 Sega Dreamcast classic Jet Set Radio gets a spiritual sequel, with the same stylish 90s graphics and another killer soundtrack. At this point it seems pointless to criticise Sega for letting their classic franchises wither away. It's a tragedy but they've been ignoring them for decades, so them continuing to do so is hardly a surprise. There have been occasional rumours of a new Jet Set Radio but, predictably, nothing has ever happened. Instead, Sega's only success in leveraging its back catalogue has been with indie games they've had essentially nothing to do with, such as the excellent Streets Of Rage 4. So it's a wonder they didn't try to make this the official Jet Set Radio 3. Released in 2000 for the Dreamcast, the original Jet Set Radio was a very influential game, despite the small reach of Sega's final console. Although not quite the first game to use cel-shaded graphics, it was the one that popularised their use. It's eclectic soundtrack, full of hip hop, funk, and acid jazz has become iconic and still relatively unique in its use of licensed music (which is why some of it is always missing in subsequent re-releases). Unfortunately, while the concept still holds up, as you play a roller-skating graffiti artist fighting a dystopian police force, the original is barely playable today, with awkwardly imprecise controls and a terrible camera. A full remake should've been Sega's first step towards a new sequel but in the absence of that Bomb Rush Cyberfunk will have to do instead. At first, the set-up for Bomb Rush Cyberfunk seems almost identical to Jet Set Radio, as you're busted out of jail by a gang of graffiti artists who get around using roller-skates and a big turbo boost generator on their back. The tutorial in the police station plays out just as you would expect, as you grind along rails and follow onscreen prompts to create graffiti. Then someone cuts your head off with a vinyl rec){kind=link}
Sega Dreamcast classic Jet Set Radio gets a spiritual sequel, with the same stylish 90s graphics and another killer soundtrack.
At this point it seems pointless to criticise Sega for letting their classic franchises wither away. It’s a tragedy but they’ve been ignoring them for decades, so them continuing to do so is hardly a surprise. There have been occasional rumours of a new Jet Set Radio but, predictably, nothing has ever happened. Instead, Sega’s only success in leveraging its back catalogue has been with indie games they’ve had essentially nothing to do with, such as the excellent Streets Of Rage 4. So it’s a wonder they didn’t try to make this the official Jet Set Radio 3.
Released in 2000 for the Dreamcast, the original Jet Set Radio was a very influential game, despite the small reach of Sega’s final console. Although not quite the first game to use cel-shaded graphics, it was the one that popularised their use. It’s eclectic soundtrack, full of hip hop, funk, and acid jazz has become iconic and still relatively unique in its use of licensed music (which is why some of it is always missing in subsequent re-releases).
Unfortunately, while the concept still holds up, as you play a roller-skating graffiti artist fighting a dystopian police force, the original is barely playable today, with awkwardly imprecise controls and a terrible camera. A full remake should’ve been Sega’s first step towards a new sequel but in the absence of that Bomb Rush Cyberfunk will have to do instead.
At first, the set-up for Bomb Rush Cyberfunk seems almost identical to Jet Set Radio, as you’re busted out of jail by a gang of graffiti artists who get around using roller-skates and a big turbo boost generator on their back. The tutorial in the police station plays out just as you would expect, as you grind along rails and follow onscreen prompts to create graffiti.