Dom Robinson reviews
Space Channel 5
for Sega Dreamcast
Distributed by
Sega
No, don't rush off. This has nothing to do with the low-rated TV channel with a fuzzy picture and I
promise you won't find Keith Chegwin naked in this game! You take the role of Ulala, a space-age
female TV presenter and dance diva who has to be the queen of the disco scene.
Space Channel 5 is a "Parappa the Rappa"-style affair in which getting hip to the beat and landing on
your feet may be the key to success. Keep in time with the music, breakdance better than the invading
aliens, rescue their dancing hostages and boost your TV ratings. And that's just about it. It's a novelty
game which was fine when Parappa was first released since it was a genre to which we'd only just
been introduced. Nowadays it's getting rather long in the tooth and a simple change of sprites just isn't
enough.
Where this sort of game does excel - and is best played - is in the arcades. It's quite hypnotising to see
people jumping about, crossing their legs and spinning round as specified directions appear onscreen
or are shouted out to you, but it's not quite the same just pressing a button.
There are some very imaginative graphics with an appearance from Michael Jackson and plenty of
colour be it from Ulala's bright orange mini-skirt, your opponents yellow flared trousers (just imagine
the horror!) and the cool backdrops, all of which serve to provide a mesmerising experience if you
stare at the screen for long enough. The style blends in well with the funky groove of music from the
1970s. A 60Hz option is also available for those with compatible television sets.
While it's a fairly easy game to just pick up and play, a question must be raised with regards to its
longevity. There's a mere four levels here and the only incentive you have to return to the game upon
completion is to improve upon your percentage TV rating as there's no option to increase the difficulty
setting.
Definitely one of those games when you feel very impressed for the first few times... until you realise
that's all there is to see! Still, like a lot of things in life, if people keep throwing good money at the
companies releasing them, who are we to argue? If you must take part, rent it first before parting with
your forty notes.
Overall: 2½/5
This review used to be on Freeloader.com , but they have since closed.
Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2000.
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DVDfever .co.uk - Est. February 25th 2000
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No, don't rush off. This has nothing to do with the low-rated TV channel with a fuzzy picture and I
promise you won't find Keith Chegwin naked in this game! You take the role of Ulala, a space-age
female TV presenter and dance diva who has to be the queen of the disco scene.
