Space Channel 5: Special Edition (PlayStation 2) review on HonestGamers

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Review by John L
September 02, 2004

Sega have always been known for their weird stuff. From an action game that depicts the everyday life of pop-star Michael Jackson to a rail shooter that attempts to invoke synaesthesia, those wacky funsters have always cranked out odd titles. When Space Channel 5 was announced, in which you danced through a series of news reports to stop an alien invasion, I don't think anybody mistook it for an Electronic Arts game. It never quite realized its potential, though, lacking the variety needed to be fun for extended periods of time. That said, it had a solid enough foundation for Sega to give it another go, leading to a sequel which, while not perfect, surpasses the original in every way.

The premise of Space Channel 5: Part 2 hasn't been altered much since its conception. A rogue group of aliens are terrorizing the general populace by forcing them to dance, and as the foxy news reporter Ulala, your job is to stop the alien invasion and rescue all of the hostages. By dancing. Effectively, you play a game of Simon Says, as your enemies simply tell you button sequences that you have to repeat with similar timing. The more accurately you shake your groove thang, the higher your news station's view rating goes. Of course, if the show were to be cancelled, then, well, game over. Competing with Skinemax ain't easy.

Part 2 manages to put more beef on the platter than the original, though, thanks to the myriad of gameplay addenda. I had an absolute blast playing the instruments in the game, like drums and guitars. In these sections, you can hit any direction, but you're forced to have absolutely perfect rhythm. The singing sections are also fun. Basically, your enemy sings for a few seconds, and does certain moves during their ditty. Then, your group (yes, group: all the people you save follow you and dance along!) sings something back, and you have to do the right moves at the same time that your foe did. These additions work great, providing variety to the main game while not deviating from the play style.

However, there's one very big problem that should be obvious from the beginning. Despite the fresh coats of paint, it's still just a simple game of Simon Says. It's more aesthetically pleasing than that flashing frisbee thing, but it hardly makes for the deepest gameplay experience. There are some attempts to add replay value, though. Unlike the bare-bones first game, SC5P2 contains a lot of extras, ranging from a changing room where you can unlock different costumes for Ulala to a continuous dance mode that works much like any fighting game's Survival mode. Still, monotony sets in quickly, making this game twenty minute blasts of fun as opposed to two hour blasts of fun.

Ask anyone who played the original, though, and they'll likely tell you that it was SC5's infectious 60's style visuals that hooked them. Its sequel is no slouch in that category. Ulala herself looks worlds better: her trademark pink hair is more defined, and her outfit with the white miniskirt and go-go boots is equally hawt. Her dance animations are great, too. It's neat how she dances with a lot of energy if you've been doing well, but seems like she's about to keel over if you're doing poorly. The villain's red on black look is also great, and the hostages always blend in well with the vibrant colors. Lastly, the backgrounds are nothing short of stunning, from the clouds surrounding you as you blaze through the sky to the deranged foliage of a bright green garden.

In fact, deranged is an apt word to describe many parts of the game. First off, you have to take the overall concept into consideration. Dancing your way through six news reports in an attempt to stop aliens isn't the industry standard. The denizens of the world are quite interesting, from trashcan shaped robots that sing about how sly and sexy they are to Space Michael, Michael Jackson in an astronaut suit. Lots of stuff ends up going on in the backgrounds, too. In one guitar battle, which has you on a platform over a pool, there are synchronized swimmers below you. The more you rock, the crazier they swim. Oh, then you fight a tentacle monster. The kooky style never quite overcomes the too-simple play mechanics, but it helps.

Compared to the odd style of the game, the sound is a bit more conventional. Like the visuals, it has a very 1960's feel to it, consisting mostly of upbeat jazzy pieces. They fit perfectly with the game's lighthearted feel, and they even help you out by having beats when you're supposed to be pressing a button. There's some ''dramatic'' music in the boss fights, too - you end up waltzing with a plant robot. Additionally, the voices lend a large amount of charm to the game, whether they be the zany President Peace or Ulala's sugar-sweet tone. And you just can't forget the hilarious, catchy song lyrics. Apparently, the aforementioned sly robots made the galaxy dance for them. Or something.

Even when you put aside the underwhelming concept, though, the game has a lot of minor flaws that catch up to it. Annoyingly, its got a bad case of jaggies, especially compared to the DC title. Yes, the PS2 fails at running a DC game. Another thing is that the different reports can be spastically designed. Often, it feels like they're trying to cram too many scenarios in, which makes them less enjoyable as a whole. Also, the patterns sometimes flat out suck, such as one that starts right away and has a long pause at the end. The game then abruptly switches to your turn, trying to catch you off guard.

If, however, you can accept the little flaws along with the fact that the concept is way too simple, you'll have a blast with Space Channel 5 Part 2. The game is a hoot; there's something innately fun about dancing to stop aliens, and while you won't be using it to show off your new plasma screen, its cheerful audiovisual presentation does wonders for it. It's an improvement on the original in every way, too, especially in terms of variety. It's also the zaniest Sega game this side of Moonwalker: you can never go wrong when you combine miniskirts and tentacle monsters.

Rating
7	Very Good This game does enough things right that for the most part, you'll likely enjoy yourself while playing it. Recommended.
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Space Channel 5: Special Edition (PS2) game cover art

Staff Score (Avg): N/A User Score (Avg): 4.0 Press Score (Avg): N/A
Reviews: 1 Guides: 0 Cheats: 1 Ratings: 1	High Scores: 0 Screenshots: 0 Videos: 2

Title: Space Channel 5: Special Edition
Genre: Music
Publisher: AgeTec
Developer: United Game Artists
Release Date: November 18, 2003
ESRB: E
Save: 161KB

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