1. History of Jet Grind Radio 2000-2003
Jet Set Radio first hit Japanese stores in November of the year 2000 on the
Sega Dreamcast. It was one of the first games to feature cel-shading, a
graphical technique that makes polygons to appear to be of cartoon origin. The
game was not wildly successful in Japan, but it still had a good following. The
premise of the game was you control different members of the tagging gang, the
GG's. You battle or turf in Tokyo-To by going from territory to territory, spray
painting whatever you can get your hands on, from walls, to billboards, to other
people. Oh, did I mention that you do this all while on inline skates?
Jet Grind Radio, the same game as Jet Set Radio, but for a United States
audience, arrived on the US shores around the same time as it was released in
Japan. As far as I know, the game is identical except for some name changes and
language.
Jet Set Radio Future, released for the Xbox in February of 2002, was also not a
wild success, but had an instant cult following. The series reached its
graphical peak, and arguably its peak overall with this game. The game is almost
identical in regards to gameplay as Jet Grind Radio, but takes place in the
future as the name states. With brand new technology, the game could expand to
higher heights, as well as bigger worlds.
Jet Grind Radio, for the Gameboy Advance, was released in the US in June of
2003. The game is not a direct port of the Dreamcast version, but the storyline
is almost the same, as well as the levels. Some of the differences that you will
notice from the very beginning are the top-down perspective, as well as certain
areas are not in the Gameboy Advance version. The game is almost as enjoyable as
the Dreamcast and Xbox counterparts, but due to control, and graphical issues,
falls slightly short. This does not mean it is not a good game though.
My review of Jet Grind Radio for Gameboy Advance can be found on gamefaqs.com at
http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/gbadvance/review/R60916.html |