At GDC last week, we got a chance to play Jet Set Radio again, this time on an Xbox 360. The high-definition update of the Dreamcast classic is coming to the PC, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade this summer, looking lovely and (mostly) faithfully intact.
For the most part, Jet Set Radio plays as it did in the year 2000. Players control one of 15 inline skaters as they skate, jump and grind their way through the cel-shaded cities of Tokyo-to and Grind City. They'll have run-ins with rival gangs of skaters and excessive force of the local police, who won't hesitate to go after a few graffiti kids with helicopters and missiles.
Control-wise, Jet Set Radio has at least one improvement. Players can now control the game's camera with the right analog stick on the PS3 or 360, making the process of outrunning cops and tagging your turf a little easier.
One camera quirk I wouldn't mind seeing Sega fix before summer is the double duty done by a controller's left trigger, which spray paints and re-centers the camera behind the player.
Jet Set Radio's controls occasionally feel a bit sluggish, but their almost identical to the Dreamcast original, for better or worse. It just may take some time to adjust.
Visually, the HD take on Jet Set Radio looks fantastic. Frame rates can reach 60 FPS under the right conditions and everything looks super sharp, even if some textures look a touch blocky at this unfinished stage.
On the soundtrack front, it appears that much of the memorable music from the original Jet Set Radio will return. It seems Sega's efforts are on retaining the original list of tracks from the Japanese release, with some of the North America and Europe tracks (Rob Zombie's "Dragula" and Jurassic 5's "Improvise") not making the cut.
Jet Set Radio HD looks to be a mostly faithful update of the Dreamcast original, with a few improvements and a few cuts. It's a great trip down memory lane at the very least and one of the downloadable releases we're looking forward to most this year.