JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future

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.