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Staff review by Zack M
Date unavailable Let's face it; in today's library of games, for any platform, rarely do we get a title that no one has ever seen before, one so completely original and innovative that the newcomer does not even take notice of its greatness. Jet Grind Radio, though, is one such title.Jet Grind Radio is set in Tokyo-To, a city in Japan (though not the ''real'' Tokyo), consisting of three smaller cities, Shibuya-Cho, Kogane-Cho, and Benten-Cho. The streets of Tokyo are ruled by graffiti-crazed punks whose only method of transportation is burning up the streets on in-line skates. The four gangs, the GG's, the Noise Tanks, the Love Shockers, and Poison Jam, all compete for one goal: to have each city as their territory. And so it is your job, as the members of the GG's, to claim these streets, recruit more memebers, and maybe even stop some bad guys, all the while staying out of the way of the police-cops! Not much of a plot, but it's so gosh-darned original--and fun!
From what I understand, Sega created a new program, apparently called ''CelShader,'' that draws a black outline around three-dimensional polygon figures, giving them a cartoony-look. Well, they decided to use this in Jet Grind Radio, and the result is some very pretty characters, as well as a brand new technique in the industry. Aside from the characters all having their own unique look and personality, Jet Grind Radio also features such things as civilians screaming and running around helplessly, cars, dogs, police choppers, some really wierd-looking ''assassins,'' motorcycles, trains, and much, much more! There are several things on-screen at one time, and the side-effect is the pop-up; there's lots of it, but it sort of adds to the enjoyment, surprisingly. The graffiti tags are pretty impressive, also. While there aren't as many details as such games as Shenmue or Sonic Adventure, Jet Grind Radio is one good-looking game!
The soundtrack in Jet Grind Radio is one of the best mixes I have ever heard. The developers decided to put such artists as Rob Zombie (''Dragula'') in the domestic soundtrack. You can decide if that is a good thing or an utter disappointment. But, the music gives each level a distinctive feel, and often adds to the enjoyment of the game. There's a lot of unique tracks, and they're awesome. Each character has their own catch phrases, also, such as Yo-Yo's ''Tight!'' or Slate's ''Good,'' which is a very annoying one, I might add. The voices are done nicely, for the most part, and are sort of icing on the cake, if you will.
Jet Grind Radio ships with its own graffiti editor, also, but the files take up so much space on your VMU it's probably not even worth it. Still, you can use your homemade tags in the game, so you can replace the default tags with your own. You know, add a little personality to the city!
The game itself is very fun, and allows for one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences EVER! I highly recommend this game, as Jet Grind Radio is a definite must-have for any self-respecting Dreamcast owner.
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