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Jet Set Radio's creators: Where are they now?
Welcome to Living in the Past, a weekly column about what's new in old games. Now get off our lawn. The HD port of Jet Set Radio arrives today on PS3 via PlayStation Plus. A new credit appears on the updated version: it was ported by a company called Blit Software, who also handled the downloadable versions of Sonic CD. The original, of course, was done by Sega's Smilebit team, who couldn't be brought in to handle the port on account of not existing anymore.Despite a spectacular career on the Dreamcast, during which it created both JSR and The Typing of the Dead, along with a standout performance record on Xbox (Gunvalkyrie, Panzer Dragoon Orta, and, of course, Jet Set Radio Future), Smilebit was disbanded in 2004.After playing Jet Set Radio, I assumed everyone involved with it would go on to even brighter things, in terms of both critical and financial success and explosive creativity. They've certainly achieved success, at the very least.%Gallery-150619%
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.
Born for Wii: Panzer Dragoon Orta
You plummet down a dark, twisting tunnel, barely registering the lights that flash past because you're too busy juking one moment and jinking the next, avoiding death with a flick of your wrist. As enemies crowd around you, spewing missiles from every direction, you expertly guide a stream of deadly fire, targeting your opponents with a steady hand and an uncanny precision that, within seconds, leaves you and your dragon alone, hurtling down an empty passageway toward destinations unknown.Or at least, that's how it could be. Welcome to the inaugural edition of Born for Wii, a new weekly column looking back into the annals of gaming for titles that could be adapted for the Wii in new and exciting ways. This week, we'll take a look at Sega's highly appreciated but criminally undersold Panzer Dragoon series.%Gallery-24638%
