I'm not quite sure what a Smilebit is, personally. But if they could bottle and sell it, game developers worldwide would undoubtedly be compelled to unanimously declare a new favorite beverage, because in Jet Grind Radio, this team has unquestionably displayed that they indeed have "the stuff." The Juice. Mad Skillz, Or, if you prefer something less vague, these kids have talent. Granted, we've been telling you that since the very first time we witnessed it in motion at last year's Fall TGS. Of course, we had no clue that the video-only display would have led to such a phenomenal title, but we'll call that sense of utter amazement and curiosity gamer's intuition. Why? Because despite a flood of titles on both Dreamcast and other platforms, Jet Grind Radio stands out as the most original, distinct, enjoyable title you will play this year.
No, gang, your eyes don't deceive you. There are a lot of titles vying for your money this year, but no game even comes close to delivering something this fresh, this incredibly hip while simultaneously being this playable. Nearly everything about this title is a testament to the heart of game design and creation. Let us sit back and appreciate its goodness.

I've already gone to great lengths to try to show you guys why JGR was the bomb in our explosive week-long feature, but in case you missed it, I'll try to break it down yet again. First of all, you can't help but notice the visuals. This game looks sooo good. It has the type of look that makes non-gamers can't help but be impressed with how cool it is. Jet Grind Radio's cell-shading technology will undoubtedly be one of the most frequently imitated graphical trends of the next few years. With no less than four titles already jumping on the bandwagon, including Sega's long-time rival Namco, and upon checking out the game, you can easily see why. JGR looks like a moving cartoon, and every character, right down to the police dogs, is practically overflowing with personality that you can't but help but appreciate. This is easily one of the best-looking next-generation titles we've had the pleasure of playing, and unlike almost every other game on the market this fall, it also manages to have a look all its own. From the characters themselves, to the wacky animations that drive them, I am totally in love.

And true to Sega form, Smilebit has made sure that the gameplay lives up to the outstanding visual efforts with an intuitive control scheme and level design that is absolutely mind-boggling. For those of you who have caught Tony Hawk fever, I'm sure you're familiar with the type of levels that are built to skate, and how new, more impressive combos seem to magically appear to you with each passing hour of gameplay. Jet Grind is built from the same stuff, and the more we play, the more we find ourselves perfecting our skill. The single player game itself is about 8-10 hours long your first time through, which isn't exactly a marathon, but thankfully, upon beating the game's various sections, you're granted access to the game levels for everything from one-on-one races to freestyle skating for points to timed tagging sessions across the whole of any of one of the game's massive levels.

Not only does this give you a chance to perfect your technique, but it also adds a ton to the game's replay value, as it is basically two games in one. The first is driven by the free-formed in-line skating action we mentioned above, and the other is a story driven action game with killer characters and a mysterious plot that will keep you guessing 'till the end. In fact, Jet Grind's single player game has even more in the way of twists and turns than the Japanese original, as the added levels are worked into the plot with ease. It is pretty awesome.

On top of that, the tagging elements add a lot to the game, both in that you can try to collect all the game's included tags, which are hidden throughout the levels, and you can create and import your own tags, or even download an image from the web. We spent countless hours hopping around the web looking for the perfect image, and aspiring artists are sure to find this feature a welcome addition, as they can plaster the cityscape with their handiwork.

And, to round off this package, the game offers up an incredible soundtrack that, despite being bastardized by Rob Zombie in its domestic release (how could you, guys? REALLY?), it still shines as one of the best videogame soundtracks ever. The combination of original music and some cool licensed tracks comes together as one of the most unique collections I have ever heard. It's so good, in fact, I actually went out of my way to acquire the tracks for my CD player. Geeky, I know -- but when you hear it, I'm willing to bet that you'll be hopping on Napster with the hopes that someone, somewhere can hook you up.

It all comes together as a really impressive package. In fact, I find it hard to find faults with this game. The one obvious problem it has would have to be the camera. In certain situations, it can completely lose its mind and focus on the most unplayable angles possible. But even this passes, as you soon learn not only what type of movements make the camera flip out, but how the levels are constructed, and the camera ceases to be a real problem after about 2-3 hours of play. Still, it is annoying to begin with, and is one of the worst systems I have seen in a 3D game when it wants to be. The problem comes in when the game refuses to use a chase camera. Sometimes, Jet Grind Radio will switch to a top down or side view of the character for no good reason, and unless you know the level, you will blow a jump completely, which can prove to be pretty annoying at times. I'm guessing Smilebit set things up this way for two reasons: 1.) Because they wanted to show of the characters and what they were doing and 2.) that they gave gamers a "camera center" button, which theoretically gives you a chance to correct any perceived problems. The only thing is, the camera button is the same left trigger that is used for tagging, which makes no sense. The Dreamcast controller only uses one of the four main buttons, and I still can't figure out why on earth SoA didn't change the control scheme a bit to get around this issue. It's not a game-killer or anything, but it's certainly bit unfortunate.

Outside this, however, there is little to complain about when it comes to Jet Grind Radio. I still remember how a few months ago, a Sega employee asked me to give them one word that summed up why this game was so special. My answer? Style. Unlike 99.9% of the other games coming out this winter, Jet Grind Radio isn't trying to suck the life out of a long-running franchise, or make a quick buck of a license. It truly is an original creation, and you can see this distinctness shine through in every aspect of the game, from the way the characters each have their own set of be-bopping moves for any given situation, to the way each level is pack with tons and tons of tiny details. Smilebit set out to give Sega fanatics a completely new experience with this title, and they came through in a big, big way. This is the type of game that makes me proud to be a Dreamcast owner. It has everything you'd expect out of a AAA product, and it has it in spades. When all of your PlayStation-worshipping friends try to tell you that Dreamcast is dead, smack them upside the head with this game. It is, without a doubt, the biggest breath of fresh air to sweep through gaming in a good long while, and no Dreamcast owner's library would be complete without it. Now where's my online sequel?