JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future

The Good
A pumping techno / hip-hop soundtrack that has you bopping from the get go. Sits well with rich, colourful environments and an upbeat vibe that lasts the game.

The Bad
I was really sad to see it over so soon.

The Bottom Line
If you had any affinity with the Dreamcast original, this will float your boat all over again. An expanded soundtrack, large and more richly detailed levels and a streamlined control mechanism. This is Jet Set Radio down in epic style on next generation hardware. One of the most joyful videogame experiences I have had the good fortune to enjoy.

The Good
In JSRF you once again play as the GG’s This game is not so much of a sequel but a remake to my favorite game of all time Jet Grind Radio this has the same basic story same rival gangs with two new ones more on that later so what’s good about this game? Lets see graphics are amazing using the Xbox’s power Shibuya Terminal is now on a larger scale more like a real bus terminal the music’s not as good but still quality.

The Bad
Now what’s bad? Everything else the story is basically the same with slight differences like the Noise Tanks are now Literally robots which for some reason are programmed by the golden rhinos to spray graffiti? Wait.. What? And due to the new gangs the immortals, Rapid 99, and the doom riders the old gangs get neglected like the Love Shockers are hardly in this one now correct me if I’m wrong isn’t the point of adding new gangs so that there’s more adversaries and not overshadowing old ones.

There are more annoying songs like Birthday Cake , I love, love you, and Rockin the Mic.

Only the first set of levels are any fun once you go to the sewers the game goes down hill I know they were trying to make the game longer but in the end it is too long the length of the first one was fitting not too short and not dragged out like this one is the original did not have filler except maybe for the American levels but those were a afterthought for example death ball is filler as is the part where you have to find Clutch and in the original you could once you had beaten the game you could play through again with all the characters unlocked in this one you can’t once you beat it all you can do is skate around with the characters so there’s no point in going there the trouble of getting the more difficult characters cause there’s not enough time to use them.

The Bottom Line
If you haven’t played the far superior Dreamcast original then play it even if you don’t have a Dreamcast buy one and the game instead of this game Yeah the original is that much better.

The Good
JSRF is one of those games, which you either love or hate. For me, the first two minutes of the game were enough to get me hooked. Zooming around in futuristic Tokyo on rocket powered rollerskates causing mischief and mayhem is the main idea of the game and it has been carried out perfectly. Also the controls are brilliantly crafted and even the cell-shaded graphics manage to look impressive.

The main game is all about exploring large areas of the future Tokyo. You spend your time finding new places to spray graffiti on and from time to time you come across some pretty surreal boss-fights, races against other skaters, play tag with rival skater gangs and try to compleate street challenges by doing certain tricks. Naturally there is a lot of hidden stuff to be found around the levels and plenty of bonus stuff to be unlocked.

In overall, the single player game has plenty of variety and depth. It takes about 10-15 hours to play through it, though you'll probably miss a lot of the hidden stuff on your first run through the game.

And last, but not least the soundtrack of this game is mind blowing. It is fair to say, that a large part of this game's appeal comes from it's very japanese hip-hop -flavored sound. If you're having problems keeping up you "street credibility", then just buy the JSRF's original soundtrack and you'll be again "macking 'round the hood like a mofo". But seriously, it's great.

The Bad
The multiplayer side of this game isn't that great. There isn't enough content to keep the multiplayer modes interesting for a long period of time.

Another complaint that I have is the plot, which is a bit flat. It doesn't motivate the player and it only works as a compass of where to go next.

The Bottom Line
JSRF is an action game, that has it's own style, which can work as a turn-on, or a turn-off. If futuristic roller skating and spraypainting while listening to japanese hip-hop sounds like your idea of fun, go and buy this game. You won't be sorry.