Jet Set Radio
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Dress like the Jet Set with new Sega clothing line
Whether you're spray-painting police officers in Shibuya-cho or bundling up for a Sakuragaoka afternoon of investigating what happened on the day the snow turned into rain, UK-based Insert Coin Clothing has styles to suit you.The company's "Sega Reloaded" line features authentic recreations of both Beat and Gum's t-shirts from Jet Set Radio (which amusingly bear the characters' own names), and both shirts and hoodies based on the tiger-adorned leather jacket worn by Shenmue's Ryo Hazuki. Other Sega designs reference Shinobi, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe and Sonic.Another upcoming offering by the company is inspired by Sega even more literally, complete with bags matching the approximate shape and appearance of Dreamcast and Mega Drive consoles.
Jet Set Radio also broadcasting to iOS and Android this summer
Sega's Jet Set Radio HD port is also being released on iOS and Android this summer, concurrent with the console, PC, and Vita versions, Sega revealed today. Players will be able to use their devices' cameras to create graffiti, and share progress via OpenFeint.We expect the high-resolution mobile game to be more faithful to the original than the Game Boy Advance version; however, we also expect it to be more difficult to control.%Gallery-160802%
Jet Set Radio HD has '99.9 percent' of the original soundtrack
Sega promised more news about the soundtrack for Jet Set Radio HD, and we don't know how the news could get any better. The game now contains all of the Japanese, US, and European soundtracks. Well, almost all. "99.9 percent" in Sega's unofficial estimation.Two of the 30 original tracks are still missing – Deavid Soul's "Yappie Feet" and O.B. One's "Many Styles" remain absent. But that great Jurassic 5 track remains. And that great – you know what, every track is great. Yes, even "Dragula." We're in a really good mood right now.
'Dragula' returns to Jet Set Radio, Sega teases more music announcements
A new trailer for Jet Set Radio features the remix of Rob Zombie's "Dragula" featured in the US-exclusive levels from the Dreamcast game, indicating that Sega has acquired the rights to more music for the HD re-release than previously announced. Whether that's good news depends on the balance of your desire for a more accurate version versus your desire to never hear "Dragula" again.The end of the trailer exhorts us to "Stay Tuned" for more music news. This can only be good, unless it refers to the removal of every song but "Dragula."
Jet Set Radio tags PlayStation Vita this summer
You'll be able to listen to Professor K and his circa-2000 futuristic pirate radio station anywhere. Sega's updated version of Jet Set Radio is coming to PlayStation Vita alongside its PS3, Xbox, and PC releases, the publisher announced today. It'll include "Vita camera integration" in an unspecified capacity, and touchscreen graffiti mechanics.The summer release will be playable for the first time on Vita at E3. Will we take time out of our packed E3 schedules to play an old game? Of course we will.%Gallery-156168%
You did a great job making Jet Set Radio graffiti
There is, strictly speaking, new content to be found in the HD update of Jet Set Radio. It's limited to user-created graffiti designs, but it's new content nonetheless! In the video above, Sega introduces the winning designs in its graffiti contest, all of which look like legitimate graffiti designs and not just Rage Comics and QR codes linking to petitions about Sonic voice actors.We're sure those were submitted – they just didn't win.
Jet Set Radio HD retains US-version content, half of original track list
Stripping out Jet Set Radio's eclectic mix of original and licensed music would be a vandalism far worse than that perpetrated by its roving band of cel-shaded graffiti artists. Sega's proposal of a high-definition update to the cherished and influential Dreamcast game skated around the question, but now we know just how much of the music will remain intact: 16 tracks, roughly half of the 30 shipped between the North American and European versions.Sega tells Joystiq it made every effort to pursue and re-license all the music, but cost and even the availability of certain music publishers became an impediment. In the end, Jet Set Radio keeps its original music (composed by Hideki Naganuma), and several fan favorites like "Magical Girl" (Guitar Vader) and "Funky Radio" (B.B. Rights). We'll probably survive without Rob Zombie.Though the NTSC- and PAL-specific tracks haven't made the cut, the levels developed for those versions (including Grind Square) will be included with this summer's HD port. The preservation may not be flawless, but the presentation nearly is -- Jet Set Radio's bold, cartoonish aesthetic benefits immensely from the higher resolution, 16:9 display and 60 frames-per-second output. Oh, and there's one more thing you didn't have before: a second analogue stick to steer the camera!%Gallery-150619%
Jet Set Radio trailer features self-referential graffiti
You won't find any real surprises in this GamesRadar-exclusive trailer for the HD update of Jet Set Radio. Except, perhaps, at 41 seconds in, when you see that the graffiti contest announcement image is, apparently, a real in-game tag.
Jet Set Radio tags XBLA, PSN, PC this summer, Sega holding graffiti contest
Sega's extremely subtle teaser turned out to be for an update of Jet Set Radio after all! Sega is re-releasing the beloved Dreamcast skating/vandalism action-adventure this summer on XBLA, PSN (for PS3), and PC download -- under the proper name. None of that "grind" nonsense. The in-progress screens show an HD presentation that looks just like the original, but smoother.Sega hasn't said anything about whether you'll be able to import your own graffiti images as was possible in the Dreamcast version. The publisher is, however, holding a contest to solicit eighteen winning images for inclusion in the game. Prizes include copies of the game, a solar-powered Bluetooth speaker system, and Jet Set Radio hoodies and beverage shakers.%Gallery-148852%
Dreamcast's Jet Set Radio coming to XBLA/PSN
Sega didn't have to use the words "Jet," "Set," "Radio," (or "Grind") in this teaser video for its next HD port of a Dreamcast classic. It also didn't have to use the little radio logo, but it did. From the very first drumbeat, hundreds of hours of Dreamcast time spent trying to infinitely grind off of staircases in Shibuya-cho rushed back.Jet Grind Radio is coming to XBLA and PSN. Get your ridiculous sunglasses, giant headphones, and magnetic skates out.All right, feeling pumped? Feeling excited about chasing Poison Jam through the sewers of Tokyo-to again? We hate to do this, but -- we're not sure all the music is going to be there. Crazy Taxi had its licensed music stripped out. Yes, it's a huge potential bummer. We're asking Sega right this second.
Sega All-Stars Avatar items are looking for sales
We may not usually condone the capricious waste of Microsoft Points on Avatar frippery, but we must admit that the Sonic & Sega All-Stars clothing set makes a pretty good argument for the existence of Avatar clothes. And that argument is "here's Ryo Hazuki's jacket." It's available for men and women for 160 ($2). The other available items strike similarly at the heart of Sega nerds, including Beat's sunglasses, a little AiAi-in-Monkey-Ball prop, and a Samba De Amigo sombrero! You can even buy a Crabmeat to decorate your virtual Green Hill Zone (by which we mean your dashboard). See the full set at Xbox Live Marketplace. [Via Sega]
Born for Wii: Jet Set Radio
Even though it's been eight years since Jet Set Radio was released for the Dreamcast, few games are its equal when it comes to style -- and even fewer have surpassed it. Jet Set Radio pioneered cel-shading in 2000, and just about every entry on the short list of games that out-cool it also followed in its footsteps. While Okami, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and No More Heroes all feature gorgeous toon-shading to the same effect, they also owe their beauty to the original, which brought the wild streets of Tokyo-to to life in an exciting new way. It's so stylish, it even gives 80's Prince a run for his money.Jet Set Radio is a game of mad beats, madder cops and rad moves. You take on the role of the aptly-named Beat, the leader of an up-and-coming street gang in the bustling metropolis of Tokyo-to. Your gangs of Rudies, skate punks out to make their mark on the world, are the GG's. Your task? Usurp the territory of rival gangs, avoid the police, and tag your way to the top. And don't forget to jam out to some righteous tunes while you're at it. As developer Smilebit's first release, Jet Set Radio is a landmark title for the Sega Dreamcast, and it's their second game that's Born for Wii. #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } NEXT >> %Gallery-31384% Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Sam & Max Hit the Road, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
Sega has a surprise for Leipzig
Sega might have spent the last few years dragging our beloved memories of Sonic through the dirt, but like an abused, battered spouse, we always return to the company's embrace. They'll change this time, we tell ourselves before each new Sega title is revealed. Sometimes, the gamble pays off. Other times ... not so much.At first glance, the company's Wii line-up for Leipzig (listed past the break) consists of titles we've all seen before, but Sega is also planning a "world premiere" for a hitherto unannounced game, one that will be announced in time for the start of the trade fair on August 20th. This being Sega, our imaginations have instantly fired up. Given the recent trademarking shenanigans and Sega's current fondness for reviving Dreamcast titles, our money is on a Jet Set Radio game of some description. You never know, however -- it could just be another Sonic game noone really cares about. We'd never rule that option out.Activate idle speculation!%Gallery-22964%
Sega tags USPTO with Jet Set Radio trademark
Sega has already enjoyed a measure of success with two ports from its wonderful Dreamcast line-up, and now Jet Set Radio will join the likes of Shenmue on the "rumored" pile. A "Jet Grind Radio" trademark was filed over at the USPTO last week by Sega, while Kotaku heard whisperings at the ongoing Comic-Con 2008 festival that the trademark referred to a new Wii game.Though we should emphasize the "whisperings" part of that last sentence, it's difficult not to get massively over-excited by the idea of a Jet Set Radio on Wii. The original game, now a breathtaking eight years old, exuded style and flair from every pore, with to-die-for cel-shaded visuals and a soundtrack that is played on the Wii Fanboy stereo to this day. We'd take a trip back to Shibuya-cho and Professor K any day of the week, and we'll do it with Wii MotionPlus compatibility, if you're reading this, Sega.[Via Game|Life]
Sega Superstars Tennis piles on the Jet Set Radio references
If, like us, Sega Superstars Tennis has driven you into a tennis frenzy (a "tenzy"), you will be very happy to gawk at these new screenshots. If you're not into tennis, but all about Sega (which we were until Sega convinced us fully) you can enjoy picking out characters in the background of the Jet Set Radio stage.In this screenshot, there's an obvious police contingent surrounding the stage, leading us to wonder if they're there to spectate or if Captain Onishima will be arresting us for playing tennis. And on the right side: Jet Set Radio one-punch knockout broadcaster Professor K! In another screenshot, you can see the jumpsuited GG, Tab. We love you, Sega Superstars Tennis, for looking like Jet Set Radio sometimes. You can also check out a bit of character art here.
Ontama shows random Dreamcast influence
This is probably more of a coincidence or an unintentional influence than anything else, and there's always the possibility that we're imagining things, but doesn't Ontama's protagonist Beat look somewhat familiar? He looks like a cross between Sonic Adventure-era Sonic (look at the poses!) and Jet Set Radio's main character, also named Beat. Well, if you had to pick two games to resemble, you could do a lot worse than these, both of which had fantastic art. The actual game, a rhythm-puzzle thing that we totally want, doesn't look like anything else. We've got new screens after the break.
Dream Games: Jet Grind Radio
Dream Games is a new weekly column where we explore a game we'd love to see on the PSP. Feel free to check in, and comment, every week.Jet Grind RadioDon't confuse Jet Grind Radio (aka Jet Set Radio) as simply a cel-shaded Tony Hawk. While it's true that you'll grind your way through a massive environment like in the formulaic sports game, Jet Grind Radio adds a charming universe, unique gameplay elements, and a refreshing art style in one of Sega's most memorable games on Dreamcast. Marc Ecko might have tried to recreate the fun of Sega's tagging game, but nothing comes close to what Sega has achieved in this game.Why PSP?The PSP has more than enough horsepower to run a game like Jet Grind Radio. The pick up and play gameplay of the original will translate incredibly well for handheld gamers. Certainly, the quick pace of the game will be attractive to many action-oriented PSP gamers. One of the cooler features of the Dreamcast original was the ability to use your own imported images as tags to place in the game (through the VMU). With PSP's Memory Stick compatibility, this feature is a no-brainer. The PSP's wi-fi capabilities would allow players to compete against each other.Is it possible?Hopefully, Sega's upcoming release of Crazy Taxi shows that they're interested in reviving their Dreamcast franchises on our handheld.
Okami: before and after cel-shading
Notably the only upcoming PS2 game to feature magical wolves, aggressive painting and beautiful cel-shaded surroundings, Okami has come a long way since its original inception. Dubbed Ohkami, the early version presents quite a different experience to the one currently preparing to hit US shores. A comparison clip over at GameVideos (embedded in the second part of the post) puts the more realistic art style of the old version in stark contrast to the cel-shaded update. It seems that the PS2 was simply not deemed powerful enough to render Clover Studios' original vision and so the shift was made to a different and more feasible art style. It's interesting that the decision marks one of the few occasions where technical limitations actually (and arguably) lead to a more visually striking game. If you had a choice in the matter, would you rather have the realistic (erm, as far as magical wolves go) Okami or the cel-shaded one? Comments from the "Zelda more like Celda" crowd are welcomed, of course. [Thanks Demian!]
10 franchises that need to return
Racketboy.com recently offered up this list of 'Classic Franchises That Actually NEED a Resurrection'... Darkstalkers Shining Force Battletoads Strider Killer Instinct Vectorman Starcraft System Shock Road Rash PowerStone Runners-up: Clayfighter, Story of Thor/Oasis, Lost Vikings, Rocket Knight Adventures, Jetman, and Jet Set Radio
