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Jet Set Radio is an action platforming game released in 2000 on the Sega Dreamcast, and later being rereleased on modern platforms. The game is centred around a gang called “The GGs” living in the fictional city of Tokyo-to (which everyone calls Tokyo). The gang is well known around the city from their inline skating, mass-graffiti, and generally, making trouble with the police.

The game starts with three characters; Beat, Tab and Gum, with loads more to unlock. You can just play as one character for most of the game, but I like to switch it up for variety. Each character has different statistics, based on how much health they have, how many points they can get from tagging, and even the tricks they can pull off. For first timers, I recommend Tab and Garam. 

Upon starting the game, players are shown Professor K, a rocking, funky DJ of the unlicenced radio station, Jet Set Radio. He gives off tips and fills everyone in on the storyline. According to him, a new gang of taggers, known as “The Love Shockers”, are seen at the bus terminal, the GGs turf. So, playing as either Beat, Tab or Gum, we chase them away and have a run-in with the police. The chief of police, Captain Onishima, is desperate to lock up all the skaters. So much so, he dispatches helicopters and tanks to try and stop the taggers! It’s a bit extreme, and can be tricky, but you’ll get the hang of it all.

Once you scare off the Love Shockers, and paint over their graffiti, we’re shown a bit more information about the gangs in Tokyo-To. These gangs tag, terrorise and skate all around Tokyo-To, and their respective districts. They don’t do anything like plan heists or rob banks. Just tag.

The animation is very interesting in this game. It’s styled like a manga, or boxy cartoon, with characters and objects having thick outlines. With that, characters usually only have one or two facial animations. This was deemed to be one of the first games ever to use cell-shading animation, which helps give off a cartoon-feel to it. It’s very unique, interesting and holds up well today.

I absolutely love the level and character designs. The characters look diverse, and very interesting, in terms of clothing and even the design of their skates. And the levels are all so fascinating to explore. You’ll spend ages checking out each little zone, and finding areas to tag, grind or escape the police.

When it comes to the controls, they can be a bit clunky and slippery to beginners. The game flows fine, but the actual movements can be twitchy and jerky. Sometimes, you swear you landed on a rail to start grinding, or on a wall to start running but you miss it and take damage, wasting a bit more time. The jumping and gravity are okay, but feels a bit floaty at first. The game is definitely janky and awkward, and takes time to get used to, but once you master it, it flows soooo well.

Enemies around you are police, gangsters and such, and, sorry to say, they are sometimes a bit dumb. If you’re tagging a spot and the police catch up to you, they sometimes just stand there and don’t react. Other times, you might see police and other enemies running around in circles, or into a corner. It’s rare, but can happen

I have talked a lot about this game. There have been some beautiful parts, and some other small flaws. But easily the best part of the game would have to be the music, bringing the whole game together perfectly. Most of the songs were made by the composer, Hideki Naganuma, with a few other artists, like Deavid Soul and Rob Zombie. Not once did I think any songs were annoying or unlikeable. It was all beautiful in every single way. Props to SEGA for making this soundtrack one of my favourites.

At the end of the day, I thoroughly enjoyed this game. It was exciting, fast-paced and well put together. This is a game that will be very hard to get right on the first try, but it’s definitely one that’s worth checking out. This game is available on the Xbox Store and on PC via Steam

Article by Connor Findlay.