Introduction

One of my favourite games during my budding adolescence, Jet Grind (or Set, depending on your region) Radio was released in the Summer of 2000 for the Sega Dreamcast, and is one of the most distinctive and memorable games the system ever put forth. The combination of cel-shaded art style, vibrant, kinetic visuals and the phattest of soundtracks immediately set this game apart as one of my all-time favourites.


The Game's distinct aesthetic incorporates and mixes elements from a myriad of sources, such as both Japanese Pop culture and Counterculture, along with the more western influences of Punk, Hip-Hop, and Graffiti, taking both visual and musical cues from each. Anyone interested in the Creative aspects of the game owes it to themselves to check out 'The Rude Awakening', a short documentary about the Smilebit Team's creative process and a little bit of the history behind the game.



For this LP, I'll be taking a slightly different approach what you might expect. While I will of course be making mention of the gameplay, it won't really be the focus of the LP. While the game has a myriad of minor flaws, they're easily overwhelmed by the game's art design, it just oozes style from every orifice. Along with Wind Waker and a small handful of other titles, this is one of the few games who's environments I regularly come back to visit and play through for their own sake.

On to the second component of this LP; While Graffiti is integral to both the concept and gameplay, one of the most often-neglected aspects of the game is the in-game graffiti creation tool. Awkward, unintuitive, and Frustrating, the Graffiti Creation tool is almost entirely neglected or dismissed whenever the game is mentioned.

And it's my favourite part of the whole damned game.

If you accept it's limitations and learn work around them, it can be suprisingly powerful tool to create some really unique pieces. If you're willing to put in a little time you'll often surprise yourself with how much you like the end result of your labors.

So, the Gimmick of this LP is that I'll be using ONLY the Graffiti Creation tool, and only using Sprays that I create myself. I will of course display the Graffiti Souls that I come across in the levels, starting with No. 540. (no promises about finding all of them though). I'll also be using every character, and creating a unique set for each of them, possibly MORE than one set if I re-use characters.

Soundtrack Link- Shamelessly pillaged from the previous LP, Because the soundtrack alone is almost worth it's own thread.

So, Let's Get Cracking! Here's the first set of missions, one from each area, putting each of our initial characters through their paces. I'll try to be updating about twice a week, if all goes well.