Developer: Smilebit Publisher: Sega Release Date: 11/01/2000

As I begin to write this article, I realize how much I miss this series. I was very much into this game when it came out and I am still very much into it today. When this came out I was working at a local bakery and living with a couple friends in town. We were all blown away by two things, the smoothness of the gameplay and the fact that it was a graffiti tagging game. I still think it’s a great concept. It reminds me of the book ‘The Warriors’ written by Sol Yurick. Good shit to say the least.

So for those of you not too well versed on the Dreamcast and it’s games let me give you some insight. You may very well go hunting for the system at your local game store after a few of these retro reviews. Although I believe you should do that anyways.

So let’s go.

The whole premise is very straightforward. You live in the city of Tokyo-To and the city is split into three parts: Shibuya-cho, Benten-cho, and Kogane-cho, each of which is associated with a different time of the day. Shibuya is a shopping district full of the usual blue sky in daytime, Benten a nighttime entertainment area, and Kogane is a water locked residential area where it is sunset. The player starts off forming an in-line gang in Shibuya, and thus forms a tagging rivalry between the Love Shockers. From there you face off with the Noise Tanks in Benten, and Poison Jam in Kogane as they attempt to take over the GG’s home turf. All the while the local (and increasingly overzealous) police force, headed up by Captain Onishima, try and foil everyone’s efforts. The idea is to spray paint over rival gangs’ tags in order to take over their area. Near the end of things you go up against the Golden Rhinos – headed up by the final boss, Goji Rokakku. He is attempting to summon a demon to take over the world via a record ‘The Devil’s Contract’ (awesome). So you should probably stop all that from happening.

Besides the rival gangs and the Police, your two worst enemies are time and spray paint (which you’ll be running out of frequently). Fighting time gets easier through trial-and-error (the good kind not the bad kind) and spray paint is more plentiful the more you explore – so make sure to get right out there and see what’s what.

The whole story is tied together by the pirate radio station ‘Jet Grind Radio’ – DJ’ed by Professor K. This is another similarity between ‘The Warriors’ as Prof. K reminds us of Lynne Thigpen. It’s not just some guy blathering on a radio station either. The game is known for its fun and quirky soundtrack (‘Super Brother’ by Guitar Vadar is classic J-Pop and need to be heard) that keeps the pace going through it’s occasional slow points. A soundtrack this deliberate was a first exposure for a lot of gamers back then.

The things that was loved the most about JGR was how the tagging portions were handled. You would place a tag through a series of stick motions – each tag with its own set of motions. Various tags would be needed to accomplish certain goals and tags of a larger size (which can get immense) would take up more of your time and paint. This was great for adding the tension. For when a small army of cops are bearing down on you the last thing you need is a huge tag on the side of a building several floors up. You get so nervous you find yourself fumbling everywhere and having to break off, gather more paint, lose the cops and then get back to it. And just imagine that scenario when the area to tag is accessible through a rail you have to grind throughout the whole thing. It’s great stuff I tells ya. Also keep in mind that each goal can be accomplished a bit easier depending on which character you choose. Each area acquired gets you new members. Some from gangs you’ve beaten and some who take notice of your progress and wish to join up. It’s a varied range and for those who feel like taking the time and effort the game can get fairly strategic.

I still have hope for another entry in the series at some point, but it probably wont happen (a Wii version was in the works but failed to get Nintendo’s backing). And that makes me a very sad panda. But if you have access to a Dreamcast go out and pick this one up. It’s a great original concept that has been almost perfectly implemented. You’ll see exactly why this game has earned a cult following.

And it’s probably pretty cheap at this point so that’s always a good thing.

Word.

Then: 9.5 out of 10 Now: 8 out of 10

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