Jet Set Radio: Tips for beginners

Jet Set Radio has returned this month after being re-released on Xbox 360 and PS3.
The Dreamcast classic is well worth picking up at just 800 MS Points, and we’ve listed some essential tips for the graffiti rollerskating game.

• Be quick – it sounds simple, but make sure you spray a tag if you can, whenever you can – as quick as possible. You are under a time limit on each level, and when you’ve made a scene, the cops will be chasing you down too. You can hold the right trigger down from a standing start to make your skater quickly accelerate.
• Collect cans – one of the worst things that can happen in Jet Set Radio is getting to a hard-to-reach tagging zone, only to find you’re out of spray cans. Try and keep your can amount in the 20 to 30 region, so you’re always ready to tag.
• String together combos – get your high score up by pulling off tricks. You can jump on rails to grind, and if you’re going fast enough, you’ll do a mid-air trick when you jump off. Jump from rail to rail to build up your score. Also, when skating fast downhill, simply jump to pull of a trick. You can also grind along signs and billboards, then jump off again to keep moving.
• Avoid bumping into objects and other characters. Again, it sounds simple, but bumping into other skaters could knock you off a hard-to-reach ledge, while hitting buses or other cars can take a chunk out of your health. Always look ahead and anticipate your movements.
•  Tagging objects while grinding is also advised, as it means the cops will find it difficult to catch you while you’re on the move.
• Learn all the tagging directions on your controller’s analogue stick. The quicker you can tag, the less likely you’ll be caught by the cops.
• While skating fast, hold down on the analogue stick to come to a screeching stop and face in the other direction – this perfect if you’re heading towards a bunch of cops and you need to get away. While moving fast, tap down then up to turn and skate backwards. You can also do this just before jumping to do a jumping twist.
• Take the higher ground – stick to the rooftops and the cops usually won’t be able to get you.
• Practice! Like skating in real life, you’ll get better as you become accustomed to the in-game areas and get a feel for the game’s pace and movement.

Here’s a video of the first level we made earlier. We recorded this before we wrote the above tips – and it was the first time in 12 years we’d played Jet Set Radio, hence the fumbling early on!

Dom Sacco

Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.

As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.