Overall: 8
Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 10
Sound: 8
Concept: 9
Replay Value: 6

Uki-Uki-Waku-Waku! I have no idea what that means, but then again, I have no idea what alot of the stuff in Jet Grind Radio means. This game was one of the 'must-have' Dreamcast titles when it was released, about halfway through that console's life span. It was praised for it's slick gameplay and unique graphics, and deservedly so. Jet Grind Radio is a game that is really fun to just pick up for 15 minutes and play, or to delve deep into the story and unlock all the secrets. And, now that it's only $10, it's perhaps the best buy for your Dreamcast (and maybe even a reason to get one if you haven't already).

In JGR you control one of several different young punks with jet-powered rollerblades. You're a member of a graffiti gang, called the GG's, and your idea of fun is skating around downtown, grinding off of fences and guardrails while 'beautifying' the city with your 'art'. That's a pretty original theme for a video game, but to make things more complex, the police have a death wish for anyone who looks like a young punk spraying graffiti. So, on most of the various levels of the game, you skate around from area to area, finding the places you're supposed to tag, while avoiding hostile fire.

There are five different areas within the city you can explore, and three of the areas have several sub areas, such as the subway or sewers, to make the game sufficiently large enough to keep your interest. The combination of 'free range' areas and limited sub areas gives the game about 15 levels or so, depending on how you look at it. What adds to the great design of the game is that it is paced almost perfectly; you'll run a level once, then later on get a glimpse of some secret or learn a technique that lets you explore more, then you'll run the level again with your new knowledge. Most levels are completed when you have tagged all of the required areas, however some have special objectives, such as painting the backs of your rivals as they try to outrun you.

At all times, you have a time limit, a life bar, and a score. The time limit and life bar are pretty self-explanatory; run out of either and you have to start over. Points are a different story however. You accrue points depending on how difficult your graffiti is (different characters have different difficulty levels), and by doing tricks. Unlike many other 'extreme sports' games, the tricks in JGR are a breeze to pull off. There is really only one button you use, which makes you jump. If you jump onto a rail, you grind. If you jump from there, you'll do a trick. Jump diagonally into a wall, and you'll grind the wall, and you can jump from there to do more tricks. There are some complicated tricks which can be accomplished with timed movements of the analog stick, but they are totally unncessary. The game does the tricks for you, so you can concentrate on getting away from the cops and tagging. At the end of the level, your points for graffiti, tricks, and bonus time are added, and you are given a rating, such as Pedal (the lowest) or Jet (highest). Score Jet on many levels, and you'll unlock some extra game secrets.

To tag you must first find spray paint cans which are scattered around the area, in easily accessible areas to begin with, but harder and harder to find as the game progresses. Then you press the left trigger to enter paint mode, which switches the analog stick from it's normal control of moving your character to painting. To paint, you simply follow the arrow direction on the screen. If the arrow points down, you press down on the analog control stick to paint. If it points in a clockwise circle, then a counterclockwise circle, then another clockwise circle, you do that and hopefully your thumb doesn't fall off. each set of motions takes one can of paint, and if you make a mistake, you lose a spray can and an easier motion pops up for you to try. You get points based on how large the tag is and how difficult the motions were.

Of course, standing there with a can of paint makes you a sitting duck. Foot police can come and beat you senseless, the SWAT team can fire tear gas at you (!!), and the apache helicopters can fire missiles (!!!!). Obviusly these guys are seroius! Of course, this means you need to be selective about where and when you tag, and you need to be aware of what's going on; some opponents, like the helicopters, can be tagged, and helicopter pilots have a hard time seeing out of a windshield covered in spraypaint.

At your hangout, you can select from initially three characters. As you progress, you will be challenged by new characters who will join you if you win. The challenges consist of either copying the character's moves, or racing against them to a specific graffiti point. This is another example of the game's excellent pacing, as this learning system is used to teach you new techniques that are needed to complete upcoming levels or gain access to new areas within a level. Each different chracter has three 'stats', Power, Technique, and Graffiti. Power is how much of the life bar they have to begin with, Technique is how tight they can turn and what types of tricks they do, and Graffiti is a measure of how hard it is to tag (and how many points you get for tagging). Each character also has a different number of spray cans they can hold, so of the 15 characters each really has thier own strengths and weaknesses.

The game has a plot, and considering the type of game it's apretty good one. I won't go into depth, but after each level this crazy underground radio DJ (the radio station is called 'Jet Set Radio', coincedentally) pops up and tells you what's going on. In the beginning it's just a rival gang territory war, but near the end you just happen to uncover a dastardly plot. It's not really enough to fill a novel, but it's enough to keep you playing.

The graphics are probably the most talked about aspect of the game. All of the characters are 2-D, anime style cartoons, while the environment is 3-D. The mixture is blended seamlessly, and the characters have tons of frames of animation so you'll never notice the difference. It really gives the game it's unique feel and makes it fun to watch as well as play.

The sound is done well, too. The majority of the music tracks are purpose-made for the game, and have an urban hip-hop feel. There are some tracks sourced from commercial artists, however, like Jurassic 5, Guitar Vader, and of course Rob Zombie. The music fits very very well with the game, and just adds to the street cred feel, though I'm sure many people will be turned off by this type of music. Sound effects suffer slightly, with thuds from collisions very uninspired and other sound effects lacking, but overall the sound is good.

Of course, there are extras as well. Not only can you discover hundreds of new tags by gaining new characters and finding hidden items in the city, but you can create your own tags with the game's graffiti editor. If the editor isn't powerful enough for you, you can rip jpeg images from the internet to use as tags, letting you give the game your own personalized touch. Of course, you can also go online and visit the official site to upload and compare scores, though I've had trouble logging in lately.

But JGR does have a few flaws. Most noticeably is the lack of any kind of two-player mode. I would have loved to race around the city against a friend, seeing who could tag the most or who could get to a certain hard-to-reach area. The closest thing you'll get to 2-player is comparing scores with each other and helping each other find secrets.

The saving system is weak as well. You can only save and load from VMU's in the first controller, and only one JGR save is allowed for each VMU. This means that if more than two people want to play on the same machine, some VMU swapping is in order. Luckily, the save files are small, and the game loads and saves data very quickly.

Also, the game is a bit short, and has only a small amount of replay value. Finding all the hidden tags is a great way to keep the player going, as is finding the secret characters, but once you beat the game (takes about 10-15 hours or so), there isn't that much to do. If you really like the feel of the game, finding all the secrets and using your own tags will keep you playing at least as much as the actual story does, if not more. Getting 'Jet' on every level in order to unlock all the secrets would test any gamer's patience and really presents quite a challenge.

One gripe from many people is the control, specifically the camera control. When rounding tight corners, the camera doesn't always follow you in a way that lets you see where you're going. To center the camera behind you, you press the left trigger. But wait, didn't I say you press the left trigger to tag? Yeah, it's the same button. While this is a problem at first, you quickly become accustomed and it's easy to control. It would be nice if there were a custom controller setting, though, as there are a few buttons that are totally unused during gameplay.

Since this release, a sequel has appeared on the X-Box, Jet Grind Radio Future. It has similar graphics and gameplay to the original, but is improved with more features and gamepaly. If you like JGR, you'd probably like the sequel.

Overall, if you want something that's just plain fun to play and won't break the bank, Jet Grind Radio is it. It's now only $10, and the graphics really have to be seen to be appreciated. Even if you just play through once and aren't intereste din all the secrets the game has to offer, it will be $10 well-spent, as JGR will call to you again and again, for just 15 minutes... which turns into two hours!

Recommended: Yes