Space Channel 5: Part 2
Encyclopedia
Space Channel 5: Part 2 is the sequel to the rhythm action game Space Channel 5
, developed by United Game Artists and published by Sega
. It was released on the Dreamcast (Japan only) and the PlayStation 2
. It was released in Japan on February 14, 2002, Europe in February 12, 2003 (although it was not released in the United Kingdom
) and in North America as part of special edition package with the first game on November 18, 2003.
With its improved graphics, greater variety, and longer campaign, Part 2 is generally regarded as superior to its predecessor. However, it is much less well known than the original Space Channel 5 due to its belated and limited release outside of Japan.
A HD version of Part 2 was included in Dreamcast Collection
, which was released for Xbox 360
and PC on February 22, 2011 in North America and February 25, 2011 in Europe. It was released on Steam
on March 5, 2011, for PlayStation Network on October 4, 2011, and for Xbox Live Arcade
October 5, 2011.
Purge demands a ransom for the return of the president, but when Ulala and Space Policewoman Pine reach the rendezvous point, they discover that the ransom demand was a diversion from Purge’s real plan to steal transmitters from all of the news stations and combine them into a superpowerful dance-control weapon. Ulala is unable to prevent Purge from stealing the transmitters and destroying Space Channel 5’s orbital headquarters, but she does succeed in rescuing Space Michael and the other Space Channel 5 employees, except for (apparently) her boss Fuse.
Pine summons Ulala, Space Michael, rival reporter Pudding, and the Morolian Boss to Purge’s “Mystery Zone” space station, where the group defeats Shadow (revealed to be Ulala’s colleague Jaguar) in a battle of the bands. Ulala then faces Purge, first in a one-on-one dance battle, then in a final showdown with the help of her friends and all of the kidnapped dancers.
Also new to the game is some segments that involve instrument battles. These are usually played using any directional button, as well as Chu and Hey.
Usually in the game, players have a set number of hearts, which varies depending on the situation. If they mess up a section, they lose a heart. If all hearts are lost, the game is over. In some sections, such as boss battles, stars replace hearts, the number of which is determined by the current rating (the higher the rating, the more stars will be available). If all stars are lost, the game is over.
The viewer rating percentage in the corner works as the score, which changes depending on how well the game is played and the number of hearts or stars at the end of a scenario. There are also secrets at certain points in between gameplay where players press buttons to make Morolians (the enemies from the last game, now allies), spring up from the corner. Players need to find all these secrets in a level in order to get a full 100% rating at the end. (The last level has a possible 200% rating.)
Elsewhere, there is a 100 stage battle mode, known as Ulala's Dance or Ulala's Dancing Show, in which players have to play 100 consecutive lines, with only one heart. Some of the lines seem to resemble those found in the first game. There is also a 2 player mode, where one player controls directions and the other controls actions, and 2nd world story mode where characters and costumes are new and dance moves are harder.
Other improvements include replacing the rendered backgrounds of the first game with real time environments.
reprises his role as Space Michael, with a lot more involvement in the game's story. A section in the game involves Michael 'singing' catchphrases such as 'Dance!', 'Bang!' and his trademark 'Hoo!' to the beat. A lot of the dancing in these areas are also inspired by Michael Jackson's dancing, such as Thriller
. In the Japanese version of the game, he speaks in English and is subbed in Japanese.
. This is thought to be because of the recently-aired television programme Living with Michael Jackson
, which led to a child molestation lawsuit being filed against the singer. The only playable version officially released in the UK was a demo of the first level which came with issue 30 of Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK. However, several copies of the intended UK release have been sold on sites such as eBay
and have made their way into the preowned games market. Players can also import the game from another PAL region such as Germany, France or Spain, as the game features multiple languages.
In 2011, another 'community' release of Space Channel 5: Part 2 for the Dreamcast dubbed the "Complete English Edition" was released. Unlike its 2007 counter-part, this version has all of the text in English and any reference to the PS2 were replaced with a Dreamcast alternative.
Space Channel 5
Space Channel 5 is a music video game developed by United Game Artists under the direction of Tetsuya Mizuguchi and published by Sega. The gameplay features a system where the player must copy sequences of dance steps performed by the computer...
, developed by United Game Artists and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
. It was released on the Dreamcast (Japan only) and the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. It was released in Japan on February 14, 2002, Europe in February 12, 2003 (although it was not released in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) and in North America as part of special edition package with the first game on November 18, 2003.
With its improved graphics, greater variety, and longer campaign, Part 2 is generally regarded as superior to its predecessor. However, it is much less well known than the original Space Channel 5 due to its belated and limited release outside of Japan.
A HD version of Part 2 was included in Dreamcast Collection
Dreamcast Collection
Dreamcast Collection is a video game compilation for Xbox 360 and PC. It includes four games from the Dreamcast, Sega's video game console originally released in 1998...
, which was released for Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PC on February 22, 2011 in North America and February 25, 2011 in Europe. It was released on Steam
Steam (content delivery)
Steam is a digital distribution, digital rights management, multiplayer and communications platform developed by Valve Corporation. It is used to distribute games and related media online, from small independent developers to larger software houses...
on March 5, 2011, for PlayStation Network on October 4, 2011, and for Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
October 5, 2011.
Storyline
The story follows Ulala as she faces off against a new group of enemies called the Rhythm Rogues (known as the Odori-dan in Japanese), led by the mysterious Purge and his masked assistant Shadow. The Rhythm Rogues kidnap thousands of innocent people, including Space President Peace, and force them to dance.Purge demands a ransom for the return of the president, but when Ulala and Space Policewoman Pine reach the rendezvous point, they discover that the ransom demand was a diversion from Purge’s real plan to steal transmitters from all of the news stations and combine them into a superpowerful dance-control weapon. Ulala is unable to prevent Purge from stealing the transmitters and destroying Space Channel 5’s orbital headquarters, but she does succeed in rescuing Space Michael and the other Space Channel 5 employees, except for (apparently) her boss Fuse.
Pine summons Ulala, Space Michael, rival reporter Pudding, and the Morolian Boss to Purge’s “Mystery Zone” space station, where the group defeats Shadow (revealed to be Ulala’s colleague Jaguar) in a battle of the bands. Ulala then faces Purge, first in a one-on-one dance battle, then in a final showdown with the help of her friends and all of the kidnapped dancers.
Gameplay
While the scoring system is much different from the first game, the core gameplay remains mostly unchanged from the first game. Players have to copy moves acted out by the opponent in time to the music by pressing the directional buttons. The X button (A button on the Dreamcast) is used when the opponents shouts "Chu!" and is sometimes used to shoot enemies or objects. Hostages can be rescued by pressing the O button (B button), although in this game, it is now distinguished as "Hey!" and comes with its own dance move. New to this game is the ability to hold buttons down as a 'charged move' (When someone says 'Chuuuuu---', the player holds the X button).Also new to the game is some segments that involve instrument battles. These are usually played using any directional button, as well as Chu and Hey.
Usually in the game, players have a set number of hearts, which varies depending on the situation. If they mess up a section, they lose a heart. If all hearts are lost, the game is over. In some sections, such as boss battles, stars replace hearts, the number of which is determined by the current rating (the higher the rating, the more stars will be available). If all stars are lost, the game is over.
The viewer rating percentage in the corner works as the score, which changes depending on how well the game is played and the number of hearts or stars at the end of a scenario. There are also secrets at certain points in between gameplay where players press buttons to make Morolians (the enemies from the last game, now allies), spring up from the corner. Players need to find all these secrets in a level in order to get a full 100% rating at the end. (The last level has a possible 200% rating.)
Elsewhere, there is a 100 stage battle mode, known as Ulala's Dance or Ulala's Dancing Show, in which players have to play 100 consecutive lines, with only one heart. Some of the lines seem to resemble those found in the first game. There is also a 2 player mode, where one player controls directions and the other controls actions, and 2nd world story mode where characters and costumes are new and dance moves are harder.
Other improvements include replacing the rendered backgrounds of the first game with real time environments.
Space Michael
Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
reprises his role as Space Michael, with a lot more involvement in the game's story. A section in the game involves Michael 'singing' catchphrases such as 'Dance!', 'Bang!' and his trademark 'Hoo!' to the beat. A lot of the dancing in these areas are also inspired by Michael Jackson's dancing, such as Thriller
Thriller (music video)
Michael Jackson's Thriller is a 14-minute music video for the song of the same name released on December 2, 1983 and directed by John Landis, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jackson....
. In the Japanese version of the game, he speaks in English and is subbed in Japanese.
No UK Release
The game was pulled from the shelves moments before being released in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. This is thought to be because of the recently-aired television programme Living with Michael Jackson
Living with Michael Jackson
Living with Michael Jackson is a Granada Television documentary, in which British journalist Martin Bashir interviewed Michael Jackson over a span of eight months, from May 2002 to January 2003...
, which led to a child molestation lawsuit being filed against the singer. The only playable version officially released in the UK was a demo of the first level which came with issue 30 of Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK. However, several copies of the intended UK release have been sold on sites such as eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
and have made their way into the preowned games market. Players can also import the game from another PAL region such as Germany, France or Spain, as the game features multiple languages.
Dreamcast English Version
In 2007, the Dreamcast homebrew community released an English language version of Space Channel 5: Part 2. This version was created by replacing the Japanese Dreamcast audio track of the game play with the audio track from the North American PS2 version. The movie/non-game play segments were captured from the North American PS2 version and aptly replaced the Japanese Dreamcast segments. One redeeming note is that the instructions during the first phase of game play refer to the PS2 controller. This is not even remotely a problem as long as you know how to play the Dreamcast version, however. http://www.dreamcast-talk.com.In 2011, another 'community' release of Space Channel 5: Part 2 for the Dreamcast dubbed the "Complete English Edition" was released. Unlike its 2007 counter-part, this version has all of the text in English and any reference to the PS2 were replaced with a Dreamcast alternative.
Voice Cast
- Apollo SmileApollo SmileApollo Smile is a pop music songwriter, singer and voice actress. Among her earliest efforts was a track on the Tom Cruise film Days of Thunder and a self-titled 1991 album. Later on, she billed herself as "The Live Action Anime Girl" and was invited to several science fiction conventions as a...
- Ulala - Kerry ShaleKerry ShaleKerry Shale is a UK-based actor, writer and voice-over artist. He is married to Suzanne Shale, a former Oxford University law don, now a specialist in the field of medical ethics.-Theatre:...
- Fuse - Alan Marriot - Noize
- Eric Myers - Purge
- Tom Clarke Hill - Jaguar/Shadow
- Toni BarryToni BarryToni Barry is a British voice actress. She is also known to fans of the television show Press Gang as Spike's American girlfriend Zoe.-Selected filmography:*Project A-ko - Asa*Dangaioh - Dira...
- Pine - Bob Sherman - President Peace
- Larissa Murphy - Pudding
- Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
- Space Michael
See also
- Space Channel 5Space Channel 5Space Channel 5 is a music video game developed by United Game Artists under the direction of Tetsuya Mizuguchi and published by Sega. The gameplay features a system where the player must copy sequences of dance steps performed by the computer...
- List of Characters in Space Channel 5
- United Game Artists
- SegaSega, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...