Die devil cat! (Space Channel 5 (DC))

Member Name: Johndonut

Product:	Space Channel 5 (DC)
Date:	29/10/00 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Loads of funky beats, FMV and real time graphics combined to total gaming creaminess.

Disadvantages: The aliens are so cute....and they get shot!

Heh, hope the title confused plenty! In case you hadn't realised, this game has nothing to do with devils or cats. The real subject of the game is much more strange...

When most people think of a dancing game, they usually think of the awful Spice World for the PSX. And yes, Spice World was a bad game. No, in fact it was terrible. Well, as it happens, Sega has managed to pull together an example of a dancing game that doesn't make you want to scream in agony and destroy your beautiful console. And the name of this wonderful game? Look at the title you dunce!

When it comes down to it, Space Channel 5 is a basically game set in the 25th century, where you have to press buttons on the controller in synch with an onscreen beat in order to prevent people from dancing in a strange fashion. Although the concept may sound a little twisted, the game does sort of have a plot, (any excuse for creating a twisted game!) where you play a space reporter named Ulala, who works for "Space Channel 5". News comes through that a race of Moroliens (we don't know much about these little fellas) has invaded a space colony, making the residents there dance in the most peculiar fashion. As you can imagine, Ulala is sent to this space colony to cover the events occurring there, and to save these poor people from being totally annoyed by this funny dancing business. Confused?

Well, if you're wondering how you're meant to be playing these groovy beats, the idea is to press buttons on the controller by reading the on screen instructions, telling you which buttons to press. It may sound difficult to master, but in practice it's quite a simple task - that is until you get to the harder parts of the game, where you can face terrifyingly fast and tricky beats to master. You may be asking at this point what on earth you are actually meant to do to progress to higher levels, and the answer to this is simple. You must make the beats on your
controller as accurately as possible, and for this not only will you gain access to higher levels, but new characters and paths will also appear - making the game more enjoyable and rewarding. In fact, you may find the game so rewarding that you'll find you've finished it almost before you've started it! This is one of the problems in a game such as this, that it's over far to quickly. Space Channel 5 consists of four decent sized "levels", each with a clear aim of improving your last score and meeting new people along the way.

As you'd expect in a game based around dancing, the soundtrack in Space Channel 5 is definitely a contender for "the best soundtrack in a game" award, as well as excellent sound effects and loads of hidden extras that'll keep you playing for ages. I can't wait for this game to come out over here in the UK, and I'll update the opinion when it does!

Summary: