Ok, what is the deal with reviews from IGN.com and Gamespot.com being so different lately? I was just reading the reviews of Jet Set Grind Future for X-box, and while both sites seem to really like it, IGN complains of slow down problems and the game being to easy, while Gamespot says the game can be very challenging and has a constant 60 FPS. Those are pretty big issues to be so divided on!

Anyone pick it up yet or plan to? (It's not out till later today though - Wednesday).

Don't know, don't care.

All I know is if I don't get JSRF by the end of the day, blood will be spilt!!!

I am going to rent it first once I get my own X-Box (hopefully soon). I disliked the first Jet Set game and although it looks like they fixed my problems with the original (cops no longer chase you all the time, no time limit and tagging is not a tedious manual job) I still have a feeling I may not like JSRF, so why go out and spend $50 on it?

However, maybe I'll like it and then I'll buy it

With no constant cop chases, time limits and neccessary tagging this game will suck. Those are the elements that gave the original its challenge.

The gameplay in the ads gives me the impression that you can beat down the cops with great painful violence if they get too close to you, but I could be wrong.

Also, I'm guessing that the "no time limit" thing could just be for levels that you've beaten where you want to work on your technique, etc. As frustrating as it was at times, I couldn't imagine playing the main game with no time limit -- no challenge like you said. Half the fun was tagging the last wall with 2 seconds to spare ;p

Tuan Jim

Yes, you can beat down the cops from my understanding. The reason the time limit was taken out (except for one mission I believe) is because the levels are that much bigger.

No Time Limit = Good

I hated not being able to explore because I would run out of time.

Well this game was hard to get a hold of. I went to Toys R Us and they didn't get it in today, and EB received 8 copies and was sold out (as with all the other EB's they said).. I managed to snag one at the movie store (!!?) at the mall. It's not likely I will get to fire it up until much later though, to much work to do today!.

So far I'm really liking the game. Story wise it's more of an updating/remake of the original. You start out the game as YoYo, who's trying to join the GG's. In this version Corn(who I believe is an older Tab from the first game) is now the leader.

You don't so much "beat down" the cops as you shoulder tackle them. You can "eliminate" them by tagging them once they're down.

By simplifying the graffitti and removing the time limits the game is a bit easier so far. I'm still in the first Chapter and an hour into it. The focus now is to balance the action/adventure with a solid skating and trick system. Which is what I thought was missing from the first game.

The game, style wise is also much edgier. The graphics and world this time around isn't as colorful. In fact, the darker colors invoke a more serious tone. The DJ is also more serious in his broadcasts. The gang look less like saturday morning cartoon characters and more like a gang from an Japanese anime show. The music is decent but suffers from less varied tunes.

So far I'm really liking the game. I'm a huge fan of the first and the changes are welcome even if the stylistic changes may take a bit to get used to. I'm strongly recommending it to fans of the first. If you hated the original or only mildly liked it I suggest you rent it at least. It's a more faster paced and improved game.

Sounds like they made the game a lot better/cooler. I have school vacation coming up for 3 weeks. I think I'll rent it and play the hell out of it during that time. I'm a bit short on cash these days!

Is there an option for inserting your own soundtrack?

Tuan Jim

No, sadly there is not. You also can't make a playlist from the given soundtrack. On the upside, you can choose which track you want to play when you're in the garage/skatepark. This helps a bit since you can spend a lot of time here making your own designs, talking to your crew, or skating around.

An update to my first impression:

I played for a couple more hours and I have to say it is more difficult then the first. While the improved speed and gameplay help they also designed the levels to really tax you. The streets are laid out more like mazes and while you do have a map it is still hard when you're racing someone or trying to catch someone else. The ability to grind telephone poles and lines also up the difficulty factor. Not impossible, but it'll take a lot of trial and error.

Thanks for the good review C-Killer. I plan on picking this up tomorrow at Best Buy. Hopefully they will have some left by the time I get there in the afternoon. Since I'm a big fan of the first one, this looks to be even better.

Anyone tried the multiplayer yet? Thoughts/opinions? I assume this has the technique/tagging blank maps once you beat certain areas. Is there a time limit on any of those sections or is it free play?

Tuan Jim

The reason there isn't an option to put your own music in is because the designer decided early on that putting your own music in the game would not give Jet Set Radio Future its true feel. He did think about the option but he felt the music already in the game was better for the game than anything one of us could put in the game. I'm sure it was a tough decision. This is in Gamespot somewhere where they talk to the makers of JSRF.

So far, I'm enjoying this game. I'm three hours into the game and it definitely gets more challenging. I love to explore and discover secret areas in games so the lack of a time limit is a big plus for me. My only gripe...I still wish there was an option to rip your own tracks since I'm not very big on techno music.
The levels are pretty big with enough poles, rails, wires, bars, etc. to grind to your content. The combination of grinds is fun, although it simply requires that you press the trick buttons in a certain rhythm. It's not as involving as the button-system in Tony Hawk.
Tagging walls or police officers is as simple as pressing the Right trigger button. The larger the graffiti, the more times you'll have to press it. There's also an option included to create your own graffiti to tag the walls with. Just looked at it briefly, but it seems you could create as many as you want to be saved in the Xbox harddrive.
The game moves smoother than butter. I haven't experienced slow-down in framerates yet which is good, especially with all the moving objects on-screen at one time.

Keep in mind, I haven't played the first installment on the Dreamcast, so I don't have any grounds for comparison. However, after playing this, it seems there is enough variety in the missions/goals that need to be performed in order to progress. This game is not going back. It's staying in my library of games.

Well, I picked my copy up tonight. It is as good or better than the first installment. Larger maps and more characters is all good. Highly recommended.