Jet Set Radio
Encyclopedia
is a video game for the Dreamcast, developed by Smilebit and published by Sega
on June 29, 2000. A 2D version of the game was later released for Game Boy Advance
; this version was developed by Vicarious Visions and published by THQ. Its sequel, Jet Set Radio Future
was released 2 years later for the Xbox
after SEGA became a software-based company. The game is known for spearheading the use of cel-shaded graphics in video games.
collaborator Inkie
, who was Sega's head of creative design at the time.
The US release, re-titled Jet Grind Radio because of trademark issues, contained two new maps, various new songs, and other in-game content designed to increase the game's appeal to Western audiences. This version also allowed the user to connect to the Internet via SegaNet and download user-created graffiti tags, or upload tags of their own, as some could also be used to promote other SEGA games. Sales of the game were relatively low, but despite the slumping sales of Jet Set Radio, it has gone on to achieve a cult following in the gaming community.
, and is introduced by Professor K, the DJ
of a pirate radio station based in Tokyo-to
, who explains the basics of life in Tokyo-to for a "rudie", the term he uses to refer to young people who roam the streets spraying and skating, as a means of self expression.
The city is split into three parts—Shibuya-cho, Benten-cho, and Kogane-cho, each of which corresponds to a different time of day. Shibuya is a shopping district full of blue skies and daylight, Benten a nocturnal entertainment spot that represents night, and Kogane a mostly residential area, built on the water, where it is perpetually sunset. In each of these areas the player will encounter a rival gang - the Love Shockers in Shibuya, the Noise Tanks in Benten, and Poison Jam in Kogane - that attempts to usurp the GG's home turf. The player starts off forming a skate gang which also resides in Shibuya-cho, and thus forms a rivalry between the gangs in the area. After completing a set of menial challenges, designed to introduce the player to the control system, Gum and Tab join the gang forming the first 3 members of the GG's. The player starts out as Beat, a 17-year-old rudie who ran away from home like many other Japanese rudies. Beat was first shunned from gang to gang over and over again until he decided to start his own gang. Beat is the leader and founder of the GG's, short for "Graffitti Gang/Gangsters". The player first starts out spraying a little graffiti in Shibuya-Cho looking to recruit members. First Gum joins, then Tab. Then, as the game starts diving into its further plot, many other willing "rudies" decide to join your graffiti gang. But they don't offer to join you as simply as possible. All of the new soon-to-be rudies challenge you to a set of three challenges. These challenges are to test your speed and graffitti skills.
The initial stage is set in a Shibuya bus station, in which the player has to "tag" various parts of the bus station, as well as spray over existing tags, so as to gain the area as part of their territory. While tagging these places, the player is pursued by policemen and their leader, Captain Onishima. The police
, the S.W.A.T team, and Goji Rokkaku's Golden Rhinos are yet another obstacle to avoid while defeating rival gangs. Also, Professor K narrates specific parts of the game via his eponymous pirate radio station called Jet Set Radio.
Other gangs which feature in the game as opponents are the Noise Tanks, who appear to be semi-cyborg otaku
, Poison Jam, brutish thugs who wear fish costumes, and the Love Shockers, an all-girl gang made up of jilted lovers. Once the protagonist defeats each gang they hand over their belongings and grant the area to the graffiti gang that dethroned them. Plus, after defeating a rival gang, they might offer you a "treat".
, Hip-hop
, funk
, Electronic dance music
, Rock
(Guitar Vader
, Reps
), Acid Jazz
, Trip hop
, and even (in the NTSC version) metal
.
system in 2003, created by Vicarious Visions
, the developers of the numerous Tony Hawk Pro Skater GBA games; and published by THQ
. It featured an isometric perspective similar to the GBA Tony Hawk games and, despite the hardware limitations, cartoony graphics were designed to emulate the look of cel-shaded graphics, despite the smaller resolution. Music is reduced to 30 to 45 second samples. The levels ranged from exact duplicates to reminiscent counterparts of the original Jet Set Radio.
) making it one of the more rare Dreamcast titles available. The gameplay in this version was easier to pick up and included the added music from the PAL and North American versions, including the two levels only included in these two versions. The text featured in the game is localized in the main language of your Dreamcast, unlike the original Japanese version, which means that if your Dreamcast system is set to English language, the text in the game will be in English. The same goes for Japanese, German, French and Spanish. However, the voices remain Japanese.
In 2009 the main antagonist of the game, Captain Onishima, was ranked 95th in IGN's "Top 100 Videogame Villains" list.
, was developed for the Xbox
and released in Japan on February 22, 2002, in North America
on February 25, 2002 (under the title JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future) and in Europe on March 14, 2002 as a launch game for the console. The game's style and cel-shaded graphics remained faithful to the original, although somewhat improved to take advantage of the Xbox hardware.
. A tennis court is based on the game, with other characters from the game watching the match. Beat also features as a playable character in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
, taking his looks from Jet Set Radio Future, where his All-Star move is speeding through the track on his skates, spraying graffiti on his foes. There are several race tracks based on the game as well. Goji Rokkaku makes a cameo
in Yakuza
.
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
on June 29, 2000. A 2D version of the game was later released for Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
; this version was developed by Vicarious Visions and published by THQ. Its sequel, Jet Set Radio Future
Jet Set Radio Future
Jet Set Radio Future is a video game developed by Smilebit and the sequel to Jet Set Radio. The game is also known as Jet Grind Radio. It was published by Sega. It was released on February 25, 2002 in the United States, near the beginning of the Xbox's lifespan...
was released 2 years later for the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
after SEGA became a software-based company. The game is known for spearheading the use of cel-shaded graphics in video games.
History
Jet Set Radio was announced at the Tokyo Game Show in 1999 and generated a prodigious amount of press attention due to its use of the then revolutionary rendering technique, cel-shading. Now commonplace in game design, cel-shading allows for a "cartoon-like" appearance of 3D rendered objects. Jet Set Radio was released in Japan on June 29, 2000. The graffiti featured in the game was the work of BanksyBanksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
collaborator Inkie
Inkie
Inkie is a London based painter and street artist, originally from Clifton, Bristol. He is cited as being part of Bristol's graffiti heritage, along with Banksy, 3D and Nick Walker.-Career:...
, who was Sega's head of creative design at the time.
The US release, re-titled Jet Grind Radio because of trademark issues, contained two new maps, various new songs, and other in-game content designed to increase the game's appeal to Western audiences. This version also allowed the user to connect to the Internet via SegaNet and download user-created graffiti tags, or upload tags of their own, as some could also be used to promote other SEGA games. Sales of the game were relatively low, but despite the slumping sales of Jet Set Radio, it has gone on to achieve a cult following in the gaming community.
Plot
The game begins in Shibuya-choShibuya, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 208,371 and a population density of 13,540 persons per km². The total area is 15.11 km²....
, and is introduced by Professor K, the DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
of a pirate radio station based in Tokyo-to
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, who explains the basics of life in Tokyo-to for a "rudie", the term he uses to refer to young people who roam the streets spraying and skating, as a means of self expression.
The city is split into three parts—Shibuya-cho, Benten-cho, and Kogane-cho, each of which corresponds to a different time of day. Shibuya is a shopping district full of blue skies and daylight, Benten a nocturnal entertainment spot that represents night, and Kogane a mostly residential area, built on the water, where it is perpetually sunset. In each of these areas the player will encounter a rival gang - the Love Shockers in Shibuya, the Noise Tanks in Benten, and Poison Jam in Kogane - that attempts to usurp the GG's home turf. The player starts off forming a skate gang which also resides in Shibuya-cho, and thus forms a rivalry between the gangs in the area. After completing a set of menial challenges, designed to introduce the player to the control system, Gum and Tab join the gang forming the first 3 members of the GG's. The player starts out as Beat, a 17-year-old rudie who ran away from home like many other Japanese rudies. Beat was first shunned from gang to gang over and over again until he decided to start his own gang. Beat is the leader and founder of the GG's, short for "Graffitti Gang/Gangsters". The player first starts out spraying a little graffiti in Shibuya-Cho looking to recruit members. First Gum joins, then Tab. Then, as the game starts diving into its further plot, many other willing "rudies" decide to join your graffiti gang. But they don't offer to join you as simply as possible. All of the new soon-to-be rudies challenge you to a set of three challenges. These challenges are to test your speed and graffitti skills.
The initial stage is set in a Shibuya bus station, in which the player has to "tag" various parts of the bus station, as well as spray over existing tags, so as to gain the area as part of their territory. While tagging these places, the player is pursued by policemen and their leader, Captain Onishima. The police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, the S.W.A.T team, and Goji Rokkaku's Golden Rhinos are yet another obstacle to avoid while defeating rival gangs. Also, Professor K narrates specific parts of the game via his eponymous pirate radio station called Jet Set Radio.
Other gangs which feature in the game as opponents are the Noise Tanks, who appear to be semi-cyborg otaku
Otaku
is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
, Poison Jam, brutish thugs who wear fish costumes, and the Love Shockers, an all-girl gang made up of jilted lovers. Once the protagonist defeats each gang they hand over their belongings and grant the area to the graffiti gang that dethroned them. Plus, after defeating a rival gang, they might offer you a "treat".
Soundtrack
The upbeat Jet Set Radio soundtrack includes an eclectic array of original and licensed songs combining the musical genres of J-popJ-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
, Hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
, Rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
(Guitar Vader
Guitar Vader
was a Japanese underground indie rock band. Formed in 1998, the band is best known for their contributions to the soundtracks of Sega's Jet Set Radio and Jet Set Radio Future games....
, Reps
Reps
Reps is a village in the Mirditë District, Lezhë County, northwestern Albania. The seat of the municipality is the town of Reps....
), Acid Jazz
Acid jazz
Acid jazz is a musical genre that combines elements of jazz, funk and hip-hop, particularly looped beats. It developed in the UK over the 1980s and 1990s and could be seen as tacking the sound of jazz-funk onto electronic dance: jazz-funk musicians such as Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd and Grant Green are...
, Trip hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
, and even (in the NTSC version) metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
.
- B.B. Rights - Funky Radio
- Castle Logical - Mischievous Boy
- Deavid Soul - Miller Ball Breakers
- Deavid Soul - On the Bowl (A.Fargus Remix)
- Deavid Soul - Up-Set Attack
- Deavid Soul - Yappie Feet
- F-Fields - Yellow Bream
- Guitar VaderGuitar Vaderwas a Japanese underground indie rock band. Formed in 1998, the band is best known for their contributions to the soundtracks of Sega's Jet Set Radio and Jet Set Radio Future games....
- Magical Girl - Guitar VaderGuitar Vaderwas a Japanese underground indie rock band. Formed in 1998, the band is best known for their contributions to the soundtracks of Sega's Jet Set Radio and Jet Set Radio Future games....
- Super Brothers - Hideki NaganumaHideki Naganumais a Japanese music composer who primarily does work for video game soundtracks.His style is one that primarily mixes Japanese techno, funk, soul, and hip-hop elements to create a unique and vivid sound. Naganuma is most famous for his original compositions used in the Dreamcast game Jet Set Radio...
- Grace and Glory - Hideki NaganumaHideki Naganumais a Japanese music composer who primarily does work for video game soundtracks.His style is one that primarily mixes Japanese techno, funk, soul, and hip-hop elements to create a unique and vivid sound. Naganuma is most famous for his original compositions used in the Dreamcast game Jet Set Radio...
- Humming the Bassline - Hideki NaganumaHideki Naganumais a Japanese music composer who primarily does work for video game soundtracks.His style is one that primarily mixes Japanese techno, funk, soul, and hip-hop elements to create a unique and vivid sound. Naganuma is most famous for his original compositions used in the Dreamcast game Jet Set Radio...
- Let Mom Sleep - Hideki NaganumaHideki Naganumais a Japanese music composer who primarily does work for video game soundtracks.His style is one that primarily mixes Japanese techno, funk, soul, and hip-hop elements to create a unique and vivid sound. Naganuma is most famous for his original compositions used in the Dreamcast game Jet Set Radio...
- Moody's Shuffle - Hideki NaganumaHideki Naganumais a Japanese music composer who primarily does work for video game soundtracks.His style is one that primarily mixes Japanese techno, funk, soul, and hip-hop elements to create a unique and vivid sound. Naganuma is most famous for his original compositions used in the Dreamcast game Jet Set Radio...
- Rock It On - Hideki NaganumaHideki Naganumais a Japanese music composer who primarily does work for video game soundtracks.His style is one that primarily mixes Japanese techno, funk, soul, and hip-hop elements to create a unique and vivid sound. Naganuma is most famous for his original compositions used in the Dreamcast game Jet Set Radio...
- Sneakman - Hideki NaganumaHideki Naganumais a Japanese music composer who primarily does work for video game soundtracks.His style is one that primarily mixes Japanese techno, funk, soul, and hip-hop elements to create a unique and vivid sound. Naganuma is most famous for his original compositions used in the Dreamcast game Jet Set Radio...
- Sweet Soul Brother - Hideki NaganumaHideki Naganumais a Japanese music composer who primarily does work for video game soundtracks.His style is one that primarily mixes Japanese techno, funk, soul, and hip-hop elements to create a unique and vivid sound. Naganuma is most famous for his original compositions used in the Dreamcast game Jet Set Radio...
- That's Enough - Idol Taxi - OK House
- Jurassic 5Jurassic 5Jurassic 5 was an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1993 from members of two previous groups, Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee by rappers Charles Stewart , Dante Givens , Courtenay Henderson , Marc Stuart , and disc jockeys Mark Potsic and Lucas Macfadden...
- Improvise (North American and PAL versions only) - Mixmaster Mike - Patrol Knob (North American and PAL versions only)
- Professional Murder MusicProfessional Murder MusicProfessional Murder Music is an Alternative Rock band, from Los Angeles, California.They are currently signed and own indie label, Wormhole Records. Their music has been used for such film soundtracks as End of Days, Ginger Snaps, Valentine, and Jet Grind Radio, a video game for the Sega Dreamcast....
- Slow (North American version only) - RepsRepsReps is a village in the Mirditë District, Lezhë County, northwestern Albania. The seat of the municipality is the town of Reps....
- 'Bout the City - Richard JacquesRichard JacquesRichard Jacques is a British music composer. He is best known for his video game music, most notably for numerous video games created by Sega.-Early life:...
- Everybody Jump Around - Rob ZombieRob ZombieRob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
- DragulaDragula (song)-Covers:The song was covered by gothic metalcore band Motionless in White in 2009. It was also covered by Transient for The Electro-Industrial Tribute to Rob Zombie in 2002.-Personnel:* Tom Baker - Mastering* Paul DeCarli - Additional Programming...
(North American version only) - Toronto - Electric Tooth Brush
- Feature Cast - Recipe For The Perfect Afro (PAL version only)
- O.B. One - Many Styles (PAL version only)
- Semi Detached - Funky Plucker (PAL version only)
- Deavid Soul - Dunny Boy Williamson Show (Japanese version only)
Jet Set Radio (Game Boy Advance)
A version of Jet Set Radio was released for the Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
system in 2003, created by Vicarious Visions
Vicarious Visions
Vicarious Visions is an American video game developer founded by the high school brothers Karthik and Guha Bala in 1990, which developed some PC and Game Boy Color games in late 90's and 2000. They later developed Terminus, which won two Independent Games Festival Awards in 1999...
, the developers of the numerous Tony Hawk Pro Skater GBA games; and published by THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
. It featured an isometric perspective similar to the GBA Tony Hawk games and, despite the hardware limitations, cartoony graphics were designed to emulate the look of cel-shaded graphics, despite the smaller resolution. Music is reduced to 30 to 45 second samples. The levels ranged from exact duplicates to reminiscent counterparts of the original Jet Set Radio.
De La Jet Set Radio
After the public reported several bugs in the original Japanese version of Jet Set Radio, Sega decided to re-release it under the name of De La Jet Set Radio ("Deluxe" Jet Set Radio). This version was only sold in Japan via Dreamcast Direct (later renamed Sega DirectSega Direct
Sega Direct was an online and Japanese video game business. It was primarily for the Dreamcast system and was the last place gamers could buy a New Dreamcast system in 2006....
) making it one of the more rare Dreamcast titles available. The gameplay in this version was easier to pick up and included the added music from the PAL and North American versions, including the two levels only included in these two versions. The text featured in the game is localized in the main language of your Dreamcast, unlike the original Japanese version, which means that if your Dreamcast system is set to English language, the text in the game will be in English. The same goes for Japanese, German, French and Spanish. However, the voices remain Japanese.
Reception
The game was received exceedingly well from online sources and magazines. Many have praised the style of the game as the matching soundtrack with up-tempo music. Critics also applauded the simplistic "pick-up and play" arcade style gameplay. The lowest review received was a 70% rating (3.5 out of 5) from Independent Gamer. IGN gave the game a 9.6 rating but criticized the camera control, saying, "You'll spend weeks thinking 'Why don't all games look like this?'. Then you'll spend a month wondering why the camera wasn't fixed in the development." The lack of multiplayer was also criticized.In 2009 the main antagonist of the game, Captain Onishima, was ranked 95th in IGN's "Top 100 Videogame Villains" list.
Jet Set Radio Future
Said to be a sequel, yet also a prequel to Jet Set Radio, Jet Set Radio FutureJet Set Radio Future
Jet Set Radio Future is a video game developed by Smilebit and the sequel to Jet Set Radio. The game is also known as Jet Grind Radio. It was published by Sega. It was released on February 25, 2002 in the United States, near the beginning of the Xbox's lifespan...
, was developed for the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and released in Japan on February 22, 2002, in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on February 25, 2002 (under the title JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future) and in Europe on March 14, 2002 as a launch game for the console. The game's style and cel-shaded graphics remained faithful to the original, although somewhat improved to take advantage of the Xbox hardware.
Appearances in other games
Two of Jet Set Radio's characters, Beat and Gum, are playable characters in the sports title, Sega Superstars TennisSega Superstars Tennis
Sega Superstars Tennis is a tennis video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. The game was released on March 17, 2008 in Europe, on March 18, 2008 in North America, and on March 27, 2008 in Australia. The game includes 16 playable characters and 10 courts from Sega franchises...
. A tennis court is based on the game, with other characters from the game watching the match. Beat also features as a playable character in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is a racing game in the Sega Superstars series produced for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS and Microsoft Windows, featuring characters from many Sega franchises. It is being published by Sega and developed by Sumo Digital...
, taking his looks from Jet Set Radio Future, where his All-Star move is speeding through the track on his skates, spraying graffiti on his foes. There are several race tracks based on the game as well. Goji Rokkaku makes a cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in Yakuza
Yakuza (video game)
Yakuza, originally released in Japan as is an action-adventure fighter video game developed and published by Sega in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2...
.
Awards
- E3 2000 Game Critics AwardsGame Critics AwardsThe Game Critics Awards are a set of annual awards held after the E3 video game conference since 1998. The awards are given to products displayed at E3 with the title Best of E3 of their category. The nominees and winners of the awards are chosen by individual judges representing 35 major North...
: Winner for Best Console Game, runner-up for Best in Show - 2001 Game Developers Choice AwardsGame Developers Choice AwardsThe Game Developers Choice Awards are annually presented by the Game Developers Conference for outstanding game developers and games.Introduced in 2001, the Game Developers Choice Awards were preceded by the Spotlight Awards, which were presented from 1997 to 1999.The 2009 award presentation was...
: Winner of Excellence in Visual Arts and Game Innovation Spotlights awards, nominated for Game of the Year - 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (2001): nominated for Game Design, Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year, Console Innovation, Original Music Composition, Sound Design, and Visual Engineering