Jet Grind Radio (Dreamcast) Love it or hate it?

A forum for video games, new & retro, on consoles, computers, handheld & mobile. Also for tech talk, things like PC parts, phones etc.
Post Reply
User avatar
Calavera
Fighting Mongooses
Posts: 1708
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2016 2:41 am

Jet Grind Radio (Dreamcast) Love it or hate it?

Post by Calavera »

Back in the days of the Dreamcast I would always hear about Jet Grind Radio and how it was an awesome game. Basically a must have for the system. Being the huge DC fan that I was I of course bought it. I remember playing it some but never got super into it. I loaded it up recently on ReDream to give it a try and while it is a decent game I find many parts to be extremely frustrating. For one the camera is terrible at times. Sometimes you hop up somewhere or land a jump and the camera is in the most awkward angle so you can't tell where you are facing.

I also find the controls to be not the greatest. Sometimes when I land on a grindeable service it misses when I KNOW I landed on it. Other times there are jumps you must land to get to a paint area but to do so you have to make a blind jump and just hope you land in the right spot. I won't lie I've been using save states quite a bit to alleviate the annoyance of missing a jump and having to attempt it again.

I don't think it is a bad game at all, but I'm not sure if I'd consider it as great as other people did back in the day. The graphics still look good(in high res on an emulator anyways) and the music is pretty good but the gameplay is OK. I'd give it a 7/10 maybe 7.5. But I recall most places giving it a 9-10/10. Right now it has a 94% on Metacritic and IGN gave it a 9.6 out of 10.

What is your opinion?
Image

User avatar
Dr. Zoidberg
Site Admin
Posts: 23094
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2015 2:33 am

Re: Jet Grind Radio (Dreamcast) Love it or hate it?

Post by Dr. Zoidberg »

I enjoyed it back in the day but I haven't played it for a long time.

I might try out the Steam version later.

OrangeRibbon
WHOA-OH BLACK BETTY
Posts: 800
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2016 1:43 am

Re: Jet Grind Radio (Dreamcast) Love it or hate it?

Post by OrangeRibbon »

It is one of my deserted island games. The only thing that doesn't hold up is the camera because the dreamcast only had one analog stick. With all the music, I doubt we will ever get a remake to fix the camera.

User avatar
melancholy
Global Mod
Posts: 2095
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2016 1:32 am
Location: Indiana

Re: Jet Grind Radio (Dreamcast) Love it or hate it?

Post by melancholy »

JSR was an amazing piece of art back at release that ushered an entire generation of cel-shaded games. It was stylistically amazing and had a killer soundtrack that still gets in my head.

…but…

…lemmie tell ya…


…that game sucked. I hated damn near every aspect of the gameplay itself. It had the most shit controls, which made the game impossible with its insanely aggressive police. I tried SO hard to enjoy playing it, but even with the new remasters, I just can’t do it.

User avatar
ian
Null Dream Team
Posts: 3776
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:36 am

Re: Jet Grind Radio (Dreamcast) Love it or hate it?

Post by ian »

I loved the first few levels of Jet Set Radio, but then the game got insanely hard and I never finished it.
It looks amazing, and sounded amazing, but I either needed to get good as the kids put it, or stop playing.

It was the last sealed DC game I ever purchased, and I still have my DC copy and a steam copy.

One day I'll play Jet Set Radio Future properly because I remember it being less impossible.
If I should Die Hard Arcade before I Alan Wake.
PREY the Lords of Lore my Soul Calibur to Take
-Two Interactive.

User avatar
pixel
Fighting Mongooses
Posts: 4502
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:09 am

Re: Jet Grind Radio (Dreamcast) Love it or hate it?

Post by pixel »

Jet Set Radio is a classic with one of the best soundtracks ever, amazing art direction, and piss-poor control and gameplay.

I've got amazing memories of playing JSR before summer practice back in 2002, bopping to the soundtrack. But I remember thinking, "I must really suck at this game, I can't beat any of the U.S. levels!" Time Square and the rooftop levels were terrible experiences for me.

I've played both recently. JSRF fixes the gameplay for the most part, the soundtrack is almost as good, but it still falls a little short of JSR for me. But that's probably the nostalgia talking. JSRF is the better game, but JSR will always have that summer magic for me.

User avatar
Calavera
Fighting Mongooses
Posts: 1708
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2016 2:41 am

Re: Jet Grind Radio (Dreamcast) Love it or hate it?

Post by Calavera »

melancholy wrote: Wed Jul 20, 2022 9:58 pm
…that game sucked. I hated damn near every aspect of the gameplay itself. It had the most shit controls, which made the game impossible with its insanely aggressive police. I tried SO hard to enjoy playing it, but even with the new remasters, I just can’t do it.
ian wrote: Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:06 pm I loved the first few levels of Jet Set Radio, but then the game got insanely hard and I never finished it.
These two posts are pretty much exactly how I feel about it. I don't see why it got 9-10/10. The visuals and soundtrack may be 10/10 but the gameplay is closer to a 5/10.
Image

User avatar
Skynet
Site Admin
Posts: 2070
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2016 8:54 am

Re: Jet Grind Radio (Dreamcast) Love it or hate it?

Post by Skynet »

Pretty much on the same page as mel, ian and Cal. Every time I think "I'll try to play more of it this time" I just can't

Post Reply