While it may have felt like a showcase from an earlier era, there was plenty to like about the recent Ubisoft Forward presentation. Kicking things off with a bang,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorareceived its first gameplay traileralong with a confirmed release date. A few differentAssassin’s Creedgames got their time in the spotlight, andStar Wars: Outlawsbrought things to a suitably climactic finish. But buried in the mix of it all was a small announcement concerningRoller Championsand one of the most beloved action-sport franchises around.
Released back in May 2022,Roller Championswas Ubisoft’s big foray into the live-service, free-to-play sports market. While the gameplay itself is pretty solid,Roller Championsfailed to make any significant impact on launch, and it’s been barely keeping afloat since, with an all-time peak player count of 134 on Steam Charts. But despite the failings of similar live-service games, and its own obvious shortcomings,Roller Championsis getting a crossover DLC withJet Set Radio- a crossover that misses the mark in a few ways.
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Roller Champions' Jet Set Radio Crossover Is Disappointing For Fans
The firstJet Set Radioreleased all the way back in 2000, and it became an immediate critical success. Bright and heavily stylized graphics, fluid animations, accessible gameplay, and an incredible soundtrack,Jet Set Radioticked all the boxes, but it originally launched asa Sega Saturn exclusive, meaning that many gamers didn’t get the chance to play it. Two years later, a sequel namedJet Set Radio Futurelaunched for the Xbox, and it was just as much of a critical hit as its predecessor. But despite all of that critical success, and a deeply dedicated fan-base still singing its praises to this day, theJet Set Radiofranchise hasn’t seen a new entry in over two decades.
Every few years, anew rumor sprouts up suggesting thatJet Set Radiois getting a remake, or a newJet Set Radiosequel is on the way, but they haven’t come true yet. Rather than develop a new entry, Sega has just continued to string fans along with variousJet Set Radiocrossovers over the years, ranging from guest appearances inSonic and All-Stars Racing Transformedto more recent titles likeSuper Monkey Ball: Banana Mania.
The latest game to crossover withJet Set Radiois Ubisoft’sRoller Champions, which as mentioned up top, isn’t considered overly successful. This may be the most dishearteningJet Set Radiocrossover yet, with iconic main characters Beat and Gum being awkwardly crammed intoRoller Champions' art style, which is cartoon-y, but lacks any of the cel-shading that madeJet Set Radio’scharacter design so iconic. And whileRoller Champions' gameplaytechnically makes sense for these characters, with rollerskating being the main form of traversal inJet Set Radio, it all feels strangely soulless.
For years, allJet Set Radiofans have wanted is a new game in the franchise, but all they’ve been given is crossovers like thisRoller Championsone. Rather than feel like a fun crossover of two popular franchises, this just feels like a desperate attempt to save Ubisoft’s failing live-service game, using an otherwise dormant franchise that Sega knows fans will always show up for as it’s the only new content they can get from a series they love. Sega knows the demand is there fora newJet Set Radiogame, but the longer it holds out, the more fans are going to give up and drop off. Perhaps this crossover would be more interesting if the series had a recent release to enjoy, but unfortunately, that is not the case.
Roller Championsis available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, GeForce Now, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.
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