Super Arts – Jet Set Radio

Jet Set Radioooo!

Jet Set Radio-ooooo came out on the Dreamcast during  a period when 3D games were gaining momentum and becoming increasingly popular. It was 2000 and to put it in perspective the amazingly impressive Resident Evil: Code Veronica was released that same year. Games like Code Veronica stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Street Fighter III 3S and Jet Set Radio that year and it’s because of such a diverse range of quality games from different genres it was such an exciting console.

I tend to think of Jet Set Radio visually as a mix of 2D and 3D. The Cel Shading style popularised by JSR is sympathetic to 3D worlds by making them take on a more 2D hand drawn appearance thus avoiding those super harsh polygons and all-the-while keeping the benefits of 3D models and environments. It was a win-win art style then and it’s still incredibly effective and popular for good reason – it works very well.

For Jet Set Radio it was a perfect fit: it conveyed a bright, dynamic and energetic art-style, hitherto impossible out-with 2D games, yet allowed the player to explore a 3D world. In theory this sounds great but in reality it was so much more, it allowed the pages of an imaginary comic book to come alive with the freshest soundtrack in any game – possibly ever.

For Great Art!!!

The spinning logo foreshadows a unique iconography, ubiquitous throughout the game. One of the best things about the game, one that puts it head and shoulders above Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater: there are no trademarks. Moreover, there are no trademarks from this world, our world. There are no adverts for DC, Etnies or Airwalk and no stars like Mark Ecko spewing their brands all over the game world. Having such sponsorship or placements would kill JSR stone dead. The brands on T-shirts, headphones, posters and signatures on Tags are all of its own world in a self-contained vision of a futuristic Tokyo.

I don’t like his school trousers

This is actually relatively similar in approach to WipEout where the world has its own lexicon, imagery, brands and styles very loosely based on those of our world but extrapolated, extended and abstracted to create a cohesive aesthetic based around a feeling, a mood or a style. It’s a relatively elusive aesthetic to grasp as the rules are determined, created and even sometimes broken (re-created) by the team/artists. Sometimes it might even be seen as a style even based on exclusion, you can’t exactly articulate what it is but you certainly know when something isn’t it, when it doesn’t fit. To add to that there are few rules besides: it needs to feel right. And my goodness does Jet Set Radio feel right.

Japanese Ad

It felt, and feels, so right that it begs the question: how can a game from 12 years ago feel so fresh to play now when other games of the time, and even later, often feel dated and awkward? I think it’s due, in-part, to the complete absence of ties to real-world imagery. If the images and music in the game were “of an era,” it would definitely feel dated today. Think of the charts in 1999 and how it would feel re-visiting them in a game today, it would be a nostalgia trip and would feel pretty weird. In fact the only thing weird about how JSR feels today is that so few games since JSR’s release have captured such a dynamic, energetic and interesting world.

The character designs still feel bold and unique just like they did a decade plus tax ago. The over-sized sunglasses and headphones give an ultra-cool exaggerated vibe and the colourful clothes lend a carefree, rebellious and energetic feel. The energetic aspect is what makes the game feel so alive: it’s never boring or stale, the characters are always dancing and the music never stops; even though the energy is high in this bright, lively world it’s never in-your-face or annoyingly zany. It effortlessly manages to create that feeling that so few games get right, the feeling that just being in the world is enough.

I think for some developers it’s very important that they establish their own ethos and don’t get too bogged down and limit the potential of a game by tethering it to real world logic or references. When asked the question “Why?” sometimes it’s okay to say “Just because.” Jet Set Radio’s Art and Music feels relevant today because it emphasises unique creativity and a belief that quality doesn’t age badly. Citizen Kane will always be great in widescreen, HD, colour, 3D or in 50 years because the reason it’s great is that it is so well made. Tokyo-To is still a brilliant world to visit; it’s message and feelings are expressed by Art and Music and I absolutely love it.

 


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