Space Channel 5: Part 2

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Space Channel 5: Part 2

Japanese boxart, Dreamcast version
Developer(s) United Game Artists
Publisher(s) Sega
Platform(s) Dreamcast, PlayStation 2
Release date Dreamcast
JPN February 14, 2002
PlayStation 2
JPN February 14, 2002
PAL February 12, 2003
USA November 18, 2003 (SC5 Special Edition)
Genre(s) Music
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: Teen (T)
USK: 6

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.


Contents

[edit] 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.

[edit] Gameplay

Whilst 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, 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 an alternate story mode where characters, costumes and dance moves are different.

Other improvements include replacing the rendered backgrounds of the first game with real time environments.

[edit] Space Michael

Michael Jackson 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.

[edit] No UK Release

The game was pulled from the shelves moments before being released in the United Kingdom. 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.

[edit] Voice Cast

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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