Jet Grind Radio- A Review

For the first of my Dreamcast reviews, I will review the game that led to me getting a Dreamcast. There was quite a bit of buzz around the internet about how much fun Jet Grind Radio was. I was right in the middle of my "emulate all the games I missed phase" and went straight to my usual sources. Unfortunately, the Dreamcast emulator did not work since it hadn't been updated in over 4 years. So I ventured into ebay and came out with a Dreamcast. This was back in 2011, so I was rather surprised when Jet Grind Radio HD was released on Steam this year. But I don't regret getting a whole system just to play one game. Its been a very fun experience and I have a very strong attachment to the console now. So without further ado, lets review the game that started it all (for me).

This is hands down the best video I have ever seen of the game.

DESIGN:

JGR is a great example of how "Style over Substance" isn't always a bad thing. The actual game play is really simple and not deep at all. But man does it look awesome. As you roller blade around the city tagging walls with your graffiti, you are treated to a virtual smorgasbord for the eyes and the ears. The way the levels are laid out let you look at all the pretty visuals while you bounce around. They got really good designs for the in game graffiti and you can also design your own. All character designs are stylized, some to the point of parody. The radio DJ has some frightening hair and the chief of police (who routinely shoots at you for graffiting) looks absolutely ridiculous. The game just pops with personality and life, with its bright and colorful cell-shaded graphics. Its one of the rare occasions of something trying to be cool and actually pulling it off. 

And the music. Good god, this is one of the best game soundtracks ever. Hip-hop, Rap, Pop, Rock, J-pop, this soundtrack runs the gamut. It all pulses with life and really compliments the gameplay. And over a decade later it still holds up. I can't think of a single time during this game when I wanted a song to stop. In fact, I occasionally wanted the song to play again. If you ever played "The World Ends with You" the soundtrack is very much like that. An eclectic mix of current music that morphs into something almost timeless. 

GAMEPLAY:

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater this is not. Oddly enough this game only uses three buttons. A jumps, right trigger speed boosts and left trigger graffitis and centers the camera. The tricks happen automatically as long as you jump with enough speed. To wall slide or grind, just jump on the relevant surfaces. The controls are precise enough and you can certainly pull of some sweet grind combos. But the camera is wonky. It mostly works, but can be really frustrating when it doesn't. And the graffiti portion is a bit too simple. Its kind of cool at first, but it needed some more stick moves. 

If I'm being honest, the gameplay has aged the hardest for JGR. The camera controls weren't beyond fixing for the time and the controls aren't as precise as they could be. But its biggest faults are in level design. Each part of the city is divided into three areas. The beginning of the game has you explore these area's individually, which is a great idea since you learn about their little quirks at a good pace. But then the later levels join the areas together and have you traverse between them.  

This wouldn't be a problem but for some major mistakes. One, the map is useless. JGR is very much a 3-D game and the flat map gives no indication if the connecting paths are currently above or below your character. Secondly, the connection points are poorly communicated. While what you can do tricks on is obvious, the area connections are sometimes very small store fronts or manholes that you just have to know will lead you to the next area. Some areas are flat out difficult to leave. And you just have to figure them out, there really isn't any help with finding them. 

GRAPHICS:

JGR was one of the pioneers of Cell Shaded graphics. The bright cartoony look and intentionally hard lines helps the game over come its polygonal roots. I'm sure it looks better in the HD version, but the original still looks nice and wouldn't seem out of place on the PS2. And the game runs smooth as silk. I can't think of any occasion where it stuttered on me, which gives the game a very quick pace. There is almost no pop in, though this is due more to level design. The separate sections aren't in view of each other, giving each are a bit more tight feel. There is only one point where the game shows its weakness, and its an area transition that has you essentially skate into a Wily Coyote style back drop. Forgivable. 

OVERALL:

I wanted to give this game an 8. But the gameplay held it back. Its a lot fun to play and the game is art in motion as far as I am concerned. But sometimes, it fights you and that is frustrating. When it works, the game is incredible and has a great sense of flowing fun. If the style of this game appeals to you at all, I would say get it in whatever format you can. 

7/10

COG: Animal Crossing

I keep finding new things in this game. Not only will my townspeople plant flowers and shake trees, they will also fish. I don't know if they catch yet, but still. Joan the warthog visited on Sunday and I bought some turnips. It looks like she doesn't sell red turnips any more though. A new store opened that sells plant materials. I'm starting to settle on an idea of what I want the town to be. Hopefully, more stores open soon. 

DOUBLE RAINBOW!!!!!

I caught a lot of Dorados, which is good for my bank account.