Jet Set Radio for XBLA and PSN

[max_cady]

@Centrale
@Barry

Even if you're not a pro and just want to breeze through, it's still pretty short. The game has three chapters. The first chapter takes place in small sections of the main stages, chapter two is basically just two minor stages and chapter three has missions that take place in all of the sections of the main areas.

There are also a few design issues that make me a bit annoyed. Like [spoiler]at the start of chapter 2, Cube and Combo show up and challenge you to a duel. You have to race against Beat. Combo is a huge dude, but if he so much touches you get hurt and sometimes get sent back. That's always been my least favorite aspect of JSR. Almost anything here will hurt you, it sometimes makes it hard to spray paint an enemy to incapacitate him, because just bumping into him will make you take damage. Other minor frustrations include getting hit by a car you didn't see and accidentally exit the stage, because you are on it.[/spoiler] But as I've said, those were minor flaws that do little to make you stop playin'.

[Barry the Nomad]

The Combo race is pretty frustrating, every time I've replayed the game it it a toughie but then after a few tries it comes back to me and I can ace it.

Want bard as FUCK gameplay? Jet Set Radio for Game Boy Advance, specifically the race with Yoyo. It made me want to snap my GBA in half. Never did beat it. Even gamefaqs is full of people who are like "this is impossible".

[MadeManG74]

Want bard as FUCK gameplay?

I know this was a typo, but we should use this more often.
Bard as FUCK!



Ahem... anyway, I hope they bring JSRF out as well. I remember not liking that game as much as the first when I first played it, but then a few years ago I gave it another shot and loved it to bits.

[Kori-Maru]

@Barry
My God that race was a royal b#*&%. The stage was a bit darker than the original. Now I got to race the other guy. I kinda which they added a arrow above the screen to tell you where to go for this version.

[Centrale]

I vaguely remember that the Combo race hinged on being able to do pull off a bunch of wall grinds, if I'm thinking of the same one that you guys are talking about.

[segaismysavior]

This is a shirt that must be worn

[kozmo]

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.

Funny, I had the same reaction, just the other way round having only ever played the PAL version before. And I had some hassle with the races too, forgot how hard they could be. The main thing is to be fast close to the end of the race- in the combo race you can still win even when you're trailing Beat at the top of the hill after exiting the storm drain- you just need to nail the grind on the two rails that Gum and Cube went down just before. On balance though, its every bit as good as i remember. I'll play it 'til I get all Jet rankings. And then there's the online leaderboards, of all the new features that one'll probably make the most difference


And i'm with Barry's sentiments on JSRF- whilst the actual skating gameplay was much better, but it just didn't jump off the screen the way the first did.

Oh, and wasn't that bonus documentary done by the same people who did the one for the Sonic Generations collector's edition?

[Barry the Nomad]

I believe so, I think they've done all the docs we've seen (Sonic, Virtua Fighter, JSR).

As for the Combo race, it's tough, but after the fifth time trying I remembered that it is way easier than you think. Since Beat waits for you to catch up in the drain pipe, the race really starts halfway through. I just skate and jump, trying to pass Beat but also avoiding him so he doesn't bump into me. If I get past him, I just need to nail the jump up to the steps and take the path down the hill to the right (Beat goes left). Even if Beat gets past you up the stairs, you still can beat him to the tag if you take the street to the right.

It just sucks that the Combo race comes right after the Yoyo race. Two of the hardest races are one after another. Don't think the JP version is like that though, I think Combo and Yoyo have completely different challenges. Or at the very least, Combo's is different.

[CrazyT]

Speaking of which, I do indeed remember that the japanese version was a little different. Didn't you unlock combo earlier in the game? That's the only thing I remember though

[Barry the Nomad]

I was trying to find a japanese walkthrough to compare, but can't find it. But yeah, with the whole Cube/Combo story cut, characters arrive in a different order and rival missions differ. Also, the ending credits are a playable stage.

Edit: Found some! They're incomplete, but they show most of the differences.

http://www.neoseeker.com/resourcelink.html?rlid=20810&rid=19771

http://www.neoseeker.com/resourcelink.html?rlid=27354&rid=25973

Combo is the first rival to appear (Gum and Corn/Tab appear at the very start in all versions). He challenges you to three super simple challenges. It's funny, because it's the polar opposite to his race. It's so damn easy to get him in the JP version!

[CrazyT]

Ah I knew my mind wasn't deceiving me. I wonder why they did that. Is the US game better/longer or is it just different? I took a quick scroll through the links but if you've played them both I hope you can answer. I remember you wrote an article once but that was only about the music IIRC

[Barry the Nomad]

US/PAL/HD is longer for sure. The flow is: smaller rival gang missions in tokyo-to, Combo/Cube/Coin missions in Grind City, Golden Rhino missions in Tokyo-to, final boss. Japan is all that, minus the Grind City stuff and GG members appear in a different order. Also, end credits are a playable (like Sonic Colors) in the JP version.

As for which is better, I'd say they're equal. I really like how lean the JP version is, and the rival missions are way more balanced. The Yoyo race followed by the Combo race in the US/PAL version is way too difficult. Lol, I just got to Piranha's mission in the HD version and it is simpler than any earlier mission! I could play through the JP story again and again, but having to only play as Combo or Cube in the Grind City story sections is kind of lame, despite it making narrative sense.

[segaismysavior]

I played the JP version up until Mew's rival challenge, but could never beat it cause I had no idea what it was they wanted me to do.

[max_cady]

I noticed that too. Even to this day, I'm stunned at how easy Piranha's challenges were. Especially stunt number 3, which is insultingly easy.

She has the trickiest Graffiti swipes out of all the GG gang members. But still, I had a lot of fun with the game.

[Barry the Nomad]

I'm curious, if you log in to a Japanese XBLA account and boot up the game, does the logo change to the Japanese logo and the voices change to the JP voices? Or does it require a separate download from the Japanese store?