Jet Set Radio for XBLA and PSN

[Barry the Nomad]

Just got the review code from SEGA, added it to my queue. Really want to get home and play the thing!

[segaismysavior]

I played for a couple of hours this morning on 360 and so far it's been buttery delicious. There have been a few texture flicker glitches here and there, but I have yet to see the framerate drop, even when tanks show up.

Controls are on point with DC, maybe slightly smoother, but there's no shortage of expletives when my character jumps too far right and misses a rail... just like the original.

[max_cady]

I played the 360 version twice today.

A few comments:

-Next to no slowdown, everything ran smoothly;
-The audio seems a little weird at first;
-The controls, I felt that they were more accurate than the Dreamcast version, it felt a little easier doing the graffiti motions, this would've been perfect for PS Move;
-Difficulty still there, sometimes it's really hard to finish a stage because the cops and other characters just gang up on you;

[upsidedown fuji]

I got the XBOX360 version last night. It runs buttery smooth. With all new games, I always make sure to clear my system cache in settings before jumping in. I think this might have helped. I haven't noticed any hiccups or weird pop in after a few hours of shredding the streets of Shibuya-cho.

It runs a lot better than I remember it on the Dreamcast and it's in widescreen on my TV without stretching! The grafitti editor is clunky and it looks like they didn't even bother fixing the aspect ratio from the original version. An image import mode would have been icing on the cake. It's not like you can share your work anyway so it's not like kids would be unsuspectingly downloading tits and cocks. I would have hoped there'd be a few more tools to make some awesome art but whatever.


It's a solid effort for an HD update. Hopefully the next wave of Heritage games show even more polish.

[max_cady]

Exactly, not a single low-res texture in sight. Hopefully Sonic Adventure 2 will look just as good.

[Aki-at]

Looks like the low ratings was not enough to stop JSR HD entering the Steam charts in sixth position.

Pretty sure it's one, if not, the highest HD remake chart entry. At least according to Taro.

[Barry the Nomad]

This is a really impressive port, and SEGA deserves kudos for adding additional content like bonus songs to listen to and a 20+ minute documentary. The solid framerate and elimination of pop up is great, and the camera mapped to the right stick fixes a major flaw of the original game.

[segaismysavior]

I was pretty thrilled on my first load up of Bantam Street to hear one of the "new" (to me) tracks during the introduction cinematic. I wasn't expecting it to pop up there, especially when I was so used to hearing Dragula from the US original.

elimination of pop up is great

I'm seeing plenty of pop up, so no elimination was achieved. It's usually 1 or 2 specific sections per map, but it's consistent.

[Barry the Nomad]

Oh, ok, gotcha. I'm early on in the game so I've yet to see it. Still, not as bad as the original game!

[MadeManG74]

Can't wait to play this again, will probably download when I get home tonight. I can't decide if I want to jump right into this or finish Dark Souls first though... might finish Dark souls and then go JSR crazy.

[max_cady]

Jet Set Radio is exactly how I remembered it. Fun, easy to pick up and play, catchy tunes, creative use of cell shadding. This port is just damn near perfect.

There's just one minor flaw to it. It's remarkably short. I'm serious. It took me less than 6 hours to complete the main Story Mode and after that, I can just replay with everything I've gotten so far, unlock some other extras here and there, but ultimately... yeah, it's a very short game.

For the nostalgic-craving fan, Jet Set Radio stands the test of time on almost everything except it's longivety.

[CrazyT]

Those were sort of my exact same words on steam's recommendations. I wrote that I wanted to see if it passed the the test of time and tbh it plays and feels even better than I remember. Which is amazing. No doubt the sequel is million times better but still pretty cool the first game is still good today as well.

I haven't finished it yet, but yeah if it's that short than it's not as long as future it seems, but I don't mind still. I'm glad to have a short good experience among all the long games I still gotta play. The list of games I still gotta play and finish is huge!

[Barry the Nomad]

While I prefer the gameplay of the sequel, I prefer the music and art style of the original. It was just so fresh at the time! When JSRF released, it didn't feel as fresh. It was still amazing, but didn't excite me like the first game did.

I feel that JSR has a much simpler color palate too. Lots of primary and secondary colors. The sequel felt more neon and pastel in the color choices.

Anyway, like Max noted, the game is short and is even SHORTER if you are a pro. I'll admit, I'm not getting JET on every stage, but having played the original six plus times (at least three times with the US version, twice with the JP version and once with the PAL version) I can really blow through this game. Since I know the areas where its hardest to avoid cops, I hit those spots first, so that when the heavy artillery is brought in I only have the easy to tag spots to hit.

---

Oh! And something that always confused me about the game: In Benton, specifically the area in Benton Boogie, there is this bit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeCRDvwAu0c#t=1m57s

Where you enter the door, go around the corner and get to the top of the building. What baffles me is that just by going up a few steps and turning a corner, you're suddenly four stories up on a roof! Is this a little programming cheat, where you are actually teleported from the ground floor to the rooftop? Really, try it out, it defies space and time. I really think it is a cheat where you get sent to the roof instantly. It's so seamless though. That's why it always blew my mind.

[Centrale]

I only beat the original once, so I'll be interested to see if I can breeze through it as quickly as you guys.  I rather doubt it, as I only have a general memory of the game.  A joyous, blissful, thrilling general memory of the game.

[segaismysavior]

I prefer games that can be breezed through, but still offer replay value. I'm close to end of the story, but it'll be a long time until I get Jet ratings on everything and all the graffiti unlocked. Plus if I see more friend scores on XBL rankings, I'll be sure to keep ahead of them. Please send me a friend request if you welcome competition.

NiGHTS comes out next month, and I know I'll have that thing beaten with all A rankings in 3 hours.