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At its core, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk desires to remind you ways cool different video games had been. Particularly, Jet Set Radio, Jet Set Radio Future, and a tiny little bit of Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater. The issue is, by selecting nostalgia as its sole focus, Bomb Rush lacks an id of its personal – it solely jogs my memory of why I might reasonably play these different video games as a substitute.
Bomb Rush makes an attempt to proper one in every of Sega’s nice crimes: the 21 years we have gone with no new Jet Set Radio sport. For the uninitiated, Jet Set was an motion sports activities collection that put you in command of a gang of rollerbladers terrorizing the streets of Tokyo-to, tagging each floor flat sufficient to carry paint. You fought different gangs and the police for dominance over the town. Its placing cel-shaded graphics, unbelievable digital soundtrack, and normal finger on the heartbeat of late ’90s and early aughts Japanese avenue tradition nonetheless make it a standout of Sega’s catalog – up there with the greats of the time, resembling Rez, Seaman, and House Channel 5.
Understanding this affect means understanding Bomb Rush. It’s also an motion sports activities sport that places you in command of a gang of rollerbladers (and skate boarders and BMX riders) terrorizing the streets of, on this case, New Amsterdam, tagging each floor flat sufficient to carry paint. The truth is, you’ll be able to simply copy and paste all the above, and it instantly applies to Bomb Rush. It is both an extremely earnest homage or a blatant copycat with few new concepts of its personal. I are inclined to lean in the direction of the latter.
This is not to say there aren’t areas the place the sport shines. Primarily, it is enjoyable if solely senseless. Motion sports activities video games are about momentum, and tricking via New Amsterdam’s quite a few ranges racking up million-plus-point combos feels fluid and pure. The tagging mechanic, which stops the stream for a brief drawing-based minigame, provides a little bit of flare. And I favored swapping between completely different gang members to experiment with the skateboard and BMX tips.
Alternatively, it by no means pushes the participant. The dearth of a stability meter is obvious (which, to be honest, additionally wasn’t in Jet Set Radio, however nonetheless), which means you’ll be able to grind or guide with none talent. Tricking round is enjoyable, however after eight hours of taking part in, I hardly ever needed to really take into consideration what I used to be doing on-screen by the top. That is exacerbated by the actual fact each degree has kind of the identical mission construction – tag an space, beat a rival gang in a combo contest, keep away from cops or struggle them with dangerous fight, rinse, and repeat. It is monotonous after a bit. However that is modified up in end-stage ranges that function dream sequences that push the participant’s skills, that are a number of the finest elements of the sport.
By copying Jet Set’s complete aesthetic, which, due to cel-shading, has aged fantastically, Bomb Rush pops off the display screen. Its soundtrack is nice, too, although its small playlist means you will be listening to even your favourite tracks solely an excessive amount of. Hideki Naganuma – of Jet Set fame – additionally has a number of songs right here; unsurprisingly, they’re rad.
However my largest concern with Bomb Rush is simply this: as of this sentence, I’ve used the phrases “Bomb Rush” and “Jet Set” an equal variety of instances. That is as a result of you’ll be able to’t speak about Bomb Rush with out speaking about its inspirations.
It appears Bomb Rush’s grandest aspiration is making the participant say, “Hey, wasn’t Jet Set Radio cool?” And yeah, that sport was cool. I like Jet Set Radio. I want I had spent my time replaying that as a substitute.
I believe this can be a normal drawback with the pattern of nostalgia-focused media; by being so obsessive about wanting you to recollect how nice one thing else was, it lacks an precise id of its personal. Bomb Rush does not really feel like one thing new, distinctive, and earnest like Jet Set did when it got here out 20 years in the past. It seems like another person’s higher concepts had been recycled right into a spinoff and unimaginative product. Bomb Rush does not add something new to the dialog. It does not wish to make new reminiscences – it is the man in your good friend group who’s nonetheless obsessive about speaking about highschool. From time to time, I nonetheless boot up Jet Set Radio. I am unable to think about I am going to do the identical for Bomb Rush.
This can be a disgrace as a result of there is a enjoyable sport right here – it is simply trapped in a hole shell. Its remaining sin is having a depressing story hardly even price mentioning. It is boring and dangerous; we are able to depart it at that. There’s room for video games that wish to recapture some outdated glory – to remind you ways cool video games was once – however to try this, it’s a must to add one thing new to the dialog. Neon White is a superb instance of a sport that did this proper. Bomb Rush is not involved in including something new. It simply desires to have the identical conversations we have been having for years. Jet Set Radio was cool. Go play that as a substitute.
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