Space Channel 5

"UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT CHU CHU CHU!"

It’s “Ulala’s Swinging Report Show”, where she’ll out-dance, out-wit, and out-shoot the evil Morolians (with your help, of course). Space Channel 5 just oozes with that kind of fruity flavor; and for that exact reason it failed in the US. Sega tried to make Ulala a loveable and popular character by advertising her (practically all their extremely limited advertising). Of course, Americans, only wanting their Tomb Raider and Pokemon, rejected her. This was just one of Sega’s unique efforts that the American population did not accept (another being Jet Grind Radio). So, with not many copies being sold, SP5 was reduced to the bargain-bin price of $10. Is it worth that ten-spot? Of course!

Story: 9/10
Ulala, the star Space Channel 5 reporter, is investigating a breaking story at the spaceport. Apparently, aliens are forcing people to dance! Ulala won’t allow this, and decides to defeat them in the dancing contest of the millennium! She follows them to a cruise ship, an asteroid field, and more. Along the way, Ulala meets Pudding and Jaguar, two rival reporters. Who can get the info first? The story is extremely original, and it’s definitely not a some shoddy “kill all the enemies” deal. Originality is it’s biggest trait, and that’s a very good thing.

Gameplay: 8.5/10
It plays like Dance Dance Revolution on speed! The Morolians say a combination of directions and “Chu”(the Japanese word for shoot). Once it’s your turn, you have to remember the instructions and repeat them to the beat. It sounds simple, but ends up being extremely complex, with multiple aliens and hostages which have to have different guns used on them, interspersed directions and Chu’s, and distractions in the background. Also, if you do too badly, your show will be canceled (read: game over)!

The hostages represent yet another challenge in itself; there are over 100 different ones to find. Once you find them, they join you by dancing behind Ulala in a troupe. Many are extremely difficult to find and can only be found under certain circumstances, such as 90% accuracy or higher, and the like. Also available to be found are different musicians such as a guitarist, a keyboardist, and a drummer, which directly affect the music. Michael Jackson makes a cameo as Space Michael, who can be saved too (if that’s really a good thing…?).

Control: 6.5/10
The control is usually excellent and exact, but in some instances, your dance steps will not register as on the right beat. Sometimes you’ll think you have the moves on the right note, and it doesn’t register correctly. I guess I’m just a little bit off, but a little leeway would be nice. It’s really too bad, since the game is already difficult enough for those who are dancing game maniacs.

Difficulty: Easy/Hard
If you’re a dancing fanatic, you’ll blow through Space Channel 5 in under an hour with no problem. For the rest of us (even the “hardcore” gamers) you’ll struggle. And struggle some more. You’ll get bored and quit. Eventually, though, you’ll “get” it and start getting on the beat. The learning curve is fairly high, but once you reach the top level, it plateaus.

Graphics: 9/10
Space Channel 5 is very pretty. Everything has a distinct 70’s flair and coloring;. However and unfortunately, the graphics end up being unappreciated when you’re concentrating on the music and beat. Trying to clearly look at them will even hurt your score, as it takes so much attention to “keep your groove”! Serving as a background, though, they’re much better than most music games, such as Dance Dance Revolution.

Sound/Music: 10/10
The sound is excellent; the guns sound like your typical corny “zap” (which is a good thing for a game like this), and all the other effects are great too. Of principal notice is the voice-acting: Apollo Smile (or is it Smile Apollo?), the famous anime actress, voices Ulala. If she’s doing it, you know it has to be good! The music is, of course, great; this is a music game, after all! The point of a music game with bad tunes would be quite moot, wouldn’t it?

Value: 7.6/10
Space Channel 5 is, admittedly, very short. There are only 4 levels to go through, and an extra mode available after you go through the game once with some different areas in the regular levels. It’s always fun to go through it again, though. However, the price of $10 at most stores makes it a good deal.

Space Channel 5 is a “different” game. If you like that sort of fruity game, it’s excellent. If you’re one of those who don’t, stay far, far, away. You’ll only be frustrated. For those that “understand” it’s a must-buy.

Overall Score: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/03/01, Updated 11/08/01