{"id":1193,"date":"2023-07-07T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gaminginsurrection.com\/reviews\/?p=1193"},"modified":"2023-07-01T12:19:17","modified_gmt":"2023-07-01T16:19:17","slug":"jet-grind-radio-issue-45","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gaminginsurrection.com\/reviews\/index.php\/2023\/07\/07\/jet-grind-radio-issue-45\/","title":{"rendered":"Jet Grind Radio \u2014 Issue 45"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Jet Grind Radio sets cool standard<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Bom\u00adbas\u00adtic yet cool. This is the dichoto\u00admy you encounter in the atmos\u00adphere of Jet Grind Radio. There\u2019s noth\u00ading quite like it \u2014 except its sequel \u2014 and that\u2019s a bless\u00ading because I don\u2019t think the world could han\u00addle any\u00adthing else. It\u2019s quirky, futur\u00adis\u00adtic, stun\u00adning, and unde\u00adni\u00adably cool when you get down to it: Jet Grind Radio is the future.<\/span>
\nSet in a futur\u00adis\u00adtic Tokyo, Jet Grind Radio fea\u00adtures a wide cast of rollerblad\u00ading graf\u00adfi\u00adti gangs vying for suprema\u00adcy and strug\u00adgling against an ego\u00adma\u00adni\u00ada\u00adcal mad\u00adman and his con\u00adglom\u00ader\u00adate, which are attempt\u00ading to take over the world. The sto\u00adry\u00adline serves its pur\u00adpose but it\u2019s the char\u00adac\u00adters that are the draw here. Each char\u00adac\u00adter \u2014 includ\u00ading the unlock\u00adable \u2014 has an inter\u00adest\u00ading look and sto\u00adry going on. They are the lifeblood, and it\u2019s fun to learn about them and their motivations. <\/span>
\nWhile we\u2019re lov\u00ading the char\u00adac\u00adters, let\u2019s also give love to the art style that brings them to life. The art style is gor\u00adgeous and still holds up after 23 years. The graf\u00adfi\u00adti cel-shad\u00aded look has aged well; graf\u00adfi\u00adti nev\u00ader fails to be awe\u00adsome and impact\u00adful, and Jet Grind Radio looks phe\u00adnom\u00ade\u00adnal. It\u2019s the first game to use this tech\u00adnique, and it set the stan\u00addard in 2000 in terms of pre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtion. The back\u00adgrounds are also well done and inspire runs through the game. It\u2019s clear\u00adly an ear\u00adly 2000s game, but that only por\u00adtends good things about the Dream\u00adcast and what it was capa\u00adble of.<\/span>
\nAnd as good as the game looks, the graph\u00adics almost don\u2019t hold a can\u00addle to the sound\u00adtrack. This is one of the best sound\u00adtracks ever done, and it will have you bop\u00adping while you\u2019re run\u00adning around on inline skates. This is one of those sound\u00adtracks that you put on while work\u00ading and you get some of your best work done. Funky and pop-cen\u00adtric, the sound\u00adtrack has so much going on the\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly that there\u2019s bound to be some\u00adthing for everyone. <\/span>
\nAnd in terms of appeal\u00ading to mass con\u00adsump\u00adtion, the con\u00adtrols are a com\u00admon denom\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtor kind of sen\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty. The imme\u00addi\u00adate com\u00adpar\u00adi\u00adson here is Tony Hawk, which isn\u2019t sur\u00adpris\u00ading since the Hawk\u00adman had just released his first game \u2014 Tony Hawk\u2019s Pro Skater \u2014 a year ear\u00adli\u00ader to crit\u00adi\u00adcal acclaim. Jet Grind Radio does\u00adn\u2019t nec\u00ades\u00adsar\u00adi\u00adly grind on Hawk\u2019s coat\u00adtails, but you\u2019re bound to say to your\u00adself at least once, \u201cThese con\u00adtrols sure feel famil\u00adiar.\u201d And you would\u00adn\u2019t be wrong. That\u2019s a good thing, because it plays like ear\u00adly Tony Hawk, you know when it was good.<\/span>
\nWhile every\u00adthing is great in terms of pre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtion and con\u00adtrol, I\u2019d be remiss in men\u00adtion\u00ading that there is one both\u00ader\u00adsome flaw with Jet Grind Radio. While the con\u00adtrols are eas\u00adi\u00adly anal\u00ado\u00adgous to ear\u00adly Tony Hawk games, it was\u00adn\u2019t easy to pick up the game and know what\u2019s going on imme\u00addi\u00adate\u00adly. It\u2019s a lit\u00adtle too inac\u00adces\u00adsi\u00adble at first, like it\u2019s ask\u00ading you to have some in-depth knowl\u00adedge ahead of play\u00ading for the first time. You may not be famil\u00adiar with the con\u00adcepts the game is throw\u00ading at you, and it\u2019s the game\u2019s respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty to ease you into the fray. Thank\u00adful\u00adly, the sur\u00adround\u00ading game is so good that you\u2019ll come back to get more in-depth with the trap\u00adpings of Tokyo-to.<\/span>
\nThe Jet Grind series has last\u00aded into the mod\u00adern era with re-releas\u00ades and a rumored reboot, and the orig\u00adi\u00adnal game details exact\u00adly why. Easy con\u00adtrols, var\u00adied modes, an engag\u00ading cast (love Pots, Piran\u00adha and Beat!) and pop\u00adping sound\u00adtrack make for an imme\u00addi\u00adate\u00adly unfor\u00adget\u00adtable expe\u00adri\u00adence. Get in-line to get down with the fan\u00adtas\u00adtic Jet Grind Radio.<\/span><\/p>\n