3/5 ★ – peacebrendanp's review of Jet Set Radio.

I had to drop this one. I played the PS Vita version, so all notes are relating to that version. Jet Set Radio is something that has been in my periphery for years. My brother loved Jet Set Radio Future, but I never had access to it. I always loved the aesthetic I saw from the game for as long as I can remember. And, those vibes still hold true to today. The art style is impeccably Y2K-inspired, the soundtrack matches with it's hip-hop-inspired grooves, and the game is oozing personality. What I wasn't expecting was the arcade-style level-design here. There are levels that you play through, and it definitely feels like this was meant to be played in an arcade on some level, with you trying to get high-scores for each level. The story is pretty silly, but in all the good ways. It's over-the-top and ridiculous, as you try to graffiti the Tokyo metro, you will encounter heavy resistance that you must avoid. It's super fun. Where the game fell short for me was in it's controls. This is where I feel the PS Vita made my experience probably "less-than." The short analogue sticks do not translate well to a game that already has poor tracking for your character. The control that you are given you character feels really limited as well. Everything is automatic except for jumping, boosting, and graffitiing. It really makes the game feel a bit more basic, which is not inherently bad. However, it is poor here because of how tricky the camera can be, and how precise the game asks you to be with it's controls. The result is a control-scheme that feels floaty and imprecise. It's a battle that really dragged my experience down. Despite that big gripe, the aesthetic of the game carries it. And, the concept is simple enough to feel fun enough. Maybe on a full-sized gamepad, the controls would feel more forgivable, but probably not enough for me to raise the score I'm giving this game by much. Given there is no easy way to play Jet Set Radio Future, I'll probably skip that one, and move onto Bomb Rush Cyberfunk when I find a time to do so. Console Played On: PS Vita Game Played: 12/2024 - 01/2025 Review Written and Published: 01/20/2025