Some games stick in your mind, not because
they were particularly fun to play, but because
it managed to grab you through its artistic
expression.
Strangely this isn't an uncommon thing, especially
amongst games in the Indie scene, but Jet
Set Radio is far from a small title and despite
its age there's still something almost unquantifiable
about its appeal.
However, porting over a title comes with risks
and challenges, especially when talking about
the iOS platform and while much of the game
remains enjoyable, clunky controls make an
already stiff to control game a living nightmare
at times.
Lets backtrack a bit though and discuss the
game itself.
You and your graffiti gang have joined other
hoodlums in running around, evading police,
and tagging every available surface.
A virtual stick and four buttons provide the
basic controls needed to sprint around each
cityscape, while generous collision detection
helps you to grind on rails, pipes, and wires
to reach ever-more obscure locations.
New gang members (each with their own graffiti
style and stats) can also be earned if you
overcome their copy-cat style challenges,
but for the most-part you'll be claiming new
territory and defending your own from rival
gangs.
Meanwhile the police are sending out reinforcements
that don't kid around at all, with everything
from riot-gear to helicopters being used to
hunt you down.
Unfortunately all of this is predicated on
you actually being able to reach target graffiti
locations safely, something that's made harder
thanks to controls that make it hard to see
where you're going and (at times) have a mind
of their own as you're flung off grind-rails
at odd angles.
Fortunately for the nostalgic fans out there
'HD' console versions of the original have
recently been released, but if you're adamant
on playing Jet Set Radio on the go, we recommend
you spend time in the practice mode before
making a mockery of yourself in game.
