
Kogane a mostly residential area, built on the water, where it is
perpetually sunset. In each of these areas the player will
encounter a rival gang - the Love Shockers in Shibuya, the Noise
Tanks in Benten, and Poison Jam in Kogane - that attempts to usurp
the GG's home turf. The player starts off forming a skate gang
which also resides in Shibuya-cho, and thus forms a rivalry between
the gangs in the area. After completing a set of menial challenges,
designed to introduce the player to the control system, Gum and Tab
join the gang forming the first 3 members of the GG's. The player
starts out as Beat, a 17-year-old rudie who ran away from home like
many other Japanese rudies. Beat was first shunned from gang to
gang over and over again until he decided to start his own gang.
Beat is the leader and founder of the GG's. The player first starts
out spraying a little graffiti in Shibuya-Cho looking to recruit
members. First Gum joins, then Tab.
The initial stage is set in a Shibuya bus station, in which the
player has to "tag" various parts of the bus station, as well as
spray over existing tags, so as to gain the area as part of their
territory. While tagging these places, the player is pursued by
policemen and their leader, Captain Onishima. The
police, the
S.W.A.T team, and
Goji Rokkaku's Golden Rhinos are yet another obstacle to avoid
while defeating rival gangs. Also, Professor K narrates specific
parts of the game via his eponymous pirate radio station called Jet
Set Radio.
Other gangs which feature in the game as opponents are the Noise
Tanks, who appear to be semi-cyborg
otaku,
Poison Jam, brutish thugs who wear fish costumes, and the Love
Shockers, an all-girl gang made up of jilted lovers. Once the
protagonist defeats each gang they hand over their belongings and
grant the area to the graffiti gang that dethroned them.
Soundtrack
The upbeat
Jet Set Radio soundtrack includes an eclectic
array of original and licensed songs combining the
musical genres of
J-pop,
Hip-hop,
funk,
Electronic dance music,
Acid Jazz,
Trip
hop, and even (in the NTSC version)
metal.
- B.B. Rights - Funky Radio
- Castle Logical - Mischievous
Boy
- Cold - Just Got Wicked (North
American version only)
- Deavid Soul - Miller Ball
Breakers
- Deavid Soul - On the Bowl (A.Fargus
Remix)
- Deavid Soul - Up-Set Attack
- Deavid Soul - Yappie Feet
- F-Fields - Yellow Bream
- Guitar Vader - Magical Girl
- Guitar Vader - Super Brothers
- Hideki Naganuma - Grace and
Glory
- Hideki Naganuma - Humming the
Bassline
- Hideki Naganuma - Let Mom
Sleep
- Hideki Naganuma - Moody's
Shuffle
- Hideki Naganuma - Rock It
On
- Hideki Naganuma - Sneakman
- Hideki Naganuma - Sweet Soul
Brother
- Hideki Naganuma - That's
Enough
- Idol Taxi - OK House
- Jurassic 5 - Improvise (North
American and PAL versions only)
- Mixmaster Mike - Patrol Knob
(North American and PAL versions only)
- Professional Murder
Music - Slow (North American version only)
- Reps - 'Bout the City
- Richard Jacques - Everybody Jump
Around
- Rob Zombie - Dragula (North American version only)
- Toronto - Electric
Tooth Brush
- Feature Cast - Recipe For The
Perfect Afro (PAL version only)
- O.B. One - Many
Styles (PAL version only)
- Semi Detached - Funky Plucker (PAL
version only)
- Deavid Soul - Dunny Boy Williamson
Show (Japanese version only)
Alternate versions
A version of Jet Set Radio was released for the
Game Boy Advance system in 2003, created by
Vicarious Visions, the developers
of the numerous
Tony Hawk Pro
Skater GBA games; and published by
THQ. It
featured an isometric perspective similar to the GBA Tony Hawk
games and, despite the hardware limitations, cartoony graphics were
designed to emulate the look of cel-shaded graphics, despite the
smaller resolution. Music is reduced to 30 to 45 second samples.
The levels ranged from exact duplicates to reminiscent counterparts
of the original Jet Set Radio.
De La Jet Set Radio
After the public reported several bugs in the original Japanese
version of Jet Set Radio, Sega decided to re-release it under the
name of De La Jet Set Radio ("Deluxe" Jet Set Radio). This version
was only sold in Japan via Dreamcast Direct (later renamed
Sega Direct) making it one of the more rare
Dreamcast titles available. The gameplay in this version was easier
to pick up and included the added music from the PAL and North
American versions, including the two levels only included in these
two versions. The text featured in the game is localized in the
main language of your Dreamcast, unlike the original Japanese
version, which means that if your Dreamcast system is set to
English language, the text in the game will be in English. The same
goes for Japanese, German, French and Spanish. However, the voices
remain Japanese.
Reception
The game was received exceedingly well from online sources and
magazines. Many have praised the style of the game as the matching
soundtrack with up-tempo music. Critics also applauded the
simplistic "pick-up and play" arcade style gameplay. The lowest
review received was a 70% rating (3.5 out of 5) from Independent
Gamer. IGN gave the game a 9.6 rating but criticized the camera
control, saying, "You'll spend weeks thinking 'Why don't all games
look like this?'. Then you'll spend a month wondering why the
camera wasn't fixed in the development." The lack of multiplayer
was also criticized.
Sequels and Upcoming Titles
Said to be a sequel, yet also a prequel to
Jet Set Radio,
Jet Set Radio Future,
was developed for the
Xbox and released in
Japan on
February 22,
2002, in
North America on
February 25,
2002
(under the title
JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future) and in Europe
on
March 14,
2002 as a
launch game for the console. The game's style and cel-shaded
graphics remained faithful to the original, although somewhat
improved to take advantage of the Xbox hardware.
Jet Set Radio Wii
Headstrong Games presented Sega
with a concept for a third installment for the Wii, but the concept
"did not take". This motion has remained under heavy protest from
Gaming news sites such as
IGN.
Upcoming Releases
As of March 2009, Sega has recently renewed the Jet Set Radio and
ChuChu Rocket trademarks in the US.
Speculation has lead to believe that both are soon to be rereleased
on Xbox Live and/or PSN.
Appearances in Other Games
Two of Jet Set Radio's characters, Beat and Gum, are playable
characters in the sports title,
Sega Superstars Tennis. Beat
will also feature as a playable character in the upcoming
Sonic & Sega
All-Stars Racing.
Awards
- E3 2000
Game Critics Awards: Winner for
Best Console Game, runner-up for Best in Show
- 2001 Game Developers
Choice Awards: Winner of Excellence in Visual Arts and Game
Innovation Spotlights awards, nominated for Game of the Year
- 4th Annual Interactive Achievement
Awards (2001): nominated for Game Design, Game of the Year,
Console Game of the Year, Console Innovation, Original Music
Composition, Sound Design, and Visual Engineering
Notes and references
External links
Wikis
Quiz
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