Space Channel 5: Part 2 (English Patched)

Space Channel 5: Part 2 is a music video game developed by United Game Artists. A direct sequel to the 1999 game Space Channel 5, the game was published for Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 in Japan in February 2002 by Sega. The PS2 version released worldwide in 2003 by SCEE (Mainland Europe) and Agetec (North America). The game later received a high-definition port to Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2011 from Sega.

In a space age future, reporter Ulala takes on a group called the Rhythm Rogues and their leader Purge when they unleash a dancing madness on the galaxy. As Ulala, players engage in rhythm-based combat through scripted levels where Ulala mimics the actions of rivals in time to musical tracks. Alongside the single-player story campaign, there exists an endurance mode called Ulala’s Dance and a multiplayer option for both modes.

Part 2 was produced over two years by many of the same staff; it was the team’s last game prior to being merged with Sonic Team, and the last produced by Tetsuya Mizuguchi prior to leaving Sega in 2003. Shifting to 3D graphics from the pre-rendered videos of the first game, Mizuguchi included several features based on the team’s wishes and feedback from the first game. The music was composed over the course of a year, and spawned four soundtrack albums. Part 2 was a critical and commercial success, with many critics citing it as superior to the original due to its polished mechanics and soundtrack.

Synopsis and gameplay

In the music video game Space Channel 5: Part 2, players take on the role of Ulala, a reporter working for the titular news channel in a 1960s-styled science fiction future filled with competing news channels. After a gang called the Rhythm Rogues led by Purge and his subordinate Shadow attack people with a dancing madness, Ulala is sent to both report on events, while clashing with rival reporters and local authorities, and defeat the Rhythm Rogues’ plans. The Rhythm Rogues kidnap Space President Peace, steal transmitters from other news stations to amplify their dancing signal, and destroy Space Channel 5’s base. After defeating Shadow, revealed to be a former ally under hypnosis, Ulala defeats Purge with the support of her allies and fans.

Players control Ulala through six 3D levels, with some levels having specific gimmicks such as band instrument-based battles or mimicking picture poses. The aim in each level is to defeat enemies, win boss encounters, and rescue citizens. All gameplay has Ulala mimicking the movements and vocalisations of her opponents (compared by journalists to the game Simon Says). There are six buttons that match actions on-screen; the directional pad buttons, and two action buttons which are presented with the respective vocalizations “chu” and “hey”.

Levels are divided into dancing and shooting areas; during the shooting sections, Ulala uses “chu” to defeat enemies and “hey” to free hostages. There are many variations present during these sections; button prompts must be timed in some songs with lyrics, and some long notes require the player to hold down a button. Alongside standard battles, Ulala has battle-style sections where she uses a musical instrument. During these sections, the player pressing “down” on the directional pad and action buttons.

Ratings, shown in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, increase with each good performance and discovering secret moves. Ulala’s health is represented as hearts in standard gameplay, with the game ending if Ulala runs out of hearts. The heart count can be increased with good performance. The rate of success during any section changes Ulala’s dancing and backing music to reflect this, with more rescues and successful dances increasing Ulala’s party and musical variety, while errors cause Ulala’s dancing to flag and the music to simplify. During boss encounters, the current rating is converted into stars which act as a health meter, and remaining stars at the end of a boss fight are converted into ratings.

An additional mode outside the main campaign is “Ulala’s Dance”, a 100-stage endurance battle where Ulala only has a single heart. Successful performance in Ulala’s Dance, in addition to finding hidden moves in standard levels, unlocks costumes and accessories for Ulala. Part 2 also supports multiplayer; one player controls the directional pad, while the other controls the action buttons.