Apr 30, 2010

Jet Set Radio Coming to Xbox Live Arcade?

Someone named "Xbox360 Leaker" dropped a screenshot of a French-language Xbox Live Marketplace that shows the Dreamcast classic Jet Set Radio available as a demo. The picture, of unknown provenance, adds weight to rumors that other Dreamcast classics are inbound. Jet Set Radio was the game's Japanese name (Jet Grind Radio was its name in North America), but one would have to figure that if they're going to take it this far, this game would include the additional content from Jet Grind and De La Jet Set Radio Nothing's confirmed, but it should definitely whet the appetites of Dreamcast fans, of which there are many. I for one would love to see an influx of several Dreamcast titles that were some of my favorite games. This tibbit of news got me to thinking...What Dreamcast games would I like to see available on Xbox Live Marketplace? Well then I will tell you:
1. Jet Grind Radio I already mentioned it above but what I didn't tell you is why I would love to play it again. I have great affection for this for unique title. For one it is not your typical run of the mill action adventure/platform game. The game play is built around a number of interesting play mechanics and situations that will break you away from the norm. The Jet Grind Radio soundtrack is also one of the most popular gaming lineups of all time featuring an array of eclectic songs combining the musical genres of J-pop, Trip-hop, Hip-hop and Electronica. This is one game that is not done justice on TV speakers — you should definitely try to hook up some decent speakers in order to experience it at its best. Between the slick graphics, upbeat and quirky audio, and intense game play, Jet Grind Radio is a gaming experience that completely envelopes you when given the chance. It is a gaming experience that cannot be missed and has not adequately been reproduced on any other system. 2. Crazy Taxi 1 & 2 While it has been cloned a few times since its release, Crazy Taxi was a thrill that could not be found anywhere else. The music from The Offspring got really old after a while, but actually got you in the Crazy mood. Crazy Taxi gives you control of a cabby racing around two San Francisco-esque cities, picking up customers and dropping them at their required destinations by any means necessary. It’s a race against the clock, resulting in no-holds-barred racing around the two cities, flying off hills and screeching around bends. It was a fun highly addictive game that I personally spent hours playing. I know, I know how repetitive of me but I could not help myself. This game was way too much fun. 3. Shenmue As one of the most beautiful and revolutionary titles for the Dreamcast, Shenmue combined elements from Adventure, RPG, Simulator, and Fighting games into an epic journey that brought a fictional community to life and compelled you to find the killer of Ryo’s father. Shenmue brings games one step closer to reality via its time scale and attention to detail. All non-playing characters actually have their own lives to lead, and enemy encounters are presented realistically. You can also interact with nearly every object and learn and master several different martial arts. This game was just simply B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. But being in development for years and having a steep $20 million dollar budget it had to be. The atmosphere and environments didn't leave out a single detail of authenticity. There was absolutely nothing in these environments that your character could not interact with. Including anything or anyone. I must give a fair warning, however, Shenmue is was not for everyone. If you have a short attention span you should avoid this title all together if it is ever made available in the Xbox Live Marketplace. Individual gamers will either love or hate Shenmue — and will love it or hate it for the same reasons. 4. Power Stone Power Stone was one of the unique fighters available on the Dreamcast. It took elements from the Smash Bros franchise from Nintendo and added in their own unique elements for a fun gaming experience that you got lost in. In Power Stone characters can move around in a fully 3D environment could not only use traditional attacks on their opponents, but also use items in the play field (furniture, barrels, etc) to do extra damage. What makes Power Stone really stand out however, is the strategic element found within the game’s Power Stone gimmick. If a certain player gets 3 Power Stones they are temporarily overtaken by a unique super-human power. So players will not only want to beat the crap out of their opponents, but also try to keep them from getting Power Stones. This feature in the game makes it super frantic, which leads to a good game tension that is fun for everybody. Power Stone is an awesome game for a one-on-one match. Which would make this title perfect for Xbox Live gaming. 5. Skies of Arcadia With an upbeat quest and some innovative and fun ideas, Skies of Arcadia lets you venture off to distant islands to uncover a number of secrets. Unlike other RPGs which wait until the mid-point to give you an airship, Skies of Arcadia does it right from the bat by bequeathing Vyse and crew with a ship of their own to sail the turn-based combat infested skies. The world is comprised of floating islands, and you use your air ship to travel among them while playing Robin Hood with other pirates. The ship warfare provides for a great alternative to standard RPG character combat, and the characters are a joy to watch with their many facial expressions and animation. While the battle system isn’t completely innovative, it is still provides solid game play. The excellent characters, story, and environments complete the package, resulting in what many consider the best RPG that was available on Dreamcast. This makes it a perfect choice to be included in the Xbox Live Marketplace. 6. Space Channel 5 While some other rhythm games like PaRappa The Rapper attracted more attention, Space Channel 5 topped the charts with Dreamcast owners. Both the graphics and the music had a phenomenal retro-futurist (reminds me of a hip Jetson’s atmosphere) feel to them and kept Space Channel 5 from becoming just “another” simon-says-type game. Space Channel 5 has a handful of simple game elements that make it unique and the game does a good job of starting out easy and gradually getting more difficult. While SC5 isn’t especially deep or long, the music will keep you coming back From start to finish, Space Channel 5 rocks the house. Even when the moves become so complicated you get angry and want to hurl your controller across the room, the quality of the music helps bring you back. A little techno here, a little rock there — the music has a great style that’ll have you tapping your feet. So please Xbox Live add this to the marketplace!

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