(Note: I originally posted this article on Bits ‘n’ Bytes Gaming on April 26, 2011.)

The Dreamcast, one of the most well-loved videogame consoles of all time, had a library full of fantastic, underrated titles. One of those games was 2000’s Jet Grind Radio, developed by Smilebit and published by Sega.

The game took place in a semi-futuristic version of Tokyo-to where different gangs of graffiti artists called “rudies” (who all ride around on high-tech magnetic rollerblades) are constantly fighting to protect their turf from their rival gangs while simultaneously dodging the police. The game is narrated by DJ Professor K who runs the pirate radio station Jet Set Radio.

You take control of a gang called the GGs, whose ranks increase as you complete challenges and impress other rudies and convince them to join you. Each character has different strengths and weaknesses which affect their health, skating speed, tricks they perform, and graffiti patterns.

Gameplay consisted of navigating different districts of Tokyo-to (Shibuya-cho, Benten-cho and Kagane-cho) and covering the graffiti of rival gangs with your own while avoiding the police (who don’t arrest you, they actually beat you up… the chief of police actually tries to shoot you!).

The game just oozes style. The first game to make use of cel-shading, Jet Grind Radio’s locales were full of life, color, and personality. Backed with an AMAZING soundtrack of catchy J-Pop, J-Rock, and J-Funk songs (and the American version was also one of the 1,000 games to feature “Dragula” by Rob Zombie, who I’ve come to learn is not ACTUALLY a zombie) and great customization options made it a hit at the time and a game people still speak highly of today.

The cast of characters was pretty large, and each cast member had their own distinctive look, from Beat’s giant sunglasses and headphones to Combo’s giant gold “¥” necklace to Gum’s dress and helmet. The cast fits in well with the stylized backdrop, and as each one plays a bit differently, there’s sure to be one to fit your playing style.

The game was ahead of its time in many ways. Aside from the graphical style it pioneered and the overt Japanese pop culture flair, the game also made use of the Dreamcast’s online functionality, but not in the way you’d think. There was no multiplayer option; instead, you could go online and download any .jpg file into the game to use as a custom graffiti tag.

The game did receive a sequel, Jet Set Radio Future (the original game’s Japanese title was Jet Set Radio) for the original Xbox in 2002 after Sega left the hardware business, but it wasn’t as well received as its predecessor. I played it, and it was fun, but the “future” aspect really threw the whole thing off for me. It wasn’t as colorful, the characters were all redesigned to be futuristic, and the whole game was just missing a lot of the charm of Jet Grind Radio.

Beat, the “main” character of the game, has made cameos in Sega Superstars Tennis and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, but aside from those appearances, Sega seems to have forgotten all about Jet Grind Radio and it’s a real shame. While Smilebit no longer exists (being restructured into Sega Sports Japan) they were still a Sega studio and thus Sega still owns the rights to the game.

Now would be the perfect time to bring the franchise back, with open-world games being more and more common thanks to considerably more powerful gaming hardware. I can only imagine how breathtaking the world of Jet Grind Radio would look in HD with more vibrant colors, increased draw distance and larger locales.

Seeing as how Sega is just now starting to do things I’ve been asking for for years (a game with Sonic’s old design, Phantasy Star Online 2) I’ve got my fingers crossed that we’ll be able to revisit Tokyo-to soon, if not in a brand-new game then at least in an Xbox Live Arcade re-release. It’s been far too long since I’ve laced up my magnetic skates.

Sonic the Hedgehog, one of my favorite game characters of all time, turned 20 a few days ago on June 23rd. I thought it would be a good time for another contest!

Similar to my last Mario Memories contest, all you need to do to enter is share your favorite memory relating to Sonic the Hedgehog. It can be from playing the games, watching the old cartoons, reading the Archie comic series, whatever.

This time, though, the contest is going to be held on Facebook. All you need to do is “Like” the PK Bloggin’! Facebook page and click on the “discussions” link, where I’ve already started the topic. All you need to do is post!

Unlike the Mario contest, though, where prizes were limited to one platform, the winner will get their choice of a 2000 Wii Points card, a 1600 Microsoft Points card, or a $20 PSN card (all a $20 value, obviously) to spend on all the downloadable Sonic stuff they want!

(As far as I know, US cards will ONLY work in the United States. Since I can’t verify that they work elsewhere, please don’t enter if you live outside the US because I don’t want to waste $20!)

The contest will run until midnight (US Eastern time) on Friday, July 8. Good luck!

A few months ago I saw on Kotaku and a few other places that Japanese company Kotobukiya would be releasing a figure based on Elanor, a RAcaseal from Phantasy Star Online. I’d never seen any merchandise from the game before, and you all know how I loves me some PSO. I preordered it as soon as I could, and I waited like a patient, respectable person until it arrived a couple of days ago.

The box looked so great. I never played a RAcaseal character, but the figure looked so awesome in pictures. I couldn’t wait to set her up on my entertainment center, spread gun at the ready, on the constant lookout for Boomas and Rappys.

Then I opened the box.

It wasn’t a figure I purchased. It was a goram MODEL.

EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE I had seen written listed this as a figure, not a model. I was so upset. I’ve never liked building models. I don’t have the steady hands nor the artistic ability required to make them not look like something the Easter Bunny crapped out.

Click for full-size

I spent months looking at pictures like this. Look at the detail on her spread gun. In the picture, it looks exactly like in the game. In the box, it’s just plain white. I was all set to have a badass figure show up at my doorstep, but instead I received a box of pieces I can use to disappoint myself.

It’s a snap-together model, so it’s not the actual assembly that puts me off… it’s the painting. There’s SO MANY details that I’d need to fill in, and without them, it would just look kinda bleh.

I’m up in the air about whether or not I should keep it simply because it’s Phantasy Star Online or sell it for something that I’ll actually enjoy. I wish there was like, a service where I could send it off to be painted for me. Ugh.

I’ve decided to very quickly post my first impressions of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, because Sonic is BACK and it is all about SPEED, BABY. Unless, you know, the game decides HEY THERE’S A BOTTMLESS PIT THERE HAHAHA. Which has happened to me.

ANYWAY. I love Sonic. I was a Sega kid growing up. I fought for the Genesis in the Great Console Wars. Seeing Sonic back in his side-scrolling Blast Processing form warms my old withered heart in ways that I didn’t think were possible.

I’ve completed the first five acts of the game and defeated the first boss. So far, I’m enjoying myself. It’s not EVERYTHING I hoped it’d be, but it’s certainly a fantastic game and by far the best Sonic game to come out in many years.

Just a note, I’m playing the Xbox 360 version. I’m sure the other console versions are basically the exact same, except the Wii version of course, which is in 480p instead of HD.

The coolest thing so far was that the game even opens with the classic “SAAAAAY-GUUUUHHHH!” that Genesis fans remember so fondly. In fact, if I closed my eyes and someone was playing Sonic 4 in the room, I’d think they were playing one of the Genesis games. The music is fun and catchy and completely evocative of the 16-bit anthems of my youth, and all the old sound effects have been lovingly ported over. The “4” on the end isn’t just for show… this really is the next 16-bit Sonic game. It just looks a lot nicer.

People are being really hard on the game’s graphics and I really don’t understand why… they’re gorgeous. I think it all comes together very well, but then again I’m one of the gaming minority who really appreciates color and stylish graphics in my video games these days. My only complaint about the graphics, if you can even call it that, is just that I’m usually having so much fun zooming through the levels that I don’t really have a lot of time to admire the scenery.

My biggest gripe with the game is that again, they have to put in those really frustrating parts of those levels where you CAN’T run fast and you die a lot because they forgot what game they were making. The second Zone, Casino Street Zone, has a section that is very reminiscent of those jumping puzzles in Mega Man games. You know what I’m taking about, with the blocks that fade in and out. I tolerate those in Mega Man, because hey, what’s a Mega Man game without those, but in a Sonic game it’s complete bullshit. In Sonic games, you’re always comfortable running off a ledge because the levels are huge, there’s always another path below you and there’s never really any bottomless pits. Well, there were several occasions in Casino Street Zone when I would have amassed over 300 rings and ran right into a gaping bottomless pit with absolutely NO warning whatsoever. It’s awful level design, and it really hurts what was supposed to be a celebration of classic Sonic game design.

The new bonus stages are a lot of fun, but damn are they hard. They’re like the spinning stages of the first Sonic game, only now, you use the left analog stick to rotate the stage around Sonic and guide him to the Chaos Emerald under a certain time limit.

I’m not too far into the game yet and I’m going to be playing a lot more of it (I’m determined to get 200/200 Gamerscore in this one) but I’m already looking forward to see what Episode 2 will bring. Episode 1 is great so far but there’s still a lot of room for improvement. Let’s hope they cleaned the rust out with this one and the sailing will be smoother from here on out.

Happy birthday Sega Dreamcast! One of the best video game consoles to ever be released turns 11 years old today! Woo!

The Dreamcast has had a very interesting life for a console, with a very short official lifespan but maintaining a very dedicated fanbase that has endured for over a decade. With Dreamcast titles scheduled to hit Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network in the near future, now is as good a time as any to relive the classics that we fell in love with on Sega’s hardware swan song.

In celebration of the Dreamcast’s 11th birthday, here is (in no particular order) my 11 favorite Dreamcast games. I’m not going to bother with the cool picture number things this time, because I was busy doing wedding stuff and I’m kind of tired. Next year!

Phantasy Star Online – I would pay SO MUCH for this to be on Xbox Live Arcade, mostly because there would be no cheaters to ruin the fun this time.

Crazy Taxi – One of the most bitchin’ soundtracks ever in a game and probably my favorite game to feature cars. My favorite character in the game, BD Joe, is playable in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. Too bad he’s not that good. =/

Sonic Adventure – I know a lot of people will point to this game as the beginning of the end for Sonic, but I really enjoyed it. Once I changed the voices to Japanese, that is. Honestly, I still think it’s a pretty good looking game.

Chu Chu Rocket – This needs to be on Live Arcade like, yesterday. One of my favorite puzzle games ever, and it also has the best commercial in history.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 – Do I really need to say anything other than the title?

Jet Grind Radio – I heard a rumor that this will be hitting Live Arcade and I hope with all of my might that it’s true. It’s one of the most stylish games ever made and seeing it in high definition would be sooooooooooooo good.

Power Stone 2 – Capcom’s take on a Smash Bros-style 4 player fighting maelstrom. My favorite character is Wang-Tang, who, for a super move, turns into a blatant Son Gokuu rip-off complete with golden hair and the Genki-Dama attack.

Resident Evil Code: Veronica – The best Resident Evil that isn’t 4. Claire is one of the most endearing characters in the series, and giving her the starring role made the game that much better. The opening movie is badass.

Skies of Arcadia – It’s been so long since I’ve played Skies of Arcadia that I don’t remember much about it, but I remember it being fantastic. So it probably was.

Project Justice – This is my unicorn game (a game so rare and sought after that you have little hope of ever obtaining it). I rented it a few times and loved it, so of course it regularly goes for $60 or more on eBay. A three-on-three fighter from Capcom’s Rival School series with crazy team-up attacks. I want it so bad.

Shenmue – If I need to tell you why Shenmue is great then I have to wonder why you’re even reading a video game blog in the first place.

What are some of your favorites?

We’ve gotten some new readers lately, people who don’t know me in real life. These people don’t know a lot about me, so I’m going to take this opportunity to let them get to know me a little better. A big part of my personality is that I like things that are rad, and also things that are awesome. Something that is both rad AND awesome is Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, which I picked up over the weekend.

It’s no secret that I love Sega. I sided with the Genesis during the Console Wars of the early 90s, and I love my Genesis and my Dreamcast dearly to this day. I love Mario games, but I’ve always preferred Sonic as a character (that is, until his fans start writing fanfiction… gross). Sega’s roster of superstars might not be as recognizable as Nintendo’s best, but with Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, Sega may have just out-Mario Karted Nintendo.

I bought Sega Superstars Tennis when it came out, and I had a lot of fun with it. It was cool having so much Sega fanservice in one game, but it was kinda… lacking in some places. It didn’t have a ton of characters, and they were all kinda predictable. Fortunately, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing goes even further, bolstering the usual lineup of Sonic characters, Ulala, Beat, Amigo, AiAi and Alex Kidd with Billy Hatcher, Zobio and Zobiko from House of the Dead, Ryo Hazuki from Shenmue, my man B.D. Joe from Crazy Taxi, the Chu Chus from Chu Chu Rocket, the Bonanza Bros, Opa-Opa from Fantasy Zone, Akira and Jacky from Virtua Fighter, and on the Xbox 360, Banjo and Kazooie.

Rather than having a series of tracks made up just for the game, they’re all based on locales from old Sega games, including Tokyo-to from Jet Set Radio along with a zillion Sonic levels. They all look gorgeous on the 360, really showing off how good an HD game can look when they use more than brown and grey. The music is the same deal, instead of new tracks for the game, it’s a celebration of Sega’s finest with each track paired with a corresponding song from the game it represents.

Now, I love Mario Kart. HOWEVER, there is one thing about Mario Kart that drives me (and everyone else) absolutely nuts: no matter how good you do, no matter how far ahead of the pack you get, they will ALWAYS catch up to you. When you’re about to cross that finish line in 1st place, you can bet your plumber’s booty that you WILL get hit with a blue shell, 3 red shells, and get run over before you finish 6th. This “rubberbanding” is intended to keep the game challenging, but instead it makes it frustrating the point of being unenjoyable. It’s in every Mario Kart to some extent, but Mario Kart Wii was unflinchingly brutal. I gave up trying to unlock things when I realized that it was going to rely more on luck than skill.

Fortunately, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing doesn’t do that. When I was playing on a low difficulty, I’d finish in 1st with a good 10 second gap between me and the 2nd place racer. Sometimes, the last place racers would get a Did Not Finish instead of a time. You can adjust the difficulty to be more challenging, but that’s what it is: more challenging. They don’t out-and-out cheat like in Mario Kart.

The different multiplayer modes are a blast too, with fun modes like King of the Hill and others along with the standard Race and Battle. Single player gets a huge replay boost with Mission mode, consisting of dozens of ranked challenges like hitting targets, collecting rings, and other character-specific tasks.

The achievements all even have funny references to Sega’s history, like “Streets of Rage” for knocking an opponent off of the track, or “Mega Driver” for earning a AAA rank on any mission.

I can’t say enough good things about the game. It’s a blast. I haven’t even gone online with it yet and I’m having a ton of fun every time I pick up the controller. It’s even retailing for $49.99, $10 less than most other Xbox 360 games.

(I’m sure the Wii version is a lot of fun too, but I wanted the Xbox 360 version for Banjo & Kazooie, pretty graphics and music and achievements, plus online. The 360 version has the most bonus characters of any version as well, with Banjo & Kazooie and your avatar. The Wii gets Miis. The PlayStation 3 has no exclusive characters.)

Seriously. Go get it. LOVE IT. It’s a celebration of everything Sega, and it’s really nice to see them knock one out of the park like this. Go buy it so they release downloadable content, like Toe Jam & Earl. If we don’t get Toe Jam & Earl as DLC for this game, I’m blaming you personally.

This past Valentine’s Day, I received the most romantic gift ever: A boxed Sega Game Gear with a copy of NBA Jam and a rechargeable battery pack. I’ve known for a while that I was marrying the right woman, and this is just another example of the choir being preached to.

The Game Gear is a handheld system, but I wouldn’t call it “portable,” even by early 90’s standards. The thing is comfortable in your hands, but it’s still bulky and there’s no WAY this thing would fit into your pocket, especially considering how tight everyone wore their pants back then (well, everyone except MC Hammer).

The best part though is the rechargeable battery pack. For the Game Gear, a rechargeable option is a necessity; the thing goes through batteries like Gabe Newell through Twinkies. Six double-A batteries power the thing for about two hours. The cost of that will add up quickly, kinda like… Gabe Newell’s Twinkie expenses, I guess. I hate to reuse the same joke twice, especially when it’s not very good, but hey, a swing and a miss, what can you do?

So I opened the rechargeable battery pack, and it was a large, bulky thing. I thought “Oh, you must plug this in, and the battery sits inside while it charges.” Ha. Haha. Oh Joe, you are so naïve. So foolish and naïve.

The lightsaber-sized device IS the battery pack. You’re supposed to carry this thing with you along with your Rhode Island sized handheld system. Talk about cumbersome. Even Texans, with their belt buckles large enough to use as a landing strip, saw this combination and thought “Wow, that’s really freakin’ big.” They look mastadonic compared to those huge 90′s cell phones. They’re so big they call the original Xbox “junior.” I can do these jokes all day. I won’t though.

The thing has a belt clip on it. A belt clip! That moves it from ridiculous to awesome. I can only imagine how many hot early 90’s ladies you’d impress walking down the street with this thing on your belt, Game Gear in your hands, with your flattop haircut and Reebok Pumps. In fact, maybe I’ll try to bring the look back now.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah. With that setup, you’ll be so smooth you’ll slide when you walk.

I was a Sega Kid. I had an NES, but when the 16-bit wars kicked into high gear, my best friend already had a Super NES, so I got a Genesis so we could play everything. Then he turned into a jerk and we stopped being friends, so it was just me and my Genesis. Of course, you had to talk a lot of smack back then so I loved the Sega commercials and ads that ripped on Nintendo.

My, the times, how they change.