Jet Grind Radio

"The series goes out with a bang..."

Well as many of you Jet Grind Radio fans know, Sega is discontinuing the series. So how does this portable version stack up against it's console versions? Very well. Everything is there, and the only problem is the isometric view.

Graphics 9/10

The graphics are very good. They look kind of blurry but apparently that's the way the game is supposed to look. The isometric view could have created tons of problems, but they did a good job to make it work. For instance, if you are under something in the game, you will have a black ''shadow'' looking thing on top of you.

Controls 7/10

The controls are the weakest part of the game, but not bad. Up makes you go, down makes you stop, and left and right make you turn. Now, on the console versions, this is expected since you are behind the character. But on an isometric view it feels weird. It'll take about 15 minutes to get used to the controls, but once you do, it's not bad. B jumps, and A sprays paint. When you spray graffiti, button combos will appear and you will have to enter them in in order to spray the whole ''picture'' or whatever you happen to be spraying. This depends on the size of the art, however. If it's a small one, you can just tap A as you go by. This is for the ones you're supposed to get while you're up in the air, grinding by, etc. The bigger sizes will require more.

Sound 10/10
Wow. You turn on the GBA, and you get the famous ''SEGA!'' from the Genesis days. Then you get to the title screen and the DJ guy goes ''JET GRIND RADIOOOO!'' That's right, there is a small amount of talking in this game. There's about 7 different songs, and you can pick which ones you want to listen to on the radio in the game. The sound overall is excellent.

Gameplay 9/10
Same old gameplay as the console versions, skate around and spray graffiti. But watch out, the police and some other gangs in town don't appreciate what you are doing and will shoot you. The isometric view creates slight problems, but you can live with it. And now, one of the best parts of the game: Custom Graffiti. That's right when you are in your ''house'' (I guess that's what it is) you can listen to the radio, go skate, do missions, or make graffiti in a Microsoft Paint like program. You can detail it exactly how you want, they put everything in there. If you are on a long trip and you want to draw something, now you can. I was definitely not expecting this to be in there.

Overall, Jet Grind Radio is one of the best games (for it's price, only $20) on GBA. While it will probably get passed up by most people for Megaman Battle Network 3, and DBZ 2, that doesn't mean YOU should pass it up. Get it today!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/26/03, Updated 06/26/03