Jet Grind Radio for Sega Dreamcast

Released: October 31, 2000
Platform: Dreamcast
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: Smilebit

Smilebit really established themselves in the hearts and minds of Dreamcast gamers with Jet Grind Radio. The game helped to reintroduce the old Sega style of creating new and unique games that fans came to expect from the Genesis and Saturn days, a concept that most large developers let fall to the wayside in favor of more "safe" games.

JGR, or JSR (Jet Set Radio) as it originally came to be known, flaunted "cel-shaded" graphics which was a concept largely new to most gamers. Beautiful pixels shaded with solid colors and non-photorealistic lighting made the game more beautiful than it possible could've been if Smilebit had been going for realism.

We were introduced to a near-future world where an oppressive government had prohibited the freedom of expression of the youth, who roam around the city of Tokyo-to in magnetic skate shoes.

The premise of the game was to skate around collecting spray cans and tagging various objects or tagging over rival gang's tags within a time limit. Successful missions led to recruiting new members or gaining new territory.

The ease with which the game could be controlled added a lot to the fun. Rail-grinding, jumping off of walls and performing tricks, though required skill, could be performed with ease and provided satisfaction. That earned skill is invaluable to avoiding SWAT and reaching hard to tag areas.

I recall that the tagging aspect of the game was somewhat controversial and sparked some protest. I am sure that in the end it led to greater awareness of the game and more sales as a result.

The up beat techno-esque soundtrack is still stuck in my mind today, though I haven't picked up the game in some years. That's about to change. I'm going to fire it up as soon as I make this post.

One of the coolest features was the ability to upload virtually any image to create custom tags. I've seen people develop really intricate and artistic tags, and others plaster the whole city with porn.

Anyways, I am off to play.