Jet Grind Radio

Jet Grind Radio is a game with a fresh concept (that's well executed) and oozes personality. The basic idea is that you are small gang that must protect your territory by placing graffiti all over the place. However you have some obstacles. There are rival gang members who will cover up your art, and an authority who wants to put a stop to your actions. Shortly into each stage you will have to contend with military squads and even tanks, helicopters, tear gas, and more. On top of that, some of the places you must tag aren't easily accessible. You might have to grind on something, wall ride, or perform some wild jumps to reach your destinations. You'll also have to collect your spray paint before you can actually get to work. JGR is easily an addictive game with an often frantic pace. 

Even when you complete the story mode, there's more waiting for you. There's a huge graffiti collection that you can complete. To do this, you return to the beaten stages and seek out the JGR icons. Some are out in the open, while others are hidden throughout the cities. Once a piece has been collected, you can use that graffiti during the regular game. There's also a dozen or so hidden characters to draw into your gang. The higher your rank (performance rating) the better your chances at attracting these perspective members. The only way you can improve yourself is by quickly completing each level and scoring a huge amount of bonus points. 

Graphically, Jet Grind Radio breaks new barriers. Your characters actually look like graffiti artwork (or japanimation) using a new technique called, "cell-shading". It looks and works well for this title. In fact, many games have copied this effect leading to a recent trend. The stage design is superb. Featuring various locales including a bus terminal, a garbage dump, a sewer system, a cramped town, a sprawling business district, a train yard, a subway system, and so much more. Not to mention a lot of unnecessary detail and even wandering pedestrians. 

There are a few drawbacks to the game however. Despite all the stuff you can do. The game still seems short somehow. And that's despite the fact that Sega added two new areas to the North American version of this game. Maybe two new full-scale cities would have greatly improved the length, but what's here is good regardless. The online components are very limited. Instead of the ability to play online, you can only access a funky website. Here you can download and upload graffiti artwork. But there's rarely anything good to see.

I definitely recommend Jet Grind Radio to all the Dreamcast owners out there. This game is more than worth the price tag and will provide some solid hours of gaming. 

    
(pics by the pros at vgmuseum.com)

Overall 8.6

Written by ShinjiZ for GameyPlace.com on July 8, 2001