Memorable Melodies: The Concept of Love from Jet Set Radio Future

Song: The Concept of Love

Game: Jet Set Radio Future

Composer: Hideki Naganuma

JET SET RADIOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

There was a point in time when Sega was putting out awesome video games. That time has largely past, but that doesn't mean that their old games are gone. The Dreamcast may have tanked, but in my opinion it was ahead of its time. Sega put out a ton of good stuff on the platform and its early demise was a complete shame. When I first saw gameplay of the original Jet Set Radio (Jet Grind Radio in the U.S.) it completely blew my mind. It was a game with attitude. Roller-blading rebels who used spray-paint against their oppressive environment took the forefront. 

When Sega put the Dreamcast to bed they transferred the work from a majority of their working projects onto the original Xbox. One such game that made the transition was Jet Set Radio Future. I didn't own an original Xbox, so I never ended up playing the game until quite a bit after its initial release. I was going through a phase in college where I wanted to buy a bunch of games I had missed out on, so I picked it up cheap. It's the only original Xbox game I own.

The cel-shaded graphics and gameplay actually hold up. However, the thing that really stuck out to me about the game was its music. It's essentially all funk, and hip-hop. At first it's kind of weird, because a majority of video game music doesn't have any lyrics. However, once I heard each song a couple of times I was bobbing my head along to the beat as I performed dope skate tricks.

I still listen to the JSRF soundtrack on a regular basis. I love all the songs in the game, so it was hard for me to choose one to feature here. However, I think the most recognizable song is The Concept of Love. On top of being a great song it's also a solid question.

Man, Jet Set Radio Future is such an awesome game. I think an HD re-release of the game would be incredible, and it seems that series creator Hideki Naganuma feels the same way. The series has a defined sense of style, and I love it.